DIY - Strobing Brakelight (1 sec. @ 10Hz)

cliff0529 · October 1st, 2011, 12:56 PM

A few weeks ago, my wife and I are on our way to work when we pull up behind a couple of Gwinnett County motorcops. We noticed that when they hit their brakes that the lights would flash rapidly for about a second or two and then go solid. It really grabbed your attention!

My wife said "That's pretty neat and I bet it's a ton safer than mine, reckon we could put something like that on my Ninja?" And the plan was set in motion. It took me a few days to find exactly what I was looking for, I didn't want the "pods" and I wanted something that flashed faster than 2-3X a second. Then I found what I was looking for.

SuperBrightLEDs.com's Brake Light Strobing Module for $7.95

It has to be used in conjunction with an LED bulb, so I went ahead and ordered one of these as well. I went with the red in a 100* field of light. It was $7.49. I have a friend who's ordered a few things from them, so I knew it was a legit organization. A quick Google search found a 5% off coupon code (re561, if I remember right) and USPS Priority shipping came out to just under $20.

It arrived at the house 2 days after I ordered it and installation was a snap. Took less than 10 minutes total.

1. Took the passenger seat off
2. Removed the stock brake light bulb
3. Disconnected the connector for it
4. Trimmed the heat shrink on the brake lights pigtail back 1-1.5"
5. Then spliced the module into the pigtail with some 18-22ga butt connectors. (**Note: the Brown wire of the module is on the bike side and the blue wire of the module goes to the bulb side...the Brake light is the Blue wire on the pigtail.)
6. Then replaced the bulb with the LED one
7. Fit the new bulb into the housing and wedge the module into the empty space between the two "uprights" in the trunk. It's a pretty tight squeeze, so I didn't even use the double sided tape so that I'd be able to remove it easily if I needed to.
8. Reconnect the connector
9. Turn the ignition to on and give a quick test, worked like a champ.
10. Refit the rear seat and it's good to go.

This is the effect that you get:
http://youtu.be/mi-iQmMqGkI

Pretty quick and easy and a total price of less than $25 (The butt connectors were $2.99 from AutoZone)!!!

Not too bad, IMHO.

Alex · October 1st, 2011, 08:13 PM

/linked from main DIY sticky thread

kaiserz · October 2nd, 2011, 10:46 AM

Do you have a comparison between the old OEM light vs the led ones? which one is brighter? I heard led lights aren't really that visible compared to the OEM ones

CZroe · October 5th, 2011, 08:59 AM

Most states limit the number of times it can flash before going solid. I think yours is a bit too long for any state.

IIRC, CA only allows three flashes or two then solid.

cliff0529 · October 5th, 2011, 09:54 AM

I don't think Georgia will say much about them since I was behind two motorcycle cops with the same brake light setup and thats what sparked the idea (Gwinnett Co. PD, btw). Also, I've had Hyper-lites on my last two touring bikes for over 3 years. They strobe at a somewhat slower pace, but do not stop flashing and never had anything said about them.

This is what I had on my old bikeHyper Lites Pods, my father is riding the bike around in NM now. He had to have it inspected by I believe the Hwy Patrol in NM before he could title it out there. They said nothing about them in the inspection and I was never pulled over for them in Georgia.

The ones Hyper Lites sell now can be set to flash for 5 seconds or flash continually, so perhaps some states have laws pertaining to them. I think Cali Law is 4 flashes and then solid.

headshrink · April 2nd, 2013, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CZroe

Most states limit the number of times it can flash before going solid. I think yours is a bit too long for any state.

IIRC, CA only allows three flashes or two then solid.

That sounds right. I have the old no-cut modulator that was popular when the '08 came out, which I think blinks too many times, but I haven't had any problems over it with LEOs. I've been pulled over for other things, so it's not like they haven't seen it either..... but I believe CA does have a 3 flash limit. It isn't something to worry about, but if you're looking to install one you might as well do it right.

csmith12 · April 2nd, 2013, 09:25 PM

Really?!?!?! flash limits. Does the world really need to be that dumbed down. Sigh....

Nice job on the mod and DIY.

headshrink · April 2nd, 2013, 09:59 PM

CA is likely the LEAST FREE state.

ai4px · April 3rd, 2013, 05:58 AM

I'd like to ask about the 10hz rate. I tried a brake modulator that flashed at about 20 hz and I could see it flashing well in the daylight, but at night, once my persistence vision kicked in, I could not longer see it flash... it just looked dim, then got bright once I went solid.

Have you noticed this with the 10hz rate at night? Maybe 20 was just too fast.

headshrink · April 3rd, 2013, 11:05 AM

I don't have a reference point for the flash rate, and don't know what mine it, but the blinks are certainly distinguishable as separate blinks.

Bob2010 · April 3rd, 2013, 11:38 AM

I was lookin for brighter than stock bulbs for my tinted tails.
Can anyone confirm these are brighter ? If so I'll order the whole kit but normally I flash my brakes on my own

NinjaLINY · April 18th, 2014, 08:06 AM

Did you use the single or dual intensity?

LNasty · April 18th, 2014, 09:03 AM

One of the first MODS I did was put in the "Back OFF" brake light modulator in. Saw a difference immediatly on how close people would come up behind me with the Mod. was well worth the money.

headshrink · April 18th, 2014, 09:20 AM

I still need to get one for my new bike. It's a Honda, so I can't just switch my old no-plug unit from the Ninja over. I'm going to be adding LED strips to the rear anyways to serve as running/brake lights, and may just a unit that has a brake modulating function, and leave the original light as it. I don't know if it adds any extra safety margin to have 2 flashing & 1 solid brake light, vs. 3 flashing brake lights, but I doubt it would hurt.

Motofool · April 18th, 2014, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LNasty

One of the first MODS I did was put in the "Back OFF" brake light modulator in. Saw a difference immediatly on how close people would come up behind me with the Mod. was well worth the money.

Could you explain further?
Any pics or vids?

InvisiBill · April 19th, 2014, 07:14 AM

http://www.signaldynamics.com/flashing-brake-lights/

I ordered a few flashers from http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/brake...-flasher-c-65/, but haven't gotten around to installing them on anything yet (was planning one for my Clear Alternatives LED tail, one for the custom LED PCB I'm building, and one for the high-mount LED brake light on the Cobalt).

I like that you can adjust the number of flashes, how fast they flash, and pattern repetition. A few quick flashes when you first apply your brakes is enough to catch people's attention, then they're normal brake lights after that. You get some extra visibility when you hit your brakes without being annoying or confusing to other motorists. I've noticed some ambulances around here with the same setup.

LNasty · April 19th, 2014, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motofool

Could you explain further?
Any pics or vids?

I will try to get some pics and a vid put up tomorrow. There are a few settings that you can do, but I have it flash 5 times then goes to solid, from reading that I have done you don't want it to continuously flash since drivers will become complacent to that.

Motofool · April 19th, 2014, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LNasty

I will try to get some pics and a vid put up tomorrow. There are a few settings that you can do, but I have it flash 5 times then goes to solid, from reading that I have done you don't want it to continuously flash since drivers will become complacent to that.

Thanks !!!

October 1st, 2011, 12:56 PM	#1
cliff0529 ninjette.org member Name: Cliff Location: Georgia Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 BMW K1200LT, 2001 Aprilia Falco, 2008 Ninja 250R and a whole slew of dirtbikes! Posts: 64	DIY - Strobing Brakelight (1 sec. @ 10Hz) A few weeks ago, my wife and I are on our way to work when we pull up behind a couple of Gwinnett County motorcops. We noticed that when they hit their brakes that the lights would flash rapidly for about a second or two and then go solid. It really grabbed your attention! My wife said "That's pretty neat and I bet it's a ton safer than mine, reckon we could put something like that on my Ninja?" And the plan was set in motion. It took me a few days to find exactly what I was looking for, I didn't want the "pods" and I wanted something that flashed faster than 2-3X a second. Then I found what I was looking for. SuperBrightLEDs.com's Brake Light Strobing Module for $7.95 It has to be used in conjunction with an LED bulb, so I went ahead and ordered one of these as well. I went with the red in a 100* field of light. It was $7.49. I have a friend who's ordered a few things from them, so I knew it was a legit organization. A quick Google search found a 5% off coupon code (re561, if I remember right) and USPS Priority shipping came out to just under $20. It arrived at the house 2 days after I ordered it and installation was a snap. Took less than 10 minutes total. 1. Took the passenger seat off 2. Removed the stock brake light bulb 3. Disconnected the connector for it 4. Trimmed the heat shrink on the brake lights pigtail back 1-1.5" 5. Then spliced the module into the pigtail with some 18-22ga butt connectors. (**Note: the Brown wire of the module is on the bike side and the blue wire of the module goes to the bulb side...the Brake light is the Blue wire on the pigtail.) 6. Then replaced the bulb with the LED one 7. Fit the new bulb into the housing and wedge the module into the empty space between the two "uprights" in the trunk. It's a pretty tight squeeze, so I didn't even use the double sided tape so that I'd be able to remove it easily if I needed to. 8. Reconnect the connector 9. Turn the ignition to on and give a quick test, worked like a champ. 10. Refit the rear seat and it's good to go. This is the effect that you get: http://youtu.be/mi-iQmMqGkI Pretty quick and easy and a total price of less than $25 (The butt connectors were $2.99 from AutoZone)!!! Not too bad, IMHO. __________________________________________________ Georgia Fast Lane

October 1st, 2011, 08:13 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	/linked from main DIY sticky thread __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

October 5th, 2011, 09:54 AM	#5
cliff0529 ninjette.org member Name: Cliff Location: Georgia Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 BMW K1200LT, 2001 Aprilia Falco, 2008 Ninja 250R and a whole slew of dirtbikes! Posts: 64	I don't think Georgia will say much about them since I was behind two motorcycle cops with the same brake light setup and thats what sparked the idea (Gwinnett Co. PD, btw). Also, I've had Hyper-lites on my last two touring bikes for over 3 years. They strobe at a somewhat slower pace, but do not stop flashing and never had anything said about them. This is what I had on my old bikeHyper Lites Pods, my father is riding the bike around in NM now. He had to have it inspected by I believe the Hwy Patrol in NM before he could title it out there. They said nothing about them in the inspection and I was never pulled over for them in Georgia. The ones Hyper Lites sell now can be set to flash for 5 seconds or flash continually, so perhaps some states have laws pertaining to them. I think Cali Law is 4 flashes and then solid. __________________________________________________ Georgia Fast Lane

April 2nd, 2013, 09:25 PM	#7
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Really?!?!?! flash limits. Does the world really need to be that dumbed down. Sigh.... Nice job on the mod and DIY. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

April 2nd, 2013, 09:59 PM	#8
headshrink ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Bob Location: CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250r, '14 CBR500r Posts: A lot.	CA is likely the LEAST FREE state. __________________________________________________ Honda Interceptor VFR800 DLX (2014, 8th gen) Honda CBR500r (2014) - FOR SALE Kawi Ninja 250r (2008) - Restored and passed-down within family, only to be abandoned

October 2nd, 2011, 10:46 AM	#3
kaiserz There's a limit to s2pdty Name: A.D. Location: NoVa the burg Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 250r ninja (sold) Posts: A lot.	Do you have a comparison between the old OEM light vs the led ones? which one is brighter? I heard led lights aren't really that visible compared to the OEM ones

October 5th, 2011, 08:59 AM	#4
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	Most states limit the number of times it can flash before going solid. I think yours is a bit too long for any state. IIRC, CA only allows three flashes or two then solid.

April 3rd, 2013, 05:58 AM	#9
ai4px ninjette.org sage Name: Wes Location: Sumter SC Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 650r 2009 Vulcan 800 2005 Posts: 557	I'd like to ask about the 10hz rate. I tried a brake modulator that flashed at about 20 hz and I could see it flashing well in the daylight, but at night, once my persistence vision kicked in, I could not longer see it flash... it just looked dim, then got bright once I went solid. Have you noticed this with the 10hz rate at night? Maybe 20 was just too fast. __________________________________________________ It's all about the curves. If you ride, you understand. If you have a stick skinny g/f and ride, you're 1/2 way there.

April 3rd, 2013, 11:05 AM	#10
headshrink ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Bob Location: CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250r, '14 CBR500r Posts: A lot.	I don't have a reference point for the flash rate, and don't know what mine it, but the blinks are certainly distinguishable as separate blinks. __________________________________________________ Honda Interceptor VFR800 DLX (2014, 8th gen) Honda CBR500r (2014) - FOR SALE Kawi Ninja 250r (2008) - Restored and passed-down within family, only to be abandoned

April 3rd, 2013, 11:38 AM	#11
Bob2010 ninjette.org sage Name: Bob Location: NY Join Date: Jul 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 2009 Ninja 250 Posts: 730	I was lookin for brighter than stock bulbs for my tinted tails. Can anyone confirm these are brighter ? If so I'll order the whole kit but normally I flash my brakes on my own __________________________________________________ 2010 Red Ninja 250 2009 Black Ninja 250 -If you ride like lightning,you're gonna crash like thunder-

April 18th, 2014, 08:06 AM	#12
NinjaLINY ninjette.org newbie Name: JP Location: NY Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r Posts: 4	Did you use the single or dual intensity?

April 18th, 2014, 09:03 AM	#13
LNasty Daily Jap rider Name: Lance Location: La Porte Join Date: Dec 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250r Posts: A lot.	One of the first MODS I did was put in the "Back OFF" brake light modulator in. Saw a difference immediatly on how close people would come up behind me with the Mod. was well worth the money.

April 18th, 2014, 09:20 AM	#14
headshrink ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Bob Location: CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250r, '14 CBR500r Posts: A lot.	I still need to get one for my new bike. It's a Honda, so I can't just switch my old no-plug unit from the Ninja over. I'm going to be adding LED strips to the rear anyways to serve as running/brake lights, and may just a unit that has a brake modulating function, and leave the original light as it. I don't know if it adds any extra safety margin to have 2 flashing & 1 solid brake light, vs. 3 flashing brake lights, but I doubt it would hurt. __________________________________________________ Honda Interceptor VFR800 DLX (2014, 8th gen) Honda CBR500r (2014) - FOR SALE Kawi Ninja 250r (2008) - Restored and passed-down within family, only to be abandoned

April 19th, 2014, 07:14 AM	#16
InvisiBill EX500 full of EX250 parts Name: Bill Location: Grand Rapids-ish, MI Join Date: Jul 2012 Motorcycle(s): '18 Ninja 400 • '09 Ninja 500R (selling) • '98 VFR800 (project) • '85 Vulcan VN700 (sold) Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1 MOTM - Aug '15	http://www.signaldynamics.com/flashing-brake-lights/ I ordered a few flashers from http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/brake...-flasher-c-65/, but haven't gotten around to installing them on anything yet (was planning one for my Clear Alternatives LED tail, one for the custom LED PCB I'm building, and one for the high-mount LED brake light on the Cobalt). I like that you can adjust the number of flashes, how fast they flash, and pattern repetition. A few quick flashes when you first apply your brakes is enough to catch people's attention, then they're normal brake lights after that. You get some extra visibility when you hit your brakes without being annoying or confusing to other motorists. I've noticed some ambulances around here with the same setup.

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