Reflective Vests - Wise or Dorky?

[brownwa]

So I kicked off a debate with my friends today after sharing pics of my first ride to Alice's Diner, on Skyline in California. The below pic in particular is of me in a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/VizBrite-ANSI-Safety-Pocket-Zipper/dp/B00GRL1R3K"]VizBrite reflective vest[/ame] from Amazon. My friends tell me the vest is so unstylish that I shouldn't wear it, especially during the day when people can see me.

Hands down the VizBrite vests are the most visible from well over 1000ft away, day or night. They particularly have generous retro-reflective strips.

In my past life as a total squid, I rode like an idiot all over Toronto and the lakes in northern Ontario, Canada. The only reason I made it to my new life riding in CA is because my first 600cc bike was bright yellow. On top of that I wore a bright yellow helmet. So other cars would always see me with plenty of time to spare and just let me by. Now I am a lot more learned and a very patient rider. So far with the vest I have noticed drivers immediately reacting to me at first sight, from well down the street.

Also last week my neighbor's son was mowed down right at the edge of his driveway, by some old lady with no license and no insurance. The poor guy was on his Harley, in dark colored gear. Not saying the vest would have made him bulletproof, but you all get what I'm saying...

Am I exercising sage wisdom here or am I just making myself look like a jackass? Regardless I'm still wearing the vest. No judgement either way as I used to be a jeans and thin leather jacket type of rider.

 

[latony007]

First off congratulations on making it out of young stupid rider stage to adult responsible rider stage. To answer the question, IMO

Reflective Vests, Wise or Dorky. The answer is both!!!! It certainly cant hurt and every little bit helps, do i think it looks dorky? Yes, but again if i have to choose i take safety over appearance. I have two jackets, a black one but it does have reflective white piping on it that is black unless you shine headlights on it (day or night) then it turns bright white. Then i have a red one and if you cant see that sucker your not going to see a vest either. Plus my bike is white and i put enough LEDs on the rear to light up an xmas tree to help me be seen.

 

[leprecaun jon]

i wear the icon field armor mil spec vest

 

[NMdesertracer]

Nothing wrong with wearing the vest. Every little bit helps.

 

[katai]

Here in Uruguay it is an obligation for every rider to use yellow or orange vest with reflective bands . The law was released a couple of years ago . Depending on the gear you use the quantity of yellow and reflective material you need to use . If you have a complete protection Jacket you will only be required to use a band on each arm

 

[leem00]

First off congratulations on making it out of young stupid rider stage to adult responsible rider stage. To answer the question, IMO

Reflective Vests, Wise or Dorky. The answer is both!!!! It certainly cant hurt and every little bit helps, do i think it looks dorky? Yes, but again if i have to choose i take safety over appearance. I have two jackets, a black one but it does have reflective white piping on it that is black unless you shine headlights on it (day or night) then it turns bright white. Then i have a red one and if you cant see that sucker your not going to see a vest either. Plus my bike is white and i put enough LEDs on the rear to light up an xmas tree to help me be seen.

What he said^^^ Both....

 

[JBAX]

like Tony said, it's both.

I applaud you for growing out of your "squidness" to recognize you are indeed mortal, and that (moto riding) is a very dangerous passion we all have. Anything we all can do: ATGATT, Improving handling Skills, reducing reaction time, reading, track days....etc, to minimise incidents, make quicker/safer decisions and give us better control on two wheels is a GOOD thing!

I've thought about getting a HI Viz vest like you have, and for $20 why not!
I can using it for running, cycling or any other time I want to BE SEEN.
(you just sold me on wearing one. Maybe not all the time, but who knows.)

Riding for me, is about how I feel when I do it, NOT what someone thinks about me when they see me doing it. Do you feel any different wearing the vest once your rolling? I doubt it. So wear it. Just don't take for granted that anyone actually sees you because you're wearing it.

 

[brownwa]

Thanks all for the feedback and encouragement. The mil spec vest looks badass. I may invest in one if I get serious about track days. Right now I just do the instructor led sissy-days (I'll be at Sonoma Raceway on Easter Sunday if anyone else is going).

Definitely will keep wearing the vest. Personally I don't mind how it looks, I just value a crowdsourced opinion from other riders.

 

[Steve101]

like Tony said, it's both.

I applaud you for growing out of your "squidness" to recognize you are indeed mortal, and that (moto riding) is a very dangerous passion we all have. Anything we all can do: ATGATT, Improving handling Skills, reducing reaction time, reading, track days....etc, to minimise incidents, make quicker/safer decisions and give us better control on two wheels is a GOOD thing!

I've thought about getting a HI Viz vest like you have, and for $20 why not!
I can using it for running, cycling or any other time I want to BE SEEN.
(you just sold me on wearing one. Maybe not all the time, but who knows.)

Riding for me, is about how I feel when I do it, NOT what someone thinks about me when they see me doing it. Do you feel any different wearing the vest once your rolling? I doubt it. So wear it. Just don't take for granted that anyone actually sees you because you're wearing it.

Ditto^^^, except, when wearing the vest over a protective jacket, does the vest blow around in the wind...??? A snug fitting jacket hugs your body...will this vest bubble up with air....??? Inquiring minds want to know, lol

 

[brownwa]

Ditto^^^, except, when wearing the vest over a protective jacket, does the vest blow around in the wind...??? A snug fitting jacket hugs your body...will this vest bubble up with air....??? Inquiring minds want to know, lol

I bought the vest so that it fit snugly over my jacket (size small on the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/VizBrite-ANSI-Safety-Pocket-Zipper/dp/B00GRL1R3K/?tag=viglink22523-20"]Amazon page[/ame]). There's also a size chart on the page.

Size wise I'm 5'8", 165lbs, 42" chest, 30" waist. So I just bought 2-4" larger than my chest size. Also the vest is mesh so the air goes through it, with not enough loose fabric to flap or bubble up. So my advice is to buy one size smaller than what you think your size should be, I would wear a medium size t-shirt. It seems counter intuitive but the vests run large, and you want it to be just big enough to get over your jacket. The tightest fit is the arm holes actually, but the material is stretchy so I'm able to get my jacket sleeves through.

 

[JBAX]

I'm same height build as you. So thanks for the heads up on what size to order!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Superzoom]

Crap! You've almost guilted me into considering one. Hmm....

On a somewhat related note--how many of you keep your high beams on during the day?

 

[blkbrd]

Crap! You've almost guilted me into considering one. Hmm....

On a somewhat related note--how many of you keep your high beams on during the day?

I do this. Every. Single. Ride.

 

[geekmaster]

I'd rather be dorky and alive than cool and dead. Seriously, though, do what is best for your safety. Personally, I wear a hi-viz jacket, which is bright but stylish, IMO. And I'm planning to get a hi-viz helmet soon as well (one with graphics).

 

[LKLD]

To answer your question, wise. Also, I ride with hi-beams on during daylight.
Since starting doing these two things, left turns and rolling stops in front of me have been drastically reduced. They're both a rarity now, and before it was daily.

Just one man's opinion.

 

[Nubz]

I think it's kinda silly but at the same time I will say that if it makes you feel better and safer go for it.

 

[jefff1]

Anything you can do to be more visible is a positive when you see how many drivers don't notice bikes...
ATGATT and be visible..no need to be a target to find out if your gear works like you think it might...been there and done it myself

 

[brownwa]

Forgot all about the daytime high beams. Going to start doing that now.

 

[247viz]

So I kicked off a debate with my friends today after sharing pics of my first ride to Alice's Diner, on Skyline in California. The below pic in particular is of me in a VizBrite reflective vest from Amazon. My friends tell me the vest is so unstylish that I shouldn't wear it, especially during the day when people can see me.

Hands down the VizBrite vests are the most visible from well over 1000ft away, day or night. They particularly have generous retro-reflective strips.

In my past life as a total squid, I rode like an idiot all over Toronto and the lakes in northern Ontario, Canada. The only reason I made it to my new life riding in CA is because my first 600cc bike was bright yellow. On top of that I wore a bright yellow helmet. So other cars would always see me with plenty of time to spare and just let me by. Now I am a lot more learned and a very patient rider. So far with the vest I have noticed drivers immediately reacting to me at first sight, from well down the street.

Also last week my neighbor's son was mowed down right at the edge of his driveway, by some old lady with no license and no insurance. The poor guy was on his Harley, in dark colored gear. Not saying the vest would have made him bulletproof, but you all get what I'm saying...

Am I exercising sage wisdom here or am I just making myself look like a jackass? Regardless I'm still wearing the vest. No judgement either way as I used to be a jeans and thin leather jacket type of rider.

How could it this be a dorky, when you only have is to protect yourself and be visible to others.


________
Be visible with 247 viz.