What's the best brake light modulator?
- Thread starter redneckj
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Doesn't the Whelen TIR3 have a built in flasher? This site https://www.swps.com/whelen-tir3-leds.html says it has 10 patterns.
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
Yes, it is a complete package at a much cheaper price than the Hyper-Lites ... which are themselves very good indeed.
Which is why I was wondering why the other modulator is needed? Unless the built in does not have a flash and go steady.
rocketman0
Well-known member
I have been using a Kisan splice-in TailBlazer that I bought when I first started riding in 1997 (I think it was the only Tailblazer back then. Now they have more varieties) I moved it from bike to bike and 17 years later, now it's on my 2014 FJR. Basically it supports up to 100W total and makes anything flash, LEDs and halogen or both, by interrupting the ground wire coming out of the TailBlazer. It flashes the lights for several seconds then make them solid.
I have been using it to flash my halogen tail lights, my Givi top trunk LED brake lights and my licence plate frame LEDs.
I have been using it to flash my halogen tail lights, my Givi top trunk LED brake lights and my licence plate frame LEDs.
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Geezer
Parsimonious Curmudgeon
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
pcarnut
Well-known member
Are your LEDs built into you license plate bracket? Looks very tidy, if so can you share vendor and price. Thanks.I have been using a Kisan splice-in TailBlazer that I bought when I first started riding in 1997 (I think it was the only Tailblazer back then. Now they have more varieties) I moved it from bike to bike and 17 years later, now it's on my 2014 FJR. Basically it supports up to 100W total and makes anything flash, LEDs and halogen or both, by interrupting the ground wire coming out of the TailBlazer. It flashes the lights for several seconds then make them solid.
I have been using it to flash my halogen tail lights, my Givi top trunk LED brake lights and my licence plate frame LEDs.
Wow. Bad reading comprehension followed by a lot of disinformation.
The OP wants to flash his Whelen LED 3rd brake light. He wants it to flash and then go steady on (which is the only legal way to have a brake light flash in many jurisdictions). The Whelen has flash modes but they are all continuously repeating, which is NFG.
What he wants, is what I have, and what was originally proposed by Da Judge, so many years ago here.
Use the flasher module that Geezer mentioned, the 3rd Brake Light Flasher. I have installed this exact setup (Whelen and 3BLF) on several bikes now after reading Da Judge's original post, and they have all been 100% reliable and weatherproof. Totally reliable. The only possible failure point lies in your own wiring ability.
You can program the flasher many ways (ref the link) but I prefer the 5 fastest flashes followed by constant on, and with no "lock out" so if I let of the brake and then re-engage it I get the strobing LEDs again.
$20, how can you go wrong? It's the bomb.
The OP wants to flash his Whelen LED 3rd brake light. He wants it to flash and then go steady on (which is the only legal way to have a brake light flash in many jurisdictions). The Whelen has flash modes but they are all continuously repeating, which is NFG.
What he wants, is what I have, and what was originally proposed by Da Judge, so many years ago here.
Use the flasher module that Geezer mentioned, the 3rd Brake Light Flasher. I have installed this exact setup (Whelen and 3BLF) on several bikes now after reading Da Judge's original post, and they have all been 100% reliable and weatherproof. Totally reliable. The only possible failure point lies in your own wiring ability.
You can program the flasher many ways (ref the link) but I prefer the 5 fastest flashes followed by constant on, and with no "lock out" so if I let of the brake and then re-engage it I get the strobing LEDs again.
$20, how can you go wrong? It's the bomb.
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Geezer
Parsimonious Curmudgeon
I am not sure I understand the techno-speak, but if I got it right, it does not offer the three quick flashes followed by solid on. Do you read it the same way?
TomInPA
Well-known member
I use this one. It's a simpler version of the Universal flasher linked earlier. Just brilliant and extremely tiny to fit in the tailpiece. 36 modes including slow and rapid 4 flashes then solid to comply with most State requirements. Just set the Whelen to solid, and use this tiny controller to do the flashes. I've used it without a problem since 2011. Set it and forget it, or just short the adjustment wire to change modes. You don't need 1000 modes, you just want to flash the lights and let them go solid. It ties right in with the wiring, and only costs $14.95
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bramfrank
BramFrank
I have the same flasher module as John D and it works just fine. Mine is (usually) wired up to a Whelen Dominator-2 (that's two TIR-3 units in an aluminum frame) mounted on the back end of the bike. I also concocted a circuit to determine when the hazards are enabled - that switches the light bar into it's police mode with all the frenetic flashing that goes along with it.
I will be mounting it on the new machine along with all my other Farkles over the next couple of weeks.
I will be mounting it on the new machine along with all my other Farkles over the next couple of weeks.
Going back and reading that old post was kind of a blast from the past. I'm very glad to,hear that it was useful to other folks. My 2013 bought used 10 days ago got the LIN3/3rd brake flasher treatment just a few days after I got it in addition to the Kisan tailblazers it already had.
Next to heads-up riding, being better seen (and heard when needed) is the best thing we can do to improve our chances of getting back home safely. This issue hit kind of close to home for me just now. A couple of hours after returning home from a 33 mile bicycle ride this evening, I found out that one of my cycling buddies who was in the group 5-10 min behind mine was hit from the rear by a vehicle being driven by a 20 year old police say was "distracted by his cell phone" (translation = texting). She's in the hospital with serious, but thankfully not life-threatening, injuries. IMO, it's more dangerous than ever out there for those of us on two wheels.
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And $5 cheaper? Cool!! Looks like it is from the same people even, so reliability should be the same. And you are right, you don't need 1000 flash modes. Just the one that you will want to use, so if that is one of the 36 you can pocket enough for a gallon of gas and cup a joe!I use this one. It's a simpler version of the Universal flasher linked earlier. Just brilliant and extremely tiny to fit in the tailpiece. 36 modes including slow and rapid 4 flashes then solid to comply with most State requirements. Just set the Whelen to solid, and use this tiny controller to do the flashes. I've used it without a problem since 2011. Set it and forget it, or just short the adjustment wire to change modes. You don't need 1000 modes, you just want to flash the lights and let them go solid. It ties right in with the wiring, and only costs $14.95
Aack! Glad your cycling friend will be OK. I know from past experience (I used to be an avid cyclist) that ATGATT on a bicycle is a lot less effective than the heavy weight gear we ride our motor scooters with.
People (young ones especially) do not seem to understand that they are driving around in a lethal weapon. I do hope that they prosecute this person to the full extent of the law and then make a big public display if it. I know some will say that this will ruin the 20 something's future. Tough shit. They almost eliminated your friend's future entirely, and it sounds like they have caused what will come out to be a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering.
It's not like the texter can say they did not know it was dangerous. It's plastered on billboards and signs on every roadway across America, not to mention nearly viral public service advertisements in the media.
This shit just has to stop. Is your desire to communicate immediately with some friend more important than someone else's life? Sure, you got away with it the 1000's of other times you texted while driving. That doesn't mean you won't harm someone the next time.,
Sorry for getting so excited, it is a raw nerve for me. I can just imagine how someone who has been wronged by one of these selfish assholes would feel.
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rocketman0
Well-known member
They are separate pieces of LEDs that I mounted on the license plate. I don't remember who made these and I couldn't find any manufacturer name on it. I bought them back in 1998 and i moved them from bike to bike.Are your LEDs built into you license plate bracket? Looks very tidy, if so can you share vendor and price. Thanks.I have been using a Kisan splice-in TailBlazer that I bought when I first started riding in 1997 (I think it was the only Tailblazer back then. Now they have more varieties) I moved it from bike to bike and 17 years later, now it's on my 2014 FJR. Basically it supports up to 100W total and makes anything flash, LEDs and halogen or both, by interrupting the ground wire coming out of the TailBlazer. It flashes the lights for several seconds then make them solid.
I have been using it to flash my halogen tail lights, my Givi top trunk LED brake lights and my licence plate frame LEDs.
They are separate pieces of LEDs that I mounted on the license plate. I don't remember who made these and I couldn't find any manufacturer name on it. I bought them back in 1998 and i moved them from bike to bike.
Those look a lot like the KnightRiderz LED flasher strip that I added to my Tiger several years ago. They look plenty bright standing close to them into the garage, but I never trusted that they put out enough light to get the attention of a distracted driver, especially in daylight. I've tried Hyperlites too (on an FZ1), but was pretty disappointed in them compared to the LIN3 w/ programmer added (they were also more $$).
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
The Knight Riderz series are sold by Custom Dynamics.
It would be reasonable to suppose that this reputable company has upgraded the LEDs as the tech has advanced.
They look to be a very good option at a reasonable cost but I'll go with the TIR3 or similar.
I've followed many bikes fitted with Hyper-Lites, and can attest that they are extremely effective, but they come at a price.
It would be reasonable to suppose that this reputable company has upgraded the LEDs as the tech has advanced.
They look to be a very good option at a reasonable cost but I'll go with the TIR3 or similar.
I've followed many bikes fitted with Hyper-Lites, and can attest that they are extremely effective, but they come at a price.
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BigOgre
Well-known member
As I previously posted, I have the Whelens on my rides and really like them. That said though, I have ridden behind others with the Hyperlites and do like the way they make the bike seem "wider" somehow, especially as running lights. The LINs/TIRs don't do that for you.
Any one have video or pictures of the hyper-lites or whelen in actual use in daylight? Most I've seen look to be in low light and/or stationary. I'd like to see them in actual daylight on the road.
I have a BAL-1 on my Road King, and it is bright in daylight, cars back off and stay back.
BAL, Bright Ass Light, that's the name of the company. The BAL-1 has 4 large LEDs in a standard tail light housing.
I have a BAL-1 on my Road King, and it is bright in daylight, cars back off and stay back.
BAL, Bright Ass Light, that's the name of the company. The BAL-1 has 4 large LEDs in a standard tail light housing.
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