New Rider
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Brum Brum
Posts: 15 
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Joined: Jan 11, 2015 16:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by chucky on Apr 12, 2015 5:41:47 GMT -5
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Post by SylvreKat on Apr 12, 2015 8:56:20 GMT -5
Pretty impressive. I don't drive much at night (read almost none) but I'm very tempted to see if that's available on this side of the pond. Although I do want to know if there's any longterm issues at all, if it might eventually screw up your bike's finish or cause your jacket's fibers to decay, anything like that.
>'Kat
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Post by scooter on Apr 12, 2015 9:25:32 GMT -5
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Post by oldchopperguy on Apr 12, 2015 12:23:01 GMT -5
Interesting!
There ARE products like this already available, though I don't know if they're quite as "bright" as shown in the video. About a decade ago, a friend restored a vintage Buick Rivera and actually got permission from the state of Texas DOT to paint a current plate in the colors of the year of the car (1962 if I recall). Amazing!
However, the state requires the plate to be reflective (which they were not back in the day). I found a clear, reflective enamel but cannot after all this time remember the name. I think it was made by 3M. I painted the license plate black and white as/per the old year colors, using auto lacquer. I then gave it two coats of the glass-bead clear reflective clear enamel. It did indeed look nearly identical to modern plates when light hit it at night.
This paint was pretty much typical clear enamel, with glass beads in it. It came in an aerosol "rattle-can" spray and worked well. It would not however be good on flexible surfaces like jackets; it would crack and peel. One could use it on a vehicle, but I would be "selective" only doing individual panels. The paint while clear, did have a "dusty" appearance (best way I could describe it) due to the millions of teensy glass beads. It definitely did slightly degrade the colors beneath, almost like using a very fine "metal-flake" paint. But it DID light up nicely at night!
Probably a search on the Internet would turn up several products like this. It might just be the ticket sprayed onto the dull mud-guard/rear fender drop-downs on scooters, or, the trunk/top-box for enhanced visibility from the rear. Maybe the lower plastics and/or wheel rims for side visibility. I don't know about painting the ENTIRE scooter with it. Maybe if it was white, or a light color, but on black or dark colors, it definitely left a dusty look on the paint surface.
It WOULD be "the cat's butt" for HELMETS for sure!!!
The stuff I used WAS a professional-grade outdoor enamel primarily for signage, so it should hold up. Since I already had some successful past experience with a similar product, it's worth looking into for sure!
They can't get a good aim at ya' if they can't see ya'... EEEWWW!
Leo in Texas
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Post by wheelbender6 on Apr 12, 2015 14:57:47 GMT -5
I'd spray my tires to make reflective whitewalls. It is very dark on my way to work in the morning.
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Post by ricardoguitars on Apr 12, 2015 22:36:04 GMT -5
Great idea, I would use it if it gets available here, no doubt, but the article makes a good point, reckless car drivers will be a threat no matter what measures are implemented to make cyclist more visible, , put a loud speaker with the most annoying sound you can think on every bike and lots of neon light on it, they would still be getting ran over by reckless drivers.
I think big part of the problem is car interior design, looks like car manufacturers try to recreate a 5 stars hotel style living room inside every car, making the driver "isolated" from their environment, giving them the feeling of "safety" when they are talking on the phone, texting or doing any other reckless activity instead of paying attention. On modern manual stick cars you can't even hear the engine to know when is time to shift gear, it takes the whole "I'm driving" awareness away, it is even worse on auto gears, you have one hand free to do reckless activities instead of focusing on driving.
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Post by ramblinman on Apr 13, 2015 0:43:41 GMT -5
i ruined my lungs working with rust-oleum spray paint during a summer job. everyday i came home blowing red paint out of my nose. the company didn't provide a mask and i didn't know any better.
this seems like a cool product but please wear a mask to protect your health.
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Post by SylvreKat on Apr 13, 2015 7:21:11 GMT -5
Great idea, I would use it if it gets available here, no doubt, but the article makes a good point, reckless car drivers will be a threat no matter what measures are implemented to make cyclist more visible, , put a loud speaker with the most annoying sound you can think on every bike and lots of neon light on it, they would still be getting ran over by reckless drivers. I think big part of the problem is car interior design, looks like car manufacturers try to recreate a 5 stars hotel style living room inside every car, making the driver "isolated" from their environment, giving them the feeling of "safety" when they are talking on the phone, texting or doing any other reckless activity instead of paying attention. On modern manual stick cars you can't even hear the engine to know when is time to shift gear, it takes the whole "I'm driving" awareness away, it is even worse on auto gears, you have one hand free to do reckless activities instead of focusing on driving. (emphasis mine) So you have three hands??  Dunno 'bout you, but auto or stick, I have both hands on the steering wheel. I don't have "one hand free" for anything, except for a quick grab at falling purse, or (in the old wagon) quick change of radio station or fan speed or temp. New car, I don't know where the buttons are yet (the diff between being new, and having driven that old Taurus for 19 years) so most things don't get changed except at stops. As for hearing the engine, no prob there. If new car was a true stick I'd have zero issues hearing when to shift. Not that it's really loud or anything. It's just audible. The problem isn't the interior design. It doesn't matter if you're driving a hotel or a bare-bones 50s pickup. The problem is people 1) have gotten more about self, and 2) can't not be wired in. I have customers in the middle of actively telling me what they need, and start texting. Or else answer a call that's very clearly just -chat not business. I weep for the human race, sometimes I really do. I do agree with ricardo that reckless/inattentive drivers will be a risk no matter what two-wheeled drivers do. But to blame Volvo, or any car manufacturer is beyond stupid. And to say they're trying to place the blame for accidents onto the two-wheelers is even stupider. "Oh, it's not for me to make myself safe from car drivers, it's for them to be more attentive and see me." Sorry, not true. Yes, it's the car driver's fault if he is inattentive and hits me. But my safety is up to me, not them. I don't choose to drive in "the bad part of town" for my safety. I do choose to wear bright pink and white protective gear on my scoot for my safety. I would choose to do everything possible (including this spray, the blinking light on a pole, head/tail lights, hi-viz protective clothes, everything!) on a bicycle for my safety. >'Kat |
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Post by ricardoguitars on Apr 13, 2015 14:43:57 GMT -5
Great idea, I would use it if it gets available here, no doubt, but the article makes a good point, reckless car drivers will be a threat no matter what measures are implemented to make cyclist more visible, , put a loud speaker with the most annoying sound you can think on every bike and lots of neon light on it, they would still be getting ran over by reckless drivers. I think big part of the problem is car interior design, looks like car manufacturers try to recreate a 5 stars hotel style living room inside every car, making the driver "isolated" from their environment, giving them the feeling of "safety" when they are talking on the phone, texting or doing any other reckless activity instead of paying attention. On modern manual stick cars you can't even hear the engine to know when is time to shift gear, it takes the whole "I'm driving" awareness away, it is even worse on auto gears, you have one hand free to do reckless activities instead of focusing on driving. (emphasis mine) So you have three hands?? Dunno 'bout you, but auto or stick, I have both hands on the steering wheel. I don't have "one hand free" for anything, except for a quick grab at falling purse, or (in the old wagon) quick change of radio station or fan speed or temp. New car, I don't know where the buttons are yet (the diff between being new, and having driven that old Taurus for 19 years) so most things don't get changed except at stops. As for hearing the engine, no prob there. If new car was a true stick I'd have zero issues hearing when to shift. Not that it's really loud or anything. It's just audible. The problem isn't the interior design. It doesn't matter if you're driving a hotel or a bare-bones 50s pickup. The problem is people 1) have gotten more about self, and 2) can't not be wired in. I have customers in the middle of actively telling me what they need, and start texting. Or else answer a call that's very clearly just -chat not business. I weep for the human race, sometimes I really do. I do agree with ricardo that reckless/inattentive drivers will be a risk no matter what two-wheeled drivers do. But to blame Volvo, or any car manufacturer is beyond stupid. And to say they're trying to place the blame for accidents onto the two-wheelers is even stupider. "Oh, it's not for me to make myself safe from car drivers, it's for them to be more attentive and see me." Sorry, not true. Yes, it's the car driver's fault if he is inattentive and hits me. But my safety is up to me, not them. I don't choose to drive in "the bad part of town" for my safety. I do choose to wear bright pink and white protective gear on my scoot for my safety. I would choose to do everything possible (including this spray, the blinking light on a pole, head/tail lights, hi-viz protective clothes, everything!) on a bicycle for my safety. >'Kat Both my hands and feet are busy on my car, you don't have much time to get distracted on a 1961 Land Rover, double clutching the 4 sticks, non-syncro gearbox, and calculating braking distances with engine braking because of drum brakes beign effective only at low speeds, having no power steering also are tasks that keeps your mind busy  The non isolated engine and lack of roof on my car makes the engine too loud for a radio or to keep a conversation with the passenger; I know I'm on the radical side of the equation here  but I learned to hate modern cars because of the lack of connection between the driver and the machine, which I believe helps to get the driver easily distracted with activities that are not strictly driving. |
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Post by SylvreKat on Apr 14, 2015 7:57:54 GMT -5
Wow. I understood "both my hands and feet," "lack of roof," and "car." Oh, and "radio"--I got that, too! Seriously, I have no clue what double-clutching is. I had a 5-speed Lynx wagon, but it only had one clutch. How would you manage two clutches plus the gas (or brake) pedal? Wait--do you have three feet, too? Although I think the Ford guy said new car has a double-clutch system...?? >'Kat |
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Post by urbanmadness on Apr 14, 2015 9:21:58 GMT -5
Just like my goldwing.... My buddy has a cup holder on his. I'm like, how can you drink coffee, hold the clutch in, hold up a 900lbs bike and keep a foot on the brake at stop lights? He seems to do it. Well he does use a brain bucket for a helmet so he don 't have to deal with putting up the chin gaurd. Still My bike came with one too.... it was the first thing to go. I took it off before it even fired up the first time.
Kat...
Ricardo, correct me if I'm wrong....I believe double clutching is where you push the clutch in to put it in neutral, then when in neutral, you let the clutch back out, bring the engine up in RPM to rev match the transmission while pressing the clutch a second time, so it will go into gear then letting it back out.
Ricardo,
You got a set of sticks in that thing? I'd love to see pictures of your landrover.
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Post by ricardoguitars on Apr 14, 2015 12:26:30 GMT -5
Wow. I understood "both my hands and feet," "lack of roof," and "car." Oh, and "radio"--I got that, too! Seriously, I have no clue what double-clutching is. I had a 5-speed Lynx wagon, but it only had one clutch. How would you manage two clutches plus the gas (or brake) pedal? Wait--do you have three feet, too? Although I think the Ford guy said new car has a double-clutch system...?? >'Kat Just 2 hands and 2 feet, I used to be a bit of a squid on my scoot, but lacking the extra members. Double clutching was a "dark art" used to shift gears on very old cars to avoid gearbox grinding, you have to threat neutral as another gear, for example, if you had to shift from 1st to 2nd gear, you had to apply the clutch pedal, go from 1st to neutral, release the clutch, apply the clutch again, go from neutral to 2nd, release the clutch; same thing when downshifting. |
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Post by ricardoguitars on Apr 14, 2015 12:42:28 GMT -5
Just like my goldwing.... My buddy has a cup holder on his. I'm like, how can you drink coffee, hold the clutch in, hold up a 900lbs bike and keep a foot on the brake at stop lights? He seems to do it. Well he does use a brain bucket for a helmet so he don 't have to deal with putting up the chin gaurd. Still My bike came with one too.... it was the first thing to go. I took it off before it even fired up the first time. Kat... Ricardo, correct me if I'm wrong....I believe double clutching is where you push the clutch in to put it in neutral, then when in neutral, you let the clutch back out, bring the engine up in RPM to rev match the transmission while pressing the clutch a second time, so it will go into gear then letting it back out. Ricardo, You got a set of sticks in that thing? I'd love to see pictures of your landrover. Yep, that's double clutching, the 4 sticks are like this: - 1 standard stick, 1st to 4th gear and reverse, you take off on 2nd gear, 1st gear is used mostly when pulling heavy load, or climbing a steep hill - 1 stick for High and Low gear - 1 stick to engage and disengage 4 wheel drive - 1 stick to engage and disengage the overdrive (to keep up with traffic on the highway, lol). The Landy is down into pieces right now, I'm painting the body and rebuilding the brake pipes, I'll post pics when it is ready.  |
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Post by urbanmadness on Apr 14, 2015 14:42:20 GMT -5
**** caution thread hijack in progress ****
Oh... My 4x4 has an automatic gear box and a HI/Lo transfer box... And of course, manual locking hubs on the front. Do you have to lock your hubs for 4wheel drive?
Of course, mines actually 3 wheel drive (limited slip in the back but an open diff in the front)
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Post by ricardoguitars on Apr 14, 2015 16:47:33 GMT -5
**** caution thread hijack in progress **** Oh... My 4x4 has an automatic gear box and a HI/Lo transfer box... And of course, manual locking hubs on the front. Do you have to lock your hubs for 4wheel drive? Of course, mines actually 3 wheel drive (limited slip in the back but an open diff in the front) Mine is a 1961  " Series 2, the diff locks where implemented on Series 3 late in the 70's, the S3 locks are compatible with the S2, it is a common mod on S2s; this is a "rivet counter" restoration, so no diff locks on this one. I'll do a 109" S3 on the future, that one will definitely have diff locks. |
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" Series 2, the diff locks where implemented on Series 3 late in the 70's, the S3 locks are compatible with the S2, it is a common mod on S2s; this is a "rivet counter" restoration, so no diff locks on this one. I'll do a 109" S3 on the future, that one will definitely have diff locks.