Is tail light with integrated turn signals legal in Canada | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is tail light with integrated turn signals legal in Canada

itsme

Well-known member
I think I've heard somewhere there is a minimum distance required between signal lights which integrating tail light doesn't satisfy that. The questiion is am I going to get pulled over or some officer can give me a hard time for that?!

thanks,
 
No, they're not legal, and no, you're generally not going to get pulled over.
 
Relevant regulation is CMVSS 108, table IV. Must be 230mm apart
 
Fender eliminator (often part of the upgrade to integrated lights) increases your heat score tremendously. The further from vertical and/or the further from the rear of the bike your heat score grows exponentially. If you piss off the cop, they could force you to get the vehicle inspected to prove compliance (which would obviously require putting it back to stock).
 
Oh boy, the war starts again. Rob MacLennan has a great phrase for this: "Do you want fries with that?"

Even if not "ticketable" on its own, stuff like this is one of those things that might draw the attention of a cop to your existence. Part of being "non attention getting" means operating a vehicle without obvious flaws. All mirrors present, all lights work and are visible and are being used and are the correct colours, license plate is roughly in a normal spot and oriented correctly, reflectors are there and in roughly the right spots, vehicle doesn't look like it is about to fall apart, vehicle is not obnoxiously loud, etc. If it "looks stock to a cop" then you are less likely to attract that cop's attention ...

The bigger concern is your safety on the road. It's important for other vehicles to know what your intentions are. (If you ride with other motorcyclists, it's important for THEM to know what your intentions are.) A lot of those "integrated lights" are garbage. Not bright enough, too close to other light sources, basically invisible from normal following distance behind the bike.

I don't own a vehicle that is not modified ... but all the lights are there and they all work properly and are visible (stock!), the license plate is roughly where it's supposed to be and it's illuminated, they're not obnoxiously loud, mirrors are there, etc ...
 
Oh thats not good then! Actually I was thinking because of animation in blinkers and flashing on stop light it draws more attention. I was looking into Motodynamic tail lights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6xQ8SUqY2k

There are brake light modulators available that cause your brake light to flicker a few times upon pressing your brakes which are somewhat effective in grabbing people's attention. (They're relatively cheap too)
 
Oh thats not good then! Actually I was thinking because of animation in blinkers and flashing on stop light it draws more attention. I was looking into Motodynamic tail lights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6xQ8SUqY2k

Almost all integrated taillights are horrendous and barely visible in the sun. There are a few that are great and really do increase visibility (for braking, with turnsignals that close together, it will always be hard to see which way you plan on going). Ideally you would see the light you want in person, at the very least find a video outside in the daylight from reasonably far away. The video you posted is inside from 1' behind the bike (and since the action in the background is not horrendously underexposed that light is not very bright). As a first cut, any smoked light is wasting a large portion of the light output before it can do anything useful, form has obviously been placed way out in front of function.

If I wanted to play around with lights for visibility, a brake light modulator/flasher and the brightest bulbs I could get to fit in or near the stock housings(which may be LED) would be the way I would go.
 
Oh thats not good then! Actually I was thinking because of animation in blinkers and flashing on stop light it draws more attention. I was looking into Motodynamic tail lights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6xQ8SUqY2k

You don't get to choose the person behind you who needs to know which way you are intending to turn.

Back up 100 feet and put an 80 year old non-motorcyclist driver with imperfect vision there. Tell me if THAT person will be able to distinguish which way (or even IF) you are indicating to turn with something like that on your bike. Repeat with stock turn signals.
 
I've seen lots of bikes with the turn/brake signal combinations.

They all suck. IMHO, they are dangerous. I like people knowing my intentions, not making them guess, or giving up even trying to.
 
There is a minimum distance apart, and they have to be DOT approved. Neither of which an integrated light will be.

Chances of getting hassled for just the light are low, but legally they could stop you, or use it as a reason to stop you.

If you do get one, dont get the smoked lense ffs.
 
You don't get to choose the person behind you who needs to know which way you are intending to turn.

Back up 100 feet and put an 80 year old non-motorcyclist driver with imperfect vision there. Tell me if THAT person will be able to distinguish which way (or even IF) you are indicating to turn with something like that on your bike. Repeat with stock turn signals.

What motorcycle?
 
There is a minimum distance apart, and they have to be DOT approved. Neither of which an integrated light will be.

Chances of getting hassled for just the light are low, but legally they could stop you, or use it as a reason to stop you.

If you do get one, dont get the smoked lense ffs.

I'm surprised by the # of dark smoked plate covers I see out there too.
 
Motodynamic's products are some of the better ones. Run turn signals PLUS the integrated tail-light for best looks and safety! or.. as the wiser people will tell you: don't have turn signals at all - Ain't nobody's business where you're going!
 
You can bet on some trouble if you are in a collision and the police -- or worse, another driver's lawyer -- figures out your lighting is non-compliant.
 
I'd like to see a blitz on smoked headlights and taillights ... with cars included in that blitz!
 
I'd like to see a blitz on smoked headlights and taillights ... with cars included in that blitz!

Haha, cops should be able to "mark" the lights with problems by banging them with their maglites. If you are dumb enough to smoke visual aids, you deserve a few thousand dollar bill.

It is interesting reading the wording around smoked headlights/taillights. The last time I read the laws, they were legal but you had to pull the smoked covers off at night. I don't know a single person with smoked lights that has ever taken them off. I can't remember what the rules were for indicators.
 
My buddy passed safety with a smoked integrated tail light. I find it a bit stupid how it can pass a safety, but not be legal. They also aren't too safe as it's hard to see the signal on a bright sunny day. I tend to stay away from flush mount turning signals and integrates tail lights as it's hard for drivers on the road to see your signals
 
Just because it "passed" the safety,doesn't mean it's legal.There are shops that won't pass a bike with worn footpeg feelers.And there are shops that will pass a safety with a car tire on the bike.
 

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