BMW F800 Forum banner

Deceleration brake light

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  rcb78 
#1 ·
#6 ·
I've been using the skene light kit for about 3 years and have had no lamp alert issues. I mounted the LED light bars across the bottom of my license plate intending to bring braking attention to following drivers, especially when I'm loaded with gear. When the rear rack is loaded with bags and camping gear, the tail light gets kinda buried under there. I don't use the deceleration mode though, simply because I don't want to confuse the issue for other riders or drivers. If my lights are on, I'm braking for some reason. I'm really happy with how they work and how bright they are.
 
#9 ·
This will sound crazy and totally wrong. But you might find it interesting, and if nothing more, you might also get a laugh out of it. I would not want one.

Here's what I experienced when I was commuting up and down the Seattle I-5 corridor. The first year I was doing my commute, I would use engine braking, but I'd also try to give some warning to the person following me by lightly touching the brake. I noticed a couple things. Drivers still tailgated me. It was like they realized they would get some warning if I slowed down, and so they took advantage of that. I also noticed my brake pads wore down to nothing in about 15,000 miles instead of the 30,000 miles that was normal for that bike.

After about a year and that first set of brake pads, I did something by accident and noticed a change. I had been following the advice in the Advanced Motorcycle Safety Course to keep 3-4 seconds following distance. Engine compression braking is very easy like that. (BTW, this is all riding in the HOV lane.) But for some reason, I didn't use my brake lever to activate the brake light. The person behind me had dropped back to about a 4-6 second following distance. I liked that! :)

So I started watching what happened with other drivers, and found they all did the same thing. No longer did I have anyone tailgating me. I put about 130,000 commuting miles on the next several years, and it always worked. If they were tailgating initially, after a couple times of slowing down, they dropped back and never got close again. It was like how you treat a vehicle in front of you that you realize had no working brake lights. What do you do? You drop way back. First, you realize you have to watch to see if the vehicle is slowing down...and not with the extra warning brake lights give you. And second, if you're lucky, someone else will move into the open space, and they can deal with it and now you can relax.

I think a really bright brake light is wonderful. But I really don't want to give the driver behind me a reason to think he/she/it can tailgate me and have any extra warning with something that lights up to say I'm slowing down.

One last thing... You have mirrors for a reason. When you try this, don't do it blindly. Watch to see what happens. And be ready to respond if they don't notice you slowing down.

One more last thing. :D The first reaction a lot of riders have is that you can't ride with a 3-4 second following distance. I've had others who didn't think it would work try it...and come back later and say it worked for them.

Chris
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ123
#10 ·
i wouldn't worry about that. Either use your brake to warn them you're slowing down, or be careful not to brake/engine brake to harshly in front of them if they are following at an unsafe distance (which most usually do!).

Like Daboo says, most people back off when they get a scare as they react to brake lights and don't actually take in to account the closing distance/speed. Knowing how much distance you have behind you lets you know how much/little engine/normal braking you can get away with. I rarely use my brakes unless i really need to shave off a decent chunk of speed (60mph>residential zone for instance), otherwise enough planning ahead and rolling off the throttle you can essentially stop the bike.
 
#14 ·
Daboo, while your post has merit for normal riding, after commuting in the Bay Area Cal, if you give a few seconds buffer time in front, some aggressive driver will fill that space immediately.
Likewise the the space behind you.
After a bit of that, I became a hardened & godless commuter like the rest.
I rarely commuted by bike in those days, I valued my life too much.
I do file all the safety hints though.
Here’s a hint. Watch out for U-haul trucks. The driver probably does not drive large trucks much & is to be avoided.
Stay safe.
 
#15 ·
I live in the Bay Area too and commute from the SJ up the peninsula a bit every day. 85, 87, 280 and 101 are all frequently used. As for following distance in front of me, I don't care if someone fills the space, I still want room to stop for those times when things (cars) go sideways like they often do here. If someone fills the gap, I back off and give them space, but it doesn't impact my commute times in any noticeable way.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top