Total Motorcycle Community Forums

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

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."

Good luck,

Greg

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...

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.