BRIGHT brakelight!

[Huladog_imp]

Trying to tip the odds in my favor by adding a BRIGHTer brakelight. In the past I've had those add-on LEDs like Hyper-lites (they work, but seemed kind of small) or built up my own using dual mode LEDs mounted on a license plate frame.

Skeene Design P-3s would be nice, but kinda spendy although the BMW guys don't seem to mind so much.

This time I was cruising around another forum where they've been talking about the usual Whelen LED units but they're kind of bulky since they're designed for ambulances and LEO cars.

Someone mentioned the SLULTRA from Nova Electronics LED unit that is thinner so I found one on eBay with reasonable shipping (the online store they mentioned costed too much to ship to Hawaii).

I think you can find this for about $45-50 each.



They include the black plastic mounting bezel along with screws and what's neat is that the flasher unit is built into the LED unit itself, plus its all sealed up so it should be fine on the bike. I ended up setting it up so it doesn't flash and acts like a bright brakelight figuring the LEOs wouldn't bee too happy since this is a flashing strobe-like LED. It has about 8 modes and I was hoping it would have one that would flash then go steady but no such luck. You need a separate brake light flasher like the ones from Signal Dynamics to piggy pack to get that function.

You touch the blue wire to the red positive power feed and it steps through all the different flashing modes. Then you either secured the blue wire to the black ground wire, or leave it secured unconnected.



Mocked it up using an old dealer plate and eventually got a plain black plastic one from eBay:



Testing with the rear running light only:



Brakes applied, both brake lights on! And yes, if you are OCD you will notice the license plate isn't centered which didn't occur to me until I was finished and then had to go back and center it all up.



Of course I ran into the usual "gotchas" that never appear when you're mocking things up. Had to lower that safety check sticker plate because the LED unit blocked too much of the sticker.

To run the wires up into the tail light housing to tap into the power there is a gap at the bottom of the gasket that goes between the housing and the fender so I routed the wires up through that. Excess wire gets tucked into the license plate mount.

Just need to tap into the positive power lead (green-yellow), run the black ground wire into one of the fender mounting holes tucking it under the rubber grommet. Blue wire that controls the flashing mode gets coiled up and tucked behind the plastic license plate frame where it is easily reached so you can connect it to a power lead to change the flashing mode.

Aloha,
Huladog

[lol_imp]

Trying to tip the odds in my favor by adding a BRIGHTer brakelight. In the past I've had those add-on LEDs like Hyper-lites (they work, but seemed kind of small) or built up my own using dual mode LEDs mounted on a license plate frame.

Skeene Design P-3s would be nice, but kinda spendy although the BMW guys don't seem to mind so much.

This time I was cruising around another forum where they've been talking about the usual Whelen LED units but they're kind of bulky since they're designed for ambulances and LEO cars.

Someone mentioned the SLULTRA from Nova Electronics LED unit that is thinner so I found one on eBay with reasonable shipping (the online store they mentioned costed too much to ship to Hawaii).

I think you can find this for about $45-50 each.



They include the black plastic mounting bezel along with screws and what's neat is that the flasher unit is built into the LED unit itself, plus its all sealed up so it should be fine on the bike. I ended up setting it up so it doesn't flash and acts like a bright brakelight figuring the LEOs wouldn't bee too happy since this is a flashing strobe-like LED. It has about 8 modes and I was hoping it would have one that would flash then go steady but no such luck. You need a separate brake light flasher like the ones from Signal Dynamics to piggy pack to get that function.

You touch the blue wire to the red positive power feed and it steps through all the different flashing modes. Then you either secured the blue wire to the black ground wire, or leave it secured unconnected.



Mocked it up using an old dealer plate and eventually got a plain black plastic one from eBay:



Testing with the rear running light only:



Brakes applied, both brake lights on! And yes, if you are OCD you will notice the license plate isn't centered which didn't occur to me until I was finished and then had to go back and center it all up.



Of course I ran into the usual "gotchas" that never appear when you're mocking things up. Had to lower that safety check sticker plate because the LED unit blocked too much of the sticker.

To run the wires up into the tail light housing to tap into the power there is a gap at the bottom of the gasket that goes between the housing and the fender so I routed the wires up through that. Excess wire gets tucked into the license plate mount.

Just need to tap into the positive power lead (green-yellow), run the black ground wire into one of the fender mounting holes tucking it under the rubber grommet. Blue wire that controls the flashing mode gets coiled up and tucked behind the plastic license plate frame where it is easily reached so you can connect it to a power lead to change the flashing mode.

Aloha,
Huladog

nice job

[treytexag_imp]

Agree, nice job Hula. I too am a fan of bright lights during braking, knowing how I will lose out in case they don't see me. I have the flashing bulb from Kisan Electronics, but I like the bright brake light concept you're working on here.

[WhiskeyUSMC1979_imp]

Just a though: Why not put this in place of your rectangular reflector above the plate, rather than below the plate? Higher would seem to be more desirable for it to be seen.


Sent from an undisclosed location

[lol_imp]

i have a http://www.admorelighting.com/light-bars...ght-bar-SC on my bike love it super bright turn stop bright flashing befor full on red stop

[treytexag_imp]

lol, that is a cool light. Where did you mount it?

i have a http://www.admorelighting.com/light-bars...ght-bar-SC on my bike love it super bright turn stop bright flashing befor full on red stop

[Huladog_imp]

Just a though: Why not put this in place of your rectangular reflector above the plate, rather than below the plate? Higher would seem to be more desirable for it to be seen.


Sent from an undisclosed location

I was playing with the idea of mounting it on top where the rear reflector goes but figured I better leave the reflector in place just in case. Again, just keeping the odds in my favor.

If you run a rack or top box you could mount it higher, I was also looking at areas around the seat.

Went with the simplest mounting option.

Aloha,
Huladog



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[kmoney_imp]

That thing hurts my eyes through the computer screen, it must be crazy bright in person. Very cool mod.

[venturer434_imp]

Aloha Huladog, LED brake lights looks cool... Hope you are able to ride your CB on the Road to Hana...

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Was reading on another thread about motorcycle accidents that perhaps nothing can be done to prevent certain accidents.

This is one thing that CAN be done and can help prevent being struck from behind.

I have only been rear-ended once in 34 years and it was MY fault. That is, even though the guy who thumped me (no real damage or injuries other than to my license plate) was legally at fault, I knew I could have done a few things to have prevented it happening.

One of those was to have a much brighter brake light. The bike I was riding had single, lame 1157 bulb. I replaced the entire brake light with one having 27 bright LEDs and an initial "triple-flash" and also added a supplemental license plate-mounted light, somewhat smaller than the one shown in this post.

I also make sure that as I move off from a stoplight change, I pull away slowly and keep the brake pedal depressed just enough to activate the brake light until I know I'm well clear of the vehicle following me, and I have enough room in front to react.

At a stop light the vehicles close up and it takes a few hundred feet of movement after the light changes to allow for proper following distance.

We have to do some of the driving for the cars around us, because most of the time they are not as smart or aware as we are.