| Author | Message | ||
     Paintballtommy |
I dont know if its law or not to have one of these but will the 1125 have one standard? for those not in the know headlamp modulators increase and decrease the power of the headlamp during daylight to make you more visable. | ||
| Ratbuell |
From what the lit says, the 1125r has a "daytime mode" that illuminates the low beam lights and a pair of outer "marker" headlights. If you look at the videos you'll see them - looking across the face of the bike from one side to the other you have light, dark, light, center of bike, light, dark, light. The 2 dark sections in this instance are the high beam lamps. AFAIK no manufacturer offers a modulator from the factory. Laws vary from state to state and quite frankly I'm surprised folks with them don't get pulled over for impersonating an officer. | ||
| Blublak |
Depending on the State. Like Rat said. In Virginia, you may have a modulated headlamp only during daylight hours. At dusk it must revert to steady burn or you are in violation of code. You may NOT have colored lamps modulated that face forward with the exception of turn signals and only while signaling a turn. Red, Blue or Amber flashing/modulated lights indicate an emergency vehicle of some sort (Police, Fire/Rescue, Roadside). Purple is funeral. I think green is 'emergency command vehicle'. etc. Check your local laws before adding one as ignorance of the law is not a defense when charged with it's violation. | ||
| Paintballtommy |
alot of the ones ive heard of come with daylight sensors and switch off like you said at dusk. | ||
| Court |
Headlight modulator is legal. It is a FEDERAL, not a state, law. Feds trump states. When you buy a modulator you often get a copy of the ruling. I carry one with me at all times. | ||
| Ccryder |
Hey CC: I like that "Feds trump states". Sometimes it is difficult to convince the local LEO's of that  . Time2Work Neil S. | ||
| Alchemy |
Seems like with all those lamps someone will find a way to modulate them all back and forth like KIT or like the Cylons | ||
| Court |
>>>>Sometimes it is difficult to convince the local LEO's of that Precisely why that letter rides with the sidestand jumper, Sportster ignition bypass and a couple other "pro-tester" pieces in the pocket of all 5 Aerostiches!  | ||
| Spatten1 |
You will find that, in general, the federal laws in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 108 are primarily geared toward manufacturers and importers. The state laws are generally geared toward enforcement of owner modifications. If the state law disallows something that the federal law states is legal, like Court said, tough shit for the state. Many state DOT laws are focused on narrowing owner mods. For example, even the height of ape hangers are restricted in many states. The Motorcycle Industry Council publishes a 50-state motorcycle law summary. I'm not sure if it is available to the public or just to members. | ||
| Court |
>>>even the height of ape hangers are restricted in many states. We're big on animal cruelty laws here in NY as well. Short people are generally not allowed to be mean to cats or apes. | ||
| Dave_bogue |
I am a proponent of riding with your high beams on during daylight hours. Make yourself as visible as possible. Remember this; most car drivers that hit motorcycles say they did not see the bike. Dave | ||
| Crusty |
Sometimes drivers who are blinded by high beams hit oncoming traffic, also. | ||
| Coal400 |
Running with your High-beams (DURING THE DAY) also makes you look closer. The human brain does some amazing things that allow you to run on "autopilot" in some respects. What do you notice about something that is far away? - its "smaller" than something up close, right? Your brain automatically makes this calculation so you don't perceive SMALL, you perceive DISTANCE. A motor cycle is a smaller vehicle, thus giving the impression that its further away than it really is - at least to the person who is more dependant on the "autopilot" service provided by their brain. (I think someone called this type of person a mouth-breather) High-beams are a must during the day, and you are not going to blind anyone. High-beams at night are a different story... | ||
| Kuuud |
No State law can supercede or restrict Federal laws. It will take a day in court if an uninformed LEO writes you a ticket, just like has happened to several riders regarding HOV lanes. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Visibility is good, but I tell new riders out here that "The cagers CAN see you and they're trying to kill you. Ride accordingly and you might survive" Z | ||
| Crusty |
People pull out in front of 18 Wheelers with their headlights on. People pull out in front of Trains with flashing lights and loud horns blaring running on a fixed track. Don't let your guard down. If you ride as if you're invisible, you'll have a better chance of surviving. | ||
| Coal400 |
Agreed, but people who do see you with your brights on will think you are closer and take less of a chance pulling out in front of you. There are other survival tactics, and one should use as many as possible. | ||
| Paintballtommy |
i think im going to have to figure out how to implement one of these on my bike when it comes. where would one purchase these from? | ||
| Chameleon |
I expect that http://www.americansportbike.com/ should carry some 1125R mods eventually and I know they have a modulator for the XB bikes. | ||
| Baggermike |
I had a headlight modulator and liked it, some people would get out of my way thinking I was an emergency vehical but went to H I D lights and made night riding safer, and one night the modulator came on and would not shut off which was like a strobe light, also got stoped by cops and threated me that I was impersonating a police vehical then I got pissed and carried the book that said it was leagal and got into an aurgument with him and he said he din not care shut them off, and I left with them on, I had headphones in my ears and did not want to push it because that is illeagal, HID gives off the blue light and makes you stand out and wired the ulysses high beam to stay on in the daytime, now I got to buy two kits for the 1125R and they just are starting to release 50 watt bulbs and have digital ones that have small boxes and no ignitors, prices go from 100 to 450 a kit and the 1125R takes H8 bulbs that are not populer but found them in digital and cant wait to I get these the light difference is incredable. Mike | ||
| Baggermike |
in the hog map I get yearly it states every law that relates to motorcycles and the modulator is leagal in most states but not all. Mike | ||
| Hwyranger |
I'm a big proponent of high beams during the day. I turn them off at night because blinding the cagers is just rude (fun, but rude). If you're not riding like you are invisible and all cagers are out to kill you, you need to get off the bike... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I like the idea of high beams on during the day, but I also like the warning flasher too (which you lose running high beams). Tough decision. It would be very cool if the warning flasher would cutout the high beams during high beam operation....oh well, it would be nice to have a gear indicator too! | ||
| Baggermike |
Fresnobuell think about those two running lights as strobes or something like the modulator and when you are riding see the cars that stick out because they have that blue tint H I D lights and my ulysses has them and they are incredable at night and in the day time with the high beam on I see road sighns lit up, now they are coming out with 50 watt H I D and want these for high beam, but you have to be very carefull using them they will blind someone but if a car cuts me off they get the treatment I will follow there every move entell I get bored then move on and shut the high beams off. Mike | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I thought that a true HID system needs ballasts and other such stuff. Any replacement bulb to stock setup is mainly a blue tinted bulb calling itself a HID. Dunno. Anyway, be careful fooling with cars even if they do something stupid. If you catch the wrong a-hole, you could be in some serious jeopardy. It's really not worth it, especially in this crazy day and age. | ||
| Sheridan_bueller |
High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting technology replaces the filament of the light bulb with a capsule of gas. The light is emitted from an arc discharge between two closely spaced electrodes hermetically sealed inside a small quartz glass tubular envelope capsule. To operate, they require ballasts, which supply proper voltage and control current. The amount of light produced is greater than a standard halogen bulb, while consuming less power, and more closely approximating the color temperature of natural daylight. I googled it.... JJ | ||
| Sheridan_bueller |
OOOH, I read further. This could be a little scarry...... Although it produces 5% of its output when first ignited, the HID light requires a few seconds (usually 15-20) to come up to full output. Also, if power to the lamp is lost or turned off, the arc tube must cool to a given temperature before the arc can be re-struck and light produced. Halcyon HID lights only require a brief (15-30 second) cooling period before they can be re-lit. Googled JJ |
