Attention getting, super bright taillights?

timebak

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Rogersville, Alabama, USA
So I was heading out of town a couple afternoons ago to enjoy probably the last relatively warm afternoon of the year. I noticed the girl behind me following somewhat closely. I tapped the rear brake pedal a few times and she backed off a little. Approaching a traffic light and it changed red and the hair-brained idiot nearly rammed me as I slowed down.

No, I didn't nail the brakes when the light changed, but rather, smoothly rolled off the throttle, pulled in the clutch, downshifting, and decelerating at a rate similar to a car. Again, I tapped the brake a few times, but it didn't do much good.

Leaving the light, she was on my a$$ again. More brake taps, slight back-off from her, but crept up again within a mile. Since that section of highway has a high number of state-troopers-per-square-inch, I was reluctant to just run off and leave her, so I said "screw it", and pulled off and let her pass.

Unfortunately this is a common scenario. I've got Baja Design Squadron Pro's for the front end, and I need to put something better than stock on the back end. I've done some searching and have found some good info in this forum, but haven't found enough to convince me to buy any specific product.

If y'all were starting again, from scratch with a new bike, and knowing what you know now, what brand/type of lighting upgrades would you install on the rear end of your bike?
 

Madhatter

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buda texas
I bought a rigid light ,a single led at 200 lummens and attached it to fender below tail light . it only comes on with brake application and is very bright . I will try and post a photo later today ….. still dark outside . had a young woman pass me using the paved shoulder once . caught her at the light , rolled up and tapped on her window and proceeded to chew her butt.... she tried to ignore me , I told her I would follow her home and talk to her folks if she didn't respond , she did . light changed , she proceeded straight and I turned left . I bet she remembers me .
 

Tenman

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Natchez Ms USA
If the cops want to be dicks about it. They can hassle you over tail light modulators. I know. My buddy had on for years and one day a local small town dick cop told him. He was gonna nail him if he saw it again. May be a rare example.
 

Squibb

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Bedford, UK
The trouble is tailgating has become commonplace all over Europe, as well as in the US; probably most heavily trafficked jurisdictions in the World these days. Phone zombies abound - I even saw one that rammed the back of a police vehicle attending an accident, with is full blues lit. In my experience, Germany sees the worst of it, somewhere that I have been tailgated at 130mph, only to see the idiot looking at his phone screen when I was able to let him pass. The paucity of traffic police patrols doesn't help, as they educated as well as fined errant drivers.

Solution - lights, reflective stickers & helmet/gear might help, but I doubt it will make much difference TBH. Flicking the brake light - it might work once, but generally is frowned upon in the UK, as it is said to wind up & simply encourage the tailgater to drive more aggressively. Best advice is to simply let them pass as soon as it is safe to do so. Try not to make a scene by flashing a high beam, sounding the horn or giving them the bird; just let them proceed with hast to their inevitable accident, hopefully with a cage not a bike.

Ride safe & take care .........
 

Sierra1

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Joshua TX
Personally....I don't think new/better lighting is going to fix the issue. I've noticed what you described several times. I think that these people use the vehicle in front of them as a guide. While they're manipulating their phone, they keep the vehicle in front of them in their peripheral vision, so they can keep a steady speed. Which, generally, will work fine for them. Or, at least until the person in front of them has to respond quickly to something in the roadway ahead. I've always looked as far down the road as I can, so as to anticipate problems ahead; rarely do I have to make sudden movements/stops. That all being said, I am looking to install an aux modulating brake light. A flashing light usually gets even "texter" attention so they don't run up your tailpipe. Some modulators are better than others though.
 

EricV

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Google Whelen LED taillights.

These are the incredibly bright lights on the back of ambulances.

They will get people's attention, but be warned, they are painfully bright to people stuck behind you at a stop, (at night).
 
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Spider

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I have the Admore light bar with what they call "smart brake" technology...it signals when the bike is decelerating even if I haven't hit the brakes. My motorcycle buddies tell me it is super visible from a distance and really gets their attention (or drives them crazy, I'm not sure which). But I can't say whether it's had a similar effect on any other drivers. I do believe in it enough that I got one for another bike.
 

timebak

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Rogersville, Alabama, USA
If the cops want to be dicks about it. They can hassle you over tail light modulators. I know. My buddy had on for years and one day a local small town dick cop told him. He was gonna nail him if he saw it again. May be a rare example.
Yep, one my riding buddies back in Alabama had modulating headlight AND taillight on his Goldwing. While I was with him on rides he was pulled over in Selmer, TN, by city LEO, and another time near Lawrenceburg, TN, by a Sheriff's Deputy. The Selmer cop was a real dick and insisted that my friend disable the modulators right then and there. Friend showed him some of his wiring harness in a couple places and all was in factory-type wire loom tubing - no obvious added on wiring showing anywhere. Friend asked cop where he wanted him to start chopping, said he didn't install the system and had no idea what was what. The dealer truly had installed it all. Cop got red faced and more PO'd and said that #&$@=>w*#$in' bike wasn't a %#$&in' emergency vehicle and said if he caught my friend in his town again with those @%$#?& lights, he would arrest him on sight. We came home a different route.....
 

STenitus

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Feb 21, 2015
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Alabama
Google Whelen LED taillights.

These are the incredibly bright lights on the back of ambulances.

They will get people's attention, but be warned, they are painfully bright to people stuck behind you at a stop, (at night).
Our local PD's Motor Scouts use Whelen. It's top shelf equipment. Super bright and super durable.
 

Sierra1

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All cops are NOT created equal. (or trained equal) Headlight modulators are going to get you stopped almost every time....I'm not getting the problem with the brake light modulator though; technically, every time you apply the brakes, you are modulating the brake light. And, as a BTW....the only authorized lighting TO THE FRONT is white or amber. And, TO THE REAR is red or amber. No red to the front....blue or green, in any direction.
 

Madhatter

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buda texas
flush mount single led from rigid , model (I will try and figure that out sometime today ) im fuzzy on it. as for mounting , very clean as wires exit the back of light so routed in side fender to the brake light hot wire under seat and connected using a positap connector. rigid has that light in 200 and 400 lummens , I have at times thought about a modulator for the tail light , but feel this does a good job on its on. so you see tail light and when brake is applied the brake light comes on as does the rigid but from a different part of the tail ,hopefully catching the eye of who is behind me.
 

Madhatter

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buda texas
they are rigid "A" series light , 200 lumen 73 + 400 lumen 93+ dollars , just check out rigid industry find the A series , there you go.
 
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