Brake light modulator

[HotRodZilla]

I have the Whelen TIR3 w/flasher...works great...very easy install.

Yup...Here's the link to the light I have mounted on my bike. It is below my license plate and above the rear refelctor.

SouthWest Public Safety: SWPS.com

 

[MrM0t0]

FWIW, I have used the VisiStop from Comagination. 3 different units installed on on 3 different bikes - Honda Magna, Suzuki Savage, and 2008 FJR and I've never experienced a problem with them working whatsoever. The product is not fancy but it is cheap ($29), it's potted to avoid moisture damage, and it works. Their headlight modulators also have worked quite well for me.

Just to be sure...I went out to the garage and checked...the VisiStop is tapped into the yellow wire running along the left side of the riders seat storage. Sounds like that's the same wire you are tapped in to?

+1. I've used these on 4 bikes with good results. I also run a hi-power LED Whelen below the license plate.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Try a Whelen Strip Lite, all-in-one running, brake, signal strip with flasher....... Have one and get many comments. Not as obnoxiously bright at Whelen strobes, brighter than HyperLites.

https://www.strobesnmore.com/advanced_search_result.html?keywords=strip+lite&osCsid=c0c9c95a8a92031a24a41d7498bdb287&x=14&y=10

 

[bramfrank]

I've got one of the strip lights sitting in a box here - if you checked out the thread I'd linked to you'd know that I got a bag of miscellaneous bits from Whelen, and one of these was in the package. So I checked it out but the only modulation that have for the brake lights is a short flash, followed by a solid on - and that can be disabled.

I found the strip to be rather anemic, brightness-wise, though I suppose if you needed a brake/turn indicator combination it works - for CONSPICUITY however, it just didn't cut it as far as I was concerned. I like my Dominator D2 much better.

 

[SCOTTIE]

I had read about the SupaBrake II from VisiTek and send Bernard at VisiTek an email to ask him if the SupaBrake II was campatible with a 2007 FJR. He informed me that it was so I ordered one. It arrived his afternoon and took all of 10 minutes to install. It really is Plug and Play and it works just fine. After some experimentation with the profiles I finally decided on Profile #8.

Great product, Great Service, highly recommended product.

 

[Fred W]

Scottie,

Glad that you like your new brake modulator. I'd just advise you to make sure that the flashing is relatively slow, and with a medium (~ 50%) duty cycle.

Reason being, these modulators are being applied to an incandescent light bulb. It takes a finite period of time (longer than you might think) for the bulb to come up to temperature to put out the full light power. By flashing an incandescent you can end up decreasing the light brightness while attempting to make it somewhat more eye catching. Obviously, brighter lights are better for that goal.

That is the big advantage to installing a 3rd LED brake light and flashing that instead of flashing the stock light. LEDs are (nearly) instant on, so their strobing is extremely eye catching at any rate or duty cycle, and the stock brake light will be operating at full brightness all the while as well.

 

[ionbeam]

...I'd just advise you to make sure that the flashing is relatively slow, and with a medium (~ 50%) duty cycle.
Reason being, these modulators are being applied to an incandescent light bulb. It takes a finite period of time (longer than you might think) for the bulb to come up to temperature to put out the full light power. By flashing an incandescent you can end up decreasing the light brightness while attempting to make it somewhat more eye catching...

Rapidly flashing an incandescent bulb will also dramatically shorten the bulb life. The Federal DOT Standard has very specific flash rates for headlight modulators to help retain bulb life. The flash rate specified never lets the headlight bulb's filament completely cool and go off, it only starts to fade before power is applied again. Loosing a tail light bulb (one) isn't as bad as loosing a headlight but still, you need to check regularly to be sure that the bulbs are alive.

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 provided that:

(a The rate of modulation shall be 240 plus-or-minus 40 cycles per minute.

( b The headlamp shall be operated at maximum power for 50 to 70 percent of each cycle.

(c The lowest intensity at any test point shall not be less than 17 percent of the maximum

intensity measured at the same point.

 

[SCOTTIE]

Thanks guys for your feedback. I do intend adding an aux brake light and I check my bulbs every time I ride (TCLOCS).

The (what I think is) cool thing about the SupaBrake is that the number of flashes depends on how long it has been since the brake light was last used. Also the length of the pulses is not fixed,

Here's a couple of quotes from their web site which explain it better than I could/

"SMART ALGORITHM - Upon applying the brake(s), the unit will send a burst of pulses to the vehicle's brake light(s). The duration of the burst is a function of the time elapsed between the current braking cycle and the previous. After this initial burst, the unit allows the brake light(s) to function normally (solid brake light)."

"GRACE PERIOD - The Supabrake will not activate if brake(s) are applied more than once within a certain time period. This is very useful in heavy traffic so as not to annoy the person in the vehicle following behind. Grace Period varies based on the profile selected."

"DECAYING FLASH ROUTINE - The burst of pulses is such that the period of the first pulse is slightly shorter than the subsequent pulse and so on. This means that the initial pulses will be faster whereas the later pulses towards the end of the burst will be slower. When viewed at speed and following from behind, the illusion of deceasing speed is enhanced."

 

[bramfrank]

...I'd just advise you to make sure that the flashing is relatively slow, and with a medium (~ 50%) duty cycle.
Reason being, these modulators are being applied to an incandescent light bulb. It takes a finite period of time (longer than you might think) for the bulb to come up to temperature to put out the full light power. By flashing an incandescent you can end up decreasing the light brightness while attempting to make it somewhat more eye catching...

Rapidly flashing an incandescent bulb will also dramatically shorten the bulb life. The Federal DOT Standard has very specific flash rates for headlight modulators to help retain bulb life. The flash rate specified never lets the headlight bulb's filament completely cool and go off, it only starts to fade before power is applied again. Loosing a tail light bulb (one) isn't as bad as loosing a headlight but still, you need to check regularly to be sure that the bulbs are alive.

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 provided that:

(a The rate of modulation shall be 240 plus-or-minus 40 cycles per minute.

( b The headlamp shall be operated at maximum power for 50 to 70 percent of each cycle.

(c The lowest intensity at any test point shall not be less than 17 percent of the maximum

intensity measured at the same point.

Actually the flash rate doesn't matter . . . . modulators extend filament life because they don't actually switch off the power, but ramp the voltage from 17% of battery to full on 240 or so times per minute - because they never switch off completely and because there is no current inrush as they brighten up.

 

[johnww]

I installed hyperlights on my 07 and did not have any issues. I followed the instructions and they are still working after 3 years.