MO Tested: Brake Free Helmet Brake Light Review

I love a simple-but-good idea. In today’s ever-increasing climate of distracted drivers, we need something to attract attention to motorcyclists. Like many riders, I’ve relied on bright-colored and/or reflective gear to increase my conspicuity. However, they all depend on light striking them, particularly retro-reflective materials. Additionally, riding gear says nothing about the current dynamic state of the motorcycle and its rider. That’s why the Brake Free Helmet Brake Light initially caught my attention. Further inspection made me want to give the product a try.

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Technological Advances in Brake Light Modulators

Conspicuity has long been a concern of safety-oriented motorcyclists. We make ourselves visible by wearing bright gear and varying our position in the lane. Headlight modulators have been a tool some riders have used to reach out and grab the attention of drivers. Riders have also used brake light modulators (such as the Signal Dynamics BackOFF XP ) to alert drivers that they were slowing down. Until now, however, these modulators required that the rider actually apply the brake to get the lights to flash. Although riders are familiar to motorcyclists’ frequent use of engine braking, the predominance of automatic transmissions in today’s cars means that many drivers have little or no real experience with the use of engine braking. Consequently, they are not prepared for how dramatically motorcycles can slow without the use of brakes – or the associated display of brake lights.

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