Modern Vespa

I suppose that we won't come to much of a consensus on this issue (other than the idea that it's better to be seen than not seen), but here's my two cents:

- The helmet I wound up with is an HJC CL-17 in matte black, not because I thought my Badass Quotient was somehow lacking, but because that was one of only two helmets my dealer had on-hand in my size when I was picking up Melody for the first time. In the intervening time, I've come to like this helmet a lot, to the point that I might pick up am second one in the not-too-distant future, possibly in white. Not in a mad hurry about it, because I made a point of keeping something on the GTS that others thought I'd want to remove, namely...

- Side Reflectors. Some regard them as an aesthetic abomination in contrast to the bike's almost unavoidably sensual lines. I don't regard them as such, and in fact value them rather highly from a safety standpoint, so they stay in the picture, to the point that I actually had one of the rear reflectors replaced when I lost it due to an apparent act of vandalism some two years back. This in turn leads me to a related subject...

- Blacked-Out taillight/turn-signal lenses. Seriously? I thought these silly things went out of vogue a decade or so ago, but I see them on way too many poorly-pimped bikes, cars and pickups, and they do nothing but diminish the output of the lights behind them. No, I never thought they looked cool. Yes, I thought, and still think, that anyone using them is looking for trouble. Why would you pay money for an accessory that makes you less visible on the road, unless you're a black-ops sort or the like?

Whatever one chooses to wear, I agree that one of the best defenses is to ride with the assumption that a lot of people around you aren't paying attention to their surroundings as they should be, and that your degree of actual visibility might not matter as far as they're concerned.

The problem with using our own observations is that we run into confirmation bias.

The best example I can think of has to do with cars on the road. My wife and I have a Hyundai Veloster. Most people tell me that the never see any of them on the road. I, on the other hand, see at least 2-3 other Velosters every time I drive somewhere. When I rent a car, I become more aware of that model.

We see what we're used to seeing. And what we're used to seeing tends to stand out more than what we're not used to seeing (if that makes sense).

Absolutely.

When I need tires, I notice everyone's tires.

And I always notice other motorcycles and scooters because I'm always looking fir them.

I have a silver helmet, and a red jacket, and a white scooter...My wife has a red/white/silver helmet and white jacked and a red scooter. I hope by riding together we have the bases covered.

Our safety instructor said we should mix up our colours so I that is what we do.

I have a yellow scoot, silver and white jackets and a yellow helmet.

Hubby has silver scoot, wears a red jacket and a white helmet.

I hope we are visible to others out there!