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[protomech]

Hmm.. I like that, ZeroS.  elwire seems like a bad idea, what with the inverter hum and the general fragility. So I read.

Is it as blinding as it appears at night, or is that the camera?

[ZeroSinMA]

Hmm.. I like that, ZeroS.  elwire seems like a bad idea, what with the inverter hum and the general fragility. So I read.

Is it as blinding as it appears at night, or is that the camera?

4 ft of it draws irrelevant power.

Cameras aren't eyeballs. The strip's bright enough to get the attention of a teenager arguing with her boyfriend on her iphone driving Dad's SUV beside you but not so bright as to get the attention of law enforcement.

[CliC]

It's not EL, it's LEDs on a flexible strip. Cool stuff, and straight 12VDC if you don't dim it.

[ZeroSinMA]

It's not EL, it's LEDs on a flexible strip. Cool stuff, and straight 12VDC if you don't dim it.

Yeh, it's hard to keep up with LED tech. 16 ft for $11. Only need 4ft for the zero. Connect to the rear tail light power. Draws a couple watts.

Costs nothing and takes minutes to install.

[Bdavis]

Looks great! Make sure to check with your state laws.  I learned the hard way that in Nevada only red lights are allowed on the rear of any car, truck, motorcycle, and even bicycle. the only the exception is indicator lights (turn signals, reverse) and even those are limited to certain colors. 

[Doctorbass]

Legal in most states  (White and < 300 lumens at 75 feet)

Are you sure that the unit is in Lumen??.. because i think it should be more in Lux  !

Lumen are not rated at a distance, but lux does.

Because  1 lm/m2 = 1 lux  so the lumen you specified should be for a given surface area.

[ZeroSinMA]

Legal in most states  (White and < 300 lumens at 75 feet)

Are you sure that the unit is in Lumen??.. because i think it should be more in Lux  !

Lumen are not rated at a distance, but lux does.

Because  1 lm/m2 = 1 lux  so the lumen you specified should be for a given surface area.

Er, I meant candle power. 

Texas law on lighting prohibits lighting, "...that projects a beam with an intensity brighter than 300 candlepower shall be directed so that no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam strikes the roadway at a distance of more than 75 feet from the vehicle."

State laws have two concerns about adding lights to vehicles:

1. That the lights may cause drivers to confuse the vehicle for a police or emergency vehicle. For that reason all US states have laws that prohibit blue and red lights, except that red lights are allowed if they show only from the back of the bike. Most states prohibit flashing lights of any color. Continuous white lights on the rear are discouraged because drivers may confused them with backup lights. Most states permit amber, green, or white lights visible from the sides of a vehicle but with restrictions on how far the light projects, because...

2. That the lights may interfere with the operator's or other drivers’ vision. Many states’ laws read like Texas law This is where high intensity LEDs shine, so to speak, as they are very bright but due to the way they produce light they do not project it far without special lenses. This makes them lousy for illumination applications but ideal for indicator lighting.

So far I have not had any issues with the law.

Texas Law

Sec. 547.305.  RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF LIGHTS.  (a)  A motor vehicle lamp or illuminating device, other than a headlamp, spotlamp, auxiliary lamp, turn signal lamp, or emergency vehicle, tow truck, or school bus warning lamp, that projects a beam with an intensity brighter than 300 candlepower shall be directed so that no part of the high-intensity portion of the beam strikes the roadway at a distance of more than 75 feet from the vehicle.
(b)  Except as expressly authorized by law, a person may not operate or move equipment or a vehicle, other than a police vehicle, with a lamp or device that displays a red light visible from directly in front of the center of the equipment or vehicle.
(c)  A person may not operate a motor vehicle equipped with a red, white, or blue beacon, flashing, or alternating light unless the equipment is:
(1)  used as specifically authorized by this chapter;  or
(2)  a running lamp, headlamp, taillamp, backup lamp, or turn signal lamp that is used as authorized by law.
(d)  A vehicle may be equipped with alternately flashing lighting equipment described by Section 547.701 or 547.702 only if the vehicle is:
(1)  a school bus;
(2)  an authorized emergency vehicle;
(3)  a church bus that has the words "church bus" printed on the front and rear of the bus so as to be clearly discernable to other vehicle operators;
(4)  a tow truck while under the direction of a law enforcement officer at the scene of an accident or while hooking up to a disabled vehicle on a roadway;  or
(5)  a tow truck with a mounted light bar which has turn signals and stop lamps in addition to those required by Sections 547.322, 547.323, and 547.324, Transportation Code.
(e)  A person may not operate highway maintenance or service equipment, including snow-removal equipment, that is not equipped with lamps or that does not display lighted lamps as required by the standards and specifications adopted by the Texas Department of Transportation.
(f)  In this section "tow truck" means a motor vehicle or mechanical device that is adapted or used to tow, winch, or move a disabled vehicle.

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.  Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 380, Sec. 1, eff. July 1, 1999.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 229, Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2011.

[trikester]

As I recall, California vehicle code prohibits any white light showing from the behind the vehicle. That's why rear facing flood lights, over a pickup bed, have to have a cover or be turned to face downward, when being driven.

Trikester

[jpaulus]

I think the stickers are pretty cool.  They look fairly professional in jpaulus's pix, too.

Jpaulus, were they hard to install?  Getting the bubbles out from under the vinyl, etc?

They were quite easy.  You just tape the edge and then roll them on.  No bubbles.

[jpaulus]

Do you get those odd looks from people at intersections who are too shy to ask?  Or you're flying by on the highway and others are not sure why they don't hear you and likely don't know that they can commute without gas?  Perhaps it's time to advertise.  I had these made at http://doityourselflettering.com/ using reflective vinyl material.  It's to our benefit as well to get more people going electric.

For those who are interested the font was 'batman forever' on that web site.

[flexydude]

How about this? My plate reads 80VLT. They don't allow 6 characters on mc plates here in az

[ColoPaul]

How about this? My plate reads 80VLT. They don't allow 6 characters on mc plates here in az

Nice plate.  I like it.   I thought about seeing if "EMOTO" was taken here in Colorado, but haven't yet.

[sgmdudley]

Just got my signs from DIY Lettering referred by jpaulus.  The ones on the sides are
reflective, the one on the windscreen is not. There are three types of material. The
3rd is the reflective. The 2nd is next best without reflective which is what I used for
the windscreen.

[dahlheim]

thanks, folks.  now i have the same "electric" stickers on the sides, and the LED strip wrapped around the back the same way.  the latter certainly makes the bike much more visible especially at night and from the side.