Hi Guys, I am considering adding a headlight modulator to my ’14 heritage with stock headlights/bulbs.

If you have used one, do they make a difference in making the bike more visible to cagers? Also, can they be added to an LED headlight? I am considering upgrading my headlights to LED and would not want to purchase twice. Do you have a brand that you favor?

I live in Chicago which has a large cager population that is often distracted and so I am looking for ways to make myself more visible on the road. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/image.../icon_wake.gif

I appreciate your input and suggestions.

 

They are more noticeable but I'm not sure about safer. I've seen countless 4 wheelers pull out in front of bikes with them because they "thought they were flashing lights for them to pull out" or something like that. I know guys that won't ride with guys that have them because of that reason and they are annoying as hell if they're behind you.

 

Be careful, flashing high beams could be mistaken for a middle finger.

 

^^^This^^^

^^^Never heard this^^^

And no don't use with a LED or HID, they will shorten the life of both.

 

Waaaay too much BS about pulsing headlights. NOWHERE have I ever seen ANY evidence that people think that rapidly blinking headlight means pull out in front of me. Seriously? Come on man, give me a break.

No they do not represent a middle finger, again more BS.

All they do is make a bike easier to see. Does hi vis gear {helmets, jackets etc}, **** you off? How about hi vis running lights {Halogen, Led etc.}? Then why on earth would a hi vis headlight?

If you don't like the pulse behind you {though I can not imagine why you give a flying whatever}, let them pass. The simple fact is that the human eye is drawn to movement and a blinking headlight will draw the eye more than a stationary one.

The same fact supports the SMIDSY swerve... it is the movement of the light that generates the greater visibility. Try You Tube for some convincing video that demonstrates the Smidsy {Sorry man, I didn't see you}, swerve.

If there are several bikes in a group coming down the road your eye will inevitably pick out the one with the blinking/pulsing headlight first. Like it or not that is how the eye and brain work together.

If a pulse headlight is not your cup of Joe it is OK with me but please, please stop spreading the BS.

 

I have been running them for years and have seen numerous start/stops by people pulling out in front of me. In my experience the modulator causes the driver to take a second look and realize it's a bike.

I have never heard in 40 years a car pulling out in front of a bike with a modulator thinking it was "ok you can cut me off"

I know it can bother drivers but I don't care about that. I just want to be seen and a modulator does make other vehicles pause enough to see what's coming

I don't feel the same about rear modulating lights or a thousand LEDs because when someone gets hit from behind it's not because they did not see you. it's because they were NOT LOOKING in the following examples I prove this, Tell me these people did NOT see the bus...If the bus had modulating lights would that have helped...Not a chance.

 

Agree with both of you.

 

Try some Preparation H, it will help soothe the butt hurt.

A lot of places I've lived if you flash your lights at someone it's considered an acknowledgement for them to do whatever it is they are attempting to do, be it pull out, change lanes or whatever the case may be. On a couple occasions I've seen someone pull into a gas station and apologize for pulling out for the reasons I mentioned above. One of the guys we ride with had a modulator on his headlight for a while and aside from the instances I cited, we made him ride in front because it annoyed those in front of him. That's firsthand experience. If you like your's great, as long as your not on my azz I couldn't give a crap.

 

Thank you for your input. I had not considered the annoyance factor to those in front of me. I have seen them on bikes before but I am unsure if it caught my eye because of the flashing headlight or because it was a bike and I was trying to see how cool the bike was. I had not considered the life of the bulb so I guess that's out if I get LEDs or HIDs.

I wonder if certain flash frequencies (flashes per second) would work best than a maybe a slower frequency?

 

you do realize that if you are in a group, then you can switch your high beam off and the modulating will stop?

Labrador: per dot regs, they must have a sensor to keep them from pulsing in low light/dark conditions. most of them are wired into the highbeam circuit, so to cancel them in the daylight, switch to lowbeams. also, there are modulators available for leds. hids not so much since they use a ballast to send very high voltage and would possibly fry the modulator.

tenmidgets: a flashing brake light will get the attention of a person who is mildly distracted and may keep you from getting rear ended. but if the person is totally in their own world (ie texting), then the modulating headlight, or the flashing brakelight is not going to be of any use. but every little bit to get the attention of the rest of the drivers out there is helpful.