[dsn_klr650] hi-viz safety light evaluation (long)

[Jim Hyman]

Attachments :The Visible Motorcycle Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle is well aware that the primary safety hazard we face is the fact that car drivers just don t see us. The greatest danger that we face is drivers who pull out in front of us from side streets, or make a left turn from the on coming lane. The all too common statement from the driver is I didn t see the motorcycle. Riders have tried many solutions, ranging from high visibility clothing & reflectors, driving lights, and trick headlights. These solutions provide an increased measure of safety, but results are erratic at best. After a serious motorcycle 2 years ago, I needed a better solution to being seen by cars. LIFEBRITE safety lights provides a much-needed boost to motorcycle invisibility . These lights are small, light weight, waterproof and best of all, highly effective. In 3200+ miles of riding, only 1 car attempted to pull out from a side street in front of me!! Normally I expect several instances per day of cars to cut me off, but with the LIFEBRITES it seems as if everyone sees me now & won t turn in front of me, even though in many cases they could safely turn without my having to slow down. It s almost as if they are frozen by the lights. The lights are most effective at longer distances (100+ feet) and not at all effective a very close distances, due to the very narrow beam pattern. LIFEBRITEs are small, 1 x 5/8 x & weigh only 2 ounces. They draw only 35 milli-amps (about 1/30 of an amp, or 0.4 watts). This is 1/20th the amount of current used by the tail light bulb. They come with a self-adhesive, weatherproof foam tape that will adhere to metal or plastic. The optional stainless steel brackets ease installation and provide simplified removal and/or relocation. The lights come pre-wired in a Y-shaped harness that is 39 long. Two bare wires at the end of the harness provide the means to connect to the existing wire harness. There are four different styles of lights that can be installed: 1. amber running lights (always on) $60/pair 2. red running lights (always on) $45/pair 3. red (rear) lights that flash continuously while $50/pair the brake light is activated 4. red (rear) lights that flash for 5 seconds and $45/pair then remain on while the brake light is activated [required in California] Installation of the lights is straight forward, but aiming the lights properly is critical for maximum effectiveness. I mounted the lights tucked in close to the lower corners of the headlight. I drilled a hole in the underside of my KLR s fairing & used a 6mm bolt with 2 quarter-size rubber washers & 2 body washers (per side) to mount the LIFEBRITE stainless steel brackets ($8.50/pair). The protective tape is peeled off of the back of each light & attached to each bracket. The brackets were bent by hand until each light was properly positioned vertically. I chose to solder male electrical connectors on the light s hot & ground wires. This was done to allow quick-disconnect for fairing removal. The black (ground) wire was connected to the KLR s unused black/yellow European city light ground wire and the red (hot) wire was connected to the unused brown/white wire. Now the amber running lights come on whenever the ignition switch is on or in the park position. I also mounted the red (always-flashing) lights on the FRONT, but wired them to a momentary-on switch. My goal is to have a unique way of getting the attention of drivers ahead of me, in a non-ambiguous manner. The white wire (near the ignition switch) that is always hot powers these lights, even if the ignition switch is off. This way I can flash my lights anytime. The momentary switch is mounted in a small (3 x 2 x 1 ) plastic electronics box (from Radio Shack) next to the left-hand grip. The ground wire from the LIFEBRITEs is hooked up to the momentary switch and a short ground wire is attached from the 2nd switch terminal to the top mounting bolt for the left hand guard on the headlight switch. Each LIFEBRITE is made up of 8 very bright LEDs (light emitting diodes). The lighting unit is extremely bright straight ahead, but dims considerably off-axis. The lights would be virtually useless if the lights were aimed straight ahead and parallel to the road. I aimed each light slightly outward and tilted each light up a bit so that they would hit a driver right between the eyes. The left side light is aimed outward a bit more than the right side light, to better target any vehicle on my left that is coming from a side street. All the aiming was done with a normal load on my motorcycle. The enclosed photo was taken with the front wheel straight ahead, and the camera aimed directly in the line of fire of the right hand lights (on the left in the photo). Looking at the lights on the right of the photo, you can get an idea of how little the lights are off-center . Based on my lack of being cut off, it s safe to say that I m in the ballpark. Aiming the lights was time-consuming, but well worth the effort. I ve only flashed the red lights 5 or 6 times since they were installed, far less than I thought I would be using them. Still, I m glad that they re on the front of my bike, for those times when my gut tells me that the turkey up ahead just doesn t see me. Are the red lights on the front legal? Probably not! The lights are completely clear when they are off. If Mr. Law doesn t buy the rationale for the lights, I ll tell my story to the judge & take my chances. It s a whole lot better than reliving my last accident. Ideally, the LIFEBRITE people will come out with a legal-flashing front light. Nit-picks: 1. The stainless steel brackets could be a bit thicker. They re very easy to bend by hand, but I d prefer brackets that won t give if you re a bit clumsy while washing the bike. 2. At just under $500 (US$) per pound, they seem a bit pricey, but well worth it! These lights are awesome!!! I will never ride another bike without them. You can check them out at: http://www.web-rider.net/lifebrite/ (& save 10%) or http://www.lifebrite.com They are also available at some m/c shops. Just in case you re wondering, those bulbous things on the outside of the fork boots are a pair of very loud FIAM electric horns, my last line of defense for the idiots who don t see me. I ve lost count how many times these horns have saved my butt over the years. LIFEBRITEs and loud horns are a winning combination, but I still ride scared and prepared.

[Mark Wilson]

Hi Jim, Great light mod! I like that. Only thing is, they have to be looking first. Alot of people ride around with their head up their a## and might not see the lights. But it is a good safety mod anyway. I think I'll try some. Mark Wilson http://www.geocities.com/motormark64/ http://www.angelfire.com/mo/motormark/ KLR-650 A-13 "warthogg" XR250R "superfly" Stone Mountain, Ga ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

----- Original Message ----- From: Jim Hyman Subject: [DSN_klr650] Hi-Viz safety light evaluation (long) > The Visible Motorcycle > > Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle is well aware that the primary safety > hazard we face is the fact that car drivers just don't see us. The > greatest danger that we face is drivers who pull out in front of us from > side streets, or make a left turn from the on coming lane. The all too > common statement from the driver is "I didn't see the motorcycle." > Riders have tried many solutions, ranging from high visibility clothing > & reflectors, driving lights, and 'trick' headlights. These solutions > provide an increased measure of safety, but results are erratic at best. > > After a serious motorcycle 2 years ago, I needed a better solution to > being seen by cars. LIFEBRITE safety lights provides a much-needed > boost to motorcycle "invisibility". These lights are small, light > weight, waterproof and best of all, highly effective. In 3200+ miles of > riding, only 1 car attempted to pull out from a side street in front of > me!! Normally I expect several instances per day of cars to cut me off, > but with the LIFEBRITES it seems as if everyone sees me now & won't turn > in front of me, even though in many cases they could safely turn without > my having to slow down. It's almost as if they are frozen by the > lights. The lights are most effective at longer distances (100+ feet) > and not at all effective a very close distances, due to the very narrow > beam pattern.