Blinking indicators when filtering?

[SXHighwayman]

Morning all,

Quick question - what with the CR having running lights what is your opinion of having the blinkers on when filtering?

My normal route includes A12, M25, M11, A406 then Central London so involves filtering from pretty much home onwards. I've seen lots of bikers take the lead position then put their blinkers on. I think that anything that may give a slight chance that the car about to lane hop MAY spot you is useful but given our bikes already have running lights is it overkill/unnecessary?

Any commuters have any thoughts around this? When I biked previously 15 years ago most bikes didn't have hazard lights (At least not that I recall) so filtering with winkers wasn't an option.

 

[Skids]

Hi m8.

What exactly is the effect you are wanting to achieve?

I'm afraid my 50+ mile each way commute isn't as bad as yours, but I do still filter to the front of queues on the A1 roundabouts. What I want is for other road users to be aware of my presence sooner/at all so I have fitted extra LED spots on the crash bars. I've found they make a world of difference. I bought this bike a few weeks ago, to replace my old 2015 Cr, and it took me a little while to sort out the re-fitting of the LED spots. In that time, I noticed on my commute that fewer vehicles moved out of the way/pulled to the side of the lane or were generally aware of me from what I could tell, compared to when I had the spots on my old Cr. Now I have them re-fitted, it's all back to normal, I'm seen early and the waves tend to part.

It may also help that I wear a sleeved dayglo/reflective jacket (emphasis on sleeved as from the front, yr torso is often not visible, though less so on the Cr than on a ST bike) and a white helmet which can usually be seen earlier than, say, a black helmet.

And no, before anyone says otherwise, I'm not a "POLITE" rider, I'm not trying to look like a copper, just trying to be seen.

[SXHighwayman]

Just trying to be seen really.

I was wondering if I needed the blinkers on when I already have orange running lamps lit.

What you've said about the spots gives me food for thought though. Which brand spots did you go for? I haven't got crashbars yet but am considering it - seems to be only a couple of non-eom choices, Givi and Motech.

I don't find the headlamps that bright so may well supplement! It's dark on the Essex roads in the mornings.

[Skids]

Originally Posted by SXHighwayman

Just trying to be seen really.

I was wondering if I needed the blinkers on when I already have orange running lamps lit.

What you've said about the spots gives me food for thought though. Which brand spots did you go for? I haven't got crashbars yet but am considering it - seems to be only a couple of non-eom choices, Givi and Motech.

I don't find the headlamps that bright so may well supplement! It's dark on the Essex roads in the mornings.

The LED headlamps seem to cast a bar of light ahead, very bright, but only a thin bar so short of it is quite dark. In the dark, I use the LED aux lamps to fill this. In the daylight, I can move them up so that they are aimed between the low beam and high beam to highlight my presence. I don't get flashed by oncoming drivers so they're not too bright but are easily visible.

I wouldn't rate the flashers over white LED lights.

I have the Givi bars as I think they are more sturdy than others I've seen (SW & OEM). Curiously I have a set for sale. 

I use the Givi S320 spots.

[v8guy]

Originally Posted by SXHighwayman

Quick question - what with the CR having running lights what is your opinion of having the blinkers on when filtering?

I sometimes do this if the space available is a bit tight and oncoming traffic is moving at any speed. The self-cancelling indicators make this unnecessarily difficult, though. I have developed a muscle memory for clicking them back on regularly. As for using the hazards.. some of my biggest complaints with the CR relate to switchgear, the hazards being particularly useless. The design brief seems to have assumed that a rider would never need to operate them whilst also using the throttle - they should try London riding a bit more.

That said, driving home this evening in the car, a filtering bike with indicator running lights approached and I was struck by how visible they are. 

[voodoo]

I never use hazard-lights whilst filtering, coz filtering is not a hazard. 

I think in Netherlands it is not even allowed, allthough a lot of bikers use them anyway.

[NigelQ]

In my experience the best thing to improve your chances of being seen is to make a bit of noise. I've always fitted an aftermarket louder (but not obnoxious) exhaust to a bike thats going to be used for touring or commuting. The standard exhaust on my mark 1 Crossrunner sounded very quiet, especially at low speed

[Haddo]

Amber running lights incorporated with amber indicators 150mm from a constantly on headlamp is one of the most stupid ideas I've witnessed since entering the automotive industry 40 years ago.
You can't just disconnect a wire which would have been simple, so I run the front indicators off the rear loom. They flash a bit faster but it saves a lot of confusion on roundabouts in daylight.
The only gripe with this bike though it's awesome 2016cr

[Skids]

Originally Posted by NigelQ

In my experience the best thing to improve your chances of being seen is to make a bit of noise. I've always fitted an aftermarket louder (but not obnoxious) exhaust to a bike thats going to be used for touring or commuting. The standard exhaust on my mark 1 Crossrunner sounded very quiet, especially at low speed

I agree that noise is another mitigation but I don't think it as effective in most scenarios as white LED lighting, nor other conspicuity aids.

I had a high speed knock which wrote-off my 98 VFR800 when a car sideswiped me on a dual carriageway. My bike had the OEM can on it and I have always wondered whether a noisier end can would have alerted the driver to my presence (the dayglo jacket and incandescent headlights clearly didn't). Since then, I've always tended towards noisier aftermarket cans and am planning on getting a DAM for my new Cr but for conspicuity, a multi-layered approach of white LEDs, dayglo sleeved jacket, bright helmet, side reflectors (reflective wheel stripes amongst others) and riding in a manner which alerts other uses to my presence (sweeping across the rear of a car so the driver can see my lights) is the way I approach it. I do 15,000 miles+ a year commuting and so far, for the last 3 years, it's worked very well.

YMMV.

[Skids]

Originally Posted by Haddo

Amber running lights incorporated with amber indicators 150mm from a constantly on headlamp is one of the most stupid ideas I've witnessed since entering the automotive industry 40 years ago.
You can't just disconnect a wire which would have been simple, so I run the front indicators off the rear loom. They flash a bit faster but it saves a lot of confusion on roundabouts in daylight.
The only gripe with this bike though it's awesome 2016cr

Agree completely about the stupidity, but for me it's the 7-second self-cancel which is dangerous. Nobody uses indicators for less than 7 seconds ffs. Every time I use them above the minimum speed, I'm hitting the indicator switch another 2 or 3 times. It's stupid and dangerous.

I gather there is a way to stop it, but it involves cutting a wire and I'm never happy about doing that without some firmer evidence and reliable confirmation of exactly which wire it is.