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stuka151 wrote:No, I don't need a helmet for walking. I walk around with a bullhorn and shout obscenities so people can hear me coming.

So, that was you?! I shoulda known.

There's one other thing that I really like about the winkers on this Wing.

The turn signal clicker/BUZZER. I'll never remove that thing. It clicks loudly (other riders have commented) and then at 35 MPH it starts buzzing loudly. I can even hear it with the helmet on.

The danger of leaving a signal on can't be understated. Someone at an intersection you're approaching is waiting to turn right into your lane. He sees that you are turning so he goes. Ooops. You're toast.

I like that turn signal fix, and I've always thought the rectangular stick-outs were ungainly.

I think when I change mine, I'll go with GL1000-style round ones including the GL1000 brake lite and the headlight mounted older honda front signals...those have a lot of "roundness" to them and there are a LOT of round design elements on a GL1100....the timing belt cover pattern, the swing arm caps, stock mirrors, etc are all round or rounded.

I think that's why the later rectangular blinkers (and to some degree the angles of the false tank) tend to look "off" on the GL1100.

Older bikes and many of the newer ones tend towards round or rounded design elements...bikes from the 80's tend to be more "square".

This is why the stock GL1100 OEM fairing will never be worth any money (IMO) until "square" becomes popular again (if ever)....this also explains how even the most crunched up batwing style fairing will attract lots of money.

Steve, like your license plate! Is that the new official state slogan?

Just a bit of artistic license and help from Photoshop.

I mostly agree on the round 'n round discussion. But, I'm more into rehabbing my bikes and want to try and stick as close to original as I can. Not restorations, mind you. Those things usually end up not traveling that much unless on a trailer. I want to ride 'em but I like to have them look like they looked on the showroom floor.

All these DOT regs being quoted...do they apply to "customs"? I think they apply mainly to manufacturers and importers. There are "custom" bike mfgs in the states that do not use DOT approved lights, brakes, and any number of other parts that apply to "big name brands". In Missouri, directional signals are not even required, but ape-hanger handlebars cannot be more than 15" above the seat. Never seen a cop with a tape measure, but the law is there if he needs "probable cause".
Back in the mid-seventies, DOT mandated daytime headlights on and left side shifters only. DOT rules change more often than IRS rules.

If your vehicle is intended for on road use it must meet the regs. Custom builders who do not use approved parts risk the rejection of their products when it comes to pre-licensing inspections.

When you take a "home built" vehicle for inspection, there is a list if items that the inspector is supposed to look for. Among them is the proper placement & type of lights and other safety appliances (speedometer, horn &c). If he is caught passing something that isn't right he can loose his license and pay a stiff fine. But someone would have to complain first.

You might go a long time without being bothered about something that does not meet the regs because most cops know less about the law than a seagull knows about calculus. But if, God forbid, you are involved in an accident and the other guy's lawyer knows his stuff, he can shift the blame onto you if he can prove that your vehicle did not meet the standards.

BTW: The Ontario HTA used to state only that, if they were present, turn signals had to meet the applicable standards. In other words, they were not required but you couldn't have them on the vehicle if they didn't work or were mounted in the wrong place.
The newest version of the HTA says they are required.

If your local regs don't require them they are probably like the old Ontario reg: If they are there they must be in compliance.

But the thing to remember here is that the game isn't "let's see how many regs we can dodge". It's "let's see how long we can go without being killed or maimed by some draino-brained cager".
The distance between the lights and the signals is specified in order to try to insure that other drivers can see the signals flashing. If you mount them too close together you could end up giving that draino-brain an excuse.

yeah , well here in Cali ape hangars above the shoulder is illegal and see how many of those are on the road.

so are drugs..

not the ones I take.....your tax dollars at work again!! hahahaha

Sidecar Bob wrote:But the thing to remember here is that the game isn't "let's see how many regs we can dodge". It's "let's see how long we can go without being killed or maimed by some draino-brained cager".
The distance between the lights and the signals is specified in order to try to insure that other drivers can see the signals flashing. If you mount them too close together you could end up giving that draino-brain an excuse.

Have any of you guys (and gals if any are checking in) ever driven a school bus?

I did for three years back in the eighty's.

Those things are bright yellow or international orange, with flashing lights all over them. Look like rolling christmas trees!

I have had cagers drive right by them while I had the stop paddle out and all of the emergency and indicator lights flashing and headlights on, and if you can get a cop there quick enough they say 'What schoolbus?"

And we should worry about if the signals can be seen around the running and headlights?

okay - i seem to have a tendency to get in on these conversations late in the game... but here i go anyway -

to kind of echo what deek said, in my research i found that LED's have changed everything. at least here in ohio, the ODOT regulations are simply that the lights are visible AND distinguishable from 20 feet - meaning that turn signals have to be noticeable from the brake light when both are applied, which is why my new brake light is totally DOT approved and legal.


it's 16 LEDS incorporating the brake, turn signals, running light and plate lights.

a good source to check for local bike laws is on the AMA website. i advise anybody with any sort of questions about regs and laws to start there, especially when it comes to custom apps.

Part of my job is to deal with regulations. The section 108 is so complicated, it would take a team of lawyers weeks to interpret it and there would still be as many opinions as there are lawyers.

I drove a school bus in college, yup, it's amazing how some folks drive.

And school buses are driven by humans, too. Had a school bus driver look me right in the eye and pull out in front of me, realized what he had done and STOPS in the middle of the road! Motorcycle goes down and me and my buddy slid under the bus. We were a few blocks away from our school.
Then a few years ago, had a schoolbus decide it wanted my lane, without signaling, pulled out of stopped traffic. I was in a Lincoln, fortunately, so I went for the ditch. Stupid woman didn't even stop after that. I got her bus number, and the cops were knocking on her door soon after. She didn't stop because "the Lincoln didn't hit her". She got a ticket anyway.
School paid for my damages.
I've been riding for nearly 50yrs and I only ended up in the hospital once, due to a woman in a '59 Pontiac. Her fault.
But I've had a jillion near misses because I treat every cager like I would a rattlesnake on a one lane road. It will get you if you let it, so give it a wide berth and don't trust it to let you get by without being trouble. I think the Fed reg of having headlights on in the daytime have saved thousands from collisions. But remember this.... a driver will look at a motorcycle and still not have it register in the brain because the motorcycle is NOT A THREAT! Big rigs and 4 wheeled vehicles are a threat, can hurt them, so that registers in the brain, if they have one. Don't trust anyone, even if they look you in the eye.

I heard about a survey they did a few years ago. They went to a bunch of fairs & shopping malls, had folks fill out questionnaires and then put them in a driving simulator and watched to see if they noticed motorcycles while driving. It seems that the biggest correlation between the questionnaire and noticing the bike was having been taken for a ride on a bike at one time in their life.

This summer, let's all do the best thing we can to increase the general safety of all bikers by taking as many people for rides as we can.

BTW: It really bothers me when I see someone tailgating a school bus. How can you stop 20M behind a bus when you are driving 5M behind it? But what really drives me nuts is seeing one bus tailgating another!!
This happens regularly around here.