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Riding at Night
It’s
hot… at least that’s what several topics have been
about in our forums lately… some of them more colorful
than others, but that’s best left alone.
With it being so hot during the day, many folks ride at
night when it’s cooler.
There are lots of folks who have a simple rule about
riding at night—they don’t. Me… well, I ride at
night all the time. I actually like it, but riding at
night is much different than riding during the day.
It's difficult to judge distance in the darkness, both
for you and for other drivers. People rely on shadows
and light contrasts to determine the distance and speed
of oncoming objects, and these contrasts are distorted
or missing at night.
The obvious thing is to have good lighting. Our first
problem is that we have one headlight. One thing you
should do is use your high beam whenever you're not
following or approaching an oncoming vehicle.
You can also add auxiliary lights. And, you are much
more noticeable with three lights compared to a single
headlight.
Another option is to replace your headlamp bulb with a
super bright DOT approved model. I use a PIAA bulb on my
motorcycle. The reality is that they do not last as long
as “stock” bulbs (at least in my experience), but
PIAA has a one-year warranty, and they are really good
about honoring it (so keep your receipt).
You can also check your headlight aiming angle. I found
the following on one of the Web sites I reference below:
Check your state regulation on aiming. Raise the beam to
the maximum angle allowed by your state. You can do this
without special tools by uprighting your bike and
casting the headlight on the wall of your garage.
Measure from the ground to the exact center of your
headlight, then adjust the beam projected on the wall
(high beam). A rule of thumb is to drop 2" for
every 10 feet, but you should check with your state to
conform with their regulations.
And as important as it is to see, it is just as
important to be seen.
First off, beware that other drivers have a hard time
spotting your headlight and taillight due to the glare
from stronger lights on other vehicles. The addition of
driving lights (as mentioned above) will help.
I’ve also noticed since I installed my Brake! LED
Flashing tail light, folks stop further away than with a
plain-vanilla tail light bulb.
Most ATGATT has reflective stripes built in. Not all of
it does obviously, but if you’re going to ride at
night, it’s something you might want to consider.
You can add reflective tape to your bike. Most truck
stops have the red and white kind for about $10. It must
be expensive to make (or I got screwed), but I’ve seen
it in many places, and it’s always about $10. Anyway,
I have it on all sides of my panniers, and it is very
reflective at night.
You can also purchase reflective decals to add to your
helmet. Brewer gave me an “ADV” sticker that I
affixed to the back of my helmet, and I have reflective
“GS” stickers on the side.
In addition to being able to see and be seen, here are a
few more tidbits to consider:
Oncoming traffic is easier to spot, but don’t take
this for granted. Cars parked on the side of the road
can be rendered invisible under certain light
conditions.
Reduce your speed at night, especially on roads you
don't know well. Keep in mind that if there's something
lying in the road ahead, you might not spot it until
you're right on top of it.
Follow other vehicles at a greater distance, leave more
space around you, and allow yourself more room to pass
safely when riding at night.
And I didn’t say anything about critters, but obvious
critters at night are a concern. Here’s
Safety Topic #3, which was on “Deer.”
And finally, if you are one of those folks who rides at
night, I would try to avoid riding late on Saturday
night and early Sunday when drunken drivers may be on
the road. Obviously it goes without saying that you
shouldn't drink and ride.
Be Safe!
References:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7893_ride-motorcycle-safely.html
http://www.whybike.com/motorcycle218.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Safely-Ride-a-Motorcycle-at-Night |
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