High Beams and Loud Pipes

[JMHJ]

I'm sure opinions about these have been shared a bunch, but thought I'd thrown in a couple of cents.

I passed a group of oncoming riders, maybe 20-30, in a smallish town this morning, and probably 70-80% of them had high beams on. One of the ones up front was really bad. My assessment of them at the moment wasn't too kind (heh), because you couldn't hardly look at them. Is that safe? I'm doubting it. It is annoying though. Are there occasions where it might help make you stand out? Probably, but that wasn't one of them. In a group like that, it probably wasn't so great for checking your mirrors either.

Loud pipes (and lives...). Same thing. Meh.

[Rob S.]

In upstate NY, the police used to hand out tickets for that. I'm sure they still do.

[Grimly]

Only asshats ride around with main beams on all the time.
Pretty much the same with overly loud pipes.

[rphillips]

I'm too hard to please. Always hated folks not dimming their lights. Wondering if they realize they're blinding the traffic coming within 5' of them at 60mph. Also hate riding with somebody on rural roads with lights on Lo. That deer or coyote you should have seen 200' ahead you don't see till maybe 100' ahead, Neither makes sense to me... Is it just me or are the more modern headlights too bright, even when on Lo?... And today let me apologize to everybody for the wide open 4 into 1 exhaust I yus'ta run all hrs. of the night. Didn't seem annoying at all back then. Now very annoying, I can't imagine what's different. Rekon it could be the birthdays???

[Rob S.]

And today let me apologize to everybody for the wide open 4 into 1 exhaust I yus'ta run all hrs. of the night. Didn't seem annoying at all back then. Now very annoying, I can't imagine what's different. Rekon it could be the birthdays???

I ran my Kaw Z1 exhaust wide open for several years after the baffle ejected itself during a redline run. HOWEVER, I used to push it halfway down the block before starting and then idle away in low gears; no warming up before riding.

On the way home, I'd get it up to 50 mph, kill the engine and coast the last 1/8 mile home. Setting off one car alarm after another might have been fun, but not on my own block. Even a dog knows not to shyte where it eats!

How about all those high mounted "fog" lights on monster truck wannabes? They get behind you in traffic and you wanna be taking off your jacket and hanging it over the rear view mirror. I don't miss driving one bit!

[trent]

In upstate NY, the police used to hand out tickets for that. I'm sure they still do.

In my pick up truck I got pulled over twice within an hour, for not dimming my lights..

Two separate towns at that, the second cop knew I was pulled over less than an hour before....
I must have been out of it that night ? Lol

Didn't get a ticket either time thankfully, second time was a block away from my home

[trent]

When I had first gs1100, I rode it to main shop where I worked out of for a year straight, even in the winter.
cept for two days ,ice.

had four into one and on cold mornings I would stick my boot in the end to muffle sound while i let it warm up...lol

Soon as I got of town I felt fine with it, but just riding around, it wasn't too bad...lol

Screenshot_20231022_113300_Messages~2.jpg

[trent]

Only asshats ride around with main beams on all the time.
Pretty much the same with overly loud pipes.

Believe it or not I overheard a salesman at a motorcycle dealership (it was harley dealer..lol)
inform a couple buying a bike to use brights during the day for extra help being notice/ visible?

ive encountered head on traffic with bright lights in day time, didnt bother me much.

But at night I'd think most people dim when oncoming traffic is coming.

Some of the modern headlight are bright even on low beams

Truck I have now, stock headlights, I get flashed a lot when I have them on low beams.
lot of vehicles like that now.

The big semi trucks my employer has, installed all L.E.D. lights on all of them.

Drivers started complaining people where always flashing them when low beams were on.
ive met them leaving the lot and they are really bright,
but when i drive one they didnt seem to light the road any better than the stock headlights, actually less.

So they are in process of putting stock headlight back on them trucks

[rphillips]

Yrs. past headlights brightness was regulated by wattage, I think 60W-Hi and 55W-Lo is what was considered legal. Brighter were illegal, but available, advertised as for off rd. use only. I's always aggravated cause I wanted brighter Hi but to get that you had to get brighter Lo that I did not want nor need. I think I've always just put in 100W/80W and forgot about it, (not near as bright as todays oem.) hopefully not too bad for oncoming folks while adjusted properly.... I've not heard of any regs. for our todays headlights, I don't think wattage has anything to do with them but they sure are brighter, many times I'm flashing folks cause their lights are blinding the flip out of me, just to get flashed back with their Hi beams that are like flash bulbs... Wondering who's responsible for regulating these things, and if they've even thought about it.

[Big Block]

Daytime? I use the highbeams most of the time. When people are trying to kill me I do everything I can to be seen. Loud pipes? Nope. Pretty stupid to blind oncoming traffic at night too.

[JMHJ]

Daytime? I use the highbeams most of the time. When people are trying to kill me I do everything I can to be seen. Loud pipes? Nope. Pretty stupid to blind oncoming traffic at night too.

That's funny I would've thought night might be a time when you could blend in with lights behind you (other cars, businesses, etc.); I don't use bright because of that, but sometimes wonder if the oncoming is picking me out of the background. I've got a pretty good LED, and the t/sigs on the front light up too, so probably. Most of my riding is daylight, but it'll be coming on to winter soon, so there'll be more in the dark.

The above was daytime (still fairly early morning), but they were still too bright.

[JMHJ]

And today let me apologize to everybody for the wide open 4 into 1 exhaust I yus'ta run all hrs. of the night. Didn't seem annoying at all back then. Now very annoying, I can't imagine what's different. Rekon it could be the birthdays???

Accepted : ). And yes : D

[dorkburger]

I generally have my high beams on in the day for reasons mentioned by Big Block. I don't think the high beam on our aging bikes are nearly as bright as modern offerings. Heck, recently as an experiment l I rode down a two lane state road at hight with my highs on at night. It was a known deer area, so I weighed my chances between seeing a deer earlier or pizzing off a a few oncoming cars. Not one single oncoming flashed me in protest of my brights.

[Big Block]

Ha, ha: Yes I feel more afraid of cars in the daytime but animals at night as well. That dang deer that ran into the front wheel and right side deer bandit.jpg of the Bandit last fall didn't have any lights on at all.

[dpep]

The aiming of your headlight determines whether you blind oncoming drivers. I occasionally do a check by pointing at a wall at night, flashing both beams, and making adjustments accordingly. If you are pointing high and to the left that is not good.

I also try to stay aware as I am riding by noting where my beam is hitting on signs, vehicles I am following, etc. The darker the stretch of road the easier to see your beam.