Riding in the dark

onedream

onedream

please excuse me, this is about street bikes.. but I have sort of a question/ commentary.
tonight I rode my motorcycle to one of the homecoming events, It was right down the street from me, so no big deal, however it was in the dark, and it was my first time riding in the dark...and I definitely got a wake up call (nothing happened) but It's really different then it is in the day time. for an inexperienced street bike rider on the roads with traffic like me, it was definitely intimidating... so I'm hoping just to practice and be more comfortable in the dark.. cause It's the only ride I have right now.. haha. anybody have any say or tips?? :thumb: thanks
 
PALMER84ONE

PALMER84ONE

Have you taken the MSC? That class geared to street riding taught me alot. You have to be very aware of your surrounding and on top of your game. Think of it this way: In a cage you are ultimately thinking about where you are going less than on a bike. So you tend to not pay as much attention. On a bike you are thinking about where you are going and very aware of what/who is around you. It helps to have a good light and reflective clothing also. Remember to be on your A game and nothing less. Think about the ride/road/trip the whole time you are getting to your destination. A small prayer before you leave is always good to. Thats me!
 
jackson409

jackson409

add as many lights to your bike as possible. I just added some LED running lights to light up my bike, but point them down towards the ground so they don't distract you. Check your state tho, some states don't let you ride while running those lights. Lucky mine does. You want to be seen by other drivers. Remember, freaks come out at night!!!! Always, Always, Always have good clean clear and scratch free lenses to wear. As P81 said, be on your game, keep plenty of distance from everyone around you. Look way ahead and train your eyes on peripheral vision for movement, and watch for wild life at night!!!
 
530ktm

530ktm

I think the 2 posts above have covered it. I can never emphasize enough to keep your distance, don't ride next to cars or in their blind spots, and always watch traffic at side streets or making left hand turns in front of you. I always ride with the philosophy that the cars and drivers on the road are out to kill me. Been riding street bikes for 40 years and I never change my thoughts. And yes, night time riding is more dangerous because people can not see anything.
 
James

James

Staff member
jackson409:
and watch for wild life at night!!!
Click to expand...
:thumb:

Not sure what type of wild game you have to worry about out there, but around here deer can be an issue. Once a buddy was out riding late at night and out of nowhere this deer came and nailed him in the side. :shocked: Thankfully he was able to keep from going down. Even small game like raccoons, possums, squirrels, etc can make you lose it. :crash:

530ktm:
I always ride with the philosophy that the cars and drivers on the road are out to kill me.
Click to expand...
That's because they pretty much are. :(

Within a 2 month period, last summer, 2 guys I knew were killed and another seriously injured. Car pulled out in front of one (daytime), large farm animal run out in front of another (nighttime), and a small pony cart pulled out in front of the one that survived. Notice a pattern?
 
530ktm

530ktm

I have a friend that lives up in Lake Shasta area, northern California that is. I was up there a few years ago and we were out on some Harleys on country roads and I was having a good ole time when he pulls up along side and tells me to watch out for deer. :shocked: I had another friend that we were on a ride together once and after a few of us were waiting up the road a few minutes for him and he comes along looking all weird and shaky and he tells us that a deer ran out in front of him and he missed it by inches. He had stained his shorts. :lol: I myself was riding another time in the country on a two lane road when across the road came a squirrel at a high rate of speed. I just thought oh oh, held my line and needless to say, the squirrel became road kill. It is dangerous out there on these here motorcycles.
 
onedream

onedream

thanks guys! very helpful.. definitely will get more comfortable and less scared the more I ride at night. It does help that the bike is loud, and yeah will always be defensive.
 
Top