I was just talking to one of my riding friends and it occurred to me how much effort we put into increasing our visibility when riding. Everything from reflective stickers/tape, reflective riding gear, extra lighting. What occurred to me is when I used to ride crotch rocket (sportbike) in my young 20's I gave visibility no consideration. I think I assumed I could maneuver around traffic and outwit others with speed and agility. In fact I remember minimizing my lighting and silhouette by removing my "large" turn signals and placing signal buds on the corners of the bike. Most of my riding gear was non-reflective. I remember the Army required all riders to wear boots and minimally a reflective sash or road guard vest to increase visibility. I would shed these items into my tank bag just miles off the base if gone for the day (s).
Point: There is a very different mentality between adventure riders and sportbike "crotch rocket" riders with regards to visibility. Cruisers say they use their obnoxiously loud pipes to create a wall of sound around them. Fun for one. Maybe there is a different demographic with sportbike riders like youth, that is the deference. Just a general discussion point. :bigear:
Point: There is a very different mentality between adventure riders and sportbike "crotch rocket" riders with regards to visibility. Cruisers say they use their obnoxiously loud pipes to create a wall of sound around them. Fun for one. Maybe there is a different demographic with sportbike riders like youth, that is the deference. Just a general discussion point. :bigear: