Motorcycles are often not seen by other larger vehicles. Adding turn signal mirrors with LED lights can increase your safety.
What exactly does LED stand for? It is an acronym for light emitting diode. This means a type of bulb that does not use a filament to produce light. Instead, the light is made by electrons moving around. This is new technology, so it is not widely used as of yet because of its cost. However, since they LED bulbs last longer and produce less heat, they are starting to make their way into everyday uses.
The most common everyday use for LED mirrors is in side mirrors for cars, trucks, and motorcycles. These LED mirrors incorporate the bulbs into an arrow configuration or a strip of lights to make a turn signal on the outside or bottom edge of the mirror. Manufacturers are aware that 300,000 accidents per year are due to merging and lane changes. With these bright lights on the mirrors, cars in the "blind spot" can easily see that a vehicle intends to move left or right. Some of the racing style LED mirrors have a strip of lights on the backside of the mirror. These lights could help cars see motorcycles that are approaching on the left or right.
Two popular brands can be added on after market for various models of motorcycles.
Muth Signal Mirrors
These are mounted to be at eye level of the driver next to the motorcycle. This makes them stand out more than the traditional taillights. If a vehicle is in your "blind spot", they may be in front of the taillights, so the flashing LED lights on the signal mirror lets them see the driver's intention of turning or shifting lanes. It is recommended that Muth Signal mirrors be installed by a professional, although they do come with installation directions. Muth Signal mirrors are made of aluminum with chrome plating with a 3 X 6 octagonal flat-glass mirror. Muth signal mirrors have a one-year warranty. They are sold in pairs for several different models from $169 to $300 per kit.
Kisan vectraLights
These are a strip of five rear facing and five front-facing LED amber lights that is mounted beneath the mirror. They have a plug that resembles a telephone plug for fast and easy connect/disconnect ability for maintenance. With the control module, they cost $119.95. If you already have the Kisan singleMinder that handles the electronics, they cost $99.95.
Motorcycle turn signal mirrors are a great advancement in safety equipment. Anything that makes the bike more visible to other drivers is worth the cost and effort.