Hi there , thinking of installing Underglow lights on my ninja 650 as gets darker now(more visibility) plus adds a personal touch I guess.
Does not cost much either , they go around 20-40£ from China-ish

But heard a lot of different opinions about is that legal or not ? White in front , red at the back as standard , therefore cannot be red under glow or blinking lights.
Advises / comments / criticism?

Well, legal or not it looks gash 😂
It might be ok for the Fast & Furious crowd to brighten up their shitty Saxos and Corsas with them, but your bike will end up looking like some piss poor attempt at being a Yank wannabe. After all, nobody can ruin a bike like a Yank can 😉

Still, wtf do I know, I still think long hair is the height of fashion 😂

It’s your bike, do what you want to it and ignore grumpy old gits like me!!

😂 didn't expect this but totally get it 😂 I just don't want to hear someone saying I didn't see him that's why I pulled in front of him..
                                                                                                                                                                             

You could be riding the loudest, brightest bike in the world and some helmet will still pull out in front of you and say “SMIDSY!” 😆                                                                                                                                                                             

Hi Raimond, I've also been thinking about increasing my visibility, and this is one option. Plus despite the opinion above, it can look cool on a modern bike(I'm thinking a guy with a paraffin lamp walking in front of me, old bike!).

I realised out on ride at night, that I was practically invisible. I'm not sure it will help from the front though. I've started using reflective tape, but again not much use from the front. I usually bip horn, if they haven't seen me.

I wonder if something like a hidden police type light might also work(only use it if idiots edging forward at junction), probably illegal, but then who even drives at the speed limit, and I'd rather be alive. YT is always good for advice(jump to about 14.22 & 15.16 in to see what they look like). Safe riding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2AKbou2gw

ZENBIKER, have seen this video already , but thanks for sharing as well .
I am pretty sure it's all about the colors and by whom you being pulled over , kind of depend on their mood whether it's legal or not .

I was coming from Southampton to Newbury area at night the other day through motorway and realized that unless you attract a lot of attention no one sees anything . Aspecially on a certain speed.

For a fun of it thinking of putting white and blue blinkers similar to police which a switch , somewhere on a side, surely will get enough attention from road users 😂

I think it looks good. Yes those police type lights could be fun, clear the route ahead!

I had a jag pull out in front of me, my first month(he'd just left pub), I remember spinning through the air, somersaults. I'm actually thinking of trying different things, got some tape. Get a mate to shine headlights at me from different angles, and take photos at night. That way I'll see what motorist sees. Car drivers are mostly stupid, hard to factor that in!

I agree with Cornho,

But Zenbiker....
How can you say car drivers are stupid, I drive a car, I don't consider myself stupid, most peoplke that have a bike, drive a car, are you insulting them aswell.
I drive a lorry, I have seen some stupiid car drivers, I have also seen stupid motorcyclists, because you ride a bike doesn't make you better than someone who drives a car.
Cars pull out in front of other cars, lorries and bikes, there are more good car drivers than bad, just like bikers, some bikers just like to think because they ride a bike they are special, and lets face it, most of them speed, me included at times.

You would! The key word there is 'mostly' and it's based on many years of experience. Bored!                                                                                                                                                                             

Mostly is still wrong....I have just as many years experience, you do get bored easy. Enough said.                                                                                                                                                                             

'Mostly' as in car drivers in general who aren't particularly aware of what is going on around them. Don't have the visual abilities and tracking skills of bikers(which is the reason for this thread and consequent discussion).

And 'mostly' in terms of their time when they are driving, with all their in car distractions; from mobile phones, eating their breakfast, stopping their children getting bored,etc. Actually that would be my biggest concern, some car driver ploughs into me, while posting some inane emojis(I read of a case of this happening recently).

I get the impression that bikers still enjoy the thrill of driving, but car driving has taken a different route. Maybe AI cars is the solution, then they can concentrate on all the other stuff, while all the cars just mundanely follow each other.

Yes you are right, there are many people who text and use phone whilst driving, I see it everyday, there are probably more who don't.
Unfortunately, AI cars don't always get it right, as in the GM car in San Fransisco that collided with a motorbike, plua a few tesla incidents, but I am sure it will come one day, not for me though.
They have even developed a bike that won't topple over, its taking all the fun out of it.

Ok, let me try to understand what you are saying ZENBIKER.

You say mostly, so more than 50% of car drivers aren’t aware of what is going on around them. Where is this statistic from, a government or independent study or a figure that you randomly plucked from the air?

These visual and tracking skills you refer to is it really only bikers that have these, what about HGV drivers, PSV drivers. Trust me a fully loaded HGV takes an awful lot of skill to drive safely with a total length of around 50 ft plus you need exceptional observation skills.

There were 31.2m cars registered in the UK compared to 4.4m LGV HGV’s. Statistically cars will be involved in more accidents with bikes. This however does not mean most car drivers are bad.

Tezza> I think there was a time when car driving was more fun(and I'm only thinking about this stuff because of what I witness on the road). I think maybe an open topped car, or a sport car driver would be more aware. Also there are so many cars they tend to just follow each other, and maybe stop concentrating(too many bikers still being killed and injured for my liking).

Yes there have been a few problems with AI cars, but they basically allow AI to learn from real world situations. I don't even fret when I see cars making basic, but dangerous manoeuvres or bad road positioning. I just try to keep away from them. But pulling out in front of bikers is so dangerous, and that's why I'm trying to find ways to make myself more visible, from the front.

Yes they can over engineer. I should know, my engine was designed in the fifties, bike seventies. But it feels right to me.

bkcim> generally. I never mentioned HGV's and have total respect for them as drivers, and find they respect me. Look what I said was just, we can do everything possible, make ourselves more visible, bip our horns, and it was a throw away comment, but there is nothing you can do, if some impatient driver, doesn't look properly and pulls out. I used to when I was a courier get car drivers aim at me on purpose, and if they pull out in front of you, they aren't going to get hurt. You can be dam sure they would be more careful if an HGV was hurtling towards the junction.

I think you are concentrating on the wrong part of the topic. But hey ho!

Going back to original post.....think "Tart's Handbag"...i even saw a full dress Goldwing get SMIDSY-ed once....just gives the eejits more to aim for.....imho                                                                                                                                                                             

jinx>interesting expression, 'tart's handbag', didn't know that one. Like you say 'imho', this type of feature isn't for you. But on a website that credits itself as friendly it does seem strange that two of you bitch about someone else's possible choices.

The LED system in the video discretely placed does highlight the features of the bike. And yes from the side views it would definitely vastly increase visibility on a dark night. HGV's use a similar system to define their presence at night. Maybe friendliness should extend to respecting other people's possible choices. IMHO!!!!

Zen I think you will find the led lights put on the lgv cabs are there so they can be picked out by there mates on a busy night shift. If a car pulls out in front of us we don't worry about getting hurt we just think about the paperwork we have to do, Or if abnormal loads are being carried to meet legal requirements

Thanks JP. I was referring to those lights that are placed along the length of the load. I can see the HGV's out at night on a road from my window. Why were those introduced?                                                                                                                                                                             

The only lights that get put on the load are for oversized loads so the over width or length of the load can be clearly seen the Amber side markers along the vehicle are a legal requirement                                                                                                                                                                             

Now, that is interesting and informative. Thanks for the educification JP (I was in the "oooh, that's a pretty lorry" camp 😊)