Dear Hive mind, I was wondering who could point me to a nice brightly coloured helmet... Hi-vis possibly - orange or yellow Or perhaps any 'stand out' colour...fire engine red...bright green? Ideally full face. Ideally around the 12-13-1400g mark... Many thanks
without wanting to inadvertently open up a can of worms...because I feel, in my opinion, that it may make me more noticeable. Of course, there is an argument against, there is "risk compensation" etc and no doubt etc, but I am merely exploring ideas...
For all those wishing to become a walking H&S advertisement, unfortunately it will generally only be noticed as you're walking down the street after you've got off your bike https://www.jsaccessories.co.uk/pages/collections/hivizproducts.htm
Buy a pink highviz vest job done, unfortunately green and orange are too well known motorists just dont take any notice anymore. So sometime i go the full Elmo.
Fill your boots https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/mo..._cat/797/(1;product_rating;DESC;0-0;all;4;25) Select desired colours etc......on the filter selection
If you wish to maximise your visibility, make all your clothing and helmet (and the bike) the same colour, doesn't really matter what it is, but all black or white is best. Just don't do the motorcycle racer thing of an explosion in a paint factory as that merely creates effective camouflage as it breaks up the visible shape of the bike and rider
I looked on this link and saw the Bell Qualifier DLX Hi-Viz. I have that helmet (but not in that color) and it is a huge bang for the buck. In U.S. dollars, the shield alone is $150. The Transition shield is awesome--works great and gets almost perfectly clear when it's dark and changes to a very dark tint when it's brightly sunny outside. That said, helmets are very personal, especially fit. But I like my Bell.
This is a great price but I'm not sure this particular Bell comes with the Transition shield. Not all Qualifiers do. I think the Qualifiers that come with the Transition shield have the DLX designation. Worth double checking if you want that option.
In a study, it was shown red catches the eye best. Your mind translates the colour to meaning danger. Red is also the best colour for peripheral vision. The colour stands out better than hi-viz in daylight. Wearing red does not blend into the background colours. After reading this study that took 5 years and lots of money as they do i went straight out and bought myself a black and white helmet.
I have thought the same Daniel and I reckon a white based helmet might work as well as the best avoided HiViz ones. I've just got an Arai Debut Blaze in black and white, but maybe I should have got the white with black.
Why black and white? Interestingly, or... perhaps not so...I have been trying to be 'aware' of colours etc when out and about (not necessarily riding) and I think there is no ideal colour from what I can see! Hi Vis is wonderful, except in certain light conditions - or at night. (Whether people 'like' hi Vis is kinda a moot point) White is wonderful, unless you're near a white van... Green is good...although not so when there are trees around or fields on the horizon. Ditto for yellows and the Oxfordshire rapeseed fields. I had considered red...but then pulled in to a 3 lane trafficking jam....and the sea of brake lights would have totally lost any red helmet. I do not know what to do...but I'm doing my ROSPA training and feel looking Uber cool is one thing. Paying attention to chapter 1 of the handbook is another issue entirely... I value all your replies and opinions. Thank you!
I’ve got a multi coloured crash helmet which Mrs Freck says she can spot a mile off when we’re out on the bikes, hopefully others can too. I always ride with headlights on too - best to be seen as much as possible, though you’ll never be seen if the idiots don’t look
Well I guess you want to be seen and if you look at this video @2.32, all you can see of the rider in the car park is the headlight and the light reflecting off the cylinder heads and forks, and that remains the same as it comes closer. And what "Dennis" can see from his car @5.01, the black helmet doesn't stand out, it's just the headlight and anything on the bike that reflects light. My thoughts are that white reflects most light, multi-coloured helmets are similar to camouflage and the visual clues that represent the outline of a rider help other road users see us,....maybe? But wearing a white helmet and a Hiviz jacket is too police-like for most of us, but it gets you noticed. This looks cooler to me...
Thanks for sharing a great video, SpeedTwin1200. Very helpful. When I first learned to ride, my husband showed me this weaving maneuver and particularly recommended it for when a car is ready to turn left into our path. He explained it as weaving to sort of aim my headlight at the car to make sure the driver saw me. I use it quite a lot. I've read about it elsewhere, too. But this video really drives home the point and visually helps us see how and why it works. Thank you!! Related to the visibility of different colors, I have three bikes each of which is a different color. My largest bike is a touring Harley (Road Glide) and is orange with yellow/gold metal flake ("Laguna Orange" so there's a lot of bright paint and it's particularly bright in the sun. My other Harley (a Dyna) is smaller and all black. My Speed Triple is white with a bit of red and black trim. While I haven't done any scientific testing, anecdotally it does seem of my three bikes, drivers see the orange one the best.
Thanks Sandi, I'd not come across it either so pleased to share that video as it makes the point about the moving background well. As you say, moving your headlight is part of it, as is the driver thinking -what the hell's that bike doing?! -Which means they're looking at you.
