Riding at night
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,603
Likes: 0
From: Long Island
RE: Riding at night
I agree w/ bosnmate's post.Riding aloneadds to the risk. You really have to be alert riding alone, especially on the highway. It doesn't stop me, I just enjoy the day riding a lot more.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,548
Likes: 4
From: Southern California
RE: Riding at night
I avoid night riding as much as possible.
I remember reading somewhere that one's sense of oncoming speed is altered under night conditions.
People who don't have enough sense to judge speed during the day are even worse at night. The guy who pulls out from the curb or side street too late during the day to give you room now gives you even less room at night.
Then factoring in fatigue, both mine and the other guys, I prefer to keep my riding to daylight hours.
Primo
I remember reading somewhere that one's sense of oncoming speed is altered under night conditions.
People who don't have enough sense to judge speed during the day are even worse at night. The guy who pulls out from the curb or side street too late during the day to give you room now gives you even less room at night.
Then factoring in fatigue, both mine and the other guys, I prefer to keep my riding to daylight hours.
Primo
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 1
From:
RE: Riding at night
Pete,
I see you are up in Mass. We have to worry about deer down here.. but YOU have to worry about Moose! Ride slower, and with your spot lights on. You'll be OK. It's just like learning to ride the first time in the daylight. You didn't just pick the bike up at the dealer and hit the highway, or sharp twisties. It is easier to see a bike at night, but some cagers don't pay any attention anytime. They usually have a cell phone in their ear, or a big mac in their mouth.
There have been many times that I thought the sunset was just too beautiful to miss... so I would head west until the sun went down, pull over to figure out where I was, and then head east with the full moon rising. It's a great experience. Just give it time. One night, you won't even think anything of it. It will just be a natural thing to do.
I see you are up in Mass. We have to worry about deer down here.. but YOU have to worry about Moose! Ride slower, and with your spot lights on. You'll be OK. It's just like learning to ride the first time in the daylight. You didn't just pick the bike up at the dealer and hit the highway, or sharp twisties. It is easier to see a bike at night, but some cagers don't pay any attention anytime. They usually have a cell phone in their ear, or a big mac in their mouth.
There have been many times that I thought the sunset was just too beautiful to miss... so I would head west until the sun went down, pull over to figure out where I was, and then head east with the full moon rising. It's a great experience. Just give it time. One night, you won't even think anything of it. It will just be a natural thing to do.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 767
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
RE: Riding at night
I posted about this before, but I was going from my parents' house in Elkhart, IN back to Chicago at night on the interslab. My then gf was on the back. We missed a huge raccoon at about 80 mph by about 6 inches. I don't know if the gf saw it (I didn't see it until we were nearly on top of it), but I can tell you, the experience scared me more than it scared the raccoon. I'd hate to have a close call with anything bigger than a grasshopper.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,290
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Riding at night
I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years, I've rode all
over Canada and U.S.
I have rode alot at night and the best advice I can give you is:
Fill your saddle bags with as many horse shoes as you can get
because night riding like night driving is 90% LUCK and 10%
SKILL!!
I look at it this way before I night ride or drive, I'm I feeling
lucky tonight, or am I not feeling lucky to night"
Sorry if it is not the answer your looking for, but at least it is
the 100% honest truth!!
Any time you ride or drive there can be something out there
day or night that is WAY BEYOND your control and it then
becomes a matter of how lucky you are that day!
I'll give you some examples:
Last Feb. riding in the rain pulling our Lees-ure-Lite camper
behind our Goldwing I hit 1,000 gallons of oil I could not see
under the water. We went down in 4 lanes of rush hour traffic
at 75MPH and no 18 wheelers or cars ran us over while we
were sliding in the middle of traffic on our backs! By all rights
we should have been killed in that crash, instead we were just
...................LUCKY........VERY LUCKY"
Then between Christmas and New Years I rode down the street
in front of my house to the store (at night) going the speed limit
45MPH when a guy came flying out of a car lot (very dark) car
lot that sits about 30 feet lower then the street, he came out of
the black air born at high speed right at me, I was on the brakes
heading for the curb (for all the good that was doing) when he
slid sideways across 2 out of 4 lanes when he touched down and
he left me about 2 1/2 feet between his car and the curb before
he got traction again so he could go forward and just miss me.
I found out later he had robbed the car lot and that near wreck
was his get away!
Skill? NOT HARDLY just plain old GOOD LUCK both times,
after 40+ years of riding I can tell you a bunch more like these,
but I just want you to understand that some days (or nights) it
is all about luck if you come home unhurt and not dead!
So ride on, day or night, just make darn sure your listening to
your intuition and your gut before heading out on your ride!
Other then that have FUN and enjoy the moment because life
is very truely,very short my friend!
over Canada and U.S.
I have rode alot at night and the best advice I can give you is:
Fill your saddle bags with as many horse shoes as you can get
because night riding like night driving is 90% LUCK and 10%
SKILL!!
I look at it this way before I night ride or drive, I'm I feeling
lucky tonight, or am I not feeling lucky to night"
Sorry if it is not the answer your looking for, but at least it is
the 100% honest truth!!
Any time you ride or drive there can be something out there
day or night that is WAY BEYOND your control and it then
becomes a matter of how lucky you are that day!
I'll give you some examples:
Last Feb. riding in the rain pulling our Lees-ure-Lite camper
behind our Goldwing I hit 1,000 gallons of oil I could not see
under the water. We went down in 4 lanes of rush hour traffic
at 75MPH and no 18 wheelers or cars ran us over while we
were sliding in the middle of traffic on our backs! By all rights
we should have been killed in that crash, instead we were just
...................LUCKY........VERY LUCKY"
Then between Christmas and New Years I rode down the street
in front of my house to the store (at night) going the speed limit
45MPH when a guy came flying out of a car lot (very dark) car
lot that sits about 30 feet lower then the street, he came out of
the black air born at high speed right at me, I was on the brakes
heading for the curb (for all the good that was doing) when he
slid sideways across 2 out of 4 lanes when he touched down and
he left me about 2 1/2 feet between his car and the curb before
he got traction again so he could go forward and just miss me.
I found out later he had robbed the car lot and that near wreck
was his get away!
Skill? NOT HARDLY just plain old GOOD LUCK both times,
after 40+ years of riding I can tell you a bunch more like these,
but I just want you to understand that some days (or nights) it
is all about luck if you come home unhurt and not dead!
So ride on, day or night, just make darn sure your listening to
your intuition and your gut before heading out on your ride!
Other then that have FUN and enjoy the moment because life
is very truely,very short my friend!
Thread Starter
|
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 9,335
Likes: 13
From: MA
RE: Riding at night
YIKES!! Scary stuff, but thanks for sharing.
ORIGINAL: 211Chuck
I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years, I've rode all
over Canada and U.S.
I have rode alot at night and the best advice I can give you is:
Fill your saddle bags with as many horse shoes as you can get
because night riding like night driving is 90% LUCK and 10%
SKILL!!
I look at it this way before I night ride or drive, I'm I feeling
lucky tonight, or am I not feeling lucky to night"
Sorry if it is not the answer your looking for, but at least it is
the 100% honest truth!!
Any time you ride or drive there can be something out there
day or night that is WAY BEYOND your control and it then
becomes a matter of how lucky you are that day!
I'll give you some examples:
Last Feb. riding in the rain pulling our Lees-ure-Lite camper
behind our Goldwing I hit 1,000 gallons of oil I could not see
under the water. We went down in 4 lanes of rush hour traffic
at 75MPH and no 18 wheelers or cars ran us over while we
were sliding in the middle of traffic on our backs! By all rights
we should have been killed in that crash, instead we were just
...................LUCKY........VERY LUCKY"
Then between Christmas and New Years I rode down the street
in front of my house to the store (at night) going the speed limit
45MPH when a guy came flying out of a car lot (very dark) car
lot that sits about 30 feet lower then the street, he came out of
the black air born at high speed right at me, I was on the brakes
heading for the curb (for all the good that was doing) when he
slid sideways across 2 out of 4 lanes when he touched down and
he left me about 2 1/2 feet between his car and the curb before
he got traction again so he could go forward and just miss me.
I found out later he had robbed the car lot and that near wreck
was his get away!
Skill? NOT HARDLY just plain old GOOD LUCK both times,
after 40+ years of riding I can tell you a bunch more like these,
but I just want you to understand that some days (or nights) it
is all about luck if you come home unhurt and not dead!
So ride on, day or night, just make darn sure your listening to
your intuition and your gut before heading out on your ride!
Other then that have FUN and enjoy the moment because life
is very truely,very short my friend!
I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years, I've rode all
over Canada and U.S.
I have rode alot at night and the best advice I can give you is:
Fill your saddle bags with as many horse shoes as you can get
because night riding like night driving is 90% LUCK and 10%
SKILL!!
I look at it this way before I night ride or drive, I'm I feeling
lucky tonight, or am I not feeling lucky to night"
Sorry if it is not the answer your looking for, but at least it is
the 100% honest truth!!
Any time you ride or drive there can be something out there
day or night that is WAY BEYOND your control and it then
becomes a matter of how lucky you are that day!
I'll give you some examples:
Last Feb. riding in the rain pulling our Lees-ure-Lite camper
behind our Goldwing I hit 1,000 gallons of oil I could not see
under the water. We went down in 4 lanes of rush hour traffic
at 75MPH and no 18 wheelers or cars ran us over while we
were sliding in the middle of traffic on our backs! By all rights
we should have been killed in that crash, instead we were just
...................LUCKY........VERY LUCKY"
Then between Christmas and New Years I rode down the street
in front of my house to the store (at night) going the speed limit
45MPH when a guy came flying out of a car lot (very dark) car
lot that sits about 30 feet lower then the street, he came out of
the black air born at high speed right at me, I was on the brakes
heading for the curb (for all the good that was doing) when he
slid sideways across 2 out of 4 lanes when he touched down and
he left me about 2 1/2 feet between his car and the curb before
he got traction again so he could go forward and just miss me.
I found out later he had robbed the car lot and that near wreck
was his get away!
Skill? NOT HARDLY just plain old GOOD LUCK both times,
after 40+ years of riding I can tell you a bunch more like these,
but I just want you to understand that some days (or nights) it
is all about luck if you come home unhurt and not dead!
So ride on, day or night, just make darn sure your listening to
your intuition and your gut before heading out on your ride!
Other then that have FUN and enjoy the moment because life
is very truely,very short my friend!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,030
Likes: 177
From: Tipp City, Ohio
RE: Riding at night
I ride but am very cautious about deer. I don't worry about cars that much at night because we are more visible at night. I seldom ride in the city, day or night.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 610
Likes: 1
From: Northern Maryland
RE: Riding at night
I enjoy the night. I rather do my boating at night. It is much more relaxing. Riding at night scares me because of one thing, DEER. I hate those MFers. They are like a bunch of terrorist. They want to kill you, but you nerver know when.
