Loud pipe this and hi-viz that—I know from personal experience that a modulating headlight gets the attention of inattentive car drivers. To the uninitiated, a modulating headlight is a patrol car or emergency vehicle. Whatever legally stops an inattentive driver from impeding my right of way—read that as not hitting me—is fine by me. I have seen cars come to a screeching halt that would otherwise have turned in front of me, crossed in front of me at unsafe distances, or flat cut me off. I have had a Kisan Electronics PathBlazer on all my personal motorcycles since 2004. As soon as the availability of the Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike was confirmed, my first call was to Kisan. FYI, my second call was to Atlas Throttle Lock.
The Kisan PathBlazer legally modulates your motorcycle headlight’s high beam during the daytime at a rate of about 240 cycles per minute. The headlight is not flashing down to zero; it modulates down to a minimum of 17 percent intensity. Only emergency vehicles are allowed to have “flashing” lights. You can read about US and Canadian Safety standards that authorized us to have the added safety of modulating headlights on the Kisan website.
Kisan has a plug-in or splice-in PathBlazer unit for almost every motorcycle. The plug-and-play unit for the Yamaha Ténéré 700 has an MSRP of $130. It is a quick and easy installation on the Ténéré, as its headlight connection wires are easily accessible.
I removed six screws and moved the front, right front panel out of the way. The correct connector is right there to separate and insert the PathBlazer unit. I secured the tip of the daylight optical sensor about 12 inches away. Test, put the panel back in place, and that was it. The PathBlazer automatically stops modulating when it gets dark, including most tunnels I have ridden through.
I have been riding behind a Kisan headlight modulator for 17 years. In that time, cars have flashed their brights to tell me my “brights” are on and have had people pull up alongside me at stoplights to warn me that it appears my headlight has a short. I am one to share the joy of motorcycling and will happily explain the safety benefits of the PathBlazer to anyone, though not at a stoplight. So, I just wave, acknowledging their concern with a thumb up.
When riding in the middle of a group, I switch to low-beam to stop the modulation. The purpose of the modulator is to gain immediate attention from a potential threat. However, a high beam modulating in the rear-view mirror of your best friend for three hours might not be appreciated.
Whatever I can do to keep myself safe when out amongst the cages, I keep doing it. The Kisan PathBlazer is an additional weapon in my safe riding arsenal. We have all read the stories of autos running into red-light-and-siren firetrucks. Don’t rely on the modulator as your cloak of safety, just like you don’t rely solely on a hi-viz vest or weaving as you approach an intersection. They are all safety resources.
My experience with the Kisan PathBlazer modulator is that I occasionally get an obvious, yet delayed, acknowledgment of my presence at intersections. If the driver stopped or slowed and didn’t impede my right of way, then the motorist must have seen something that caused the brakes to be applied—or a life-changing text popped up coincidentally, causing the driver to stop immediately to respond. Either way, I will continue to ride with a Kisan PathBlazer, and all the gear all the time.
