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does anybody here use pulsing brake lights?

f14rio

New member
also, i learned a lesson about left turns on two lane roads at night. i was on a curve stopped to make a left turn.... heard a screech behind me which was the attention deficit disorder afflicted driver swerving to avoid me.
it was then i remembered hearing somewhere that in that kind of a scenario it's best to pull off to the right and let the road clear and then make the left turn.
the other driver might have been at fault but i was the one who would have been road kill.
hope this helps somebody else.
 
Stop Alert

There are some products out there to pulse the break lights. Amperite Stop-Alert 2M Stop-Alert Brake Light Pulsator is one, but there are others. They seem to work well. Hyperlites also pulse the brake light if you install the running-turn indicator-brake light gizmo. Hyperlites use LED lights, and are plenty bright.

Personally, I try to avoid riding at night. My eyes aren't what they used to be, there is lots more traffic on the road and the drivers (especially around Houston) seem to be more aggressive every year.

One thing to keep in mind with any traffic situation is how fast a motorcycle can stop in comparison to a car or other larger vehicle. An emergency stop on a motorcycle causes cars and larger vehicles considerable trouble as they cannot stop in nearly as short a distance as you can on a motorcycle. Good reason to be aware of where you are if you have to ride in traffic, and to indicate your intentions with plenty of warning, avoiding sudden manouvers.
 
I've had pulsing brake lights on my last three bikes, since 1988. <anecdotal evidence> I perceive that cars keep a greater distance, and seem to react more quickly, than when I ride machines with solid-on brake lights. </anecdotal evidence>

Moving out of the way is good, but you have to be aware of what's happening behind you *before* the screech in order to have time to do it.

FWIW, I also avoid riding at night.
 
I use all of the above

reflective tape on the hard bags, blinky brake lights, and i don't relax until there is at least one car STOPPED behind me.

It's saved my bacon more than once..... :dance
 
Hi everyone, I'm going to move this over to the Gear part of the forum. As it happens we have a similar thread running for headlights. Now both ends will be covered almost next to each other. Thanks, Gary
 
Hyperlites, Kissan Signal Minder (which converts the turn signals to marker lights as an option), LED lights wired into the stoplight (intended to mounted as turn signals on the mirrors) & just about any other shiny thing I can think of.

I still got rear ended.

Maybe I blinded the driver.

(Actually, she let her car inch forward while she was looking over her left shoulder - made contact with my side case, pushing me over. Just goes to show.)
 

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YES!!!
I started with Kisan tail blazers. The dealer said they would vex the can't bus, so I got them online. A year later, I had the OEM led tail light installed (dealer said it was too tricky for me to do it). Any way, yes use anything to let the texting, phone-talking, make up applying, G3 surfing, etc. driver know you've stopped. Also, check six and re-pulse the brake lights every few seconds. Be ready to split lanes and go! if the stupid cage-er is coming in hot.
Rubber down,
Rich

Edit: I bought hyperlites but their spade connections didn't fit mine, so no joy there. Some day I'll retro-fit to my bike.
Rw
 
Hyper-Lites!

Fantastic rear visibility for approaching motorists.

They will be on any bike I own from now on. :thumb
 
+1 Signal Minder

The Kisan Signal Minder is easy to install (just replace one relay) and works very well on my R100R. People who follow me always mention my blinking stop light; highly recommended!!:thumb
 
I have Skene Design P3 LED lights on my RT and think they are the best addition that I have made. I wouldn't have another bike without them. There is certainly a noticeable difference in the amount of distance that most cars leave behind me with the obnoxious (in a good way) flicker and strobing features. I also like that the P3s are easily programmable and are very easy to install. Highly recommended!
 
I have Skene Design P3 LED lights on my RT and think they are the best addition that I have made. I wouldn't have another bike without them. There is certainly a noticeable difference in the amount of distance that most cars leave behind me with the obnoxious (in a good way) flicker and strobing features. I also like that the P3s are easily programmable and are very easy to install. Highly recommended!

I completely agree with cscatola, but there are certainly many alternatives. Just try to remember to get OFF the brakes after you are stopped at a light then reapply them
a time or two as vehicles approach you to re-activate the flash. Riding curvy roads, if somebody is following you, use the brake lightly, even if you could achieve desired entry speed with just down-shifting. You want to give them fair warning to back off, and pulsing brake lights do that very effectively.

Making a left turn off a busy secondary highway (the other topic of the OP) with no left turn lane can be a dicey business, even in daylight. I certainly don't want to come to a stop near the center line for oncoming traffic and expect following vehicles to either stop behind me or pull over partly on the right shoulder, even if it is paved, to zip on past. I'm just not that trusting. When making one well-known left turn, I try to put a sizeable gap between me and following vehicles - either passing them well before the turn and running speeds that LEO's might frown at - or slowing down if that creates a big gap between me and following vehicles. Then you have to adjust your speed to make a left turn in a sizeable gap before or after the oncoming vehicles, while still making sure nobody has snuck up behind you. Options:
1. Clear in front and rear? No problem.
2. Clear in front, but vehicle approaching fast from the rear? Signal left and pull into the oncoming lane, brake hard, and make the turn.
3. Oncoming traffic and a vehicle behind you, but with a wide paved shoulder? Signal right and come to a stop before your turn as far away from traffic as you can get. Then signal left and, when traffic clears in both directions, get out on the road and make your turn.
4. Oncoming traffic, a vehicle behind you, and minimal paved shoulder? Just keep going. Either take a longer route or make a right turn on the next paved road and make a u-turn to get back to the road you wanted, which is now a right turn.

Interesting post. I firmly believe that anything which adds to our conspicuity decreases our chances of being nailed by an inattentive motorist, but it never reduces those chances to zero. Having a "riding plan" which includes pre-thinking what you will do in various situations (as above on making a left turn) also greatly reduces our chances of having an accident. But again, never to zero.

I think one of the big attractions of riding a motorcycle is "managing the odds." We are very aware that the dichotomy of safe vs dangerous is a myth. While I try to carry that attitude when I'm driving a car, I just feel more alive on the bike.
 
Another vote for the Skene P3 lights. I have them and the no longer offered Brake! lights on both of my 12GSes along with plenty of reflective stuff. That said, those things do not absolve me of the responsibility of being aware of my surroundings, of always leaving myself an out.

Rich -- I know that dealer! The "anything made by BMW is okay but only if installed by a trained technician -- every other product will mess up the computer and do you want to take a $2700 risk?" dealer. :)

Pete
 
I built my own 9 years ago after getting rear ended in my pickup truck.
I would not ride my bike without them.
No cop has ever hassled me about having them.
That being said; nothing replaces a shoulder check, a rear view mirror and proper escape positioning :nod
 
I do and everyone who rides with me loves them and I have noticed cars back off when i tap them if I'm being followed to close. I use them just by activating them a lot if I see someone in my mirror that might not see the person stopping in front of me along with engine braking. For $125.00 they are a great investment and really wake up the people behind you. Never had any problems with the law either.
 
I do and everyone who rides with me loves them and I have noticed cars back off when i tap them if I'm being followed to close. I use them just by activating them a lot if I see someone in my mirror that might not see the person stopping in front of me along with engine braking. For $125.00 they are a great investment and really wake up the people behind you. Never had any problems with the law either.

Not a 'problem with the law' issue, since they are no different than 'tapping one's brake lights' on a car or truck, as long as they are red.

My Hyper-Lites got noticed big time this past weekend on The Dragon and Blue Ridge Parkway, and I recieved numerous comments (all good) and inquiries as to how to purchase (got mine thru www.cyclegadgets.com ).
No bike of mine will ever be without them! :thumb
 
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I love my hyperlites. As soon as I installed them I noticed people stopped further behind me at stoplights. I like that I can just drag my rear brake a little if I need to wake somebody up.
 
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