Added Visibility for Added Survivability
When I first began to ride a motorcycle, I promised my wife that I would do everything I could to be safe. That means I ride with ALL THE GEAR _ ALL THE TIME. I read a lot of books and subscribed to all the magazines that were available, and there were many print magazines at the time. I had read that the number one cause of motorcycle accidents were caused by drivers who turned left in front of motorcycles at intersections. So before I took delivery of my first bike, I had a light bar installed on the front to provide a bigger and brighter “face” for oncoming traffic to see me coming.
About a month later, I was returning home (ironically, from picking up my newly painted helmet in the same colors as my bike) when a young girl turned left in front of me at an intersection. It was on a deserted 2-lane, unlit rural road when it occurred. I braked hard, but needed another few feet to avoid hitting her car, and I fell over. As I was l laying on the ground, she got out of the car and started yelling, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you!!” I yelled back, “You mean the THREE headlights and reflective yellow jacket wasn’t ENOUGH for you?! Maybe you shouldn’t have been on your (BLEEPING) PHONE!” Anyway a cop showed up two minutes later, and called for an ambulance. I’d cracked a couple of ribs and banged up my knee so he insisted I go with them to the hospital. You can imagine the awkward conversation I had with my wife from the ambulance, and having to give her directions to get to the hospital she’d never been to (before GPS). But I digress.
So I was always on the lookout for gear and/or accessories to make me more visible in traffic. Now the second biggest cause of motorcycle accidents is getting rear-ended by drivers who don’t see you stopped at a light, or misjudging your speed as you slow down for a turn or curve. Since motorcyclists often slow for turns by using engine braking rather than using the brakes, an inattentive driver may not gauge your speed, or see those very small turn signal lights and small brake light that doesn’t grab their attention.
The Brake Free unit mounted on my HJC i31 Tevis helmet.
Then a couple of years ago, I was at a local motorcycle event and came upon a little booth and met the folks from Brake Free, demonstrating their new product, and boy was I ever impressed. The Brake Free Smart Brake Light is a stand-alone, helmet mounted device with 100 extra bright LED lights which makes it almost impossible for anyone behind you not to see you. It’s totally self contained, and requires no wiring to the motorcycle.
The Brake Free uses a combination of accelerometer and gyrometer sensors inside the unit, along with their patented algorithm that takes in all the data from those sensors and determines with great accuracy any time you’re slowing down. It doesn’t matter whether you ease off the throttle, use engine braking, downshift, or simply squeeze on the brakes. The super bright LED center bank of lights are always on, but when you slow, the outside band of lights immediately shine even brighter and begin to flash, so that any vehicle traveling behind will see you and adjust their speed. It acts like the high-mounted brake light on all modern cars, except this is much larger, much brighter, and flashes so others can’t miss it.
Increased visibility both day and night. Photo by Brake Free.
Don’t think this is just for night riding. These lights are so bright that they will grab any driver’s attention in the middle of a bright sunny day. I sometimes ride in large groups of 5 to 15 motorcycles on charity runs and the like, and I’m always asked to ride near the front of the group because even the riders near the end of the line can see my Brake Free lights and know that the group up front is slowing for debris in the road, for a curve, or a turn. It keeps everyone alert to what’s happening in front of them, before any panic braking is necessary. It also gives me the peace of mind to ride without constantly having to check my mirrors to make sure I won’t get rear ended.
I often have car drivers pull up next to me at stops to call out that they think the lights are really cool and really got their attention. You all have seen that bumper sticker that says, “Start Seeing Motorcycles”? The Brake Free Smart Brake Light will make sure that happens.
The unit affixes easily to wide variety of helmets. Photo by Brake Free.
The device will work on virtually any helmet. It comes with 2 mounting brackets, so you can move the unit to different helmets. The mounting bracket is attached with super strong adhesive tape, and the unit clicks right into it. Then just press the button on top of it, and choose any one of the 3 separate light modes-
Mode 1 – Standard Mode (all LEDs on)
Mode 2 – Pulsing Mode (left and right LED panels pulsing)
Mode 3 – Stealth Mode (center top and bottom LED panels on as running lights)
All three modes will activate all LED panels to 100% brightness during all deceleration events. The unit weighs only 7 ounces, so you don’t notice any extra weight. It comes with a USB-C cable and fully charges in only 1.5 hours. It will hold a charge for 8 to 12 hours, and indicates the level of charge when you turn the unit on. If the battery becomes low while you’re riding, it will automatically switch to “Stealth Mode” to extend your riding time. It is also waterproof, so it works in all weather conditions.
Rob noted that several of the journalists on the recent Honda Hornet press ride were sporting the Brake Free system.
The Brake Free comes in either black or white. I got the white color to blend in with my new helmet. The unit sells for $159.99 as I write this ($10.00 off regular price). You should visit their website (link below) and watch their brief videos to see exactly how the unit works and the blinking sequences. It does much more to showcase the product than the static photos we’re showing here.
I really admire when an entrepreneur comes up with a great idea, and has the drive and smarts to overcome all the difficulties to make it a reality, and become a successful business. They have sold tens of thousands of these units, and I’m sure have saved thousands of lives in the process. After several years of using my original Brake Free, they have earned my support and they will earn yours as well.
Ken “Hawkeye” Glassman
You really should check them out here:
*J&P Cycles carries them as well:
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