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BrakeFree: The Smart Brake Light for Motorcyclists

1K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  notacop 
#1 ·
Check out this product that I recently backed... It is a device which attaches to the back of your helmet and lights up whenever your motorcycle slows down. It has accelerometers built-in so that it can detect when you are slowing down even when not actively applying your brakes (i.e. When engine braking). As such, it will light up warning drivers behind you, even when your bike's brake lights don't come on.
If you decide to buy this product, please use the link below so I get referral credit!

https://igg.me/at/brakefree/x/2359317

 
#4 ·
This will sound counter-intuitive...or maybe dumb. I try not to use my brakes in traffic. It requires giving a bit more space to the vehicle in front of me, but that's a good thing in itself.

Have you ever followed a car with the brake lights out? Once you realize the brake lights aren't working, you back off. You just don't want to rear end another vehicle and the resulting grief that'll give you.

The same thing happens on my motorcycle. I usually have a 3-4 second space between me and the car ahead of me when commuting in the HOV lane. The cars behind me...are even farther behind. They just don't want to spend that much time and effort, relying on spotting me slowing down so they don't hit me. So they back off so they can relax, and I think they hope someone else will pull in between us so they can let that new car worry about hitting me.

Chris
 
#9 ·
This will sound counter-intuitive...or maybe dumb. I try not to use my brakes in traffic. It requires giving a bit more space to the vehicle in front of me, but that's a good thing in itself.

Have you ever followed a car with the brake lights out? Once you realize the brake lights aren't working, you back off. You just don't want to rear end another vehicle and the resulting grief that'll give you.

The same thing happens on my motorcycle. I usually have a 3-4 second space between me and the car ahead of me when commuting in the HOV lane. The cars behind me...are even farther behind. They just don't want to spend that much time and effort, relying on spotting me slowing down so they don't hit me. So they back off so they can relax, and I think they hope someone else will pull in between us so they can let that new car worry about hitting me.

Chris
that's gonna bite you when someone hasn't learned your "system" and plows into you.
 
#5 ·
I don't know if I like it on the helmet. It makes me wonder if when the rider is turning his head to look for traffic, if it would be distracting for a car following, wondering what is going on, and then not notice his brake light on the bike. AdMore has had this technology for some time in their light bar and I'm thinking that is a better place for it. just my opinion....
 
#6 ·
That was exactly my concern. I would like to see one on the road, but from the video it doesn't look like something I would want. I have the Skene P3 lights and Photon Blasters on my GT and, from what people following me have said, they are very effective. I don't feel the need for anything else, but that could change if I get rear-ended!
 
#7 ·
I'd not be keen on attaching something that bulky to my helmet either.

i didn't want to add extra brake lights to my bike but wanted to emulate in some way the BMW Dynamic Brake Light. I just fitted one of these to my R1200R LED stoplight to capitalise on the attention getting ability of a flashing light. There are a huge number of programming options to suit your preference. The clincher for me was its ability to flash the brake light once pre-set g-forces are achieved (two stages with orogrammable foash patterns for each), somewaht analogous to the DBL.

It can also be used with incandescent bulbs but I wouldn't recommend it due to the slow heat-up time for these bulbs - you could end up with a less noticeable brake light when flashing activates.
 
#13 ·
Jaxon, I'se got an ancient CYBER LIGHT from the 70's. Some Russian sounding fellow made these back then. They had accelerators had would flash very brightly and quickly on hard deceleration and the attitude of the bike caused the front to drop. At a complete stop they would just pulse slowly.
I was able to mount it on all my non Canbus bikes.
 
#14 ·
I really like the idea of inertia activated lights. My rear break lever activates the light if you breathe on the pedal. The front does not activate the light until "ohhhh to much, too much" :) or there abouts.

Instead of helmet, I could see tail bag mount as a better option.

Would really like to see a plug n play inertia flasher. I USE the clutch and drive very responsibly. Find myself fluttering the rear break pedal so there is some light activity. But I think this is a bad habit, and it has distracted me on a number of occasions while ' fast downshifting.' Which I am better at than rear breaking. Getting the revs just right on the downshift is very satisfying, pressing on the break pedal seems a waste of pad material, that I might need for a real break situation. (Never had to replace a clutch, and get over 100K on car break pads, in thirty-five years)

So, really like the concept, but perhaps not for my helmet.
 
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