21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
Steve: ( 53driver ) is right on with his observations. In the early 70’s I put a product called The Firefly on my XS650 Yamaha and noticed the cagers noticing right away. The cagers would slam on their brakes instead of finishing their left hand turn in front of me. Now much older and probably no wiser I still install a headlight modulator. But as Steve pointed there is time and place for their use. Country roads where the locals don’t see many motorcycles is a great example because they come down their long gravel driveways and are not use to having to stop
but when they see the flashing freight train coming they hit the brakes and watch with open mouths as the mighty F6B comes rolling by. They are worth it but be considerate of others when in traffic.
This is why I have removed them from my high beams and installed them on my low beams. The F6B's high beams are way too pronounced. The modulators actually are more "friendly" in traffic on it's low beams.
...and traffic is where you need them. If they're not on... you're not being noticed.
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
I hate modulating headlights. But sometimes I wish I had them in Los Angeles traffic.
If people think you are a cop and pull over, then I would think they would help with lane splitting. Now to get cagers to use their rear view mirrors to see them.
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
I have always wondered how effective these lights are for night driving. I can't imagine a 5 hour ride at night when the lights constantly vary in intensity.
One of the great things about this country is the right to choose. If you dont like them, dont run them. Period.
However, I ran them for several years on my 07 ST1300A, and could absolutely tell the difference on the number of cagers that pulled out in front of me before I had them, and after I installed them.
If they aggravate some cager, that is a good thing, because it means I have been seen and noticed, which is their purpose. Right?
People have a lousy sense of "rate of closure", which is one reason why so many cagers pull out in front of bikes. They take a glance our way, but dont look long enough for the brain to take multiple "pictures" in order to calculate the rate of closure (how fast the bike is approaching the cager). With the modulators, it jogs the cager into "what is that?" which means a longer look, which means more "pictures" taken, which means the cager's brain can better calculate the biker's rate of closure, which means we have been noticed and not pulled out in front of. Job accomplished.
This is MHO, and is worth exactly what you paid for it.
2015 Honda F6B Deluxe
2007 Honda ST1300A (176K miles)
2003 Honda VTX1800C (80K miles)
Waaaay to many MX bikes to list.
I've spent most my money on Motorcycles and Women, the rest I just wasted.
I love mine! I only use them when it's time to start lane splitting. I've found that, for the most part, SoCal drivers are fairly aware of motorcycles (relative to other States I've ridden in). But flicking them on when it's time to lane split on a stalled freeway or highway, it's amazing how well it works. It also might be the beige riding jacket, white helmet, and Honda motorcycle (akin to the ST1300s favored by the LA Sheriff), combined with a flashing light, that gets attention...