Making yourself visible while riding is one of the most (if not THE most) important safety precautions you can take. Although cars and other drivers should be paying more attention during riding season, it’s still your responsibility to do some things that will help increase your motorcycle visibility. Here are some tips:
Hi-Vis Apparel
Hi-Visibility clothing and gear is a no-brainer. Wear high visibility apparel such as brightly-colored vests, jackets, helmets, etc. to help draw others’ eyes to you and be seen. Check out our Hi-Vis Apparel.
Reflective Materials
You can put reflective materials on parts of your bike such as your windshield, rear fender, saddle bags, rims, and even your helmet. These motorcycle visibility products will help drivers and other riders see different parts of your bike.
Wheels: Pinstripe your wheels with Reflective Wheel Strip Decals. They come in a variety of colors, so you can coordinate with your bike and gear.
Helmets and other parts of your bike: You can put black reflective tape anywhere on your bike. It shines white during the night, but it’s black during the day, so it’ll blend really well if you have a black helmet, saddle bag, etc., and it even looks cool on the rim of your windshield.
Additional Lights
LED Highway Bar: Adding more lights, like a LED Highway Bar, to your bike will increase visibility in both daytime and nighttime.
Flags: Whip-It offers flags that have LED lights with different patterns & colors. If you want to add a flag to your bike, might as well have it light up!
LED Colored Accent Light Strips: Motorcyclists can make themselves more visible at night by adding an XkGlow LED Accent Light Strip to their bikes. These single-color light strips are perfect for anybody who wants a stylish new upgrade and added visibility at night.
Other Ways to Increase Visibility
Use your horn: If you think a driver doesn’t see you, feel free to use your horn to draw attention to yourself.
Tap your brakes: Tapping your brakes rapidly basically turns them into a big blinker, bringing attention to yourself to drivers behind you. Browse our pulsating brake lights that do this for you.
Use your high beams: Using your high beams during the day is a little controversial, but at the end of the day, you’ll be seen. Most drivers won’t notice that you have them on during the day, so you won’t annoy the majority of them.
Ride close to the dashed center line: One thing that is taught in motorcycle school is to ride closer to the dashed center lines (see lane block "A" below), so other cars can see you better in the side mirrors & blind spots.
Use your turn signals: An obvious one – turn signals let drivers know where you intend to go, and it also adds extra lights to your bike, so more attention is drawn to you.
Get loud pipes: Having loud pipes will make you heard – this will make drivers aware that you are near, so they can be on the lookout for you.
Final Tips on Improving Motorcycle Visibility
Just remember – it is just as much your responsibility to be visible as it is the driver’s responsibility to be paying attention. Taking extra precautions like wearing high visibility apparel or adding motorcycle visibility products to your bike could ultimately save your life.
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