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Tips for riding at night?

408Rider

408Rider

Newbie again
Joined
Apr 9, 2012
Location
San Jose
Moto(s)
'16 FZ-09
Name
Serg
So I've been riding for about three months, mostly commuting to school but I hit the twisties with a couple friends after work at least once a week (1 newb,1vet). Since we head up to the twisties after work at around 6:30 we sometimes get stuck riding back at night and it freaks me out. I've been learning a lot from my friend and Gary J's book on choosing lines and positioning and I think I'm progressing well I feel confident and not as nervous as before but when it gets dark I freak out sometimes. I slow way down and sometimes I feel like just pulling over and stopping.
Besides riding more at night, are there any tips for improving or tricks to make it easier? It's mostly the not being able to see far ahead that creeps me out. Just the fact that I don't know what's ahead? Do I just have to wait till I memorize the route or are there things I could do or steps I could take to get better?
 
408Rider said:
I feel like just pulling over and stopping.
Besides riding more at night, are there any tips for improving or tricks to make it easier? It's mostly the not being able to see far ahead that creeps me out. Just the fact that I don't know what's ahead? Do I just have to wait till I memorize the route or are there things I could do or steps I could take to get better?
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Don't ride faster than your lights go.

My :2cents on night riding:

- Wear bright colors and reflective gear. The brighter the better.

- Consider auxillary/driving lights

-If you are riding back roads at night, don't ride faster than the deer can jump in front of you. If you see one- there is usually more.
 
are you wearing a clear visor, or a smoked (tinted) visor?

are you on well lit roads? or the twisties in the dark?

shorten your ride? it's getting dark around 8pm now.
 
It helps (if there are several of you) to do this:

Ride close together (as during the day) and turn your HIGHBEAMS on.

Fold your mirrors IN or DOWN a tad - so the bike behind you doesn't blind you. :cool

This way you can ALL use the lights from in front and from behind to light the road/turns.

(Flick them off for oncoming traffic.)

If you feel blinded by oncoming cars, focus your eyes on the white (fog) line on the right side of the road.

Slow down. Deer and other critters are out. When there's one, there's more.

I prefer to follow a car - let them light the way, AND be the deer-catcher!
(Don't tailgate too close - so they don't feel that you want to pass them.)


Three months is not enough time to be comfy at night - it's normal.
Don't feel pressured by your vet friend to go faster than your comfort level; he ought to understand.

Even roads I know by heart become totally "new" and different in the dark!

:teeth
Yana:banana
 
machete said:
are you wearing a clear visor, or a smoked (tinted) visor?

are you on well lit roads? or the twisties in the dark?

shorten your ride? it's getting dark around 8pm now.
Click to expand...

I'm wearing a clear visor and it's usually on twisties so not very well lit. Maybe cutting a little short would help.
 
Thanks for the tips, I'm always looking out for deer. I'm gonna try the "group high beams" thing. As for now I'll try to make it home earlier but at least now I know I'm not the only one that slows way down at night
 
Slowing down at night is normal, I drop to 70% pace when the sun goes down on the back roads. Keep in mind that conditions change rapidly at night- the temperature is dropping, dew is accumulating, animals are becoming active, drinkers are drinking, etc... It is a good time to be extra cautious.
 
You could also invest in some brighter headlights depending on your bike. I know on my Ninja I've put some Silverstars in. They don't last quite as long as OEM lights, but hey, for brighter night riding I think it's worth it.
 
Don't ride wheelies if there is alot of fog at night :)
 
Also, if you are going out with friends, make sure you ride your own ride.

That should be always the case, but especially at night for a novice rider.
 
Test this out by driving down from Mount Hamilton after the sun is down. If you didn't sweat during that drive then you are ready for night time twisties driving -- something I only do if I really have to. Too many things could go wrong in pitch dark.
 
I got Aux fender mounted headlights, hyperlites aux flashing LED brake lights, and I wear highly visible gear. CLear visor for night riding, and wear warm clothing so you're comfortable.

Also don't feel the need to bomb down the freeway...you want to get home safe, so give yourself a little extra time to get places.
 
weekend before last, I was going uphill on Alpine and then downhill on Page Mill around 6pm-ish when it got dark unexpectedly. Thought I was going blind or something. It was a solar eclipse.
 
If there's on thing I'm good at is riding my own ride! ;) good thing or else I would have for sure wrecked by now. I have thought about upgrading my lights. Is it expensive?
 
Night Riding

Remember that folks in cars can't tell how far away your are with just one headlight on. Slow down, watch out for deer as they like to wait until you are right on them before darting out. Brake sooner. Watch out for debris on the highway as you can't see it until you're right on it.
 
}Dragon{ said:
It depends how fancy you wanna get or how big your wallet is.
Click to expand...
Indeed.

When you ride the curves don't get lit up as well as when you're driving a car.

The best lighting upgrade for your motorcycle is to replace it with a BMW K1600GT.
[youtube]7vNESfn3nYw[/youtube]

I went a slightly cheaper route on my current bike: Twisted Throttle Denali D2 lights. They come with wide and narrow beam lenses. I have one of each installed, and I can see further around corners than I could without them.
 
One other thing is, how old is your headlight bulb? They dim over time. A new bulb might be nice. Also, Philips Vision Plus bulbs are brighter than most bulbs and, at least to me, worth the extra cost. As an over 40 rider with very bad vision and eyes that don't focus as quickly as they use to I avoid riding at night like the plague. Oh, and while it would be cool to add auxiliary lights I don't think your Kawi can produce the juice to power those. I have Piaa driving and fog lights. When you turn them on at night they can knock down small children. I love them since I am old.
 
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