Riding your Motorcycle at Night
With the weekend for the door, it is more likely that we doing some night riding. Riding at night needs a different view. Some say it's like riding in a clear fog. All I know is, I absolutely hate it!No matter where you ride, visibility levels are always reduced to some extent. It's trickier to judge speed too.
Choosing your route really helps; main ones are usually brighter. But what you see, and how well you see it can be very different to the view in daylight. Spotting things at dawn and dusk is even harder. If it's wet or foggy you might want radar! In any event, it's often cooler and be can less grip.
Stuff you can view kilometers ahead in the day can stay hidden at night until you're right on top of it. Try riding a superbike fast down a dark, unlit, undulating backroad and you'll suddenly realize just how far ahead you need to see to stay safe. At night you can't, so knock off the pace.
Adjusting and cleaning your headlight will give you a better chance. The vast majority of motorcycle lights are pretty poor. That's not helped by the beam suddenly shooting off in a different direction when you brake, accelerate or throw the motorcycle into a corner. Holding onto the pass light to power both filaments together can help. Just be careful when you go back to a dipped beam and have to face the much darker view. And don't forget, at night your headlight blends in with all the others.
A clean clear visor is an absolute must. Wearing brighter or reflective kit and keeping a clean registration plate helps being seen, as does being in the right place on the road.
Many people are tired in the darker hours. A fair few can be drunk too, especially out in the countryside of the Northeastern Thai provinces where you'll also need to be prepared for wildlife, water-buffalo's and cows jumping out in front of you.
When you're in the dark, do everything you can to improve the view ahead. And never forget that it is not only dark for you, other road users have the same problems.
Tag: Gear Reflective-Kit Nightride Safety
