I'm looking for more visibility in traffic. I have both lights working with my highbeam... and I've surfed the threads regarding aux lighting a bit. However, I rarely ride at night.
Has anyone used/tried a headlight modulator? I was just reading about the Biker Buddy P1 in RoadBike Mag.
They can't sell them without the "eye" to shut it off at nite it's illegal for it to modulate at nite. I used the one from signaldynamics.com called diamond star modulator on my cell ph can't put a link up Worked great but it's incompatible with hid's
Do these things noticeably reduce bulb life? I would think they would have to...
Not at all. I've had modulators for about 400k miles. Only had one bulb burn out in that time.
Mark
in Arizona
(Message edited by Mark_weiss on January 25, 2009)
To be street legal it needs the auto shutoff thing at night.
While technically true, I've never had issues getting my BMW RT to pass state inspection without the auto shut-off sensor. I have a toggle switch that manually turns on or off the high-beam modulator (the eye was cut off and replaced with the switch). I simply make sure that it is in the off position prior to getting it inspected.
I have not placed a modulator on the Ulysses yet, but I have been thinking about it.
Where I'm from we flash our brights to indicate that we are allowing a vehicle to enter the road space that is rightly ours. Left turners, vehicles pulling out of side streets/driveways etc. I would be really nervous having my light flash/blink all the time as I would think that all the left turners are going to pull out in front of me.
Where I'm from we flash our brights to indicate that we are allowing a vehicle to enter the road space that is rightly ours.
Excellent point.
That's the same habit I got in during the time I was driving semis and it's pretty much, or was, SOP for over the road truckers.
When another rig would pass me, I'd flash my lights to indicate he could pull back into my lane, sometimes only inches in front of me, to allow cars to pass.
The flashing lights basically said "I'll handle the task of making sure we're clear of each other back here".
I note in NYC that sometimes I flash my lights intending to extend this courtesy and someone slams on the brakes obviously interpreting it as a "keep the heck out of my way".
Ride accordingly and assume NOTHING on a motorcycle.
All I know, in all seriousness, is that prior to installing mine people pulled out in front of me like I wasn't even there (two very close calls the week before my install) - since I installed my headlight modulator, in early '08, not one person has pulled out directly in front of me, not one!
Either these things work, or God is just screwing with me.
And yes, I still treat every car waiting to pull out from a side-street as if they are going to pull out directly in my path.
Johnboy777- I'm sold. The modulator is going on the bike the day I take it out of storage. But you bring up a very important point. All safety starts with the pilot.
True, I expect people to pull out in front of me as I ride, and ride accordingly. There's definitely a higher level of situational awareness as I ride - so I can't say that I'm normally all that relaxed; except, perhaps, on those out-of-the-way back roads after a half dozen or so beers.