jeffsen wrote:Thanks for all the advice. That was exactly what I was looking for. I kept my speed down a bit and utilized the high beam as much as possible. Sure enough, a cat ran across the road in front of me. It was far enough ahead not to cause a problem. It was a little unnerving a first, but once I settled in it was nice to cruise along w/o any traffic.
After living in the city of Phila for 6 years it still amazes me how busy the city is after midnight.
Thanks everyone. See you around.
the no traffic part where I live is one of the bigget reasons I love riding at night .
I was riding a cruiser for a while with broken turn signals, which got me in the habit of hand signaling. I went to REI, and they had these retro-reflective/velcro straps for a buck-or-two. I'd wear one on my left wrist to improve visibility. Might be a good thing for a backpack or even ankle to get more reflectivity. That stuff lights up like the 4th of July.
--Dave
Don't think of it as a stop light. Think of it as a chance-to-show-off light.
safety-boy wrote:I was riding a cruiser for a while with broken turn signals, which got me in the habit of hand signaling. I went to REI, and they had these retro-reflective/velcro straps for a buck-or-two. I'd wear one on my left wrist to improve visibility. Might be a good thing for a backpack or even ankle to get more reflectivity. That stuff lights up like the 4th of July.
--Dave
I use tirefly's . then again I have steel stems lol.
To add to the great advice you have been given, I would seriously consider getting some high visibility gear. I recently had the opportunity to interview a senior member of the armed forces for an upcoming article who explained the military's stance on motorcycle safety and it was an enlightening conversation. I had never given much thought to visibility at night, but he made a believer out of me. I also followed a soldier one night who was wearing the proper gear and I could see him or her about 100 times sooner in his or her reflective gear than I could if I depended solely on the tail lights. Since then, I never go out at night without my high vis reflective gear on. Remember the first thing out of a cage pilot's mouth when they hit a motorcyclist is "I didn't see them."
BLKNSLVR wrote:To add to the great advice you have been given, I would seriously consider getting some high visibility gear. I recently had the opportunity to interview a senior member of the armed forces for an upcoming article who explained the military's stance on motorcycle safety and it was an enlightening conversation. I had never given much thought to visibility at night, but he made a believer out of me. I also followed a soldier one night who was wearing the proper gear and I could see him or her about 100 times sooner in his or her reflective gear than I could if I depended solely on the tail lights. Since then, I never go out at night without my high vis reflective gear on. Remember the first thing out of a cage pilot's mouth when they hit a motorcyclist is "I didn't see them."
Good luck,
Greg
on top of that is one reason I have huge bright side lamps . One of the guys I work with followed me one night and said he could see me from a mile away .
jeffsen wrote:Just got my license this weekend and got my first bike on Monday. I have about a 22 mile commute to work and have 140 miles under my belt. Do any of you have any helpful advice for night riding?
Other than:
Don't override your headlight, what else should I be aware of?
Night riding?
Just remember ... it's a shadowy flight into the dangerous world ... of a man ... who does not exist ...
Oh, wait. Wrong Knight Rider...
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Have a lot of questions about motorcycling?
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I'm enjoying the night rides and have been putting the advice given to me into practice. Just got some highly reflective decals that I am going to put on my helmet. Should be a pretty slick look. Black flame decals on a black helmet. Decals are not visible during daylight, but light up like freakin' strobe light at night.
On vacation in the Outer Banks of NC for a week. Nice to get away, but no riding for a week . I'll be back out there on Sunday.
.
. I'll be back out there on Sunday.