Strobe lights - Ideas on where to get them, how to install them?

[Thorby]

Hi all, a couple weeks ago I saw a cruiser with some really cool-looking white strobe lights.  Not only do they look cool but they'll greatly increase my visibility at night, and if you know me I'm a safety freak.  Don't bother making comments about the legality of them since I basically ride in an anarchy.  However, are there any tips on installation?  Where can I order them cheap?

[cdaiscool]

Strobe lights blink really, really fast. They're not safe.

What precisely are you talking about?

[sgtslag]

Well, save some money for the fines.  

Aside from that, are you looking for LED's that draw little power, or something else?  I bought, and installed, a set of these, off of e-Bay, on my touring machine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350310731409?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

They draw a total of 0.5 Amps, measured, 3 Watts per light, waterproof.  Being LED's, they can be strobed, if you can find a switching unit to flash them.  To mount them, I purchased a set of C-clamps, attached them to the engine guard bars, and used a flat piece of aluminum bar stock from a local DIY store.  Drill holes for the screws, screw them to the aluminum bar stock (cut to size with a hack saw, or a cut-off wheel on a moto-tool), and wire them into your power circuit.  They put out 350 Lumen(?) each (auto headlight is rated at ~700 Lumens), lighting up around 12 feet distance in front of the bike.  They create a triangle of lights in the front, which supposedly makes you very visible to oncoming traffic.  Cheers!

[Thorby]

It's the flashers that police cruisers usually have, except they can be white or any color.

cdaiscool wrote

Strobe lights blink really, really fast. They're not safe.

What precisely are you talking about?

[Thorby]

Right on, that's what I'm looking for.  Low power consumption is sure to help.

As for the fines: No, I won't get fined.  When I say I live in an anarchy I mean it.  I haven't even been stopped for the out of state, 2 years expired, plates that I have.  The cops don't care, they just stop speeders and bribe them.

sgtslag wrote

Well, save some money for the fines.  

Aside from that, are you looking for LED's that draw little power, or something else?  I bought, and installed, a set of these, off of e-Bay, on my touring machine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350310731409?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

They draw a total of 0.5 Amps, measured, 3 Watts per light, waterproof.  Being LED's, they can be strobed, if you can find a switching unit to flash them.  To mount them, I purchased a set of C-clamps, attached them to the engine guard bars, and used a flat piece of aluminum bar stock from a local DIY store.  Drill holes for the screws, screw them to the aluminum bar stock (cut to size with a hack saw, or a cut-off wheel on a moto-tool), and wire them into your power circuit.  They put out 350 Lumen(?) each (auto headlight is rated at ~700 Lumens), lighting up around 12 feet distance in front of the bike.  They create a triangle of lights in the front, which supposedly makes you very visible to oncoming traffic.  Cheers!

[shinyribs]

Your area sounds awesome Thorby. If it's an anarchy,you need a handle bar-mounted 12 gauge. You could really create motorcycle awareness in your area.

[sgtslag]

For flashers, here is what I have installed:  Head-Alert, Head Alert 2, and Brake-Alert Flashers.  Click on the link, and they're down a few items from the top.

http://www.amperite.com/search/search.aspx

The Head Alert units are designed to modulate (technical difference from flashing/strobing, but very similar in appearance) headlights:  55-65 Watts.  The Brake Alert Flasher will flash your brake lights (typically less than 30 Watts) once-per-second, for five seconds, then on steady, until you release, and re-engage, when the cycle starts over.

All three units will increase your conspicuity/visibility to others, dramatically.  The Head-Alert (1) has no sensor, so technically, it is not legal to use in the US/Canada (you are supposed to wire in a bypass switch to disable it at night).  If you decide to go this route (it is the least expensive, at JC Whitney:  link), a simple, $4, SPST, toggle switch wired across it (it is wired in series with the headlight), will bypass it, giving a normal, solid-on headlight.

The Head Alert 2, I could not find a retail vendor for, so I contacted Amperite, and they sold it to me, directly:  cost was around $60?  This unit has a built-in photo switch, to turn it off at dusk...  In reality, it only turned it off when it got quite dark out, long after everyone else had turned their headlights on.  I cut a $2 pair of sunglasses up to create a shade, to turn it off sooner.

The Headlight Modulators are legal in all 50 States, and Canada.  However, most motorists, and a lot of bikers, do not know that.  We have had several car drivers pull over, thinking we were motorcycle cops; others have called out to tell us that our headlight was flashing/not working.  Good thing they never noticed our chests heaving with laughter (we wear full-face helmets, so they could not see our faces).

Good luck with the Police.  If you run a modulator at night, traffic will likely pull over to get out of your way, thinking you are a Police bike.  I doubt the Police will tolerate that.  Cheers!

[seestheday]

Bribing cops?  Do you live in India?

I worked with a guy who never had a license in India and was pulled over for the first time when he was 14.  He drove for 10 years in India before coming to Canada and never once got a speeding ticket or a court date.  He paid out a lot of bribes for the cops to let him go though.  Very different culture, he said it was just expected there.  Of course India is a huge country, different states/provinces are probably different.  I think he was near Mumbai, but I'm not sure.