Aren't hazard lights mandatory?

[atavar]

The only times I have used mine were when approaching an accident or after having been pulled over by HiPo..  other than that I prefer ninja invisibility.. 

[Nic in Western NYS]

One of the things I always liked about the Harley hazards (and I guess that's changed now since the CANbus models and new wiring) is you used to activate them with BOTH turn signals (there's on large signal button on each bar). It meant that under heavy braking it was very easy to use your thumbs to turn the hazards on immediately while still clutching/braking, thereby sending a signal to any riders or drivers behind you that there was a hazard ahead.

Much more useful setup than what I've got, especially when full attention needs to stay on the road situation.

[jkristjan]

They are not mandatory, my brand new Royal Enfield did not have them and it's in the EU (often much much more anal regulations and rules than in the US). If you think about it, on a motorcycle, the signal bulbs are what, one foot apart? So if you have a roadside situation and you want to be seen, you just switch on a blinker, doesn't make difference if one side is blinking or both.

[drums4money]

2008 Norge has hazard flashers...

2008 1200Sport has them too. . . careful though - it hasn't been proven that the hazard button ISN'T also the self destruct switch for the dash.   

[Scud]

If you think about it, on a motorcycle, the signal bulbs are what, one foot apart? So if you have a roadside situation and you want to be seen, you just switch on a blinker, doesn't make difference if one side is blinking or both.

But... hazard lights usually work without the key turned to the on position. So you can be seen without running your battery down (headlight, etc.).  Or you can leave them blinking and walk away with the key in your pocket.

[jkristjan]

But... hazard lights usually work without the key turned to the on position. So you can be seen without running your battery down (headlight, etc.).  Or you can leave them blinking and walk away with the key in your pocket.

Yes that is true, but again, with a motorcycle it's very improbable to be really needed in practice. You can walk the bike away from the road, it takes so little room on roadside and so on. After all, bicycles, wheelchairs and large pull behind suitcases also don't have hazard lights...

It's like parking a motorcycle on the sidewalk. Yea it's a motor vehicle and formally everything that applies to a car applies to it, but in practice it's more like a piece of equipment, a device. It's hard to reason in practice why one would be allowed to rest their oversized luggage on the sidewalk or their tricycle but not their motorcycle or that if it's a motorcycle it has to blink but if it's a ski box it doesn't.

[waxi]

Yes that is true, but again, with a motorcycle it's very improbable to be really needed in practice. You can walk the bike away from the road, it takes so little room on roadside and so on. After all, bicycles, wheelchairs and large pull behind suitcases also don't have hazard lights...

It's like parking a motorcycle on the sidewalk. Yea it's a motor vehicle and formally everything that applies to a car applies to it, but in practice it's more like a piece of equipment, a device. It's hard to reason in practice why one would be allowed to rest their oversized luggage on the sidewalk or their tricycle but not their motorcycle or that if it's a motorcycle it has to blink but if it's a ski box it doesn't.

Somehow true. But you can't take it that way. If only one side is blinking you can make more confusion that good. Vehicle behind you can wrongly interpret your intention. Also, hazard lights are generally used in hazard situations, so two blinking bulbs are much more than one. Take fog for example...

[jumpmaster]

Well... they should be mandatory on Harleys, because they are so often stranded on the side of the road.
(just a little good-natured harley-bashing... don't get mad. It was too easy of a target.  )

Well, that used to be true but is about 20 years out of date now.  I see more bikes from the Land Of The Rising Sun and from the land of Octoberfest on the side of the road these days than I do Harleys....  Old legends/prejudices die hard, I guess. :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu

[Scud]

Well, that used to be true but is about 20 years out of date now.  I see more bikes from the Land Of The Rising Sun and from the land of Octoberfest on the side of the road these days than I do Harleys....  Old legends/prejudices die hard, I guess. :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu

Absolutely agree - I was just playing. But if there were more Harleys on the side of the road it could simply be because they sell more bikes than anybody else.

[jumpmaster]

Absolutely agree - I was just playing. But if there were more Harleys on the side of the road it could simply be because they sell more bikes than anybody else.

 :1:  Nobody who's sane can question that Harleys before the Evolution Engine (1984) were regular guests of the shoulders of many a road and usually spent more time being repaired than they should have, but even the 1970s & early 80s Harleys I owned were at least marginally more reliable than Brit bikes of the same vintage - not as much fun to ride, but more reliable.  Of course, that wasn't saying much because Brit bikes of that vintage usually required a LOT of attention to keep out of the local shop even when relatively new.  Can't comment on any comparisons with similar vintage MGs, but I do know that I've never seen one on the side of the road or in a parking lot with parts spread out on the ground - of course, your comment about comparative numbers sold in the US might have something to do with that.

[jkristjan]

... But if there were more Harleys on the side of the road it could simply be because they sell more bikes than anybody else.

Or because people ride more 20 to 30 or more years old harleys that they would ride the same age plastic sport bikes. Or, okay, people also ride old royal enfields and triumpsh and whatnot, but those are usually not taken to long highway tours, whereas I can see the same thing being done regularly with old roadkings and fatbobs.

[rodekyll]

I got a 40 year old Whatnot Special I ride on long trips regularly.

[Kev m]

Yes that is true, but again, with a motorcycle it's very improbable to be really needed in practice. You can walk the bike away from the road, it takes so little room on roadside and so on. After all, bicycles, wheelchairs and large pull behind suitcases also don't have hazard lights...

It's like parking a motorcycle on the sidewalk. Yea it's a motor vehicle and formally everything that applies to a car applies to it, but in practice it's more like a piece of equipment, a device. It's hard to reason in practice why one would be allowed to rest their oversized luggage on the sidewalk or their tricycle but not their motorcycle or that if it's a motorcycle it has to blink but if it's a ski box it doesn't.

I think there are many potential instances when hazard lights are more useful than just a turn signal:

1. Riding in extreme weather - fog or very heavy rain, hazards can be used for greater visibility.
2. Approaching a situation on the road where traffic suddenly slows because of construction, congestion, an accident etc.
3. Pulling to the side of the road for any reason - mechanical, personal, to put a rainsuit on. Even if YOU can physically walk away from the bike, the bike itself sitting on the shoulder is a hazard and better seen with more light than less.

I don't know where you're located, but generally speaking parking on curbs is frowned upon (at best) or illegal and ticketed/towed (at worst) in much of the US. I have never made a practice of it and would be reluctant to do so unless confirmed it was specifically allowed for some reason. Generally speaking I think it is rude and when I do see it around here I usually take it as another case of some snowflake thinking they are special when they're not.

[jkristjan]

I don't know where you're located, but generally speaking parking on curbs is frowned upon (at best) or illegal and ticketed/towed (at worst) in much of the US.

Yes exactly, it depends on the local tradition. I'm in the USSR and it's my first riding season, I was surprised myself to discover that everyone is parking on the sidewalk (didn't even notice or think about it before I took up riding myself). First I tried to question various parties, riders and cops, hoping to get some explanation, but I soon discovered it's a don't ask don't tell situation. No one wants to state it's okay and you will not be fined, but at the same time no one has ever been towed or fined.

I think there are practical reasons though. The riding season is only about 3 months and for the past 20 years, there were virtually zero bikes due to the bad economy. Now bikes are starting to appear, but they are still like an alien race. Cops don't know how to stop or tow them or where to attach the ticket. Even speed cameras don't apply to motorcycles because there is no licence plate in the front but hey it's fair deal because the traffic lights don't react to motorcycles either. And again, no one has ever been fined for passing a red light that does not react to a motorcycle. Anyway, that's steering off the topic, but perhaps someone will find it as interesting to read as I found it interesting to type :)

[Lannis]

Yes exactly, it depends on the local tradition. I'm in the USSR and it's my first riding season, I was surprised myself to discover that everyone is parking on the sidewalk (didn't even notice or think about it before I took up riding myself). First I tried to question various parties, riders and cops, hoping to get some explanation, but I soon discovered it's a don't ask don't tell situation. No one wants to state it's okay and you will not be fined, but at the same time no one has ever been towed or fined.

I think there are practical reasons though. The riding season is only about 3 months and for the past 20 years, there were virtually zero bikes due to the bad economy. Now bikes are starting to appear, but they are still like an alien race. Cops don't know how to stop or tow them or where to attach the ticket. Even speed cameras don't apply to motorcycles because there is no licence plate in the front but hey it's fair deal because the traffic lights don't react to motorcycles either. And again, no one has ever been fined for passing a red light that does not react to a motorcycle. Anyway, that's steering off the topic, but perhaps someone will find it as interesting to read as I found it interesting to type :)

When I lived in Denver and was riding a bicycle, I made sure to stop by the local police station and find out the "local customs" on bicycle riding rules.   They're pretty simple:

1) If you ride on the sidewalk you have to obey pedestrian rules, "Walk/Don't Walk" lights, crosswalks, and yield to pedestrians.

2) If you ride on the road you have to obey all the car rules.

A lot of places aren't like that, but Denver is pretty bicycle friendly.

In Russia, sounds like it's every man for himself and don't cause trouble, otherwise go for it!

Lannis

[jkristjan]

Well by "bike" I still meant a motorbike, so on riding on sidewalk but just parking. It's not just about parking a few feet here or there, the main point is that due to this parking a motorcycle is free and you can access anything in the very heart of the towns and cities. I mean, you can go to the very middle of this

 

where there is no place to park a car or if there is, it's like $20 an hour or so. You just throw your bike on the curb next to the coffee table, do your business and ride on.

[Lannis]

Yes; sorry for the confusion.   I did understand that you meant "motorbike" and were talking about just parking ... I just used the bicycle example to confirm that checking with the local riders and police is a good idea, and that different places have different ways of doing things.

I DID think that, formerly, there were lots of motorcycles in the old Soviet Union, all Russian-made, agricultural but useful.   I don't know where I had that impression, but it sounds like that wasn't right.

Lannis

[Kev m]

Well by "bike" I still meant a motorbike, so on riding on sidewalk but just parking. It's not just about parking a few feet here or there, the main point is that due to this parking a motorcycle is free and you can access anything in the very heart of the towns and cities. I mean, you can go to the very middle of this

 

where there is no place to park a car or if there is, it's like $20 an hour or so. You just throw your bike on the curb next to the coffee table, do your business and ride on.

I get, and maybe even envy, the practicality of it if it is expected/tolerated.

BTW, looks like a beautiful city!

RIDE SAFE

Kev

[jkristjan]

I DID think that, formerly, there were lots of motorcycles in the old Soviet Union, all Russian-made, agricultural but useful.   I don't know where I had that impression, but it sounds like that wasn't right.

That is true, motorcycles were perhaps even more important up until the 60s and 70s because less people could afford a car than in the western world. But what I meant was the post-USSR era, especially the 1990s and early 2000s. By that time motorcycling had become an expensive hobby and as you can imagine, there was no place for expensive hobbies in the 1990s post-USSR economy. A whole generation was raised without knowing much about motorcycles and it's only now starting to pick up. Actually it is picking up rapidly now, it started to pick up about 10 years ago.