joejack951

Laws vary from state to state. No state requires that you keep the factory reflectors in place for compliance though. Ironically, the factory reflectors alone on your bike don't even make you street legal at night in any state. You can thank the CPSC for assuming all cyclists are children and incapable of following the law.

If you plan on riding at night at all my advice would be to find your state's (and any other state's you plan on cycling in) actual vehicle code (not a "summary" or someone's interpretation on the bike laws but the real complete thing) and see what it says. At a minimum, it will require a headlight (non-flashing) and a rear reflector. Most states will allow a solid rear light in addition to (but not in place of) a rear reflector. Similarly, a flashing front light can be used along side a solid front light. In the states I happen to ride in, side reflectors are required as well. DE wants you to have reflective material on both sides while PA requires amber reflectors on both sides.

Why does this matter? Having recently been involved in a collision with a motor vehicle and asked what kind of reflectors/lights I had on my bike (I had to remind them this happened in broad daylight), it is quite likely that the insurance company of the person who hit you would try to weasel their way out of paying you a dime for your injuries if your bike was not equipped to the full legal minimum for riding at night. In my opinion, side reflectors are worthless but I will not be adding them to my bike (somewhere but not the wheels) just in case. As much of a weight weenie as I am, the small penalty is worth the money I might otherwise not get if something happens at night (I do ride a lot at night).