Modern Buddy

I was wanting to get some of that LED lighting to light up the ground under my scooter to make me more visible at night, so I figured I'd do a bit of searching to see what Washington state has to say about it.

Pretty much, don't bother. They have it so nailed down that even when you think you might be able to figure a way, you read further and go "well, so much for that"....

Anyone out there think we need MORE regulation?

I understand the reason for having regulations on auxiliary lighting- some people make it overboard and distracting to other drivers on purpose.

However, I DON'T agree with state regulations that are so tight that it doesn't allow small motor vehicles like us to add more lights for SAFETY in completely tasteful manner.

Yeah...until I got to the last section I was thinking, "I can do this! I'll just tie separate red, and green, LED light strips to the frame under the body panels, and rig two switches: one that has to be flipped to activate them at all (so I could just turn them on when I ride at night), and one that could somehow tie into my brake switch, so that when I was NOT applying brakes, the ground under me would be green, and when I WAS applying brakes, the ground under me would change to red.

I was thinking it sounded like a really neat challenge...then came that last @#$! paragraph.

Ya I know here in Arkansas there are laws forbidding certain colors of auxiliary lighting but 99% of the cops don't care at all. I have talked to a few guys that have been issued tickets for their lights but they were going completely overboard (strobes, and flashing underglow). Ive had a 7 color changing kit under my truck and have passed many cops with them on and have had zero problems.


I have also had LEDs on my past 3 scooters






I have passed cops with all of these kits, different colors, different patterns, and haven't had a problem yet. The only thing I would worry about is with the 7 color kits there is a "strobe" pattern where whatever color you have on flashes at varying speeds, I would obviously NOT use this pattern while driving down the road.

Wow. I don't think I've ever seen a green light on a vehicle. And visible from the rear? Don't your old people see a green light up ahead and get confused about whether they're moving or not (since that stoplight never gets closer)?

Seriously though, you might look at the part of the law that article cites (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.37.210) and see if you could float an LED system as being one of the other allowed instances

(1) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two side cowl or fender lamps which shall emit an amber or white light without glare.

(2) Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than one running-board courtesy lamp on each side thereof which shall emit a white or amber light without glare.

(4) Any vehicle may be equipped with one or more side marker lamps, and any such lamp may be flashed in conjunction with turn or vehicular hazard warning signals. Side marker lamps located toward the front of a vehicle shall be amber, and side marker lamps located toward the rear shall be red.

The system they're talking about in section 6 sounds like it's for a very specific use, though I can't for the life of me imagine what. But most of the ridiculous requirements fall within that section (meaning, if I understand correctly I AM NOT A LAWYER, that those requirements only pertain to that section).

Note that the author of the article isn't exactly a highly educated expert in the field. "Donny Quinn has been writing professionally since 2002 and has been published on various websites. He writes technical manuals for a variety of companies, including restaurants, hotels and salons. Quinn is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English at Georgia State University."

eHow is a far less reliable source then even Wikipedia. And they regurgitate a lot of very dated info, re-run old articles and posts, etc.

I'd look for more reliable sources of info. Not saying this is wrong (hell if I know) but I've come across a ton of junk on eHow because it's a content farm aimed at getting hits, not providing good info.

Meanwhile, the are other ways to increase conspicuity at night: hook up running lights, reflective tape and gear, etc. May not be cool LEDs, but every bit helps.

Alright! You guys have given me new hope. Thanks for sharing your pictures, SuperCyclone.81.

I think I will revisit my idea outlined above...somehow tying into the brake light so that when I hit the brakes they turn red, but otherwise are amber.

If I get pulled over, I'll deal with it at that point.

As someone posted somewhere (I can't remember where, but not on a scooter forum), it's no fair that semis seem to be able to have unlimited lights, and yet motorcycles (and hence scooters) are extremely limited.

I'm in agreement that you shouldn't be able to use lights that might blind people, and not use lights that might confuse people, but lights pointed down and that are a different color than people expect to see should be okay IMO.

^agreed

In NY you aren't allowed to have 1. certain colors, and 2. distracting "illegal accessory lighting" viewable from the front, rear, or undercarriage of any vehicle.
However, I see motorcycles with purple or amber accent lighting under their gas tanks, on their frames and and inside their fenders all the time. As long as it's not aimed straight at the ground, or straight to the front or rear of the bike, and as long as it's not Green, Red or Blue you're okay. (Green is EMS only, Blue is Fire Dept only, and Red is PD only.)
I plan on getting either some pink or purple ones for my scoot one of these days, and wiring them up with a switch so I can turn them on at night and not run them during the day... it was supposed to be a winter project but I had a ridiculous amount of stuff going on, and I was sick for about 75% of my weekends

Most kits come with a remote now so there's no need for a switch. You can turn them on and off, switch color/patterns all from the remote.