Flashing Brake Light

[StratTuner]

Nice job!!

I get all kinds of questions/compliments on my blinky brake light helmet... I think it really inreases my visibility too..

Question: Is the helmet blinking also, I can't tell.... It seems to stay solid sometimes... Is it just the video?

The helmet light wants to blink, but it doesn't always, and it's lagged by the transmitter. It behaves as if it just isn't fast enough to respond to the three short blinks before constant on.
For that reason, I plan to move the flasher circuitry up the chain so that the flashing happens AFTER the transmitter, not before. This will result in the helmet light being ON or OFF not flashing at all.

the transmitter is wired in like this

(tail light is at the top of the diagram, the rest of the bike is at the bottom)
so the M/F connections make it easy to put the new circuit AFTER the transmitter.

 

[Jay Fridays]

Maybe if you change the setting on your flashing unit? I saw the one you posted has like 30 something settings? The faster strobe blinks are usually for led lighting cause incandescents can't illuminate/deluminate that quickly.

Our helmet is LED (I think) but maybe the taillight not being LED is messing with it.. I don't know...

 

[StratTuner]

here's the new wiring. (see notes below) (top is tail light, bottom is bike front end)
(thick GREEN wire in my diagram is really the GREEN/YELLOW on the bike... i just don't know how to give that wire two colors.)



NB: I have not shown the ground wire, but I treat it the same with M/F connectors. Ground is a COMMON wire, so it doesn't have to be connected in any special sequence as long as it's connected.

also NOTE: the tail light wiring under the rear fender is a plastic panel accessed by a single phillips screw.
and under there,

Green is ground
Light Blue is Right Turn
Orange is Left Turn
Pink with Blue is Tail Light
Green with Yellow is Brake Light

 

[Jay Fridays]

Did you rewire it yet? I think just changing the flash rate will fix the problem....

 

[StratTuner]

Did you rewire it yet? I think just changing the flash rate will fix the problem....

when i first tested it with the helmet transmitter AFTER the flasher, I made sure to set it for the "INCANDESCENT" because you can tell which is which as you cycle through the modes. What you saw in the video is the helmet trying to keep up with the INCAN setting... it just can't do it.

I'ver rewired it so the helmet light is solid and the tale light flashes.

 

[Jay Fridays]

I think if you can get a slower flash rate, it will work for you with the helmet also.. check out my flash rate here... But then you'd have to go through the pain of rewiring again;;;
Oh well.... try it if you ever have to take it apart for something else maybe...lol

[video=youtube_share;EpOKszk2sys]http://youtu.be/EpOKszk2sys[/video]

[video=youtube_share;GkOEVyiyeYM]http://youtu.be/GkOEVyiyeYM[/video]

 

[koma]

got a question for u guys if i wan to wire up a strobe light which will act as my 2nd brake light with a switch
to turn it on/off as i like do i wire it like below??

1)green/yellow wire (brake light) to switch
2)switch to light positive
3)light negative to green wire (ground brake light)

 

[StratTuner]

that seems right to me. Use the connectors that allow you to plug the light into the circuit and remove it and put it back the way it was.

 

[koma]

ok thanks will try it out once i receive my posi-taps n posi-lock connectors.
so in this way my strobe light will actually only be on when i tap on the brakes correct?
what if i want to tap into my tail light(pink with blue wire) too?
how i do go about wiring up the circuit?

 

[StratTuner]

ok thanks will try it out once i receive my posi-taps n posi-lock connectors.
so in this way my strobe light will actually only be on when i tap on the brakes correct?
what if i want to tap into my tail light(pink with blue wire) too?
how i do go about wiring up the circuit?

I presume the device you want to connect has a gound and a "hot" wire.
If you connect the ground wire to solid GREEN on the bike, it will be grounded.
If you connect the new device's "hot" wire to PINK+BLUE, the device will be ON whenever the tail light is on.
I hope that helps. Beyond that, I'm not sure what you are asking.
I can barely do this myself, so I'm no expert.

 

[agia]

This is the one I bought, but I haven't installed it as of yet. Universal Brake Light Flasher/Strober - 1000+ modes [unvbrkflshV4] - $24.95 : 3rd Brake Flasher Web Site

Thanks for this tidbit of information. I was about to build my own on a piece of perf board but I like the price and size of the 3rdbrakeflasher product!

I even had a prototype made that flashed four times and then stayed on but I'm going to abandon that now...

 

[Wleuthold]

I find that Honda was spot on with the brake light they installed at the factory. No need to change it to something that is annoying and distracting to following drivers.

 

[Fuzzy]

I find that Honda was spot on with the brake light they installed at the factory. No need to change it to something that is annoying and distracting to following drivers.

I respectfully disagree. Too many bikers get rear ended. Most cars have better brake lights and in fact have two, but when a third was added in the rear window it reduced accidents by improving the ability to get the attention of a following driver. I have an admore added that flashes then goes solid. With other riders they comment on how much better it gets their attention following me. The progressive turn signal on it also gets attention. We are smaller than most others using the road and our safety is improved by being more visable. There is little help to be seen by the idiot texting, but for the rest this helps.

 

[agia]

The circuit (of which I find is easily available commercially now) only flashes four times quickly and then goes solid. Its meant to be attention getting but not annoying/distracting by flashing forever. Like Fuzzy said, MCs need visibility. Many of the BMW LEO bikes here in So. Cal use something very similar in an add-on lighthead for the very purpose to increase the chances of being seen by vehicles approaching from the rear. I had too many close calls stopped at intersections by inattentive drivers on previous bikes. When I added a 5-flash and then solid Whelen LIN3 lighthead to the back of my previous bike, it made all the difference in the world to vehicles coming up behind me. The picture does not do justice to the effectiveness of this device. I just feel it improves my odds.

 

[SergeantChuck]

I would never say that person should not do anything to make themselves more visible. The opposite. You should. Having said, that I have never modified my rear taillight. I do manually pump my front brake lever to make my tail light flash. Have done that for years to a point I do it automatically. We also should try our best to never put ourselves in a position where we have to stop to quickly. It is more difficult for someone to tell we are slowing down quickly than it is with a car. My opinion. I always give the car in front of me plenty of space therefore I have no quick stops. If you tailgate and have to stop quick your asking to get hit. Again, not saying not to add extra lights. I think it is a great idea.

 

[pahondafan]

I do manually pump my front brake lever to make my tail light flash.

I also do that. I got the idea from one of my MSF instructors. I also do it when I am driving a car on a limited access highway and traffic ahead of me is slowing. With all the distracted driving going on i wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a standard feature on cars in the future. It's already being used on some public safety vehicles.

 

[StratTuner]

I remember once sitting in a traffic lane wating to make a left turn into a driveway. I was pumping the brake pedal to make the brake light flash. This causes the car to inch forward, and my wife asked "what are you doing?"
Mid sentence, we heard the screeech of rubber on asphault behind us and saw an older gentleman who just stopped short of rear-ending us.
Ever since then, I've been convinced flashing the brake lights, on my car and on my NC, is probably a good idea.

caution: this story is anecdotal and not scientific.

 

[gboswellsac]

I had a request for a photo so here it is
View attachment 7344

Great light also. My wife (following in a Cage) says that with the Admore my braking visibility in the day time is 100% better and at night just that much more visible (have Bestem lighted top box with stop light). I like the three quick flashes and then on BRIGHT (only does it first time unless wait 15 seconds keeps from annoying the Cages) and the turn signal (pattern) adds to the stock nicely. I mounted my Admore in the same position you have,and my wife says at better Cage visible location than the stock light. I still pulsate my brakes to get the Cages attention, so they see flash (manual) to jar them away from the texting. Had a former student on a NC700AD sitting in traffic stopped and Cage hit him and admitted they were texting..... If an officer ever stops me for the Flashing (have three in family that say do it anyway) I'll just deal with the Judge but Family say no Officer is going to pull you over for flashing brake light but then different states may have different rules. A non moving ticket is always better than an ambulance ride any day :-(

 

[SergeantChuck]

I still pulsate my brakes to get the Cages attention, so they see flash (manual) to jar them away from the texting. Had a former student on a NC700AD sitting in traffic stopped and Cage hit him and admitted they were texting..... If an officer ever stops me for the Flashing (have three in family that say do it anyway) I'll just deal with the Judge but Family say no Officer is going to pull you over for flashing brake light but then different states may have different rules. A non moving ticket is always better than an ambulance ride any day :-(

I do the same thing although I'm not sure it would change a thing. If they are looking down they see nothing but phone. But I agree with you and I do it too. I do the same thing in my jeep. I pump the brakes to flash the lights. Somewhere along the line I think I was taught that. It would be pretty ridiculous if a person got sited for manually flashing brakes.

 

[Jay Fridays]

.... If an officer ever stops me for the Flashing (have three in family that say do it anyway) I'll just deal with the Judge but Family say no Officer is going to pull you over for flashing brake light but then different states may have different rules. A non moving ticket is always better than an ambulance ride any day :-(

Flashing brakes ( and flashing high-beam headlights in the daytime ) are legal in California….