Bikes with good blind spot visibility
Discussion
Morning
Had lots of bikes over the years. Currently a K1300S in the garage.
In a bit of a s
tty situation. I went blind i my right eye suddenly last summer. All happened in about 24 hrs from seeing odd things to nothing at all. Trip to A&E with blackness in one corner, then while waiting in A&E it pulled across like a blackout curtain.
Detached retina.
Surgery a few days later. Horrible ordeal. Waiting on a 2nd op that might yield some vision, but surgeon isn't hopeful.
I'm driving no problem. 20:20 in left eye. Monocular vision isn't a disability or even a reportable condition to the DVLA. The brain is an amazing thing. Depth perception is fine while moving and i adapted after a few weeks. I've bought a Tesla as my daily drive now because i find the cameras, blind spot monitoring, etc a useful back up.
The K13 went to a mate's house while we moved house last autumn. I rode it a few miles home in Feb and loved being back in the saddle, but the lack of over the right shoulder visibility for a shoulder check was a worry.
I used to commute by bike all year round but wouldn't want to without shoulder checks on dual carriageways.
So
A) hang up my lid
B) stick to local back roads and minimise situations requiring a good blindspot check to my right. Ride defensively. Not sure how easy or safe this would be.
C) look at bikes with either amazing mirrors BMW RT, Kawasaki GTR, etc, or ones with blind spot monitoring. Do high end BMWs have that? Or retrofit something??
Thoughts welcome.
I'm not after sympathy. I've come to terms with it now. Just after practical advice. If that's "don't ride" then that's fine.
Had lots of bikes over the years. Currently a K1300S in the garage.
In a bit of a s
tty situation. I went blind i my right eye suddenly last summer. All happened in about 24 hrs from seeing odd things to nothing at all. Trip to A&E with blackness in one corner, then while waiting in A&E it pulled across like a blackout curtain.Detached retina.
Surgery a few days later. Horrible ordeal. Waiting on a 2nd op that might yield some vision, but surgeon isn't hopeful.
I'm driving no problem. 20:20 in left eye. Monocular vision isn't a disability or even a reportable condition to the DVLA. The brain is an amazing thing. Depth perception is fine while moving and i adapted after a few weeks. I've bought a Tesla as my daily drive now because i find the cameras, blind spot monitoring, etc a useful back up.
The K13 went to a mate's house while we moved house last autumn. I rode it a few miles home in Feb and loved being back in the saddle, but the lack of over the right shoulder visibility for a shoulder check was a worry.
I used to commute by bike all year round but wouldn't want to without shoulder checks on dual carriageways.
So
A) hang up my lid
B) stick to local back roads and minimise situations requiring a good blindspot check to my right. Ride defensively. Not sure how easy or safe this would be.
C) look at bikes with either amazing mirrors BMW RT, Kawasaki GTR, etc, or ones with blind spot monitoring. Do high end BMWs have that? Or retrofit something??
Thoughts welcome.
I'm not after sympathy. I've come to terms with it now. Just after practical advice. If that's "don't ride" then that's fine.
Edited by LowTread on Thursday 25th April 06:16
Edited by LowTread on Thursday 25th April 06:18
trickywoo said:
H2SX has it.
Loads of aftermarket options too. Reviews on the face of it seem good.
Reeeeeally?? Ooh i didn't know that. H2SX was on the list before all of this happened.Loads of aftermarket options too. Reviews on the face of it seem good.
Off to autotrader...
Looks like new models only. £16.5k. Bit steep, but if it gets me riding again maybe that's ok, or put it on finance.
Thanks v much!
Edited by LowTread on Thursday 25th April 06:31
After 20 years of riding, commuting in all weathers for about half of that, it feels alien to want more rider aids.
But needs must.
Will get over to Peterborough next week when i'm passing to sit on an H2 SX.
If that doesn't feel good then i'll look at aftermarket stuff. TBH the K13 is so good i'm reluctant to spend that + £10k on a bike i'd probably hardly use. But, new-shiny-thing-syndrome may take hold
But needs must.
Will get over to Peterborough next week when i'm passing to sit on an H2 SX.
If that doesn't feel good then i'll look at aftermarket stuff. TBH the K13 is so good i'm reluctant to spend that + £10k on a bike i'd probably hardly use. But, new-shiny-thing-syndrome may take hold
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff