Page 2 - Safety Enhancements
"You
ain't havin' fun if you
don't get home alive."
Since most of us ride scooters
for "fun" (if you are being paid to ride, please let
the rest of us in on your secret) the preceding quote is self-evident.
So: Safety and Fun go together -
which might surprise some riders.
safety enhancements that we can all enjoy; proper riding attire is one -
most important,a good DOT-Approved helmet. Head injuries aren't just bad,
they are really bad.Even if you don't care about yourself, think about the folks that will have to take care of you in a vegetative state for 10, 20, or more years after you smack the front end of someone's sedan sans helmet. Yeah - I like the feel of fresh air blowing across my bald dome, but I wear a helmet for the sake of my spouse and other family.
Not only was she violating my right-of-way; she was actually on the wrong side of the road at this point. Fortunately, the Aero has really good brakes; and as I stopped a few feet from her side window, she frowned at me and "waved me on" in front of her car. Here she is; stopped in front of me, crosswise to traffic coming from behind me - and she is telling me to finish my turn in front of her --- into traffic coming toward me!
In her mind this has now become my fault for not following her directions. She actually believes that I should trust her not to do anything else stupid, like running over me as I pass in front of her. She has no idea what is coming toward me from behind her right shoulder. She just wants me to get out of her way.
I am convinced that she looked right at me from perhaps 50 feet away but did not see my headlight. This is why you see motorcycles with dual headlights alternately flashing.
Wear bright colors, carry a flag on a whip antenna, do whatever you think might help people like this to pay attention to you and yield to you the driving rights they would yield to any other legal vehicle.
An inexpensive flagstaff can be made from a cheap [or used] fiberglass
fishing rod. It could be bracketed to the side of a tailbox. With my milk
crate, the grip just reaches the top and is anchored with bungee cord.
This is also a good place for a supply of
2-cycle oil. I paid $3 for the used fishing rod.
Spray a small American flag with several coats of clear enamel to resist
damage from wind-whipping. Leave the top ferrule on the rod, slip the
flagstaff through that and use plastic wire-ties to clinch it to the rod.
I first tried these little electronic flash lamps on my Aero. Wired in parallel with the stop lamp, they blinked about 4 or 5 times per second when the brakes were applied.
At left here I managed to catch one flashing during a fairly long exposure. Although this doesn't look very bright, they were quite noticable even in bright sunlight.
Unfortunately, the strobes BOTH failed after only a few hours of riding - probably due to vibration-induced damage. I removed them, and found a much better replacement - - - -
This
is a true "high intensity flash lamp." That is, a high pressure
arc lamp using a capacitor discharge circuit to trigger an extremely short
duration flash, less then a milli-second. The light flashes in a pattern
that repeats as long as 12 volts is applied. This light cannot be ignored by anyone behind the scooter.
You may have seen the same system used in traffic signals at particularly dangerous intersections, where the flash lamp is placed in the center of the "Stop" light.
Fixed to the top of the tail box, the light
can be seen from about 75 degrees each side of center, and is visible
in daylight for about a half-mile; at night for a mile or more.
This light was purchased from an "O'Riley" auto parts shop.
"Quest" brand, "Redline number 2689", it is advertised
as "fully waterproof" -- the cost was $17 plus tax.
Will it withstand the buzzing vibration of the Honda's 2-stroke?? As of
January, 2005 it has survived several months of riding and being hauled
on the RV Hauler.
To activate the warning lamp, splice number a #14 or #16 color-coded wire pair into the stop lamp wire connector and to a good ground (chassis bolt, upper right.)
Be sure all loose wiring is tightly secured and clear of moving or hot parts.
The wires were run up one of the rear carrier supports and inside the tail box milk crate. Plastic wire ties keep the wires secure and out of harm's way.
As the job was completed more ties were added than are seen here. .