Thanks. That was worth watching.

 

I missed what the hell Smidsy is supposed to mean, was it just a silly english phrase or an accronym for something.? (Wife allways has to ask me questions when I am trying to listen intently to something else...lol)

I would say that most times I in fact use this stratagy, although not the wobbly weaving back and forth , but movement to one side or another.

Most times if I see a car ready to pull out on the road in front of me, I will move to the farthest point to the left that I can, even changing lanes if possible.

I do this more to move myself as far from the car in case it starts to pull out rather than an attempt to attact attention to myself, but the result is the same.
If am headed towards an intersection or there is car in the oncoming lane waiting to turn left, I will do oppossite and quicky move as far to the right as I can, changing lanes if possible.

I have always done this, so I am glad to see I was doing something even more usefull than I thought was.

I will also mention here that I have noticed I have less folks attempting to cut me off in their cars on a weekly basis riding my FJR as opposed to the Vulcan. My only thoughts on why this is , other than luck , is the fact that the FJR has two side by side headlights that are fairly bright and the Vulcan only had one headlight that was a bit weak in comparison.

I am not really a fan of the headlight modulators, and I know somefolks swear by them, but after seeing a car that was traveling in front of me cut off a guy coming towards him who had a headlight mod unit flashing , I am skeptical on how usefull they really are. If a driver is not paying attention, he is not paying attention and short of sending a few rounds his way with a 12 gauge you might not get him to focus on what is in front of him.

(I have seen an old lady pull out in front of an oncoming ambulance with all its lights going plus its siren on too)


After seeing the video now, I will however increase my lateral movements when I can , but still end the move with placing my bike as far from the threat as possible....and still be prepared to react if all this proves futile.


KM

 

Oooops!

I guess a bit of prep info might make more sense out of part of the above.

"SMIDSY" is a British acronym for "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You"....

 

Oooops!

I guess a bit of prep info might make more sense out of part of the above.

"SMIDSY" is a British acronym for "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You"....

And the acronym for the weaving move to attract attention is "SIAM", for "Smidsy Identification and Avoidance Manoever"

 

Thanks for posting this ! This stuff is awesome. Some things like movement etc...i have been doing but its nice to know that research backs it up. I ordered a headlight modulator and will be getting the back off as well. I am trying to be as visible as possible but i understand that I am only part of the equation.

 

I have a modulator and have had people slow down until I passed them and then put their highbeams on and ride my butt. The point is they definately saw me. I agree with KM if they aint paying attention some of them wouldn't notice anything around--defensive riding is the absolute best tactic unti lthey let us shoot bad drivers.

 

Can you turn modulators on and off? I can see how they would p*ss off motorists if they were on all the time.
I have flashed my high beams at folks I thought didn't see me, but I was afraid they would think I was yielding to them and telling them to pull out in front of me.

 

For those new to the idea, headlight modulators are usually wired to work with the high beam only.

Thus, they normally are "turned off" by switching to low beam.

Modulators have a light sensor that completely disables the modulator, so high beams can be used at night without any modulation.

It is generally considered good etiquette to turn a modulator off when directly behind another vehicle (while waiting at a traffic light, for instance). Or when stuck behind someone in very busy (like rush hour) traffic, then it's a good idea to turn the modulator off, as well.

 

Reported.

 

In general it was a very good video. I have both a headlight modulator and a brake light modulator, but have only had them for less than a month. They are very common around here. I think that newer Goldwings must come with them, because pretty much every newer Goldwing I see has one. I really can't say I've noticed much difference in cagers behavior, and considering how many times they've tried to kill me, the last thing I'm concerned about is pissing them off. I also use the Vulcans 4 way flashers quite often. Use of 4 way flashers is legal in my state up to 30 mph. But if I see someone up ahead that looks like they are about to do something stupid, like pull out in front of me, I immediately turn them on, and slow down. Another thing that has been proven to work is one of those high powered clear LED strobe lights made for bicycles, that run off 2 AA batteries. Those things are BRIGHT. I sometimes put one on my handlebar, on the right side, pointed toward the right at about 45 degrees, and cagers pulling out in front of you from the right, after having just run a stop sign, by far the biggest problem around here, definitely see it. Don't know if it is legal on a motorcycle or not, but I don't see why not. I have not yet been stopped by the cops for using it.

I would never use that SIAM maneuver in the U.S. While perfectly safe for a skilled rider, it would most likely get you a ticket for reckless driving here, which could cost you your license.

I also noticed something else. Even though the rider is wearing a reflective vest, he, and the vest, are completely obscured from oncoming traffic and traffic ahead waiting to make a turn right in front of you behind the windshield. I have a windshield, though it is a fairly short one, and I'm keeping it, but it is something to think about. Jerry.