RTP & Kisan Pathblazer observations and questions

[Jimmy2Time]

I recently installed the Kisan PathBlazer on my 99 RTP. Works like a charm.

 

I took out for a Sunday ride and a couple of times, with the Pathblazer on, cars would just pull off to the side of the road and let me pass them as if I was an emergency vehicle. They must have thought I was a LEO on a call.

 

I’m wondering if other RTP owners have this issue. Should I just bite the bullet and get a paint job?

 

Also, do you leave your Pathblazer on all the time in daylight regardless of traffic? City driving vs. country driving?

 

Can you adjust the frequency of modulation on a Pathblazer? Maybe if I slowed down the modulation, it might eliminate the confusion.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Mike]

I've had the same experience with every bike I installed a modulator on, so I don't think a paint job would eliminate this from happening. You may get more of a response since you're on an RT-P, but paint probably won't make much of a difference.

[bmwmick]

James,

I agree with Mike, I have two blue bikes and one Pearl White. I get the same reaction no matter which bike I'm on and they all three have Kisan Modulators. I DO turn it off in slow moving traffic but as soon as we are back to speed, modulator is ON.

 

You cannot change the frequency. This frequency is mandated by the federal statute that permits the use of a modulator.

 

Mick

Tucson

[Baba_ORiley]

I recently installed the Kisan PathBlazer on my 99 RTP. Works like a charm. ...

Small world. Just this past weekend I also installed a Kisan Pathblazer headlight modulator on a my '99 RT-P.

 

When riding with it on, I didn't have anyone pull over, but, just as I found on my previous bike, you can notice the increased attention paid to a modulator-equipped bike, which of couse is a great thing! Local motorcycle here police use all-white GoldWings, so my ex-CHP black and white bike does not really register to most people as a police bike (by that I mean there is no Pavlovian response in other motorists to seeing my RT-P. But, if I was in California, I'm sure it would be different... )

 

I am sensitive to possibly pissing motorists off, so I turn it off when I am directly following a car in heavy stop and go traffic. But most of the other time, I have it on to especially deal with left turners and cars pulling out from side streets.

 

I can tell you that there is no adjustment on the flash rate. If fact, it is mandated by law to be 240 flashes per minute (+ or - 40 flashes). I would highly recommend that you print out and carry with you, a copy of the federal law that makes it legal to use a headlight modulator on a motorcycle. Especially with an RT-P, you don't want a LEO to think you are trying to impersonate a LEO.

 

Here's a link to a copy of the federal law, as well as the the law that says a state my not override a federal transportation law and make headlight modulators illegal in any state.

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-technical-articles/Modulator-regs.htm

 

 

 

 

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[Jimmy2Time]

Small world. Just this past weekend I also installed a Kisan Pathblazer headlight modulator on a my '99 RT-P.

 

Did you have any issues with sensor wire or the rubber covering over the connector and the rubber "toilet plunger" over the headlight? The large rubber plunger doesn't really want to mount back to the rear of the head light. It is very easy to come off the back of the headlight. Is there some sort of trick?

 

I am sensitive to possibly pissing motorists off, so I turn it off when I am directly following a car in heavy stop and go traffic. But most of the other time, I have it on to especially deal with left turners and cars pulling out from side streets.

 

I wondered if there were some sort of rules of etiquette when to or not to use the headlight light modulator in heavy traffic. My commute takes me from city streets to freeway to highway and the reverse commute is mostly city streets and boulevards. Sometimes, its stop and go and other times, it’s just moves along normally. I really don’t want to freak anyone out or get anyone angry with the modulator flashing them from behind.

I’ve already seen a couple people who seemed pretty bent that my bike looks like a cop bike when I pass them. I figure that they must be hiding something to pull over out of my way in normal driving mode.

 

 

I can tell you that there is no adjustment on the flash rate. If fact, it is mandated by law to be 240 flashes per minute (+ or - 40 flashes). I would highly recommend that you print out and carry with you, a copy of the federal law that makes it legal to use a headlight modulator on a motorcycle. Especially with an RT-P, you don't want a LEO to think you are trying to impersonate a LEO.

 

Here's a link to a copy of the federal law, as well as the the law that says a state my not override a federal transportation law and make headlight modulators illegal in any state.

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-technical-articles/Modulator-regs.htm

.

 

Hey, thanks for the link. I'll keep a copy under my seat.

[co_g30]

I've got the comagination headlight modulator on my R1150RT and people usually notice me better with it on. I leave it on no matter what road type I am on.

 

Have had people flash their highbeams at me like they think something is wrong with my light, have had them pull over to the other lane to allow me to go past them, today had one guy slow down with me behind him, raise his hand out the window as if saying "what? why are you blinking your lights at me?" He then turned right and away into an apt complex. Probably thinking I was a jerk for blinking the headlight at him for unknown reasons. : )

 

Truthfully, I don't care if I temporarily annoy people with the modulating light, the way I see it, they're annoyed but they also see me. In stop/go traffic, I try to position my bike so that the light does not hit the driver in front me in the mirrors but the light stays on and modulating.

 

I used to turn it off in such situations and leave it on low-beam but then I'd forget to turn it back to high-beam/modulate and someone would then cut me off.

 

Only time it's a bit bothersome is when I am driving into work and it's still a bit dark outside and the sun has not fully risen....sometimes the sensor cuts in and starts modulating but then loses enough light to cut off and the light goes into highbeam mode, am sure it annoys the crap out of the guy in front of me.

[Baba_ORiley]

Small world. Just this past weekend I also installed a Kisan Pathblazer headlight modulator on a my '99 RT-P.

 

Did you have any issues with sensor wire or the rubber covering over the connector and the rubber "toilet plunger" over the headlight? The large rubber plunger doesn't really want to mount back to the rear of the head light. It is very easy to come off the back of the headlight. Is there some sort of trick?

 

The Kisan modulator I have is the "remote" kind that I bought for a previous bike. It has a male adapter plug that connects to the female plug from the bike's wiring harness, and about 2 or 3 inches of wiring to a larger female plug (that actually houses the modulator electronics) that connects to the male terminals on the back of the headlight bulb. Is this the same Kisan Pathfinder model you have? The sensor lead comes out of modulator itself with the female connector.

 

What I did was install a new H4 bulb, refit the "toilet plunger" rubber piece on, then install the modulator piece on the outside of the toilet plunger. There were no problems with the sensor lead as the toilet plunger rubber was soft enough to accommodate the lead coming out of the side of the modulator. Then I connected the wiring harness plug to the "remote" piece. I made sure all connectors were coated with dielectric grease to help prevent corrosion.

 

This is the Kisan modulator I have:

 

Another picture showing the sensor lead coming out of the modulator itself.