Looking for tips on night riding

I've enjoyed a few night rides recently, ever since it started heating up good this Summer. It has got me to thinking more about riding less in the heat of the day, & more at night.

Does anyone have any good advice or tips on riding at night?

I figure a little slower pace, & a good set of auxiliary lights. Anything else?

I'm interested as well. I've been doing it more lately too.

I actually pulled a couple of these off of my bicycles and have been using them until I get something permanent hardwired.

https://www.ebay.com/i/183244614745?chn=ps

With both my stock lights on and two of these 800 lumen bicycle lights lower on the crash bars, it lights up the road pretty well. I can only dim the bright light if a car is coming at me though, but I do a lot of my night riding in the boonies, same as I did with my bicycles.

They only last about 1.5 hours at full setting, but they have multiple settings for longer rides.

Have you changed to the cyclops led bulbs? I rarely ride at night but it made a big difference for me

V-lust said:

Have you changed to the cyclops led bulbs? I rarely ride at night but it made a big difference for me

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This made the stock lights on my 1200 GS much brighter, but they didn't improve the light pattern. So I do like them, but I still wish I had more. I want some good flood pattern lights for seeing in the ditches and some spots for distance.

maximus_flavius said:

...Does anyone have any good advice or tips on riding at night?

I figure a little slower pace, & a good set of auxiliary lights. Anything else?

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Watch out for all the critters. I used to love night riding out west but there's so much road kill in Texas at night, I don't like the odds. Slower pace like you listed helps but I have a real hard time with that.

_

Avoid it

Ride slow. Like wayyyyyyyyy slower. Still a somewhat risky proposition compared to daylight. And be prepared for the temperature differences which might occur.

HID low beams, standard high beams, driving lights down below, and LEDs mounted below the mirrors. When everything is blazing at 3 in the morning it's almost daylight.

This is without the very bottom lights.

I LOVE night riding! But I also don't exceed the speed limits, and I drop 5 MPH each for "Dark, Deer, and Drizzle" as they occur. It's the joy of the ride, with no need to "BE" somewhere.
I have a "Candle Power" headlight and halogen bulb because the pattern is excellent; and some halogen spots low on the frame that are relayed into the high beam.Also,
I have a Windjammer fairing which is safer in the event of a glancing dance with critters, A friend attributes his survival of a deer at 80 with the fact the handle bars were not deflected in the altercation.
And I believe that the best way to avoid a deer strike is to aim for the hind-quarters because they aren't there by the time I get to that spot. (subject to various opposing opinions)

I know you like the dirt so you may want to think about keeping a small flashlight on you or taped to the side of your helmet. If you go down and the bike shuts off you can still find where it ended up. I know that sounds funny but until you go down on a moonless night and can't even see your hand in front of your face, you'll understand. If attached to your helmet its very easy to read a map too.

mikes old virago said:

aim for the hind-quarters

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and all this time I've been using firearms instead of motorcycles to hunt. no wonder I had such bad luck.

At sunrise & sunset, your shadow points at people that will have a hard time seeing you.

MacDaddy said:

I know you like the dirt so you may want to think about keeping a small flashlight on you or taped to the side of your helmet. If you go down and the bike shuts off you can still find where it ended up. I know that sounds funny but until you go down on a moonless night and can't even see your hand in front of your face, you'll understand. If attached to your helmet its very easy to read a map too.

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Good stuff.

If riding from daylight into darkness, dusk is a good time for a slightly extended break. Our pupils have not opened up yet.

duchess said:

Avoid it

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I'm with this

While riding at night to beat the heat may have appeal, the happy hour impaired driving party has already started. Motorcycles are invisible during the day, this doesn't improve at night.

The tone deaf public is already a hazard to deal with during daylight, staring at their phones and texting away. Add low light, alcohol (and weed), the phones again, at least realize what you're up against if the risk factor is within your window.

I've done a lot of night riding, but usually it's to get out of town and to an area with better roads.

Example...I've left DFW many times and ridden to around Clarksville or Russellville, Arkansas so I can ride good mountain twisties the next day and a bit lower heat than North Texas. On those trips, I'm doing highway so it's just a matter of not over-riding your vision and slowing your speed a bit.

I've also done some trail riding at night. Your biggest problem is vision around the corners and over uneven roads. If it's flat and straight and if you reduced your speed, you can create enough time in front of you to react as your headlights will give you a solid 50 yards of light and you'll have enough time to react if you keep the speed down.

Unfortunately, when you go around a corner or ride downhill into a dip, you can't see much with normal headlights until you are straight and flat again. As such, add auxilary lights that light up the sides and higher and lower than your headlights. You can't use these on the road, but they're super helpful off-road at night.

Other than that....your biggest problems will be getting lots of bugs on your helmet visor or windshield and the occasional animal that is in the middle of the road.

Riding at night can be fun. I prefer to ride with a buddy, but honestly, I do that in the day as well and for the same reasons. It's just good to have someone with you to enjoy it with and obviously you can help each other if something goes wrong.

Oh.....and it's not bad to carry a weapon either but maybe even a bit more important at night and off the beaten path as you never know what you're going to come across. Being a Texan and having met you, I assume you'll already be doing that anyway though.

Because of my work I mostly live at night. This means I not only ride to and from work but, also drive a commercial truck at night. While on the road, regardless of the vehicle i’m using, I have followed a few simple rules.

a. As Tourmiester said ride/drive like you’re invisible. This is even more important at night, regardless of the size of your vehicle.
b. If at all possible, never ride/drive in front of another vehicle but try to stay behind them.
c. Know the key signs of whether a driver is drunk/stoned or merely tired.
d. ride/drive knowing that you will share the road with drunks, the tired, truck drivers and those vacationers who have improperly packed their vehicles just to beat the morning rush.

All else is farely straight forward. Wear hi-vis reflective clothing, make sure all lights are working and that your visor is clean and streek free.

Rdslvr04 said:

...While on the road, regardless of the vehicle i’m using, I have followed a few simple rules.

b. If at all possible, never ride/drive in front of another vehicle but try to stay behind them.

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I don't think this is good advice. I do the EXACT opposite of this when on the bike. I do not feel safe riding behind any vehicle. Road debris kicked up in your path, semi's throwing their re-treads, lack of forward visibility over high trucks/SUVs, road condition only seen at last second, etc. I will either pass to get in front or fall way way back.

_

SilverBullet said:

I don't think this is good advice. I do the EXACT opposite of this when on the bike. I do not feel safe riding behind any vehicle. Road debris kicked up in your path, semi's throwing their re-treads, lack of forward visibility over high trucks/SUVs, road condition only seen at last second, etc. I will either pass to get in front or fall way way back.

_

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I think it is very specific to the road and conditions, and your ability to light up the world. I have had cars try to pass me in the middle of the night and when they pull up along side me and when I cut off the high beams and the driving lights they realize how much better off they are to stay behind me.

But if there is a lot of oncoming traffic and the car ahead of me is keeping a decent pace AND has good lighting I will ride behind them. And like you, I'll keep a good distance back.

I will NOT stay behind semi's though. I was behind a semi years ago coming out of Toltec AZ when he blew a trailer tire. I was showered with tire debris and was very happy to be in my El Camino and not on my Kawasaki.

"If at all possible, never ride/drive in front of another vehicle but try to stay behind them."

I do this. The leading vehicle is more visible to oncoming traffic (two headlights), a wider shape so their approaching speed is more apparent, and they can hit the deer, skunk, raccoon, cow, horse etc. first. It all depends on where a motorcyclist feels the most danger. I feel mine from animals and oncoming traffic. I do hang back maybe a hundred yards.

mikes old virago said:

And I believe that the best way to avoid a deer strike is to aim for the hind-quarters because they aren't there by the time I get to that spot. (subject to various opposing opinions)

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I read this yesterday. Goes along with the race-craft I learned when road racing and avoiding melees.

This morning, I was able to implement this axiom.

By the time I got there, the doe was 3 feet to the side.

Thanks for the reminder.

mikes old virago said:

And I believe that the best way to avoid a deer strike is to aim for the hind-quarters because they aren't there by the time I get to that spot. (subject to various opposing opinions)

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Julio Krispy Kreme On A Stick

This requires motionless, sedated deer on top of a stationary podium, and Graham Jarvis on the bike

I prefer backroads after dark, as there is less vehicles running without headlights. It's a lot more enjoyable when there are no thunderstorms, like coming home from the Roll The Bones at Rocky Creek. Headlights reflecting thru the rain drops on your goggles/glasses sure affects the ability to see down the road.

I use my bright at night- I made sure to get feedback from coworkers and friends that It’s not bright enough to blind them.


If you need to slow down tap your break a bunch to alert a driver behind you (I have my right mirror angled to see directly behind me)

Have fun! It’s completely different at night. It’s cooler(temperature wise) and everything looks different. You can mount your phone gps to get a heads up for curves if you’re unsure of up ahead turns. I haven’t had any issues yet.


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Living in Sugar Land, I just don't night ride: too risky. Growing up in Durango, CO in the sixties and seventies I rode my Honda Scrambler 175 all the time in the long summer evenings. It was a joy. That was a different time and place.

I have often been tempted to go for an evening ride. Traffic density does drop after rush hour. But, visibility decreases, and it seems the aggressive-distracted drivers, and drunks are out in force.

My summer riding is almost exclusively early morning, done by 11 AM at latest.