DRL daylight running lamps

[clayt74]

i was planning on getting a pair of the bikevis bullet led lamps for winter, when i stumbled across this site
http://www.dadrl.org.uk/motorcycleinstructor.html

he has the very that daytime lights even dipped beam can be a bad idea???
anyone else got any views on this?

also if i get and fit the leds i was intending on having them permantley on, including with high beam. would doing this be illegal or cause problems with MoT?

cheers

[GringoRojo]

if your bike's not been modded your sidelights should be on all the time anyway?

[JZS 600]

I don't know, I'm keeping mine lit anyway,,,

I was thinking of getting yellow tinted headlight guards over the main beams this winter to stand out a bit in the rush hour traffic, you can't really pick out bike headlights when everyone else's head lights are on  but I'm pretty sure yellow would stick out like a sore thumb.

Any thoughts?

[clayt74]

on the 2002 the side lights are switchable, I always ride with dipped lights. but due to winter coming and dark foggy commutes i want to not only improve how much i can see, but also maximise my visibility to others.
i live in a pretty rural area with shite lighting, plenty of pot holes and regular badger/fox road kill appearing. which is why i am looking at having the bullets permantly lit.
not sure how yellow lens covers would behave in adverse weather???
might be worth trying them tho maybe as a combination, yellow headlights and white runners??
that should confuse the cagers  :\

[Panthor]

My fazer has the option to turn sidelights off, but i always ride with my dipped on.  I think its from when i was doing my test the kawasaki i was riding wouldnt allow you to turn the dipped beam off so i just thought well if they think its a good idea ill leave mine on.
I have to say when im driving my car i notice bikers more when their dipped beam is on and my opinion is that its safer.

[fireblake]

All I know is that when I'm driving my truck I see bikes with lights on more easily than those with them off, like dopey car drivers it's amazing how many bikes don't turn their lights on in bad conditions, the other morning it was thick fog and this chap on an old Beemer was plodding down the motorway, I nearly took him out as I was about to change lanes. He gave me the finger and an exagerated head shake but had no fecking lights on.


Exasperated Mickey

[clayt74]

The point I found interesting in the original post was that there is a school of thought that suggests a headlights gives a one dimensional point that is harder to judge speed and distance than a 3 dimensional image of a bike?
I can kinda understand the physics . But have always thought lights on is best ?

[Gingernutz]

I don't believe him.

[Farjo]

I ride with my lights off and feel safer relying on my own observations and judgement. With lights on many drivers see you more readily, however some do not and I found that I was getting a bit complacent. Riding without lights gives me back my "eye of the cyclist" gained from cycling / commuting through London for 6 years.

I've tried to explain this before but people generally look blankly at me, so I guess I don't do it very well and perhaps you have to have been a cyclist to get what I'm on about.

[Panthor]

Thing is it usually helps to be seen on the road when other drivers use their mirrors.  I was behind a car yesterday that had both wing mirrors folded in and the driver over shot some temp traffic lights and then slammed it in reverse and started coming back at me without even looking  :eek . I then pulled up along side the daft old woman and shouted at her to use her FOCCING MIRRORS.