Harley-Davidson Safety Gear Melds Function and Fashion
Reflective rain gear and LED lights help riders see and be seen.
For many Harley-Davidson riders, summer is the best time for long road trips. Depending on where you live, the winter months can be treacherous and impossible for safe motorcycle riding. However, that doesn’t mean that the warmer, more sunny days are still completely safe.
“This time of the year is a super dangerous time to be riding on the road with two wheels, so we like to keep everybody safe,” says Jeff Pradelski, the Parts Manager at Bald Eagle Harley-Davidson in Michigan in an interview with a local TV station. “It is all about safety.”
Instead of things like low visibility and inclement weather that we have to worry about in fall and winter months, summertime riders now have to worry about those cars that just don’t pay attention or have trouble seeing them. That’s where the new line of safety and rain gear from Harley-Davidson comes in. Rain suits, lights, rear turn signals and improved tail lamps all can help immensely during this time of year.
‘A normal halogen bulb typically has an array of 300 to 400 feet. When you upgrade to an LED, you are [increasing visibility by] about 600 feet.’
“The reflective rain gear keeps you seen, especially during rainy or hazy conditions,” says Pradelski. “If a light hits this [Harley-Davidson Hi-Vis Rain Suit], it’s obviously all reflective and lets people know they are on the road,”
Rainy conditions will always be a more dangerous time to ride your bike but that’s not all you have to worry about in spring and summer. You also just have to worry about people in cars just seeing you if it’s foggy or dark outside. For those times, the people at Bald Eagle Harley-Davidson recommend upgrading to LED lighting.
“There’s got to be a hundred LED products that are all meant to do this: see and be seen. A normal halogen bulb typically has an array of 300 to 400 feet,” Pradelski says. “When you upgrade to an LED, you are [increasing visibility by] about 600 feet.”
Of course, upgrading to LED lighting and buying other accessories, like the Harley-Davidson Hi-Vis Rain Suit, comes at a price — about $200. However, as seen every year, there are many riders that are injured in accidents where they are completely not at fault. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to riding, and upgrading your lights or buying a rain suit could make all the difference.
