Night vs Day riding

Alright guys got rid of my permit this morning and got the "M" endorsement on my license. I've rode a few times at night but now its legal and I work a later shift so I will be riding night a good deal more.

My question is there anything extra safety wise I should be worried about? Obviously I will be harder to see... But I feel like the trade off of less cars and less traffic should be worth that.

 

When I worked :roll: , I would leave the house at 4:30am. Very dark and often foggy at that time, so some auxiliary/fog lights would be a good idea.
Another good idea is installing some deer whistles, works for other critters as well. Friend of mine hit a dog one morning and crashed, broke his wrist.

 

Good idea to have reflectors in all directions, if not on the bike then on you. Make absolutely certain all your lights, indicators are working. You definitely have to be on 'critter watch.' We had a local mayor hit a deer on his big bike and he was killed (no helmet of course). Bugs are out more and will be drawn to your headlight -

Road conditions are different at night; the pavement is significantly cooler and can have condensation on it, so not as sticky as daytime. The trade off of less traffic is nice, but sometimes late at night the traffic you do encounter can be more dangerous.

Congrats on your endorsement!

 

I feel that in general, traffic-wise, you are EASIER to see at night...just like it's easier to see any single vehicle at night, because they are lit up and less visible background clutter to distract a driver's vision...you aren't competing with as many things for their attention, in other words.

I like to do most of my recreational riding at night...it's cooler, less traffic, I can ride slower and hit all the lights on green, etc...

Be aware of two things...traffic cops have less to do at night and watch you more closely...no clownin' or they'll get you...

And, more drunks/tired people out...watch your six when stopped at a light, and check the cross streets before you go through every intersection...drunks love to run reds/stop signs and don't see motorcycles...or anything else...hell, they'll hit a stopped police car with the party lights lit up, you know they'll hit you...

 

not sure what headlight the X had but if it's sealed beam an upgrade to a modular H4 is a good idea. Slow down on roads you don't know (and even the ones you do), its a lot easier to not see a corner at night.

 

Critters are a big hazard at night. Hard to see the ones in the road and the deer will jump out in front of you.

While you may think the light is easy to see you'll be lost in any lights around you. Lots of light, bright colors, reflective tape etc.

Good point about condensation - especially on road paint. Cross walks, lane lines etc. will likely be slick.

More drunks on the road after 6 PM until well after the bars close. Lots more people trying to kill you.

Be vigilant!

 

second the condensation on road paint, those crosswalks get slick, especially by round abouts i have noticed because you're generally braking going into them.

idk how bad they are around you but here theres tons of deer. i try to stay out of the country roads at night just because of how many deer there are.

i took a friend out for a ride last night as she had never been on a bike and i stopped counting after seeing 16 deer. all in less than 25 miles.

keep that head on a swivel!

and you would be suprised how nicely a long strip of reflective tape on each side of your body and another down the back can help others see you!

 

I have always been told when never out drive your head light. I have used that and lived by it when I drive at nite. That has saved me a few times.

 

I run a headlight bulb with a bigger hi-beam. 55W-low, 100W-hi. Much better vision at night, just make sure not to blind oncoming drivers, I also have the deer whistles, regardless the arguments whether they work or not. I figure if they work-great, if not I'm only out a couple bucks. Certainly not confident enough to let my guard down, but I'll take any extras I can get. Constant scanning becomes second nature with time, you gotta pay attention.

 

i made a led light for the seca that can burn the retinas from on coming traffic
http://www.ledsupply.com/endorstar-3up.php
wired it to the hi beams. if you see a deer bumping into trees, he crossed my path

 

lol

 

Deer aren't just in the woods anymore. The one I almost hit was in busy city traffic. See them in the yard several times a week - less than 1000 feet from a busy four lane city street.

BTW. Getting to be the time of year when deer are extra stupid.

 

Animals, both large and small. Running over a squirrel can take you down quick if you don't see it.

Go to the men's work wear section at Wally World and buy yourself a reflective vest like road crews wear. Also reflective tape on your helmet.

Upgrade the lights.

And NEVER think that you can be seen easier at night because your headlight is on, it's on during the daytime too. I've had 4 times as many people pull out in front of me at night than I've had during the day.

Condensation also on RR tracks, manhole covers, and bridges.

 

Don't be like the Harley guys, and have like 5 blinding spot lights on the front of your bike... Those guys piss me right off, can't see nothing, even during the day, when they're coming at you.

 

Excellent guys thank you. Lots of good advice and a ton of responses I appreciate it. I am putting fog lights on it. And I had thought of LEO's being a little bored... As well as the dampness on the painted lines.

 

There is a guy I see on the road, has EL wire all over his bike. Looks a Christmas tree. Everybody sees HIM Me, I upgraded the headlight, watch for drunks and cops and deer. A good one I had on the old bike is running lights spaced apart on the front and back. They don't have to be bright, just set apart horizontally to give you width. That one narrow front and rear don't give people the visual cues they need to judge distance.

 

Of course the best way to avoid deer is to strap a deer rifle to the front of your bike and they will all run deep into the woods never to be seen again. :lol: Works with a**holes too, but cops don't like it.

 

The thing with horizontal lights is at night a bike at 30 yards looks a lot like a car at 70 yards

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I didn't mean horizontal headlights, per se. On the Honda I had a fairing, the turn signals were also running lights, and on the luggage rack I had two little red lights. It just *seemed* like people didn't jump in front of me as much, maybe I was going slower

 

Around here, people just drive with their high beams on all the time at night. I seriously don't wanna drive at night anymore.

</ROADRAGE>

 

I only ride at night if it can't be avoided. Biggest problem is when riding in the proper position in your lane your headlight can line up perfectly with following vehicles. When this happens people wont know you are there.
I have nearly pulled out in front of a couple bikes because of this. The only thing that kept me from doing so was the fact that the head light on the drives side of the following vehicle wobbled a little to much and the brightness was not right. So I held off pulling out. Sure enough both times it was a bike. And thats why I avoid riding at night.