Flashing headlights?&nbsp\\; Sounds like a good way to throw the driver in the car coming towords you into a siezure...then WHAM!&nbsp\\; YES SIR!
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Since I just recently got back into riding, I forgot how oblivious people are too bikes.&nbsp\\; I guess in all these years I have never had trouble spotting a bike, as I am aware that they are there on the roads with me.&nbsp\\; Stay off their ***, no sudden stupid movements in their direction.&nbsp\\; I generally give bikes a wide berth.&nbsp\\; What might be nothing more then a dent in my truck could be deadly for the motorcycle and it's rider.&nbsp\\; I've ridden with people in a car who are all over bikes, they just dont' understand.&nbsp\\; Many people have had me as a passenger in their cars, steadily bitching to them to "watch out for the dude on the bike".&nbsp\\;
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This past week or so I was reintroduced to the joys of sharing the road with cars from the bike.&nbsp\\; People thinking I have the same breaking power/control that they have in the car, people riding 10 ft off of my rear wheel (this is very nice when going into a turn)...fun stuff.&nbsp\\; Most of them just have no idea and&nbsp\\;more then a few&nbsp\\;just really dont give a ****.
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Luckily I remember to stay wayyyyyy the hell out of their blind spots.&nbsp\\; I don't think it's that they don't see me, they just don't understand that on the bike I cannot react as safely to a situation as I can in a car.&nbsp\\; When they pull out in front of me at an intersection they see me coming...hell they are damn near looking&nbsp\\;me in the eye when they do it.&nbsp\\; They figure at most, I just have to "lock up my breaks" a bit and I'll be fine.&nbsp\\; They don't care.&nbsp\\; Happned my second day out on the Train, she was looking right at me when she decided to pull out in front of me.&nbsp\\; Took me 20 minutes to dig my wifes fingernails out of my waist.
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All that said, the flashing lights is probably a pretty good idea though as everything helps.&nbsp\\; It might help awareness, but not stupidity as a whole.
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I use the Kisan plugin modulator on my Softail..
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I notice a more positive response from cagers (in that they do less things that could be detrimental to my well being) when I have it on!

 

I tend to agree here. I am not likely to us a headlight modulator but I do use brake light flashers.&nbsp\\;For me, the difference is, the brake light flashers don't flash continuously. At least the versions I use don't. They go through a cycle and then remain on steady. That offers an attention getting sequence and then returns to normal operation instead of continously flashing in the face of the driver behind me.
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A couple of folks have stated that they use the headlight modulators in heavy traffic. I can&nbsp\\;understand the tendancy to do that, and I think they work well when the motorcyclist is facing oncomming traffic. My problem with headlight modulators is that I have had bikes with them riding behind me in heavy traffic and it does not take long for that continually flashing light to become obnoxiouisly annoying in my rearview mirror. For that reason, I think they should be turned off when being forced by traffic to ride&nbsp\\;"behind" a car for any length of time.&nbsp\\;Sometimes, there is a fine line between being more visible, and being a distraction. As others have pointed out, there is no substitute for good old fashioned defensive driving, staying out of blind spots, etc.
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Ride Safe,
Steve R.

 

I use both the headlight and the tail light modulator.&nbsp\\; I bought the headlight moduator + a relay wiring assy for my FLTRI.&nbsp\\; I purchased them from http://www.easternbeaver.com/index.html&nbsp\\;he sells a pre wired kit that comes with a relay (or for the FLTR) that runs off the battery with a piece of 12 awg wire.&nbsp\\; The theory is higher voltage at the bulb=brighter light.&nbsp\\; The headlight modulator is from signal dynamics and comes pre wired with the kit. It alls comes with a light sensor (photo cell) that turns off the modulator when it is a low light condition.&nbsp\\; It modulates the high beam only.&nbsp\\; When you switch to low beam it shuts off.&nbsp\\; I also have the signal dynamics tail light modulator.&nbsp\\; Both of these units had to be wired in.&nbsp\\; The headlight assy is straight foward mostly plug and play and attach to the battery.&nbsp\\; The tail light mod I had to cut the wire out of the fuse box feed the rear lighting.&nbsp\\; This was my choice since I have a led tour pak spoiler light, led turn signal bar, and a regular tail light.&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\;My whole reasoning for both of these mods is to increase visability.&nbsp\\; I live in a congested area with alot traffic and tourists.&nbsp\\; With every idiot on there&nbsp\\;cell phone texting what have you and doing everything but driving it cant hurt.&nbsp\\; I did notice driving to Laconia people did notice and some would pull over to let me by or tell me my headlight was blinking at&nbsp\\;a stop light.&nbsp\\; I think it does help.&nbsp\\; Now that being said,&nbsp\\; earlier in the year I took my bike to the shop and&nbsp\\;I followed/led &nbsp\\;my wife in her car and when we got there I asked what&nbsp\\;she thought about my&nbsp\\;blinking headlight and tailight and she said&nbsp\\;what blinking headlight?&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\; So....&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\;&nbsp\\;
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I think they are an extremely bad idea, and annoying as hell. Ironically, in your attempt to increase personal safety, you may actually cause yourself to get mowed down because you triggered an epileptic seizure to the driver of an oncoming car.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...52C0A962958260

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy

 

Sheesh, what a stretch...

I ride in and around Las Vegas, NV and if flashing lights bothered very many people the streets would be filled with people having seizures. They are not.

What the streets are filled with is selfish, distracted, and just plain BAD drivers, and my headlight modulator works wonders in getting me noticed by the soccer moms in the SUV's talking on their cell phones while little Skippy and Tiffani watch DVD's on the entertainment system. I'll leave them on, thanks.

 

I guess they would be good on an "as needed" basis.
That means the switch would have to be handy, so you could hit the "idiot switch"
every time you see an idiot in your way...or coming your way.

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Rags

 

Anything to be visible is a good idea but I dont like the flashing headlights I know people who have seen them in there mirror and thought it was the po-po and pulled over on a busy road how safe is that!

 

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That is exactly why I don't care for them. I have thought that too.

 

"Of all persons who have been diagnosed as epileptic, between three and five percent are known to be of the photosensitive type (approximately two people per 10,000 of the general population). Often persons with PSE have no history of seizures outside of those triggered by visual stimuli. Females are more commonly affected than males, and there is distinct genetic correlation. Symptoms usually first appear during childhood or adolescence, with a peak at the beginning of puberty, and few people present with PSE after the age of 20."
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Yeah quite a stretch 2 out of 10k and then they actually have to be a driver and few people present with PSE after 20.&nbsp\\; So we are talking teens drivers.&nbsp\\; I guess if you believe everything you read in the NYT then...&nbsp\\;