dragonsfire23 wrote:Hand signals do wonders. Especially in the city. Probably only 10% of people will actually understand what your signals mean but the main thing is that it gets them to notice you.
+1
I used left turn hand signal the other week. Morning sun in my eyes, my left turn coming up soon after going through an intersection. I turn on my signal light as I approached the intersection and for the cager behind me, stuck out my left arm and wave it up and down.
I tried a neon-colour construction vest but it seemed to enrage car drivers. My Scorpion EXO-700 neon helmet, on the other hand, is blindingly obvious without side effects. I'm going to try a yellow motorcycle jacket when my old one wears out
I installed a modulator on the high beams and run with that all the time. It may irritate some people but if they're irritated that means that at least they've seen me. I also have my brake lights modulated to flash 5 times before going to solid when I apply the brakes. I added some additional very bright red running/stop LED lights to the back...just enough to border on ridiculousness and not enough to put me squarely there.
I can't count the number of times that people have pulled into the road as if I wasn't there. They were either too busy doing something else in addition to driving or blind as a bat/dumb as a brick. I have a nice loud Wolo Bad Boy air horn that replaced the meep meep factory pos and a polite toot will always get people's attention...make them hesitate for the vital second that it takes to remind them that they're driving a 2 ton wheeled weapon among other citizens.
As others have said, probably the most important self protection one can have while riding on two wheels is a full time awareness that you are the smallest thing on the road. I ALWAYS ride as if I'm invisible and that all cagers are out to kill me.
