All-new Suzuki Gsx-r1000 Revealed At Last
- Thread starter dandoolittle
- Start date
ChunksLife
Chunk
its nice but your right the colours don't work and as for black bikes they look nice but im a family man i got to stay safe and i say the brighter the better
dandoolittle
Site owner, lovely and adorable
They all do it! Stock gsxr 1000 09+ they claim 183 but Dyno it, you get 160-170 unless you play with it
Lurch
Administrator
People don't see emergency vehicles with flashing lights, your 2' wide bike, regardless of colour makes little difference. Look at a row of bikes head on and see if any of them *reallY* stand out.
ChunksLife
Chunk
still less likely to get t boned
dandoolittle
Site owner, lovely and adorable
Nope. I've ridden all sorts and people don't choose the colour, they'll pull out on any
ChunksLife
Chunk
check out statistics things are more likely to be seen if bright coloured its a simple fact if it is a small chance id rather be safe then sorry .
dandoolittle
Site owner, lovely and adorable
Which statistics? I've seen loads (I help at a riding school) and never seen stats based on colour, expect for a USA rant that wasn't backed up by data
ChunksLife
Chunk
Using crash data from Victoria and Western Australia, MUARC used the colour classifications black, blue, brown cream, fawn, gold, green, grey, maroon, white mauve, orange, pink, purple, red, silver and yellow, with all variables considered under the nearest category. Also included in the study were conditions such as light at the time of the crash, vehicle type, crash severity and state. Commercial vehicles and taxis were excluded.
Results
The result compared white vehicles with all other coloured vehicles. MUARC’s research showed there were a number of colours related to high risk, including:
The association between colour and crash risk was highest during daylight hours, the risk associated with the above colours during this period up by 10%. The link was reduced during darker driving hours due to colour being less distinguishable and headlights further reducing colour’s effects. Results also showed that environmental factors had an impact on the relationship between colour and crash risk.
Results
The result compared white vehicles with all other coloured vehicles. MUARC’s research showed there were a number of colours related to high risk, including:
- Black
- Blue
- Grey
- Green
- Red
- Silver
The association between colour and crash risk was highest during daylight hours, the risk associated with the above colours during this period up by 10%. The link was reduced during darker driving hours due to colour being less distinguishable and headlights further reducing colour’s effects. Results also showed that environmental factors had an impact on the relationship between colour and crash risk.
ChunksLife
Chunk
so terns out white is the safest colour
dandoolittle
Site owner, lovely and adorable
What a load of rubbish lol - White cars (study based on cars) was compared with every other colour on the road...The only colour that was safer on 'cars' was white. The data was only used if a driver (not rider) was injured and the car towed away. What it doesn't show is how many of each colour was actually involved in each crash, just showed that white was involved in the least amount of crashes. White is the most popular car now, after 2007, based on UK and American data but white was the least popular colour when the study was done so the numbers would be massively different and way way lower i.e not many about, compared to now.
I'd take a massive punt and say if you did the same thing with bikes, you will not see any difference at all (with modern and correct data). Cars have shapes, bikes don't, they have outlines...Hence why we are not easy to see at all, doesn't matter about the colour. Its one reason why I'm a believer that loud pipes save lives, thankfully my MOT guy does as well. Although I also tell students at the school I help with, white helmets save lives because thats fact the colour of the bike doesn't have anything to do with it. I still wear a black lid though because it matches my bike. Also high vis etc breaks up the outline of the bike aka turns you into a shape, not a shadow, but lets face it, hardly anyone uses them either.
The study also excluded commercial vehicles and none serious bumps and only used a few bits of Australia
I'd take a massive punt and say if you did the same thing with bikes, you will not see any difference at all (with modern and correct data). Cars have shapes, bikes don't, they have outlines...Hence why we are not easy to see at all, doesn't matter about the colour. Its one reason why I'm a believer that loud pipes save lives, thankfully my MOT guy does as well. Although I also tell students at the school I help with, white helmets save lives because thats fact the colour of the bike doesn't have anything to do with it. I still wear a black lid though because it matches my bike. Also high vis etc breaks up the outline of the bike aka turns you into a shape, not a shadow, but lets face it, hardly anyone uses them either.
The study also excluded commercial vehicles and none serious bumps and only used a few bits of Australia
ChunksLife
Chunk
look at colour studdy's its defined off the reflective of the colour to how human eyes perceive each one it dosent mater weather its a bike a car or a peace of paper its just how human eyes work. but you can think what you like my original comment was my opinion. not worth arguing over.
dandoolittle
Site owner, lovely and adorable
ChunksLife
Chunk
hahaha your right there lupz
Lurch
Administrator
It's not an argument, it's a worthwhile discussion as pretty much every misconception has come up so far.
I'll start with a t-bone accident. If they've clouted you side on, then it's either a SMIDSY as they looked at the thin profile of the bike then moved in to you, or they were carrying excessive speed in the first place to hit you side on. This kind of accident rarely happens outside a SMIDSY occurrence.
What makes a bike imperceptible is the profile, you're thin, and you will blend in to what is behind. Especially if your one headlight is in line with a headlight from a car following you. A bike is thin, and because of that it is hard to judge distance which means it is hard to judge speed. Whatever colour your bike, from the front-on there is NOT enough colour to make a significant difference in the eyes of an observer - WHO IS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE YOU.
And that is the crux of the matter. The human eye can not perceive everything it sees. It can only only see what the main focal area rests on for a short while. In-between is where you see almost nothing other than a vague blur, and unless there is a massive change in brightness or colour, it gets missed. We see smooth movement, only because our brain interpolates the bits in between where our eyes rest.
So back to colour. When does colour stand out? When there are large blocks in contrast with the background. Front on you're not in contrast. A solid colour helmet or a solid colour bike is not as good as a bike or helmet with a bold colour stripe on it. Search the Shoei Notch Borealis helmet, or look at the classic GSXR colour, big blocks of blue and white. All these things stand out. Let's look at the EU standard Hi-Viz vest. Bright yellow, reflective strips for catching light at night, but hang a tired one against a background of fading greenery, it's not as obvious as if it was against a blue background.
The other thing with these statistical surveys is you have to consider the weighting. Who commissioned the survey, why did they commission it, and what was needing to be proved. If you set out to prove that dark bikes are less safe that bright bikes, then you'll find the link to it. But also, how many black bikes are there on the road, how many white ones are there? Was this survey in one area, what's the distribution of bikes in that area?
White bikes and white helmets CAN stand out more than black, and I'd support that in many situations they will stand out more than black. BUT in (say) London where there are a lot of white painted buildings, white will blend.
Personally during my summer riding, I find darker helmets show up more and in winter, white ones do.
There are millions of ways to be seen, and if you can't be seen you can ride defensively to suit the circumstances at that time. If you approach a side turning with an approaching car, one of the ways of mitigating the situation is to move away from the side turning. This firstly gives lateral movement to the car at the side turning, which is more noticeable, and it also moves you further from the danger giving you and the driver more time to react should the situation develop. However, some of these are advanced techniques and moving wildly across the road should only be done if you know WHY you are doing it and if you UNDERSTAND what you will achieve and that you are not putting yourself in to other danger.
There is no blanket answer to what is the best colour or what the most dangerous colour is, it's hugely dependent on the circumstances.
I'll start with a t-bone accident. If they've clouted you side on, then it's either a SMIDSY as they looked at the thin profile of the bike then moved in to you, or they were carrying excessive speed in the first place to hit you side on. This kind of accident rarely happens outside a SMIDSY occurrence.
What makes a bike imperceptible is the profile, you're thin, and you will blend in to what is behind. Especially if your one headlight is in line with a headlight from a car following you. A bike is thin, and because of that it is hard to judge distance which means it is hard to judge speed. Whatever colour your bike, from the front-on there is NOT enough colour to make a significant difference in the eyes of an observer - WHO IS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE YOU.
And that is the crux of the matter. The human eye can not perceive everything it sees. It can only only see what the main focal area rests on for a short while. In-between is where you see almost nothing other than a vague blur, and unless there is a massive change in brightness or colour, it gets missed. We see smooth movement, only because our brain interpolates the bits in between where our eyes rest.
So back to colour. When does colour stand out? When there are large blocks in contrast with the background. Front on you're not in contrast. A solid colour helmet or a solid colour bike is not as good as a bike or helmet with a bold colour stripe on it. Search the Shoei Notch Borealis helmet, or look at the classic GSXR colour, big blocks of blue and white. All these things stand out. Let's look at the EU standard Hi-Viz vest. Bright yellow, reflective strips for catching light at night, but hang a tired one against a background of fading greenery, it's not as obvious as if it was against a blue background.
The other thing with these statistical surveys is you have to consider the weighting. Who commissioned the survey, why did they commission it, and what was needing to be proved. If you set out to prove that dark bikes are less safe that bright bikes, then you'll find the link to it. But also, how many black bikes are there on the road, how many white ones are there? Was this survey in one area, what's the distribution of bikes in that area?
White bikes and white helmets CAN stand out more than black, and I'd support that in many situations they will stand out more than black. BUT in (say) London where there are a lot of white painted buildings, white will blend.
Personally during my summer riding, I find darker helmets show up more and in winter, white ones do.
There are millions of ways to be seen, and if you can't be seen you can ride defensively to suit the circumstances at that time. If you approach a side turning with an approaching car, one of the ways of mitigating the situation is to move away from the side turning. This firstly gives lateral movement to the car at the side turning, which is more noticeable, and it also moves you further from the danger giving you and the driver more time to react should the situation develop. However, some of these are advanced techniques and moving wildly across the road should only be done if you know WHY you are doing it and if you UNDERSTAND what you will achieve and that you are not putting yourself in to other danger.
There is no blanket answer to what is the best colour or what the most dangerous colour is, it's hugely dependent on the circumstances.
ChunksLife
Chunk
well said its a choice we all make when it comes to the colour of your bike i will allways have bright colour'd bikes mines bright orange.
Last edited by a moderator:
Pigs
Wannabie Member
Is smidsy some sort of british slang?
My bike used to be flamboyant yellow(as seen in my profile pic) and I truly felt like people saw me a lot more than they did now.
ChunksLife
Chunk
yeh i get drawn towards orange things like a moth to a flame.lol.
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