Should I wear light or dark clothing while riding a motorcycle?

Question

It would seem obvious that bright clothing would allow me to be seen better and therefore help avoid collisions. However, I've been told that people tend to drive towards objects that draw their attention, and it is therefore unwise to wear bright clothing. A freind who has been riding for over ten years told me that the bike's lights are enough to make people notice you without having them fixate on you and steer towards you. Is this true?

Answer 1

Have you ever noticed a cager or any other vehicle if it is brighter in color than black? Same would go with clothing worn riding a bike, I say. Especially true, if at dawn or dusk, really hard to see object that blend in with the surroundings. I have never been compelled to steer towards anything by seeing a lighter color. Ready2Ride

Answer 2

You want people's attention so they know you are there. Far too may accidents are caused due to people not noticing other motorists. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable as they are smaller and quicker and often seem to appear from nowhere.
I wear black when riding my bike but keep my lights on and wear a high visibility belt. The general consensus is to wear bright clothing. You want to be noticed. Never assume that another motorist has seen you.

Ride safe.

Answer 3

Unless it has something that makes the bottom half of the coat go around your legs, it's not recommended. Yes, trench coats do offer some nice rain protection, but more often than not, it's just simply not meant for it. You could modify it, but it can take quite some time to make the right zippers, buttons or straps. For starters, trench coats can fray on bikes without the needed straps. They also can be quite loose, depending on what material the trench coat is made of, the length of the coat and what size it is. It's especially a bad idea to let a long coat open, since it can drag along the ground or get caught in the exhaust pipes. Finally, it also depends on the weather conditions, since armor isn't a high priority for most coats like that.

Answer 4

Actually it does not matter what you wear as it has been proven that people in automobiles generally will not see you. This has to do with what people are trained to look for when driving a car and motorcycles are not on the list. So just be careful and drive defensively when on the road.

Answer 5

you should wear bright colors to be better seen by other motorist ,I wear black chaps and a bright blue and black jacket with a reflective white stripe , and the best way to have traffic and motorist take notice is to go with a white helmet similar to what the highway patrol and sheriffs wear ,traffic will slow down and let you thru for fear of a cop on a bike

Answer 6

Don't trust clothing or lights to keep you out of trouble.

You are responsible for your safety, your driving habits, your awareness of the environment around you.

Personally, I wear black leathers (I do have a pink Mohawk on my helmet, though).

If you do get into trouble the first thing the cager will say is that he didn't see you, no mater what you wear.

Answer 7

I wear a white helmet and an optic yellow green Olympia jacket (the same color road construction guys wear). You can see my jacket from almost a mile away, seriously. You can also buy these vests to wear over your riding jackets.

Answer 8

Bright , light colors clothing will help you be seen. That said , you don`t see too many people who follow that advice .

Answer 9

You could be lit up like a Christmas lawn decoration and it wouldn't matter. On a motorcycle, you are INVISIBLE to most drivers, so the solution isn't the color of your gear it's knowing how to avoid the idiots.

Answer 10

i ride at the moment (not for long) a aprilia rs50 to be honest the head lights aint great so i ride with my high beam on and people do tend to see you more than when i dont have my lights on