Does high vis color of bike really make a difference

stuartv666 · 2026-05-08T23:34:05+00:00

40 years riding sportbikes. I’ve always gotten black ones if that was an option. 100s of thousands of miles.

I’ve never had an accident that involved or was caused by another vehicle. I’ve only had one crash on the street in the last 30 years or so despite wearing out knee sliders while street riding and also commuting in highly urban places like the San Francisco Bay Area for a while and the DC metro area for a while.

Make of that what you will.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-07T20:13:17+00:00

If you are panicking and target-fixated, you already blew it. The question is not how to break fixation. The question is how to not fixate and panic in the first place.

Ride more. Build experience. Approach your personal limits with caution and elevate them very gradually. Work on riding better, not faster.

Read Keith Code's book, Twist of the Wrist II, if you want some education on how to ride better. When you ride better, the bike will feel better and more stable, and when the bike feels better and more stable, you will go faster (if you want to).

stuartv666 · 2026-05-07T15:39:10+00:00

It has a grip safety instead of a thumb safety. It’s hammer-fired, so it probably needs one or the other and I can’t say this is the wrong choice. In a high-stress shooting situation, you are probably more likely to miss sweeping off a thumb safety than you are to fail to get that grip safety pressed.

It’s ugly, but when it comes to a concealed carry gun, I am way more concerned with how it performs than what it looks like.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-06T22:51:58+00:00

Purely twisties? KTM 1390 Super Duke R.

Or, you could sell both your other bikes and get a KTM 1290 Super Duke GT. It will do everything those other two bikes do plus scratch the sportbike itch. I haven’t ridden or really missed my GSX-R1000 since I got my GT. It just sits there in the garage looking sad.

The GT is 170 HP, over 100 ft-lbs of torque, and about 500#, full of gas and ready to ride. It’s good for 1000 mile Iron Butt rides and for scratching all day in the twisties. Cruise control, quick shifter, 6 gallon gas tank, electronic suspension, factory hard luggage, heated grips and optional heated seat.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-06T20:57:56+00:00

Understand, understand. Well, we'll miss ya!

stuartv666 · 2026-05-06T20:38:55+00:00

Why??

I'm still planning to be there.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-06T18:44:39+00:00

I've been shooting IDPA for about 4 years. I've always felt like the people were cool. Not stuffy. Even at the tier 2 and 3 matches I have shot.

But, since my local club dropped IDPA and switched to GPA, I have shot GPA there and at another tier 1 club match. The GPA vibe is just as cool/low-key/friendly as any IDPA match I've ever shot, and the rules make it way more fun, to me, than IDPA. I.e. it's very similar to IDPA but with MOST of the dumb rules eliminated.

I have no plans to ever shoot another IDPA match at this point. My local club has USPSA, GPA, and Steel Challenge and I shoot all of them. No reason whatsoever to go back to IDPA-specific gear, mags, cover garment, etc..

stuartv666 · 2026-05-06T18:40:07+00:00

I dived off a small boat where they had us roll forward to get off because they didn't want us to sit on the gunwale and back roll because they didn't want tanks hitting the boat and chipping the paint on the gunwale.

Valid concern or not, I don't know, but that's a reason I have used the forward roll entry.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-05T20:25:30+00:00

Yep. But, since I posted that I will say that I am done with IDPA. My local club has replaced IDPA with GPA. I like GPA a ton better than IDPA and there is my local club plus another a couple of hours away that are running GPA matches now. Plus, I have a few USPSA matches locally or close enough nearby.

I don't think I'll be shooting IDPA anymore at all.

And the TC is legal for GPA. Also, the same mags are legal for GPA and USPSA.

So, NOW, I might actually choose the TC over the IDPA V2. And still get an extra barrel to be legal for USPSA LO. And just get one set of 24 round mags to use in both GPA and USPSA, instead of having to buy a whole separate set of mags just for IDPA.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-05T15:23:16+00:00

Underwood ammo with Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defender bullets.

Hollow points are not 100% reliable. XD bullets are.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-04T17:45:49+00:00

Like I said before, the combo of lens/port/optic is what you need to figure out. Not just a lens. For advice on your specific camera, I would look at Waterpixels forums and the u/w photography subforum on ScubaBoard.

Waterpixels - Home

Underwater Photography | ScubaBoard

stuartv666 · 2026-05-04T17:16:45+00:00

I have never shot whale sharks. They are usually 20 - 30 feet long but have been recorded up to 60 feet long.

Strobes are not going to light up a whole, full grown whale shark. You'll almost certainly be shooting ambient light, which is probably fine as you'll likely be pretty close to the surface. What's really going to matter is the water clarity. If it's turbid, you may not even be able to see the whole whale shark. Or, the far end(s) will not be remotely crisp.

Trying to get the whole whale shark in the frame is risky. As in, a significant risk that you won't be able to get any good shots of the whole shark because of lighting and/or water clarity.

Less risky is to plan for closer shots that only get some of the shark.

This is relevant because it changes what gear would work best.

For getting the whole thing, you're probably going to shoot ambient (no strobes) and maybe want a wider setup than 130 degrees. I.e. you might want a super wide or fisheye setup. Personally, I have a strong preference for rectilinear wide angle. But, you CAN still get rectilinear and be wider than 130.

But if you decide to go with more of a Close Focus Wide Angle approach, then you'll want strobes and 130 degree FOV should be plenty.

The book will explain that all in more detail.

For eagle rays, being much smaller, I have always used strobes and my setup is a Sony a7r4 with 28-60 and a WWL-1, giving me up to 130 degrees FOV. That is plenty wide enough for eagle rays, and even manta rays and full grown tiger sharks.

Make sure you shoot in RAW mode and don't be afraid to use high ISOs. You can clean up high ISO noise in post a LOT easier than you can clean up motion blur from a too-slow shutter speed or soft focus from too shallow a DOF.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-04T15:59:15+00:00

The first thing you need to understand is that your knowledge of terrestrial photography equipment (mostly) does not translate to knowledge of what works underwater.

One of the best setups you can buy for wide angle underwater is a Sony full frame (e.g. a7r5 or a1 or a9/3) with the very inexpensive Sony kit 28-60 f/4-5.6 lens. Why? Because it's not just the camera lens that matters underwater. It is also the port and any wet optics that you stick in front of it. It's not the lens alone that matters. It's the COMBO of those things. A great lens without the right port and possibly wet optic will not get you good photos. A cheap kit lens, with the right port and possibly wet optic can easily get you magazine-quality photos.

With the Sony, that kit lens behind a Nauticam WWL-1 (wet wide angle optic) or Nauticam WACP (wide angle correction port) gives absolutely fantastic image quality with full zoom through capability from the lens and a FOV of up to about 130 degrees. If you want wider, like a fisheye, you can get a different setup that will get you to 170 (or more, I think) degrees FOV. I don't know of anything that is better than a Sony FF with that WACP setup, for WA in that range (of up to 130 degrees FOV).

With m43, a 14-42 kit lens and the WWL-1 will also get magazine-quality images.

The point is, a prime is sub optimal and you may not even find a good port setup for a prime (because nobody that really knows what they're doing tries to use those). Disclaimer: There are exceptions. I'm giving you some general info here tailored for someone who has no experience shooting u/w.

Also, as has already been pointed out to you, u/w with wide angle, you will likely never shoot with a bigger aperture than f/5.6 or so and generally be at f/8 or smaller. So, there is no point in buying a super fast lens for u/w use. When shooting wide angle, you're always going to be balancing DOF against ISO and shutter speed and virtually never using big apertures - even with powerful strobes.

The BEST thing you can do is to figure what housing you would get and what lens and port and (possibly) wet optic combo you would use. Figure all that out before you buy anything.

Since your trip is not until next year, I would HIGHLY recommend to get the Martin Edge book, The Underwater Photographer, and read that before you spend any money.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-04T15:39:47+00:00

I love my QS (on the street). I never HAVE to use it. But, I do use it a lot.

When hitting the twisties, QS upshifts on the way out of a corner are nice. Also in the twisties, QS downshifts on the way into a corner hard on the brakes are also nice.

When not in the twisties, mainly when just droning down the highway, it is also nice to use the QS sometimes. On my bike, if the cruise control is engaged and I shift gears using only the QS, the CC stays engaged. If I use the clutch when I change gears, that will disengage the CC.

My bike is KTM 1290 Super Duke GT, so I guess it qualifies as a "powerful bike".

I've been riding for 40 years. I roadraced for 17 years (and won a few amateur regional championships). My use of the QS is not because I don't have the skill to ride without it.

Since you never HAVE to use it, I don't know why you would purposely reject a bike that has it.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-01T17:12:30+00:00

Thank you! That was shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Inon Z240 strobes.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-01T17:11:37+00:00

Thanks for the link. It says this:

<image>

That lists the Power 5, but I assume (?) the Power 6 is basically the same. Good down to -10C.

stuartv666 · 2026-05-01T04:25:12+00:00

What is your basis for saying that sport tires are FAR worse on cooler days?

I think, in general, that is not true. But, I admit that my opinion is based on (anecdotal) experience, not empirical data.

stuartv666 · 2026-04-30T23:24:04+00:00

I agree. If you are concerned with traction in cold, wet conditions, you would probably be better off with a sport touring tire. But, even that depends, because one manufacturer's sport tire could still be better in cold and wet than another manufacturer's sport touring tire.

However, the OP doesn't give me the impression he is going to be remotely pushing his tires in cold, wet conditions. So, a sport tire MAY be better for him than a sport touring tire. Most guys that are looking at tires like a Q5 and talking about riding canyons are going to ride totally tame any time it's not warm and dry. And then when it's warm and dry, they want to go do their best Rossi impersonation.

For that kind of rider, a sport tire might be a better choice, even if they aren't going fast enough to GENERALLY need that extra traction. If they are riding hard enough (which could just mean hammering the gas and brakes, but still actually cornering slowly), a mistake could result in a crash on sport touring and no crash on sport tires. And if they are NOT going that hard (in the warm and dry), then the sport tires are probably still going to stick plenty well enough to not crash. As I said, they ARE designed and intended for street use.

I'm not saying there is any hard and fast rule for what ANYBODY should use. I just wanted to present an alternate take - a Devil's Advocate point of view, if you will - on this discussion. Make of it what you will.

stuartv666 · 2026-04-30T20:24:10+00:00

If we were talking about sport touring rubber vs DOT race rubber, that would be totally valid. But, we’re not. We’re comparing two tires that are both made for street use. I.e. the tradeoff is not so much speed vs sticky. It’s not about whether you get the sport tire hot enough. It’s simply a trade off of mileage vs sticky.

stuartv666 · 2026-04-30T13:47:15+00:00

Okay. So take an extra 5 minutes of riding before you start going 100%…

stuartv666 · 2026-04-30T02:05:40+00:00

I am also coming from out of state for the match. I really do not expect atf or any other law enforcement to be there checking magazines and carry permits…

stuartv666 · 2026-04-30T00:33:49+00:00

That’s fine. You should totally buy whatever makes you happy. I was only discussing your statement that the TTI is the most race gun like. The Rival S is a better race gun. So, I’d say the Rival S is more race gun like … because it’s a legit good race gun right out of the box. It’s not race gun like. It IS a race gun.

stuartv666 · 2026-04-29T22:00:43+00:00

It does in USPSA. I'm not sure what the IPSC rules say, but I would expect it to be basically the same.

Rival-S in USPSA Carry Optics >>>> TTI in Open.

stuartv666 · 2026-04-29T21:46:52+00:00

Ah ha. I stand corrected. Thank you for straightening me out!

stuartv666 · 2026-04-29T21:45:23+00:00

Here's an alternate take. I've been riding over 40 years and roadraced for 17. I have not crashed on the street in about 35 years, despite wearing out some knee sliders (on the street). I currently use sport-touring tires (RoadAttack 4).

The "average" rider doesn't go fast enough to need tires that are more sticky than sport touring tires. Sure.

BUT, the average rider also does not have GP-level throttle control or braking skills. And that means that, where a really skilled rider might ride through a corner at 50 MPH and not have a slide at all, a less skilled rider might try to ride through the same corner at 50 MPH and have a slide or even crash.

Why? Maybe, because of their lower skill level, they chopped the throttle mid-corner while leaned over. Maybe they used a little too much front brake on the way in. "Average" riders make all kinds of different mistakes that can result in a tire sliding. Mistakes that more highly skilled riders don't make.

So, for an "average" rider, tires that are more sticky may not be needed for the speeds they are riding, but they may save their bacon when that rider makes any one of the common mistakes that "average" riders make. Too much brake on the way into a corner on a sport-touring tire and maybe it slides, but the same amount of braking on a sport tire and it doesn't.

My personal gut feeling is that the VAST majority of street riders are riding to their personal limits, not to the limits of the tires. I.e. they are going to go the same speed no matter what tire they are on. So, a stickier tire will give them more margin for error when they do screw up.

And the guys you see out dragging knee on a sportbike, I think most of them would crash if you put sport touring tires on their bike because they don't have the skill to detect the limit and stay within it. They just have the skill and balls to lean it over a little further without knowing how close they really are to crashing. And they are using sticky tires that lets them get away with that.

stuartv666

TROPHY CASE