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Headlight Modulator?

wd8ajj

New member
Anyone installed a headlight modulator in there Spyder?
If so, who's and how did you install it.
 
On rss they make them but for rts not yet, some thing about head light set up? But my rss I have them on .
 
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Anyone installed a headlight modulator in there Spyder?
If so, who's and how did you install it.
Yes, I did and it works good on my 2013 RT. I'm not home now and won't be until Monday so can't give you the schematic of how I did it. I think it was the Signal Dynamics unit. I had to install a relay to move the power from the high beam circuit to the low beam because the low beam is tied into the high beam in the factory setup and I had to cut the jumper that goes from low to high beam.

I'll explain more when I can send the schematic I drew up.

Unfortunately it is not a plug and play situation.
 
Yes, I did and it works good on my 2013 RT. I'm not home now and won't be until Monday so can't give you the schematic of how I did it. I think it was the Signal Dynamics unit. I had to install a relay to move the power from the high beam circuit to the low beam because the low beam is tied into the high beam in the factory setup and I had to cut the jumper that goes from low to high beam.

I'll explain more when I can send the schematic I drew up.

Unfortunately it is not a plug and play situation.

I wish they'd develop one for the RT that allowed you to turn it off when you didn't want it flashing . . . like when you are at a stoplight, behind someone . . . I don't want to be "that guy" who is flashing lights in the rear view mirror of the car in front of him. But it sure would be nice to have on when you weren't behind someone in traffic. Flashing lights get people's attention . . . there would be many fewer: "I didn't see him" incidents, I believe.
 
I'd be concerned about the shutter system on the RTs... :shocked:
I'm more than sufficiently dumb about electrical sturr; but if those shutters need to move in order to switch from high beam to low... :yikes:
Wouldn't a modulator really monkey things-up? :dontknow:
 

Those and M/C's writing with there brights on P-ss me off. Day running lights are sufficient.

Jack

I suspect what pisses you off is someone who misuses high beams, and doesn't dim them when appropriate. Just because there are :cus: out there who misuse things doesn't make the technology bad . . . when properly used, it saves lives.

If day running lights are sufficient, why do so many people who turn in front of motorcycles or pull out in front of them claim: "I never saw him!"? I've lost friends through the years who had that happen to them.

I'd rather piss off a person in a car, sitting at an intersection, than have the :cus: pull out in front of me and I T-bone them.
 
I'd be concerned about the shutter system on the RTs... :shocked:
I'm more than sufficiently dumb about electrical sturr; but if those shutters need to move in order to switch from high beam to low... :yikes:
Wouldn't a modulator really monkey things-up? :dontknow:

That's why I don't have one . . . hopefully, someone will develop one for the RT that takes that into consideration . . .
 
I'd be concerned about the shutter system on the RTs... :shocked:
I'm more than sufficiently dumb about electrical sturr; but if those shutters need to move in order to switch from high beam to low... :yikes:
Wouldn't a modulator really monkey things-up? :dontknow:


I am not allowed to talk about electrical items. :lecturef_smilie:

Cruzr Joe
 
You don't ride in California much do you?

I wish EVERY Motorcycle and 3 wheeled Spyder, T-Rex etc came standard with
the modulators from the factory they get the drivers attention coming at you.
some try to get by with high beam lights, I am one of them... once you have
been hit by a car and survived you will do the same I don't want to get hit again
In this day and age people are texting, BSing on the phone messing around with the
fancy radios in the car and in general not watching the road ahead:yikes:, anything that can
wake them up is OK with me. :thumbup:
Dave



Those and M/C's writing with there brights on P-ss me off. Day running lights are sufficient.

Jack
 
Built in on RS-S

They are a handy feature to have available, and makes saying hello to an oncoming bike much safer.
Glad it's part of my light switch.

http://www.headlightmodulator.com

We used to flash our brights to warn of impending danger ahead.
Or of speed traps and such. ;-)

Chas
 
I had the KRISS modulator on my Goldwing and for the last 3 years, after installing a set of quartz spot lights, I haven't used the modulator much. Only when splitting lanes did it come in handy. The spot lights are way more visible and eye catching. So for my Spyder I installed CD's LED Cool Magic lights.
 
I had a headlight modulator on my Burgman 650 Maxiscoot & the Quebec Provincial police told me to stop using it. Gave me a warning & next time said it would be a ticket.
 
I suspect what pisses you off is someone who misuses high beams, and doesn't dim them when appropriate. Just because there are :cus: out there who misuse things doesn't make the technology bad . . . when properly used, it saves lives.

If day running lights are sufficient, why do so many people who turn in front of motorcycles or pull out in front of them claim: "I never saw him!"? I've lost friends through the years who had that happen to them.

I'd rather piss off a person in a car, sitting at an intersection, than have the :cus: pull out in front of me and I T-bone them.

The brights or modulators will not cure this human fallacy. I know , or knew people with modulators and bright lights on who were killed anyway. They were not seen because of the human factor that they were looking for a car or truck and blocked out the motorcycle. Many studies have been done and the answer was always "I did not see him/her" because subconsciously they were looking for a car.

I know of two deaths where drivers intensionally pulled over halfway into the on coming lane because they "were pissed from bright lights from motorcycles driving with there brights on and not dimming them when proper both day and night."Drivers both later claimed they were blinded or fell asleep. We know better. I continue flashing my brights at two and three wheelers when annoyed by this.

The moral of the story is be considerate, use daylight running lights and don't ride with your brights on all the time. Modern day brights can be blinding and extremely annoying whether it be two, three or four wheels. When I lead this is part of my briefing. Now one wants to lead a formation that has there brights on. Every time you check the group all you get is one big glare.

Jack
 
I wish EVERY Motorcycle and 3 wheeled Spyder, T-Rex etc came standard with
the modulators from the factory they get the drivers attention coming at you.
some try to get by with high beam lights, I am one of them... once you have
been hit by a car and survived you will do the same I don't want to get hit again
In this day and age people are texting, BSing on the phone messing around with the
fancy radios in the car and in general not watching the road ahead:yikes:, anything that can
wake them up is OK with me. :thumbup:
Dave
Try slowing down at intersections and watching the wheels of the opposing traffic. This is the best advice I can give any rider. Just because your light is green don't whizz through the intersection at the speed limit because you have the right away. "Slooow down" You may get the "right of way taken away".

Jack
 
I'd be concerned about the shutter system on the RTs... :shocked:
I'm more than sufficiently dumb about electrical sturr; but if those shutters need to move in order to switch from high beam to low... :yikes:
Wouldn't a modulator really monkey things-up? :dontknow:
Bob,

No, the shutter itself is not the problem. From looking at the schematics in the shop manual, the problem seems to be that on North American units there is no separate high and low beam filaments within the upper headlamp bulbs. Thats why the two circuits are shunted together, as WasWinger said in his post above. It's the shutter that makes them high and low. The shutter is operated when the switch is in the low beam position. So, powering the modulator system would have to come from the High beam relay, rather than from the bulb itself as is the case with conventional motorcycles.

The modulator system should work ONLY when the high beams are on, and ONLY in the daytime. Ideally this is automatic. No need to ever turn the system on or off. With conventional motorcycles, the system gets it's power from the high beam side of the headlight. There is also a light sensor that you mount on the outside of the bike somewhere which allows the unit to run only in daylight - never at night.

With the Spyder (made for North America), as said above, you would have to get your power from the "high beam" relay inside the RH fuse box. This shouldn't affect the operation of the shutter itself, but would likely require the addition of a new relay to bypass the shutter circuitry (since the shunt is before that point in the headlamp circuit).

That's most likely what WasWinger was talking about in his post above. I will be anxious to see his schematic that he made after he gets back home and has a chance to post it.
 
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The brights or modulators will not cure this human fallacy. I know , or knew people with modulators and bright lights on who were killed anyway. They were not seen because of the human factor that they were looking for a car or truck and blocked out the motorcycle. Many studies have been done and the answer was always "I did not see him/her" because subconsciously they were looking for a car.

I know of two deaths where drivers intensionally pulled over halfway into the on coming lane because they "were pissed from bright lights from motorcycles driving with there brights on and not dimming them when proper both day and night."Drivers both later claimed they were blinded or fell asleep. We know better. I continue flashing my brights at two and three wheelers when annoyed by this.

The moral of the story is be considerate, use daylight running lights and don't ride with your brights on all the time. Modern day brights can be blinding and extremely annoying whether it be two, three or four wheels. When I lead this is part of my briefing. Now one wants to lead a formation that has there brights on. Every time you check the group all you get is one big glare.

Jack
Jack,

With all due respect, what you are saying ONLY applies to night time driving. I agree that motorcyclists should respect other drivers by switching to low beams when there is oncoming traffic - just like you'd do in a car.

However, during daylight hours, EVERYONE on two or three wheels should run all the time with their high beams on precisely for the reason that you point out... Other drivers subconsciously do not see our smaller vehicles. High Beams (not just daylight running lights) WILL help us be seen in daylight hours. Anything that makes us stand out will help us be better seen. That's why it would indeed be helpful if there was a way to easily modulate our high beams during daylight hours.
 
Anyone installed a headlight modulator in there Spyder?
If so, who's and how did you install it.

http://kisantech.com/mag/index.php/pathblazer.html
Go to this website,
I installed a modulator around 4 years ago, on my 2009 GS.
It was plug and play, controlling the low beam only.
Switching to Hi Beam turns modulator off.
A photo sensor turns the modulation off around dusk.
I love it and feel it does alert other drivers.
I don't remember the model number......I went and looked- P115W-D6
Called and talk to someone at Kisan Technologies!
EDIT-
Andy888-464-5472 x11
[email protected]- Don't know if he's still there, I pulled this info from a 2010 email


Note- can not be used with H.I.D. lights

Bill
 
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I suspect what pisses you off is someone who misuses high beams, and doesn't dim them when appropriate. Just because there are :cus: out there who misuse things doesn't make the technology bad . . . when properly used, it saves lives.

If day running lights are sufficient, why do so many people who turn in front of motorcycles or pull out in front of them claim: "I never saw him!"? I've lost friends through the years who had that happen to them.

I'd rather piss off a person in a car, sitting at an intersection, than have the :cus: pull out in front of me and I T-bone them.


I agree. Better to piss someone off then be dead
 
I'd be concerned about the shutter system on the RTs... :shocked:

I wish they'd develop one for the RT that allowed you to turn it off when you didn't want it flashing . .
The one I used and the way it is wired in I turn it on/off by switching back and forth between high and low beams. As the comment above says the headlight is a single filament bulb which is why the high and low are wired together. In my setup I use a relay to feed the single filament from both high and low beam circuits and without causing the shutter to flutter open/close. I have the modulator with both high and low beams. I also connected a lead into the horn circuit so that the modulator rate can be switched between fast and not so fast.
 
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