Riding old bikes without indicators (my Norton)

Like I have said my Norton is not set up for indicators I have very min wiring and the JH maggie makes things simple but I have a small battery for very bright brake and tail light, I very rarely ride the Norton at night, I have my Triumph Thruxton for that it has very bright LED indicators on it but always forget to turn them off except at night as they are so friggin bright.
I started this post not for the reasons of for or not having indicators but more about stories about the use or not using indicators, as for the stock Norton indicators they were so long and ugly as well they weren't the most reliable things and very weak stems as one broke with in the first 3 years from new and at the time were very expensive to replace as well the Lucas flasher units weren't the best.
Where I ride my Norton I am lucky as it only takes me 15 mins to get out of suburbia and into the country or twisty roads from my place avoiding major roads, as well what ever you do other driver seen to not care about us bike riders, we don't have the population as they do in the States or England, Aussie land has only a population of 24 million and if you look at a map of AUS we have a lot of open space and our major cities are costal we also have very long distant travels between states and heading from the east states to the west state would take 5 days and most of our country is outback roads and our roads aren't the best, the money is just not there to upgrade all roads, but we do have some great bike riding roads around.

Ashley

I believe that according to local laws riding at night without turn signals is illegal. I will often hand signal to the left after careful checking. I try to use my turn signals as much as possible even if there’s no one around just to keep up the habit.

Craig said:

No Norton rides at night ,ever .... only way I’m out after dark on one of the modern bikes is result of sundown miscalculation ,way too many deer on streets/roads now to be able to enjoy an after sundown ride .... don’t hear many others ripping around after sunset here either ....

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Lucas, Prince of darkness must be worshiped in your house!

It's funny years ago I wouldn't have dreamt of standing in the same street as a norton if it had indicators/mirrors/air filter/choke slides/chain guard /center stand/electric start
And guess what I've got now?
Well admittedly I don't have a center stand or choke slides ,that'd be just ridiculous!!

If you use hand signals the driver behind you will more than likely grab their phone (they are probably already on it) to Google what your hand signals mean...and then run your ass over...
as usual, they are watching their phone, not the road.

My 74 didn't have indicators on, as the PO had busted one of the rear tabs off of the mounting plate. I rode it like that for almost 15 years, including lots of night riding to 90s grunge shows in Seattle. No problems ever.

When i moved to NZ, in order to get it licensed I had to install indicators since they came installed when new. The CNW ones are much nicer, but there are a host of other aftermarket options out there now, and if i had to do it again would likely go LED.

It seems a lot of drivers don't use turn signals anyway as they figure it's giving information to the enemy.

In the UK I still occasionally use hand signals, sometimes to reinforce an indicator. I generally think folks get it. I wouldn't expect anyone to understand hand signals from a car though!

If no one understands hand signals anymore how do cyclists signal in different bits of the world?

o0norton0o said:

As I may have said previously, the stock lucas lollypop signals are hideous.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love mine.

Gadge said:

In the UK I still occasionally use hand signals, sometimes to reinforce an indicator. I generally think folks get it. I wouldn't expect anyone to understand hand signals from a car though!

If no one understands hand signals anymore how do cyclists signal in different bits of the world?

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I thought standard practice in England was to ride two abreast and act like they haven’t seen you.

SteveC said:

I thought standard practice in England was to ride two abreast and act like they haven’t seen you.

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Although it's not something I do personally (as a miserable git I always ride and cycle solo) I believe this is a recommended strategy, and can well understand why. So many cars see cyclists as a nuisance (and agreed, some are) and will think nothing of passing as close as possible, with no consideration even in two way traffic. Hence the need to stake that space and get consideration by whatever means possible.
Lucas lollipops? Never considered them ugly, really can't see any other design that would suit (perhaps it's an 'age' thing?)

o0norton0o said:

Young people don't have a clue about hand signals... I think Foot signalling is a joke. I'm surprised to hear more than a single person say they signal with their foot. I don't really ever wave to other riders because it diminishes the idea to car drivers that sticking your hand out is a signal of some sort. I'll nod my head to other riders if they wave,... that's all.

As I may have said previously, the stock lucas lollypop signals are hideous. It saddens me to see them on any commando. The classic commando shape with 4 walmart inspired turn signals... disgusting..

That's why CNW does not mount those hideous lollypop lights on their beautiful bikes... nuff said...


.

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Well, um, they ARE period correct.
IIRC, all the bikes of the day had lollipops.
Everyone has their tastes, and things they can’t live with.
JMWO

My bike has nothing. Opening it up out in the country I got pulled over and backup showed up. First thing the woman cop said was "Do you know how fast you were going?" (noting my lack of a speedometer). Then she said "What kind of bike is that?" Half an hour of questions later she let me off with a warning.

Another time I got pulled over in my 1949 Willys which doesn't need indicators to be legal. Backup showed up. I was nervous and asked the cop what I had done wrong. "Nothing" he said. He just wanted to check out my old truck.

Never mind all the other times I was ticketed.

Yeah, beauty is in each person's eye. I wouldn't argue your right to think the stock lights look good to you...


Originally, I added signals to my commando because they didn't come equipped with them. At first I did add the "lollypops" on the rear tail light fairing, To minimize the "Walmart" look of them I used the short stalks to mount them. They were ugly but did the job of letting people know where I was turning. When went to the fairing, I liked the surface mounted pyramids for the front and searched for a less "Walmart" looking pair for the rear. I ended up using lights similar to the ones that CNW chooses for their bikes in lieu of the Walmart specials... Needless to say the CNW guys didn't think the lollypops looked good or they wouldn't have discarded them. just like I did...

Yes, all the bikes of that era had the walmart look to their signal lights. I'm glad I jettisoned mine...

“The greatest danger in traffic is cars turning left across traffic in front of you while riding straight ahead.“

While that is true, it certainly doesn’t make all other hazards nonexistent.

NPeteN said:

That's how I feel. At least around me, if someone is going to hit you, it isn't because they didn't see your turn signal, it's because they didn't see you AT ALL.

I get in, out and gone before anyone has a chance to run me over.

That said, given the option, I'd rather have them. I'll add that pointing to where you are going works far better than antique hand signals

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Ninja warrior.
Most of the time.
Even in Podunk, thinking that you alone have control over every situation is foolhardy.
Like a stoplight. (On the bike) Sometimes we must trust others to do what they are supposed to.

o0norton0o said:

Yeah, beauty is in each person's eye. I wouldn't argue your right to think the stock lights look good to you...


Originally, I added signals to my commando because they didn't come equipped with them. At first I did add the "lollypops" on the rear tail light fairing, To minimize the "Walmart" look of them I used the short stalks to mount them. They were ugly but did the job of letting people know where I was turning. When went to the fairing, I liked the surface mounted pyramids for the front and searched for a less "Walmart" looking pair for the rear. I ended up using lights similar to the ones that CNW chooses for their bikes in lieu of the Walmart specials... Needless to say the CNW guys didn't think the lollypops looked good or they wouldn't have discarded them. just like I did...

Yes, all the bikes of that era had the walmart look to their signal lights. I'm glad I jettisoned mine...

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I don’t know was Walmart around in 1972? I remember Kmart.

illf8ed said:

I don’t know was Walmart around in 1972? I remember Kmart.

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We had E.J. Korvettes. It was a wonderland of obscure crapola...

Mentioned previously, was the “long stalks” and other fashion hang ups.
For safety, those indicators need to be as far from the bike’s centerline as possible. It makes clear the indicators position. Tucked up tidy 4” from the centerline may allow to pass inspection, but the point is lost.
Yes, I’m a safety nerd. Son of a professional driver/instructor.
I want to live to do it all again for many days ahead.

...and perhaps the “lollipops” are still being used, by the MoCo, and whiskers on the salami slicer.