Flashing High Beams

[AKsuited]

By the time someone might wake up and react to a horn I can do what avoidance I choose several times over. Most of the time a horn is too little, too late, for much of anything...

The horn works well for alerting careless lane-changers on the slab, but only if you are wise to them and can read their subtle shift left as an early warning of the lane change, and by already having your thumb on the horn button and ready to blast them. That is assuming you have a decent horn. The OEM dual Fiamm's on my '03 RT fit that bill quite nicely.

I don't rely solely on the horn when duking it out with lane-changers since I am quite prepared to counter-steer away from them while blowing the horn.

Harry

[bmwrider88]

if you believe your first statement to be correct (and i truly believe that it is), why would you ever bother to ride with your DRLs off (assuming that they are aimed properly)?

I have the PIAAs aimed high and wide, for maximum visibility at night (deer), so I don't typically run them all the time, or in daylight- unless I'm in a high traffic zone, or if I am in such a situation in inclement weather. I don't have HID headlight bulbs in, so I run my high beam most of the time in daylight.
The PIAAs I just had installed on my K100 are switched to the high-beams, so on that bike I don't have the choice of running them with the low beam on. I can, however, turn them off if I want to. They're independently switched on the R100.
So I guess you might say, I DON'T have my PIAAs "aimed properly", but for my own purposes, instead. More for me to see, rather than to be seen. I ride at night rather a lot, and live in an area where there are LOTS of deer and other critters. However, if I DO turn those PIAAS on, there is zero doubt I'll be seen!

Still, I would never "flash" my lights at anyone unless I meant for them to "go ahead".

[OfficerImpersonator]

@Kevin, do find people moving over, out of your way sometimes as you approach from behind with the modulator on. To me it looks an awful lot like the wig wags on police vehicles. I have actually pulled to the shoulder for a bike that was coming up behind me with a modulating headlight...?

I highly recommend the headlight modulator on the front of an RTP.

At least once per day, I'll have a cage driver get out of my lane, or pull all the way over to the shoulder, because they think I'm a law enforcement officer and they're either getting out of my way, or they're pulling over to receive their anticipated "performance award".

I'm of the belief that I'd rather have these idiots - who don't know you only pull over for red and/or blue flashing lights - behind me than in front of me.

Occasionally, I've used the RTP with headlight modulator to "break up" road rage situations I've observed taking place between other motorists. Drivers always seem to be on their best behavior around me.

[David13]

With the lights, they sure don't know if you are a cop, or an off duty cop, or an undercover/unmarked cop.
Just on the configuration of the RT, which in essence is a 'cop bike' or exactly like the RT P, without the P and it's accoutrements, I have many people pull over, slow down, etc., because they are thinking "oh, oh, it's a cop."
dc

[Scott C]

[QUOTE=OfficerImpersonator;
Occasionally, I've used the RTP with headlight modulator to "break up" road rage situations I've observed taking place between other motorists. Drivers always seem to be on their best behavior around me.

You "break up" road rage incidents?

Never thought of my RT as a cop bike before but yeah now that I looked at some pics from Europe
I can see what you mean.

Thats a pretty cool light too.

[OfficerImpersonator]

[QUOTE=Scott C;774385][QUOTE=OfficerImpersonator;
Occasionally, I've used the RTP with headlight modulator to "break up" road rage situations I've observed taking place between other motorists. Drivers always seem to be on their best behavior around me.

You "break up" road rage incidents?

Never thought of my RT as a cop bike before but yeah now that I looked at some pics from Europe
I can see what you mean.

Thats a pretty cool light too.[/QUOTE]

Hypothetical situation:

I'm in the far-left HOV lane, passing slower traffic on the right on a local interstate highway, commuting to or from work. I'll observe that one car appears to be aggressively tailgating another, or trying to make an unsafe pass around a slower vehicle, or is being operated by someone just generally behaving badly behind the wheel.

When I arrive on the white RTP with the flashing headlight, everyone calms down and behaves better. They may resume their anti-social behavior once I've moved on, but at least they're on their best behavior when I'm in their vicinity.

I routinely watch drivers throw cell phones down on the front passenger floor, passenger seat, rear seat, etc. as I approach, afraid I'll cite them for yakking while driving.

I often see single-occupancy vehicles ahead of me dive out of the HOV lane and back in to the general purpose lanes. Then I'll watch them furiously try to scurry over to the far right lane and/or take the next exit in an attempt to avoid a ticket.

Only once have I actually and intentionally "impersonated an officer", and that was when I encountered a motorist suffering some sort of substance impairment or medical issue as they were weaving across multiple lanes of traffic on Interstate 5 in broad daylight. Using the RTP, I was able to encourage the driver to exit the freeway at the next exit ramp, where I then continued on the now safer freeway.

I understand the responsibility and potential consequences that come from such actions, and it's the only time I've ever done something like that in 50,000 miles of RTP riding. Karma is a jealous woman, and I don't want to unnecessarily tempt her.

I get waves from kids in school buses, the backseats of minivans, and walking down sidewalks.

[Scott C]

Your bike is set up nice also. Love the lights for greater visibility.