Why don't bikes have rear fog lights?

[SteveW]

Why don't bikes have rear fog lights?
I can't think of another road-going vehicle that doesn't have a high visibility rear facing Red light for use in times of poor visibility......typically fog or very heavy rain.
After all bikes are vulnerable vehicles, bikes often slow down proportionally more than other vehicles in bad weather conditions, we don't have windscreen wipers on or visors for a start. That must make us vulnerable to a disastrous rear end shunt.
We've got all sorts of safety features on modern bikes, but for the life of me I can't think why we don't have fog lights.

[byewayrider]

I have fitted a small round push type light off a mountain bike helmet.. One push its solid red, second push it flashes, third push is off.

Used a cheap watch battery, its great in heavy rain or bad visibility... Seen some guys on the M25 use them too..

[Sanqhar]

For many years I had an extra rear light on my bike wired to an On/Off/On switch. One On position took power from the brake light, giving me an extra brake light. The other On position took its power from the normal rear light thus giving me a rear fog.

Tom

[SteveW]

......which begs the question.....Why don't manufacturers fit a rear fog light as standard?
I'm waiting for someone smarter than me to come up with the reason, but for the life of me I can't think of it.
Surely a bar mounted switch, which controlles a fog light (with corresponding "on" warning light illuminated on the speedo) is obviously needed.

[OnHellas]

If they were fitted it would just lead to another set of road users on the road on a clear night, three days after the foggy half a mile they encountered, with the bloody thing still blinding everyone behind them.

[SteveW]

If they were fitted it would just lead to another set of road users on the road on a clear night, three days after the foggy half a mile they encountered, with the bloody thing still blinding everyone behind them.

Come on we're better than that!
It's a bugbear of mine too, but generally bikers are pretty switched on and attentive.
So are manufacturers saying bikers will leave their fog lights on, so we won't fit them....I doubt that.

[clutchspring]

I was only talking about this the other day to my wife traveling down the M6 after a motorcycle past us in heavy rain / mist .
My wife said look at him has he got his lights on, yes I said & when he was in the distance you couldn't see his lights.
I think there not fitted to motorcycle because it's not mandatory for rear fog lights to be fitted type approval or something like that .
You would think that some manufacturers would have it as a option , just look at BMW you can have thing's like hill control , SOS emergency button etc .

Ian.

[zimtim]

It is possibly due to the height.
https://chuxtrux.com/n-19-how-to-aim-fo ... t-way.html
Adding lights low down to be fully effective in fog conditions might be difficult and impractical nfor a lot of bikes. Especially with a 10-24 inch high advised range.

But I do wonder with the increase in technology especially with LED
why something can't bemdone by the bike manufacturers of the after market providers

[garyboy]

possibly because it would `blind` an officer's view of your all-important registration number? .. or, [other road users].. indicators.

.. I would have thought that bike rear lights are pretty powerful on modern bikes? .. and sufficient?
.. the rear lens on my bike is mahusive .. tho the power is standard I expect.

(.. a car has rear lights each side of the number plate, and only interfere with the indicators, not the number plate)
a bikers rear light could interfere with plate, indicators, AND brake light.


.. when car drivers see ONE central rear light, they know it is a biker
(so can imtimidate them better)

.. but it may confuse a car driver, and distract them from the music/sat nav/ heating/oral sex/ .. when they see TWO flippin eck lights??
They wont know if they cumming or going

[bill_qaz]

Because it's not a requirement of C&U regulation and not required for homologation so an unnecessary cost on production. Production cost is tightly controlled.