When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Dont ride with them in Ontario. No modulation allowed, anytime, anywhere.
1HarleyGuy1
↑↑↑↑ This is Bull ****
Canadian Code of Regulations Governing Motorcycle
Headlight Modulators in Canada
S7.9.4 Motorcycle headlamp modulation system
S7.9.4.1 A headlamp on a motorcycle may
be wired to modulate either the upper beam
or the lower beam from its maximum
intensity to a lesser intensity.
They are obnoxious and are legal due to the efforts of a few who lobbied to get them Federally approved thinking they would become mandatory. They were allowed before even Halogen headlights were common, long before LEDs. They were a band-aid then for an incandescent bulb headlight. How far we have come since then, yet how some hang on to old ideas.
There are no statistics which show they are effective approaching other vehicles. They are useful for getting cars to pull over when you are following them. In some areas, they have been interpreted as a signal that it is alright to pull out ahead of you.
I don't have a dog in this fight, so do what you must. We have ridden this summer in every state West of the continental divide. In one month of travel we never saw a modulated headlight, though we saw plenty of flash and stop tail lights. I believe the benefits of a modulated headlight are slim to none and would not allow one to be installed on my motorcycle, but the argument can be made for: 1) New riders, 2) Certain urban, commute style stop and go traffic situations but I would prefer flashing hazard lights, 3) Yuppie's who need to show that they are the most techy of the high tech, 4) Riders who scare themselves, 5) Loners, who don't care to ride with others, and 6) former and current bicycle commuters who got tied of pedaling. Now I know this will get some of your shorts all in a bunch, but this is my experience. I even once considered them until I did research into the negatives as well as the promised positives. Then I rode with two different people that had them. That convinced me they were not a safety feature. It offered me and my riding no increased safety. But I do understand that a modulating headlight may offer you comfort. I admit freely that you are different from me and actually, I'm happy about that.
Thank you for reading my opinion and making an intelligent response. The long discourse was to stimulate conversation. The negatives were cars pulling out ahead of a modulating headlight, riding near angry drivers, and what worked well with incandescent seems outdated and misused with Halogens and LEDs. Sorry you could not understand that from the original post. I had two friends I rode with who had modulated headlights. I did not add it to my bike, but I had been considering it. Especially on winding back roads, cars continually pulled out in front of them. or hit their brakes to "scare" them to stay back. Never owned a 2 dollar radio, but thanks for the idea. I gave you may experience. If it looks like **** to you, it might be the position you place yourself.
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom
Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.