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Brake Light Enhancement for Dummies


Paul In Australia

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Paul In Australia

Hi Guys

 

In April, had a young chap run up the back of my 23 hour old RT at a stop sign.. Since then several more attempts.

 

I have sort of had enough of the Russian roulette from behind, so want to do something about brake light warning systems.

Living in Australia sort of limits availabilty and ability to see live demo's.

So for the sake of it I am going to ask the following definitive questions

They all relate to a 2008 spec R 1200 RT

1. Best system for visibilty in Rear brake enhancement systems?

2. Easiest to install ( I am dreadfully non technical)?

3. Any problems to be careful of. ( don't worry about legals , got that covered)?

4. Where is the best place to purchase on line with great service ?

 

Thanks Guys, I need to do something about this quickly.

regards

PCH

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Check www.roadrocketeer.com, many positive comments on this board for their BRAKE! product, which is now alleged to be available for the R1200RT series. I spoke with them a few weeks ago; they should have the product in stock now. I intend to purchase it. Replaces your existing tail/brake light inside the lens, does require tapping one wire, which even I can do...so you can, too.

 

Others will weigh in with their favorites.

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Enhancing your brake lighting is a great approach but maybe you need to add something to your jacket and helmet to make yourself more visible as well?

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Check www.roadrocketeer.com, many positive comments on this board for their BRAKE! product, which is now alleged to be available for the R1200RT series.

 

+1 :grin:

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Paul,

I am very happy with my Hyperlites http://www.hyperlites.com and I get favourable reports from other riders. They are Canbus compliant and easy to fit. Cost incl postage to Australia for the 2x8 LED modules I have, is US$79 against US$145 plus postage for the "Brake!" tail light upgrade.

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Paul In Australia

Your 100% right. Thats why I have already ordered delivery of a bright orange Olympia Voyager jacket already ( on the water as type) . Thanks for the tip. I think the lites ( ie Hyperlites or whatever the forum seems to think is best) will add to the 'vision" system.

regards

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Paul In Australia
Paul,

I am very happy with my Hyperlites http://www.hyperlites.com and I get favourable reports from other riders. They are Canbus compliant and easy to fit. Cost incl postage to Australia for the 2x8 LED modules I have, is US$79 against US$145 plus postage for the "Brake!" tail light upgrade.

 

Were they easy to fit?

 

regards

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I installed my BRAKE! lights in less than five minutes in the parking lot of the dealer I visited halfway through a 9,600 mile trip. Installation is a no-brainer and the result is the best.

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Your 100% right. Thats why I have already ordered delivery of a bright orange Olympia Voyager jacket already ( on the water as type) . Thanks for the tip. I think the lites ( ie Hyperlites or whatever the forum seems to think is best) will add to the 'vision" system.

regards

 

People run into the back of trucks at stop lights, so do not rely on visual aids alone.

 

Sit right over to one side of the lane when you stop, either the lane splitting posistion or against the curb, give them room to drive right on by you. All the lights and hi-viz gear in the world do not help if the driver is looking at the radio trying to change station.

 

Andy

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On a GS and now an RT I have tried different brake light enhancers and am generally not satisfied with any of them. I have hyperlights on the GS that are pretty good, but they are small and their output is not sufficient when travelling highway speeds. Also on the GS I also have an LED light bar across the plate that adds a bit of wake-upness.

 

On the RT I use plug and go replacement bulbs that have a nice flash sequence and become solid red after about 5sec. These are effective to some degree and are CANbus friendly - www.kisantech.com and I got the 20W-s 2 pak that is noted as the part ID.

 

I also have a sequential flashing LED bar across the plate from www.customdynamics.com. The first one failed due to condensation inside and eventual corrosion. I am sending it back and it should be good under their warranty.

 

I am going on a bit about this because yesterday I followed my bike home - me in a truck, my mechanic on my RT. WOW! was I dissapointed with the day-time lack of bright brake lights. They all came on, but nothing special and certainly not awakening to the average cell phone user or mom with her loaded SUV.

 

The lights look great when you stand close to the bike and you are at the "correct" angle, but in a cage that is closing from behind the bright LED light is probably going above the sightline of the driver. So, I need to figure the angle a bit more. Hopefully YMMV.

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I also have a sequential flashing LED bar across the plate from www.customdynamics.com. The first one failed due to condensation inside and eventual corrosion. I am sending it back and it should be good under their warranty.

 

 

pbperrin, how are you wiring this to work on the 07 canbus equipped R1200RT? Will it operate on the canbus as both a tail & brake light or have you added some sort of control module to allow canbus operation?

 

Twisty

 

 

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I am interested in extra rear lights for my 1200RT in the UK

 

can't use flashing brake lights as they are not legal hear. Might be better to look at extra running lights.

 

any advice on what's best. I'll take a look at the recommendations so far

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twisty - I wish I had a good answer for you but if you want please let me know and I will ask my mechanic...

 

It is a brake light only - and it flickers for a few seconds to further awaken those behind - then it goes solid and stays on while the brake pedal is depressed.

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I have hyper lites and am happy with them but I am not behind myself to see how they perform!

 

The installation is clear and if you have a rear socket you can tap that hot wire for power.

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hexairheadbeemerguy

Bought lights from P3lights for my 07RT, they are designed and made by a fellow BMW rider in Virginia who will help you if there are any questions. The cost is higher than most but I figure my life is worth the extra $75-100. These lights work with the Canbus and can be programmed. Fellows I ride with say

they are very noticeable even from a considerable distance.

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Paul In Australia
I have hyper lites and am happy with them but I am not behind myself to see how they perform!

 

The installation is clear and if you have a rear socket you can tap that hot wire for power.

Hyperlights suggest you install via a seperate fuse box, to take care of Canbus issues.. Is this what everyone else has done? or has everyone else had no issues with the Canbus wiring interfering with any other function. i.e cruise control?

Appreciate the advice on this.

regards

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I have a 2005 R1200RT, put Hyperlights on when bike was new without a separate fuse box, using rear power socket, 3 1/2 years later have never had any problems with lights or Canbus system.

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I have had Hyperlites on my R1200ST for years and just wired them into the tail/brake lights. They work great and are one of the best additions I made to the bike. The dealer will tell you that nothing not made by BMW will work with the Canbus, but that is a bunch of baloney.

 

Dave

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I just installed a Roadrocketeer tail light. a riding partner said over the weekend they didn't show up all that well. my guess is that LED lights are directional and these migh need to be aimed a bit.

 

this light came with an extra power wire, I spliced in at the switch for the BMW fog lights (GSA) works and no CANbus issues.

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I just installed a Roadrocketeer tail light. a riding partner said over the weekend they didn't show up all that well. my guess is that LED lights are directional and these migh need to be aimed a bit.

 

this light came with an extra power wire, I spliced in at the switch for the BMW fog lights (GSA) works and no CANbus issues.

 

Bruce, I've been planning to order the BRAKE! light like you have. I called Road Rocketeer Wednesday, and was told (by "Kevin") they've redesigned the magic part so that no wiring is required. He said I'd need to remove both bulbs (I din't know I had two), replace one with the new unit, and just leave the other one tucked inside. You might want to call and talk to him??????? He assured me the new unit is super-bright.

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Grr... I've Been riding more after dark lately. I normally just ride with my trunk case mounted. Then it occurred to me that someone sitting up high might not see my tail light as the trunk is mounted above the light. Goes the same for dips in the road and etc.

 

So i yanked off my trunk and rode. Obviously, some reflective tape can help, but it seems just LED lights replacing the standard tail lights will still not address this issue. Hyper lights seem like they would help as they are mounted lower then the standard tail/brake lights.

 

It'd be nice to add some lights to the trunk case or side cases, but can see issues of leaking inside the trunk and wiring. I guess one could always mount an battery powered led back there.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Paul In Australia

I have installed the hyperlites as per the instructions included. Can't get them to work. Grey lead from hyperlites to alarm green and white and also to power on rear accessory port. Any suggestions? Do the wire connectors have a trick to them. Checked connections twice. When I fire up .. nothing totally dead hyperlites but everything else on the bike ( including alarm) is perfect?

Would appreciate some assistance or where to look next?

best regards

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hexairheadbeemerguy

I don't have Hyperlights but sounds simple enough. Use a circuit tester light for power going in; if so, can only be a ground. Try using an alligator clip on the ground wire and ground it on the engine or footpeg bracket to be sure.

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Paul, it would be an international call but ring up the hyperlites people and they will lead you through getting them to work. I installed them a year ago and had some problems. Called, actually the owner of the company answered and we got it figured out easily. You might also be able to e-mail them but it would take longer to get everything figured out Their customer service is superb!

 

I suspect you need to wire them directly to the battery with the trigger being the brake light wire itself. I hooked mine up to my fuse block. In my mind you need to avoid getting power from the canbus.

 

Gael

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Paul In Australia

Thanks everyone. Got it all going. used the power wire to the rear accessory port and it all works fine. They stay on for a short period after the ignition is switched off, but then just turn off about 3 minutes later.

 

Presume there is no issues using the accessory port power ?

 

The lites work wonderfully. Unusual in Australia on a motorbike , so all the more noticeable.

Thanks for the valuable comments.

regards

 

 

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There's no issue with connecting them to the accessory power. Being LED's, they are low power. I had them connected this way for over a year before moving power to a fuseblock. The accessory outlet should only be powered for one minute after the ignition is turned off.

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  • 11 months later...
I just spliced the Hyperlites directly into the tail and brake light wires. They have been working fine that way for 3 years.

 

Dave

 

That connection is not possible for an RT, at least the 2006+ RTs. I understand the RT has only one wire to the tail/brake light module......so to make the Hyperlights function correctly one needs to tap into an additional wire that is 12 vdc. I believe just about any of the accessory brake/tail light units (P3, etc) have this issue. I am searching for a non-Brake! (aka Rock Rocket?) flashing/modulating solution that is the easiest to install for me. I'm not technologically conversant. :(

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http://www.p3lights.com/

 

 

 

I use Knight Riderz which cost a lot less than the other options........

 

What model BMW? Any issues with the "bulb out" icon on the dash when the brake light is on? How did you hook up these supplemental lights? The light bar looks like the one I used with my previous motorcyles (non-BMW), and they worked very well. The price is certainly attractive. I am looking at getting Hyperlights, but I'd really like to add something to my top case in addition.

 

Thanks.

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