Do you turn brights off in traffic?

[Clay350]

I am fairly new to riding. Got my fz6 month ago. I would like to ride with my brights on all the time at night. Does it annoy other drivers like a regular vehicle with brights? Is it illegal. Does anyone else always ride with brights?

Clay

 

[Full Throttle]

I only ride with my brights on during the day to help me stand out in traffic. At night its too bright so I only use it like I would a car.

 

[Dave.TX]

This is straight out of the Minnesota Driver Manual page 70:

"When you are within 1,000 feet of an oncoming vehicle, or following
another vehicle at a distance of 200 feet or less, your headlights must
be set on low beam."

Here in Texas the distance is a little different at 400 yards (1200 feet).

From my experience seeing motorcycles at night the more modern ones have pretty bright headlights and high beams, much better than in the 1980's. Yes, motorcycle high beams are annoying when they're close enough. I would prefer everyone be courteous to other drivers by dimming their high beams and about 95% of people do (around here at least).

 

[callmegandhi]

Dave is right. The new headlights are far superior to the old headlights. It would be like driving at someone in your car with the high beams on.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.779372,-91.205887

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to the forum and riding!

The light on your bike that has the bright beam also has a low beam but it is not wired from the factory. You can modify it to work and have an operational High/Low beam. This way both lamps will work at night giving better visibility and added light with out having the high beam on. When you want the high beam on it will properly switch off the low beam and turn on the high beam.

 

[Sith Lord]

If you were riding toward me with your high beam on, I'd turn around, chase you and slap you:spank: Don't do it. Sure, people will see you, but you'll also blind your fellow motorcyclist coming toward you who would then momentarily lose his orientation and crash into the light pole on the side of the road.

 

[greg]

i only use hi-beams when i can't see the road properly

 

[ChevyFazer]

I ride with my highs on all the time and dont care if I blind anyone id rather be seen. As far as it being illegal no cop in there right mind would give a motorcyclist a ticket for having there brights on...then again most cops ive delt with are not in there right mind. The only time my brights are switched off is if im riding in a group or behind someone blinding them. With you being new, I know this goes against what everyone else is saying I would ride woth them on untill you feel comfortable.

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

 

[Sith Lord]

I ride with my highs on all the time and dont care if I blind anyone

That is just stupid and arrogant. Hope you blind one of your family members and they have the crash. Maybe it'll be your wife/husband with your young kid in the car. Nice.....

 

[fizz_off]

I ride with my highs on all the time and dont care if I blind anyone id rather be seen. As far as it being illegal no cop in there right mind would give a motorcyclist a ticket for having there brights on...then again most cops ive delt with are not in there right mind. The only time my brights are switched off is if im riding in a group or behind someone blinding them. With you being new, I know this goes against what everyone else is saying I would ride woth them on untill you feel comfortable.

<SARCASM>
Spoken like true caring, courteous and respectful rider.
</SARCASM>

Yeah, let's hear you say, "...dont care if I blind anyone.." when you're recovering from a crash in your cage because some like minded motorcycle rider blinded YOU as they're coming toward you, and you inadvertently swerve into "something" as you reflexively flinch/avert your eyes (from the road) to avoid the "blinding" light.

On thread - I leave mine off (day or night), until they are needed.

On another note, the HD/"cruiser/chopper" crew seems to like leaving their highs on ALL the time...for some reason, recently their highs seem much BRIGHTER in the day time, to the point that I have to look away from the oncoming high beams. The ones with multiple lights (all with highs on) in a row make me think a low flying UFO is about to have a head on with me :Flip:

 

[FIZZER6]

If you were riding toward me with your high beam on, I'd turn around, chase you and slap you:spank: Don't do it. Sure, people will see you, but you'll also blind your fellow motorcyclist coming toward you who would then momentarily lose his orientation and crash into YOUR BIKE!

Fixed ^

Always dim your brights for oncoming traffic at night unless you want them to turn on their brights, blind you and then you run off the road and die in a fiery crash....hey it's possible!

 

[ChevyFazer]

That is just stupid and arrogant. Hope you blind one of your family members and they have the crash. Maybe it'll be your wife/husband with your young kid in the car. Nice.....

Glad you feel that way!!! Ill keep that in mind when I see that someone pulled out in front of you totaling your bike and they have too scrape your brains off the sidewalk. And I dont know how drivers act down where you are but here in the states, especially Atlanta the other drivers could care less about motorcyclist there thoughts are my car/truck is bigger so "F" them and I am going to do whatever I can to protect myself while out there and my headlights are aimed down a little as to not blind on coming traffic as bad as they would otherwise. As for the comment about my family....wow....how do you know that they wernt already killed by a drunk driver or somthing like that....and you call me arrogant....some people should think before they open there mouths or type. Its better to be thought of as a idiot then open your mouth and prove it

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

 

[Marthy]

I ride with my highs on all the time and dont care if I blind anyone id rather be seen. As far as it being illegal no cop in there right mind would give a motorcyclist a ticket for having there brights on...then again most cops ive delt with are not in there right mind. The only time my brights are switched off is if im riding in a group or behind someone blinding them. With you being new, I know this goes against what everyone else is saying I would ride woth them on untill you feel comfortable.

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

I'm right there with you. I followed my wife once when I first got the bike as a test and she said it wasn't bad... so I leave them on high beam 99% of the time. If I follow someone from close for a couple of miles I will go low... otherwise I rather be seen! I never had people "flashing" there lights at me... so far so good.

 

[ChevyFazer]

I'm right there with you. I followed my wife once when I first got the bike as a test and she said it wasn't bad... so I leave them on high beam 99% of the time. If I follow someone from close for a couple of miles I will go low... otherwise I rather be seen! I never had people "flashing" there lights at me... so far so good.

Yup but I guess we are so stupid that our families deserve to die.....

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

 

[Red Wazp]

Studies and my own personal observation proves it is harder to judge a bikes distance and speed when approaching on comming traffic ( that guy at corner) when you ride with your high beams on.

A light or white colored helmet will work quite well to be seen better and won't annoy others as much as your high beams.

 

[Pseudo-Fed]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please keep it civil:thumbup: I ride with my brights on a good portion of time, and do NOT worry about effects on oncoming traffic during the day. I use them at night mainly on darker stretches of road or in "crazy" traffic, with alot of entry, exiting, lane changing, and at night I do dim them for oncoming traffic or cars right in front of me.

 

[Marthy]

Yup but I guess we are so stupid that our families deserve to die.....

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

I like to be seen! My bike is yellow, so my helmet and jacket. I have LED rear running lights, Proton flush mount, reflective yellow rim strip... and if it's not enough... I got the pipe!

So I run the high beam on freeway all the time. If I hit some back road, I lower them in incoming traffic. The only time where I will qualify myself of complete A$$ H... is when I have one of those idiot riding right next to me on his cel phone and not really paying attention on what's going on around him. I drop 1 or 2 gear and rev it up 8-9K. It takes about 20 second max, they get out of there and give me the WTF look... (The 6R have the exhaust under the bike aiming sideways...) Thanks Viper Can! No one has cutting me off ever since... but that material for another thread... I don't want to get there since there's different opinion on the "loud pipe safe life theory" :rockon:

By the way, let's all hug each other here... no need to throw knife to each others.:spank:

 

[Grainbelt]

Serious response - take the time to properly aim your low beam.

I think mine is aimed far too low and will be disassembling the cowl and re-aiming it just a touch higher in the near future.

 

[ChevyFazer]

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please keep it civil:thumbup: I ride with my brights on a good portion of time, and do NOT worry about effects on oncoming traffic during the day. I use them at night mainly on darker stretches of road or in "crazy" traffic, with alot of entry, exiting, lane changing, and at night I do dim them for oncoming traffic or cars right in front of me.

Yup I obviously like running my brights at all times and have noticed a difference on how many cars pull out in front of me and if I can see that im blindind someone I will turn them off

Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

 

[FIZZER6]

I don't know how anyone can see the road at night with the stock low beam only. This is why I have FX35 Bi-xenon projector headlights on the FZ6...my low beam covers about 2X as much width with 3X as much light.