Red LED Strip Lights for Motorcycles: Single Color, RGB, or RGBW

Red under a motorcycle looks like heat. It pools on the pavement, glows off the engine cases, and makes a parked bike the one people walk over to at a bike night.

XKGLOW sells red LED strip lights for motorcycles three ways. A single-color kit glows red and only red. An RGB kit runs any color you like and can switch every light to red when you brake. An RGBW kit puts red inside chasing themes, with a dedicated white LED on top. You'll find all of them under motorcycle LED lights in the XKGLOW store. Here is how they compare on color, control, red-specific features, and what comes in the box.

Single Color, RGB, or RGBW at a Glance

List prices at the time of writing.

Single-Color Red: XK034001-R and XK034002-R

If red is the only color you will ever run, start here. Both single-color kits come in seven colors, and red has its own SKU on each. XKGLOW lists both as perfect for engine and ground underglow.

The Motorcycle LED Accent Light Kit | 8 Pod 2 Strip Single Color is the entry point at $59.99. You get 8 compact pods and 2 flex strips on an all-in-one switch and extension wire set. No app or remote is involved: flip the switch and the bike glows red.

The Motorcycle LED Accent Light Kit | 10 Pod 4 Strip Single Color with Remote adds hardware and modes for $113.99. It carries 10 compact pods, 4 flex strips, and a 4-button remote for Solid on, Breath, and Strobe. Its instruction sheet fills in the rest: button A also steps through three brightness levels in solid mode, and button D shuts the kit off.

Both kits run on 12V DC and draw 0.03 A per pod and 0.075 A per strip. XKGLOW builds them with a waterproof body and US-made 3M tape to endure challenging riding environments.

The catch is built into the name. The color never changes. That suits a red bike, or a rider who already knows red is the look.

RGB With a Red Brake: The XKchrome KS-Moto Kit

The LED Motorcycle Underglow Accent Light Kits | XKchrome Smartphone App (KS-Moto) is the middle path. Its slim strips and compact pods use RGB LEDs, and red is one of 16 million colors you pick in the XKchrome app. You can also capture a color with your phone's camera, run over 15 holiday themes or your own, and sync the light to music, speed, or acceleration.

The feature red riders should know is Smart Brake. The product page puts it plainly: "All lights turn red when brake light is on." Run blue, purple, or anything else day to day, and the whole kit goes red when you brake.

Two details decide how it works on your bike. The controller's red wire must be tapped into the brake relay or the positive brake light wire, and XKGLOW refers you to your owner's manual for that. Smart Brake can also be switched off: the XKchrome app instructions show an Enable Brake Sensor toggle, and with it off, the lights keep doing whatever they are doing.

Each controller has two zones. The Dual-Zone wiring option gives the engine one color and the underglow another. Hold red on the engine, run a second color underneath, and the brake feature still works through the red sensor wire.

Chasing is not on the KS-Moto feature list. One caution from the instruction sheet: XKGLOW publishes more than one app, and this controller answers to the XKchrome app alone. The four kits run from Engine at $164.99 to Engine + Under Glow + Wheel at $318.99.

RGBW Chasing: The XKmax MX-MOTO Kit

The XKmax LED Motorcycle Underglow Light Kit w/ RGBW Color Chasing (MX-MOTO) is for riders who want red to move. Its addressable RGBW LEDs drive chasing patterns, and a dedicated pure white LED joins the 16 million RGB colors. XKGLOW puts the brightness gain over its previous generation at up to 60%.

Red works two ways on this kit:

• As a solid color. The XKmax app instructions point to Default Mode in the Config tab, where you set the power-on mode for each channel. Make red the look every time the kit switches on.
• Inside a theme. XKGLOW ships 28+ chasing themes with the app, and each one's colors, pattern, speed, and brightness can be changed. In the DIY builder, you pick the colors yourself, such as red and white.

The sensor wires are a separate layer. Three programmable wires tie the lights to the bike's brake light and turn signals. The one sheathed in red comes set to brake, and the XKmax app lets you pick the action each wire fires.

Control splits between the XKmax app and a programmable 4-button RF key fob, and every kit includes one fob. Music and acceleration sync round out the app's tricks, and XKGLOW rates the kit IP67 waterproof.

There are four kits, from Engine at $233.99 to Engine + Under Glow + Wheel at $539.99, each on a 2-channel controller. Where the MX-MOTO strips mount and how its harness connects is the subject of our motorcycle strip lights guide. XKGLOW's own XKchrome vs XKmax breakdown compares the two app systems across its whole range.

Read each kit's product page for its warranty coverage before you order.

Check the Code Before You Ride With Red Lit

Lighting rules vary by state, and the two codes below get specific about red and about flashing.

California. Vehicle Code Section 25400 allows an exterior lamp on any vehicle if it emits "a diffused nonglaring light of not more than 0.05 candela per square inch of area." Color comes next: that light "shall not display red to the front, but may display other colors." The lamp also may not resemble a required lamp, reflector, or other device, sit within 12 inches of one, or sit where it interferes with its visibility or effectiveness. Flashing is covered one section over, in Section 25250: "Flashing lights are prohibited on vehicles except as otherwise permitted."

Arizona. Revised Statutes 28-947 applies the moment you drive on a highway. It bars any lamp or device "capable of displaying a red or red and blue light or lens visible from directly in front of the center of the vehicle." The next sentence sets the allowed colors: "Lights visible from the front of a vehicle shall be amber or white." Subsection C handles flashing: "flashing lights on motor vehicles are prohibited," then lists the exceptions. Those are emergency vehicles, school buses, snow removal equipment, warning lights on disabled or parked vehicles, and turn signals.

Any of these kits can show red to the front if a pod faces forward. Smart Brake turns all lights red, front-facing ones included, and a Strobe button or a chase theme raises the flashing question. Each of the four kits' instruction sheets points you to your local and state laws for proper use. Check the rules where you ride before you turn them on.

Which Red Setup Fits Your Build

• Red only, at the lowest price here: the 8 Pod 2 Strip kit in red, at $59.99 with a simple switch.
• Red with modes and more coverage: the 10 Pod 4 Strip kit, with Breath, Strobe, and three brightness levels in solid mode.
• Any color on the ride, red on the brake: KS-Moto, with Smart Brake and the XKchrome app.
• Red that moves, plus pure white: MX-MOTO, with chasing themes, the XKmax app, and an included fob.

Pick the red that matches how you ride. Build yours today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have red underglow on my bike?

You can fit it: every kit here glows red under a motorcycle. Riding with it lit is a separate question, settled by the code where you ride. California bars diffused light that displays red to the front, and Arizona wants front-visible lights amber or white. Check your state's lighting rules before you switch it on.

What is the difference between an RGB LED strip and an RGBW LED strip?

The W in RGBW is a separate white LED that sits beside the red, green, and blue chips. Among XKGLOW motorcycle kits, the XKchrome KS-Moto kit runs RGB LEDs. The XKmax MX-MOTO kit adds that white LED to its RGB range, and its addressable LEDs run chasing patterns.

Is RGBW worth it?

It is if you want pure white and moving color as well as red. MX-MOTO adds a dedicated white LED, 28+ chasing themes, and a key fob in every kit, from $233.99 at list price. For red alone, the single-color red kits start at $59.99.