Quick question. My tail light blinks 5 times and becomes solid when brakes are applied. Is this legal in the state of Massachusetts? And if not, do you have to replace the entire tail light, or is there a way to stop the modulation. Thanks

 

Could be an aftermarket taillight, or a modual (a few different kinds/brands) likely under your seat, or wherever the rear harness plugs into the main harness. Changing a setting, or removing it will stop it.

While it MAY be technically illegal, consensus is that no cop is going to mess with you for something like that, which just makes you more noticeable in the world.

IIRC, cops use blue lights in MA, so that's not the issue.

No law against manually flashing your brakes lights . . . so I say roll the dice.

I use a flasher too. Worth the infintecimal risk of a ticket, I'd say.

 

Quite often the flashing is handled by a module that turns your running lights into brake lights as well. Pull your seat and see if there is an odd looking jumble of wires/connectors where the rear fender comes up through the frame. Depending on the bike this is where the module is inserted into the brake/run light wires running to the rear of the bike. Many of the modules will have a jumper labeled "flasher". If it's there you can usually pull it with no issue to turn it back into just a solid light. Obviously test it before you put the seat back on.

All that said anything that will help get the attention of the driver behind you is a good thing. So unless some LEO give you a hard time about it, I'd suggest leave it flashing.

Ride safe!

 

Too many people are texting while they drive. I would leave it.

 

I take it you just got the bike recently.

 

I live in Massachusetts [fricken nanny state that it is], and have been running Custom Dynamics brake light modulator on my Road Glide and a Bright *** modulator on my Fatboy for 4 years.

Can't answer as to whether it is/is not legal, but I've never been stopped for them despite many opportunities by law enforcement, both state and local. I'm hoping their reasonable assumption that the modulators are a safety enhancement and do no harm.

 

That's the right answer, I'm pretty sure tapping the brakes a few times to flash the brake lights is a common nation wide warning/alert for other drivers.
Here in Minn you can do just about anything you want with red tail lights,, and/or amber and white lights, you just can't have any red lights facing forward.
This brake light flash thing is an aftermarket add-on, somewhere on the bike you'll find a controller like this (or smaller);
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...be-set-at.html
Most have a selection or disable switch on them, but leave it on,, it might help someone see you.

 

I work my hand brake lever, when I see someone in my mirror who's too close and creeping up on me. Most cars will show up as the whole thing in my mirror. But when all I can see is half of their front end, that's too damn close IMO.

 

i know that the custom dynamics controller has 11 selections. a couple of them are 50 state legal. i am pretty sure that 5 flashes then solid is one of them. you could go to their website and download the instructions, and they should tell you which ones are and which ones aren't.

 

I want one of those on my bike.