NOT a dumb question!  I didn't know the whole story with the tail lights until I followed another Vision after owning mine for 9 months.

The tail light has 6 bulbs, they are all running lights.  The top two are blinkers and the bottom four are brake lights...UNLESS you have your turn signals on.  Then the top two brake lights (the middle bulbs) stay dim and the only brake lights are the lower two.  The most brake lights you can have is four and that's only if you don't turn the blinkers on.  Victory did the blinker thing because they think it adds contrast between the blinkers and the brake lights with the middle ones dim. 

I personally hated the fact that I lose 50% of my brake lights when I use the blinkers.  Not only that, the remaining two brake lights are the lowest ones on the whole bike and are not the first place a driver will be looking when following behind a Vision. KansasGuardsman has posted a super easy fix that allows you to keep all four brake lights on even when the blinkers are on.  It is listed under the Vision Tech Reference Forum as "Enabling Vision Middle Brake Light".  It involves snipping and capping off two wires in order to bypass the relay that make the middle brake lights go dim.  The best 10 minutes you spend on this bike IMO.

I've also seen the Kuryakin trunk light mod in action and will be asking for that for Father's Day.