Reflector rhetoric

BUSAFETT

Registered
OK, so like every 3rd post I read has some type of reflector bashing in it- So I have to ask... Why is it so downed on to have the original reflectors on your bike?

I know it's nice to have a ride that's "clean", but when I think about the fact that I basically turn invisible to other drivers when I get on my bike, I'd pretty much like to have as much stuff on my bike as possible for other folks to see me (that would include reflectors).

Who cares if the Euro bikes don't have 'em.. They also get to pay $5/gal for fuel!
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BUSAFETT
 
Well... maybe because it's stealthy looking and cool not to have the reflectors.

I agree with you though. I still have mine and I don't see me taking them off anytime soon. Call me a dweeb but I like knowing some part of my bike is showing up in someone's headlights.
 
Reflectors on the Busa are ugly, and don't blend with with the bike or the spirit of the bike.

Also if you think about it for a moment the location of the reflectors makes them 100% useless as a safety device.  The only way these are going to be usefull is when a guy has a 90deg T-bone lined up at which point they do little to help.  

Seriously, they are useless... They are a DOT requirement that is plain silly.

Take a flash light, and in the dark with the wheel pointed forward walk around your machine and look for reflections.  Remember that something like 75% of motorcycle accidents occur from the front Left 3/4s.  Try it out, the stock reflectors do nothing. Besides, if they don't see your headlights, what possible chance does a tiny lil reflector have?

So what to do???

You can get some killer 3-M reflexlite reflective tape that is near blinding and it's available in a dozen or so colors including black.  So it is possible to place the tape in locations that are both useful and effective while not assing up the lines of the bike.

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 check out GALLS.com  GallsGraphicsstore   Click on roll striping then select 3M Scotchliteâ„¢ Reflective Striping.  ou wont be dissapointed and Galls is fast and safe.  

Rev



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I hear removing them provides 5 more horse power
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Seriously, they remind me of my bicycle..and like Rev said, they are almost totally worthless.
 
If you want something that reflects and will be enhance safety, wear a hunter orange safety vest. The military wears them here and you can see them much more than any little side reflectors. They stand out like a sore thumb but definitely get noticed.
 
I would much rather have the reflectors than wear that life preserver!! Plus it takes away from the Terminator look of my AlpineStars jacket
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I said I didn't wanna be invisible, but I've got my limits..

BUSAFETT
 
I would much rather have the reflectors than wear that life preserver!! Plus it takes away from the Terminator look of my AlpineStars jacket
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I said I didn't wanna be invisible, but I've got my limits..

BUSAFETT
We HAVE to wear them, I never said i LIKED to wear it.
 
And they are as usless as the reflectors. Cagers still look right at me and still pull out in front of me. You would think it wouldnt be to hard to see a 6 foot 250 lbs Marine wearing day glow orange riding a white 7 foot long motocycle with its high beam on would you. So in closeing those relflectors arent worth shide!
 
Took my first loooooooooong ride 2 Saturday's ago on the Busa, and it's been about 3 yrs since I had my last bike.. Got to an intersection where I was turning right, and the other side across from me had a left arrow that was just expiring.. When I got to the intersection there was noone in the opposite turn lane, but by the time I proceeded right, a teeny bopper in a car on a cell phone came flyin' from the opposite turn lane.. Good thing I looked one last time before rolling off on the throttle- When it happened, I just said to myself in the helmet "well well, nothing's changed.."

BUSAFETT
 
I broke down and removed mine yesterday. Initially I left them on mainly to be indifferent and piss off board members.
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Suzuki could have at least put some stylish reflectors on there instead of the exact same ones you'd fine on a 3 year olds tricycle.

There are a few reasons I can see for leaving them on.
One would be if the bike is parked in a hotel parking lot at night...the shiny reflection might just be enough to catch that idiot drunk drivers attention and cause him to swerve around the bike.
Same scenario except it's a soccer mom backing up in a minivan with tinted rear windows. That little glimmer of light may save the bike.

The big concern is if you get t-boned at night. You get screwed up bad and now you've got insurance companies battling it out in court. Driver claims he didn't see you. Insurance investigator notices you didn't have the required DOT reflectors installed on your bike. That could really work against you the same way as if you got rear ended and it turns out your brake lights weren't working.
 
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