Best thread yet

[m1dtom]

so far the best thread ive read so far is riding with your highbeams on during daylight hrs , turned from invisible to semi transparent.
thanks whomever posted it prob already saved my life, I even ride at night with hb ons no one has yet to flick me as I ride toward the right, if a lot of veh are commming I will switch to low
thanks tom

 

[2nd childhood]

Just remember that depending on how bright your lights are at night, you might blind an oncoming Cage. I personally don't use my highbeams on my bikes any different than I do on my truck, but to each, their own.

 

[Tahlen]

Agreed with last post. Even the stock highbeams can disorient oncoming drivers when out of town and ambient street lighting. Take for instance rounding a right hand corner (in the states at least) your lights are already biased towards the rh side - then add high beams in. The driver in the oncoming cage can't see anything for a brief second. No road. No lines. No delineation between your space and his/hers. Easily could drift into your lane or off the outside of the corner. Don't get me wrong, I ride high beams on all the time in daylight hours. I just shut them off once the sun is down.

I can also emphasize SEMI-transparent w/high beams on. Had a giant king ranch f-350 pull out beside me onto a lonely 2 lane highway just the other day. They must have seen me as I pushed the horn button through the bar since they held to the oncoming lane as I passed by in mine. I have practiced a fair bit of emergency braking and am fairly certain there would not have been time to stop had that been required. I came across this article a while back which shed some light on the subject

What an RAF pilot can teach us about being safe on the road

 

[MG-242]

Quite a few years ago I too would ride with high beams on during daylight hours. In Ohio at least, it is legal to ride during the day with high beams. I don't think that is true in all states. Now I like the OP use high beams just as I do when I'm in the cage, only at night time. IMO part of being a responsible rider is being socially responsible as well. Hi-viz gear fits the need. Unfortunately, if your head is in your lap, you're not going to see me anyways.

 

[iSteve]

Not only do I agree about turning off high beams when approaching traffic. I'm pretty positive it's the law in most states. The law in many states will have you turn off highs within 500 ft of oncoming and 300 when behind another vehicle.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

If you ride during the night, wearing reflective gear and also putting some extra strips on your helmet and on your bike will make up the visibility factor that would be missing from using your high beams. Also to consider, using your high beams may take the effectiveness of your reflective gear because you are blinding the other driver.

 

[FIZZER6]

High beams during the day only will help cars see you out of the corner of their eyes but it will NOT prevent them from pulling in front of you anyway since they can't judge how far you are away as easily if you have a blinding light shining in their eyes.

At night the only need for high beams is for back roads with no street lights or oncoming cars so you can better see the deer and other possible hazards further up the road.