If you are a new rider or a rider who wants to continue to grow (That should be all of us ;) ) and you are not a Member at MCrider you are missing out on the best part of MCrider. Go to www.MCrider.com/Member and get access to the Forums and Field Guide. - The Forum is an active, friendly place where riders share riding tips, ideas, travel photos, and show off their new motorcycles. Riders and instructors from all over the world are active on the forums and ready to share in the adventure with you. - The Field Guide is a section of the forums that have very specific training exercises that you can work on in any open parking lot to develop your riding skills. In addition to these resources, you can discuss every MCrider video, suggest future training videos, read and share gear reviews, and more. By becoming a member you help support MCrider and keep the weekly videos coming but you also get access to a world of riders who share tips and techniques to help us all enjoy the ride and increase our skills. www.MCrider.com/Member
you probably dont care at all but does someone know a trick to get back into an instagram account..? I somehow lost the password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Shawn Alejandro thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out atm. Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
In Swedish military they teach a method for avoiding light blindness. When the car approaches (before the light blinds you), close one eye. When the car has passed open it again and you have at least one good eye to scan the road ahead with sinsce the closed eye retains its light sensitivity. Thanks for another great episode!
The tip on keeping your speed low enough to be able to stop within a viewing distance. Not long ago I had to ride at night through a countryside on a very poor road with so many potholes that I had to use all my skills I had practiced on a parking lot. It was my fault that I failed to plan the trip to finish it in daytime (going back in daylight was so much easier being able to see all the road far ahead), so I had to go through that trial. 50 miles of that road took me about 4 or 5 hours to get through. Quite a few cars passed me, but I didn't dare to go faster, because any of those potholes could be my last if I didn't see it early enough at speed. So I kept it slow and steady and got to my destination safe and sound although very tired (add 5 hours of road trip before that crazy rollercoaster ride). Another thing to remember is that when a road winds not only left and right but also up and down, your headlight patch jumps forward and backward constantly. So you have to adjust speed all the time, when you climb a hill, you have no idea what's behind it, because your headlight points to the sky until you roll over the top. When riding in the city at night it's important to remember, that car drivers don't see you. 99% of them won't recognize that single headlight as a motorcycle. Even at broad daylight most car drivers don't notice motorbikes but at night it's safer to assume that absolutely nobody can see you and act accordingly. P.S. And a bonus tip. If you find yourself riding in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness. Take a moment to stop, shut down your engine and lights and admire the stars in the night sky. Those gems can't be seen as clearly with street lights of the cities around you.
Here we contend with wild turkeys cows coyotes deer Day time 2 ounce flying beetles bee swarms snakes Always ambitious CHP Officers illegal aliens drunk Indians wondering tweekers..unsupervised welfare kids.. dogs.. Best of all.. don't drink.. Honest to drunk officer I promise I am not god. ;) Be cool be smart be safe. Thanks ..
@@BigJake4739 dude I was literally about to say that the stars section made the post worth it. It’s too easy to just speed through life and not take time to enjoy it
I prefer night riding: less traffic and much more quiet. I ride through city/ deer country and drive accordingly. All of your tips are required for safe riding and agree with all of them. Keep up the good work, Kevin: much appreciated! :)
Hi Kevin, another great post, thank you! I flew as a professional pilot for 10 years, and here are another few tips: If you have the option to do so, plan your night ride to be done on a cloudless night and also one with a full moon. It's amazing how much light the moon can give off. Also, if you know you're going to be riding at night, make sure to protect your eyes well during the day, heavy sunglasses for example, this will improve your natural night vision. Finally, if you have the luxury to do so, plan your route using known, well lit roads rather than black back roads. God bless and stay safe!
One way to avoid staring into the incoming headlights is to point your eyesight for a moment towards the right side edge of the road. It helps against blindness and you can still observe what’s going on around you with your peripheral vision.
That's why fog lines were invented. It's not ideal, but you can keep yourself on the road without being blinded by the headlights on the other side of the road.
My tip is, being hydrated and rested so that your eyes don't produce any film that may cause your eyes to smudge incoming light sources creating a halo effect. If you find yourself blinking a lot at night, then one or both of those is probably off kilter.
Hey MC. My wife gave me a Cosmo Connected for Christmas. Fantastic! It's an extra LED lamp that attaches to the back of most helmets. It contains an accelerometer so when you decelerate, it lights up like a brake lamp. Really useful in the Winter or for tailgaters. There are several settings for it. I keep mine lit permanently and it shines brighter when I decelerate. You can connect it to your smartphone for more info and options. It will even contact the emergency services if it detects an accident impact. It's designed and made here in France. Not sure about US availability but it's certainly extremely useful for me here in heavy morning and evening traffic. Happy 2019! Keep those vids coming!
I try to never ride at night period. To many chances to hit dear in Indiana. It’s bad enough in the day. But I love to ride. 11,700 miles from March until Oct 10th this year.
Where I live the deer are all over and I also gave up riding at night because of that. It's just too risky. I don't think I know of too many people who live in my area that haven't hit a least one deer with a car. I just don't want to chance that on a bike.
0:49 Bright screen on your dash should also be a point to mention that it reduce your low light sensitivity. I'm considering to change my dash backlight from bright white LEDs to red ones to help just a little more.
I always turn stuff off or brightness down for that same reason. I'd never drive a tesla because of that dangerous central light where you have to look for heater/aircon controls, stereo etc.
Kevin at MCRiders...thanks for the tips on night riding. After 50 years of driving and riding, my simple rule of thumb is to reduce my speed by around 20%. I would still reach where I planned to go. Your tips are superb. Thanks.
I love riding below 55 mph for reg. riding. Fog speed is not above stopping distance. Deer take a full 2 seconds to realize that we are a danger, if you go below 55 you greatly reduce the risk of hitting deer.
Agree with all of this - I would also reiterate that whenever it's possible I will just pull over and lose my follower if they are getting remotely close. That way if I have to use my limited stopping distance they don't plow into me and the deer. It also keeps me from feeling any pressure to move faster than I want to. They have four wheels to hit the potholes I have one and then my butt. Plus I'm with Yuri - night rides are some of the sweetest and it's great to spend a few moments at the side of the road drinking it all in.
I also avoid riding at night whenever possible. But if I get caught out there for a short time before arriving home or a destination I find my eyes are also very affected by oncoming car lights. Especially the newer cars with hid and LED lights. They pose a much more problem for me than the traditional halogen car lights. So what I've done to help with that situation is use my left hand to block the light as the car approaches and maintain the angle that blocks the light until it's past. I found that doing this blocks the light from my eyes and I can still see the road in front where I need to go.
Even in a car I find it helps with high beams coming at me to keep my focus on the white line along the side of the road. Anybody else find that works?
Night-time and bikes don't mix well at all. I haven't ridden at night in decades: the kangaroos are an absolute menace! Best advice I could add, be you in the city or in the country, is to forget about the speed limit, and just take it real easy, and never be tempted to consume alcohol and then ride (day or night). All good advice Kevin... great video.
i get this advice in person all the time too. Which is great, useful and practical advice for me since I live far from public transport and have no vehicle but my scooter :< RE: Kangaroos though - in Canberra I actually found it better to ride at night IF the alternative was the tail end of the afternoon where they were active.
Point taken Ben, late afternoon is by far the worst time for roos. I live across the road from a wetland, and late afternoon is when they migrate over the road to my place. Over the years, I have seen quite a number of cars come to grief. If you were on a bike, you'd probably be history. Anyway, I have made it to 57 by always being aware of my limitations. Stay safe.
Hello! , I drive 50 kms every day to my work and back another 50 kms, sometimes at night in complete darkness, what I do is not drive more than 60 kms / hr, all the way, I install a bicycle light type white and red strobe in the back, buy it in gearbest for $ 10 usd brand xanes, but above all slow and very disciplined driving not to exceed that speed
Where I live in San Bernardino California, the traffic is so severe coupled with how inconsiderate people here are to MC riders during prime traffic (day light) it is much safer for a beginner rider to practice and ride at night . The streets are very well lit up anyways .
A random tap of the brake to light up your rear never hurts and reflective tape on all sides and helmet. I have black tape that isn't visible in the day but is bright when lights hit it.
Yeah, agreed. Given all the colors available, there's no reason to not add reflective tape. My bike "lights up" like a Christmas Tree. As a side benefit, it makes finding camp much easier after a call to nature 😉
Always good to check how far you have to press the rear brake until it lights up. On mine, I have to press it pretty far down. On the front brake, it lights up with the slightest touch.
I love your tips for staying alive. Also the statistics, almost 1 in four fatalities is at night and half of those have been drinking. Ride during daylight when possible and don't drink and drive and your chances of survival are greatly increased.
@Trevor Johnson Believe it or not when I wrote my comment that actually crossed my mind. Kind t scary someone else thinks like me. However, I think most people know the reality is at night you are less visable and perhaps a higher percentage of impaired riders and probably more deaths per bikers on the road during at night. I have always thought the same way about 1 in 3 deaths on the road are caused by drunk drivers. We need to get all those sober drivers off the road.
I always try to avoid riding roads for the first time at night. I like to scope out conditions of an unfamiliar road during daylight hours before hitting them at night. Excellent tips!
You have a whole lot of bikers who sang ride to drink drink to ride that's what they live by down here in Florida they say we have no curves on the roads but the drunken Harley Rider seem to find the ones that we do have and then run off the road and hit a tree
If 1 in 4 fatalities occur at night and 50% involve alcohol. That means that 75% occur the remainder of the time. If I’m not mistaking, by that logic it’s mathematically safer to ride at night with roughly 12.5% of the fatalities not involving alcohol. While I still believe night riding to be more dangerous visually, it seems like it might actually be more safe in some ways based on fatality statistics alone. Just a random thought. Be safe out there. Two wheels down.✌️
A trick I always use, but especially efficient at night' is swerving in my lane, making sure my headlight lights up the uncoming driver or the one looking to cut in my lane... They know I'm there ! (No high beam required) Otherwise I love riding downtown late at night with very little cars around. Sober of course.
I like the idea of starting a trip early in the day, 4 or 5 AM or so. Lighter traffic & I am at my freshest and best status of alertness. I often do a 600 mile day (12 hrs at an average overall speed of 50 mph, actually driving at close to the speed limit. This allows time for fuel etc ( for both me and the bike). Ending the day at approximately 5PM permits an evening meal very near my usual dinnertime. Setting up camp ( if camping) is easier with the sun than without. Checking the machine (T-clock for example). A shower, a good night’s sleep & repeat. Riding into darkness fatigued after a long day on the road is risky & foolish. Understand your body & don’t make foolish decisions while it’s late & you are beat.
5 weeks ago just after it got dark, 8:30, give or take, i was sitting at a red light and got rear ended. the car was blowing thru the light. the bike with me on it flew about 40 feet. it hurt bad. for 3 days all i could think of was that i wasn't dead or in a wheelchair. now i am doing physical therapy and getting movement back. the pain is less and hopefully will go away. i started riding back in 70/71, it has been with me a long time. now i don't think i will get back on a motorcycle, it hurt very badly and i am so very lucky. the worst that happened that night was that driver took motorcycles away from me
Thanks for the reminder to scan all side when like a sitting duck while waiting at the signal /light to change -perhaps rather use the side while waiting and not the centre.
Me toooo!!! I keep these in every bike and the car. Not just useful at night, but, rainy days, fog and in the car up north here they are great on snowy days.
Yep. With super bright LED and ultra blue low beams standard on every truck, SUV and sports car today, I'm blinded on two lane switchbacks without them. I carry the motorcycle type with a gasket, so I can leave even my clear visor open on steamy or fog my helmet nights.
I avoid riding at night when ever possible, but I do often start a trip before daylight. Years ago, most drivers would dim their hi-beams for other oncoming drivers, but now many of them aren't so courteous, so it's just one more reason I try not to ride or drive at night.
I've noticed the same in New Zealand but I'm not convinced that's the case. A lot of idiots and sissies drive larger vehicles (many of them men trying to make up for something else being smaller I suspect), and these vehicles have quite bright headlights even on low beam. The extra height amplifies anything that may lower the rear of the vehicle pushing the light further down the road
Hi Kevin, I also use reflective riding gloves. If cars are coming up on me, I’ll raise my left hand and meeting cars can see them. It does help, l think. Enjoy the videos.
A deer ran out in front of my SUV and I slowed down, then the stupid effing deer turned around and ran toward me. He tried jumping over my SUV, slammed into the windshield, and rolled off the right hand side. After that, every time I drive at night I do the same as you. Find someone to follow and use them as a shield. It’s not perfect as with my luck the deer would just plan for the opening between me and the car in front of me, but it makes me feel a little more secure. Also worried about the deer being hit by the car in front of me, making the deer fly over the top of that car and into my face while riding my motorcycle. I hate riding at night!
I ride at night a lot and here are my recommendations: - reflective rim tape; I use the one by seller CustomTaylor33 for $34. More expensive than others but it's highly reflective. - reflective band around the base of your helmet: MFI Halo band for $20 - a stripe of UV-blocking vinyl that attaches on top of your clear visor, so no tinted visor is needed during the day: "The Original" Helmet Sunblocker for $17 - a high quality LED replacement that works well enough with your existing headlight reflectors: H3 LED Headlight by ADV Monster for $45; 4,800 lumens @ 2.2 Amps and has heat sink bands instead of a fan.
HI Mc, Many decades ago I used to ride with a friend that was an Optometrist. He gave me perhaps one of the best presents I ever got. He gave me a non prescription pair of polycarbonate glasses with what is now referred to as transition lenses (they used to be called photo grey extra lenses) in a nice aviator style frame. These are the lenses that turn into sunglasses during the day and automatically lighten into clear lenses at night. This way you can always have what you need in one pair of glasses for eye protection. My friend has passed away, but I have replaced the original pair several times at some of the local optical stores. If you are using a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet this is a great option and it is also fantastic with some of the full face models. I hope this is well received by you and your viewers.
I positioned my right auxiliary light farther to the right than the recommendations; therefore, lighting up the side ditch. I have fog lights on my highway bars and I have rotated them up more than the recommendations to give me more light down the road and more visibility to on-coming traffic. I up-graded my rear turn signals to remain on like running lights and added a "tracer light bar" under my license plate to get people's attention. I added adhesive reflector tape around the bike to increase visibility and changed my bulbs to PIAA Extreme White.
Man, can’t thank you enough for what I’ve learned from you. Some things you’d think would be common sense, but they’re not unless you have the experience.
I agree with everything you said on this subject, and like several of your commenters, I try to avoid riding at night. The headlight on the1993 CB250 that I have isn't the greatest, and replacement headlights cost more than the bike. I do find it ironic that there are motorcyclist that are the complete antithesis of what you said in this video. They wear black at night; they replace their turn signals, headlights, taillight, mirrors, etc. with the smallest things possible; then they complain that no one sees motorcycles! I don't get it.
James Bongiovanni I agree with you 100% on the "unseen" riders. Then you see their "Motorcycles are everywhere" stickers on their vehicle in bright contrasting colors, so you can see the sticker. Then climb back on the black bike with all black clothing and tiny lights!
When discussing your bike's stopping distance, and how far your headlight shines, don't forget to factor in reaction time. By the time you notice and identify an object on the road, then decide you must stop and/or turn to miss it, many yards of your stopping distance have typically gone by, reducing how much room you have left to not hit the object. When choosing accessory lighting, be sure to get lights that have a narrow projection beam of light, and have them aimed properly so they're focused on the road ahead, and not blinding the eyes of oncoming drivers. When aiming your lights, the measurement of the centre of your headlight must be taken with you on the bike and loading the suspension. An inch or two in how your headlights are aimed can mean the difference between whether oncoming drivers are blinded or not by your lights.
Thing is I LOVE riding at night lol. It's kinda therapeutic after the stressful workday. There's less traffic on the road, the temp is cooler, and you get a whole different set of sights and smells. The town seems completely different. Can tell when someone is grilling, or have a bonfire going. Granted, I live in a city of around 25000 people so it's different for me than in places like Dallas. Love cruising around town at night...but I really wouldn't want to cruise around in the countryside at night as there's a ton of deer in the farmland around the town I'm in. Stay sober, be hyper aware of your surroundings and any traffic that you come across, make sure your your bike and equipment is properly setup and enjoy the ride!
As an addition to the excellent points listed, I add these inexpensive fireflies (tiny LEDs that screws to your Tyre valves) to the front and back wheels of my bike. Cars would notice you from a mile away.
Don't hesitate to use the horn, light flashing is OKAY but if you're in the intersection, it's NOT a bad idea to use the horn. I am in Philippines so the road conditions are hostile compared to what most are used to, traffic laws are non existent in some areas, so you have to be full on defensive driving every single time. Night time is especially dangerous here, I got a Versys 650 for extra lights, it does annoy some drivers and they DO try to blind you but it's either that or hoping the roads don't have giant holes, which lol is common here. (rainy season + poor road construction = hell holes).
Video Information Yep, I agree. I'm Filipino, but I grew up and live in America...Asawa ko mula sa Pampanga. Ito nakakatakot sumakay sa Pilipinas, for foreigners that aren't used to it. Ingat ka.
As a nomad rider in the Philippines I agree, abd road conditions are tertible sometimes, unexpected road works, potholes....totally different from the Netherlands
In Thailand lights are flashed as a warning to get out of the way. In UK and Australia lights are flashed as a courtesy to go. Completely the opposite. Beware!
I commute on mine as well, when the sun isn’t quite up/ or down that 30-45 minute time span before or after sunrise/sunset I run with the high beams still on ( providing I’m not meeting any cars) it really helps spotting the deer, their eyes reflect really well. Like I said even though it’s lightish they may blend in the weeds etc...
I have a 2018 Roadmaster with fog lights that project off to the sides quite a bit. Living in Wisconsin this is more important for deer than projecting farther down the road. LEDs are definitely the way to go.
As a fellow Cheesehead (in Chippewa county), I'm about to install an LED "Spotlight" bar on my Honda Shadow (I hope they're not really "spot" lights) and I'll be aiming them up and out for the antlered bike killers and to see around curves.
I changed my front turn signal/ dunking lights to LED switchback bulbs. They are brought white when in running, the switch to amber for turn signal. They help with additional visibility. Still trying to find a good LED headlight bulb. The first one would not light up pay the end of the driveway so I switched back to my sylvania bulb.
I ride in Thailand - things are a little different here... I only ride at night in Bangkok. Riding up-country is way too scary and I've only done it twice in nearly 30 years here, even with nearly 4,000 lumens up-front. I use the sides of cars as mirrors to see down a line of traffic. Here, lane-splitting is legal, and as the traffic is ridiculously bad, the only option. If you position yourself where the car in front can see you, you can also see along the side of the cars in front. When someone brakes several cars ahead, you will see the increased intensity in the side of a car between you and that car. This also helps when pulling out - you can see other lane-splitters' lights before you see them. Oh, few deer here, but we do have elephants on the road and they will kill you if you piss them off...
I'm a big fan of reflective hiviz vests. They're inexpensive but give you crazy visibility. I used to commute through Seattle, and I never would have had the courage without my PSE. The first time my buddy saw me, he told me that he had laughed, thinking, "Look at that guy - you can see him a mile off!" Then he thought, "Hmmm, maybe that's the idea", lol. Thanks for your great videos Kevin. Godspeed.
As always, great video Kevin. Another topic that doesn’t get talked about much is physical fitness. After joining a gym 6 months ago and doing basic muscle group workouts, I have seen a marked improvement to riding. Less fatigue able to ride longer. Something for another video maybe!
I agree; strength and flexibility of the core helps achieve better body "English" or positioning on a bike. So maybe a bit of limbering up before jumping on a bike would also be good.
Not sure how hard you workout, but I've been been doing weightlifting for years. After arm day I need to be careful because my arms are seriously fatigued. I've gotten cramped up while riding...stretching has done wonders for my riding .
In Florida it's especially dangerous to drive your bike at night because of all of the wild page that we have an epidemic of I said wild pigs they used to just come out at dusk but now they come out in the daytime to I hit one with my BMW 600 I was lucky not to drop my bike I hit one in the Ash and with my Euro sychar outfit and I sent him flying and I just kept right on going I did wrinkles the paint on the fender on the edge also vultures will challenge you for their kill or they will swoop down on you from behind Eagles do that as well if you see the shadow duck I had a white crane take out the police windshield on my Triumph TR6 by taking off too late as I passed by I ducked down and the windshield bent over me and when I stopped it was half broke off so I cut off the rest of it and threw it in the saddlebag and you also have to look out for the Gators at like to Sun on the hot asphalt big rat snakes do the same thing I'm talking about a snake is sick at your motorcycle tire not on something you just squish on the road they tend to get pissed off if you run them over
Loud pipes,deer whistles put on bike, slow down and watch for deer, my helmet is a Shark evo-line 2 , got a moto-air motorcycle jacket with reflecting cloth and a air bag.
Good info. Thanks Kevin. Couple of things, I read that bikes with two headlights at night look like a car a long way off to a car coming the other way because of the distance between the two lights. So the car doesn’t realize it’s a motorcycle that is much closer and might pull out in front or turn in front of the bike.
If you have a headlight that reflects off of your front fender and lights the area behind your front forks, you can use a block of any type, tape, plastic, or something else water proof, attached to the lens, to push the unlighted area under your engine out to 2-4 feet in front of the bike. It REALLY helps visibility at night.
Only headlight tip I can add...Do not use “HID look” bulbs. They were popular for a while because they were cheaper than true HIDs, but they employ a color filter on the bulb to make the light look like a HID bulb. The yellow part of the light spectrum is what reflects best to your eye at night. That “filter” blocks the transmission of the yellow light. Even if the cosmetic bulb is brighter, less effective visible light is getting back to your eyes. HIDs don’t have this issue because they are pure light burning at a different color temperature (looking “white” or blue-ish to the eye), but all that yellow light is still being projected. FYI, HIDs can be purchased in a color temperature closer to incandescent lights if you like. Lumens are a good guide, but only if the right type of light is being projected.
Hey Kevin . What I was always taught from the time I started driving cars was that if a car is coming at you with its bright lights on to look down and to the right of the lane. Basically the goal is to keep the bright light out of your eyes to prevent flash blindness. So thank you for the video and have a great day
Hi Kevin. Last weekend I rode from Chile to Argentina through Cordillera de Los Andes and unfortunately delays in the Argentina's customs forced us to ride during the night to Mendoza. The thing is, that I have not done this in the past with my motorcycle and did not know that the stock lights were not good enough (my mistake). It was very helpful that one friend took the lead in front of the group and the other two riders who have great auxiliary lights rode behind me which helped me a lot as my visibility improved signifficantly. My learnings from this experience meet your great advices. I will figure out how to get the MCrider's reflecting decal for me and my friends in Chile. I'm looking forward for your next week MCrider video. Take care.
FWIW - I ride the MIGHTY SUZUKI DR 650 - and the stock headlight is pathetic. Not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but I went with an "after-market" HID-EXTRA "LED" - and it is 200% brighter than the stock headlight...(model no. 9003 - if memory serves) - I've often said, there is NOTHING more important than your safety... If you do nothing else, upgrade the lighting on you bike....
You need better lighting, I'll give you that and slowing down is always a good idea, especially when there's a history of a good deer population in the area. A lot of riders I see at night are leaving a bar, which is also a factor with the danger of riding at night. I see so many riders with their bikes backed up in front of a bar (to show them off) and drink all day, then at night, they try to ride the bike home (or to another bar) and that's when the problems start.
this is good to see someone that tries to help riders . I have been riding motor bikes for 35 years .. the gear today is so much better that of yesterday . the parts that are out there that makes a bike noticeable.. I had a brand new 1983 . gs550. had the head light and tail/brake . no other run lights. I had to learn real quick the do"s and don"ts . I have had many scoots in the past. the vtx 1800 r is my scoot now better brakes /lights and weight. she is a slug around curves but its fine as long as you are paying attention . no problem....
Husband keeps a hi-viz yellow safety vest in saddle bag. It goes over any jacket. It goes on in fog, rain or at night. Also useful if you are on side of road: you want to be seen.
My first motorcycle had only one halogen headlight and riding at night was not a pleasant thing to do. My second bike was a breeze riding through total darkness with its twin bi-Xenon 6000K headlights, and getting near my home, I often made some bonus miles as I wanted to continue the night ride as long as possible. My third and current motorcycle has (again) only one halogen headlight which lights up the road well for its size, but at night time I noticed that I couldn't hold a dead steady riding line (a little bit of swinging). This was caused by the lack of sufficient lighting of road surface up to 50ft angled to both sides, which made my eyes search endlessly for the road side markings (lines). To solve this, I installed small LED flood lights angled down at 30 degrees which fill in the dark spots where I nead it. Now riding at night - even in total darkness - is enjoyable again and my mind is at peace, so I can focus on what is important in front of me.
A small additional point about "cheap goggles" (or sunnies ) replacing a visor is that they need to be shatterproof lenses and unbreakable frames. When that stone chip or insect hits your lens you really don't want to end up with an eye full of plastic shrapnel. Safety glasses are a good emergency option.
in one of the books i have on touring there is a whole chapter devoted to riding at night. it consists of one word: 'don't'. that said, any long-distance riding is apt to result in some night time riding. your comments are, as usual, spot on and worth working toward. thanks again.
My c50 boulevard is red so I put red LED lights on the bottom for night riding. At first I thought is was about 70% awesome and 30% safety but seeing as I ride at night A LOT it’s the other way around!
I'm an older guy, a slow rider. But I ride most every day. I don't like riding fast. To me it's more fun riding slow. If I had my way I would ride cross country 35 -45 mph. I just love the smooth sound of my engine at those speeds. Its relaxing, like gliding on a cloud into forever. I hear others who ride by with screaming demon engines and all it makes me think of is piston rings and bearing scraping and wearing out. I want to put put along with my bike for eternity if I could. I have alot of theories that I come up with over the years about riding and how to deal with people when on a bike. Mc is the best as I adapted two of his.The main one is to catch driver entering right or crossing left with a movement. I do a handlebar jerk a couple timed and that flashes them with headlight. As Mc explained in video its the movement that catches corner of their eye. This is significant for me in addition to slowing down with horn honk if needed. The other was understanding counter steering. I cant even understand how I functioned back then for all those years not knowing counter steering. Push right, go right. But the one thing I wanted to say most is how and why I became a right lane, slow lane driver. I have a saying I come up with, " The right lane is the right to drive slow lane". Its like this, people are nice if they get their way. Nobody really wants to kill anybody, its just that many are childish self absorbed assholes who dont really think through consequences. So forgive me for the following crudeness but atemporal necessity for visual. The left lane is the rectal tract poop shoot cannon. It is the turdball collection chamber. Turdball drivers drive fast, tailgate and are just plain dangerous. Riding in the right lane allows turdballs greater access to the rectal cannon. But as a right lane driver you constantly have to sacrifice and make space ahead so they can pinch ahead. Usually the ratio of good steady speed drivers to turdballs is good and the turdball interaction is momentary. Riding in right lane makes it easy to spot them. Having the right to ride slow in right lane has other advantages. To understand this you have to understand what I did when I first rode. Back then I was the flighty bird. Speeding allong to get out of situations. All I can say is that in my fear and dread of other drivers (cagers) I was always speeding to get to a clearing, but what I realized is that I was not dealing or managing with others in my space. The flighty bird is like flying from one panic situation to the next. The right to drive slower (not too slow) also makes it easier to what I call corral drivers behind you. So for example on right turns a tailgaters can make a right turn dangerous. So I test them for stopping response ahead of time. This is especially important if I got to stop at a merge. Sometimes that has to happen. If I have to ill skip the turn or pull off the road. Just depends on how well the guy behind reacts to the corral. Good drivers give good distance. I always give good polite driver a friendly wave, thumbs up. One more slight advantage of the right lane,, after the turdballs shoot down the left comes the relaxing time. The good guys/steady speed and lane can form sort of a defensive block for the left crossing traffic. I get to their right rear but far enough back so blind spot avoidance. The football defense can last quite a while but always a little sad and naked when formation disappears. Now about the night driving. Since I am older I have less need to drive than the rest of you. So I like to ride at optimal times with less people. I know every single little bump on the roads I ride on so I can do nights. This might be strange to you but I like to get ice cold at night in the wee hours. Feels good in short shots. In the daytime just avoid rush hours. The morning rush hour is the worse. People speed to avoid being late and getting fired. Noon is lunch rush so avoid ff locations. Evening rush is least bad of the 3. I can plan trip to restaurant or whatever by examining which direction traffic is busiest and time things to avoid rush hours. You might wonder how this could be, and that is because the majority of people all do the same thing. The drive into town in morning and back to rural home in eve. So traffic tends to be predictable
On a club run last year, one of our number was lagging behind and the darker it got, the more he dropped back. We stopped and when he appeared we asked him what the problem was. He said he couldn't see well at night. On checking his visor it was covered in scratches, finger marks, old bug splat and so on and bright lights just were a mess of stars and lines. He said even the tail lights he was following made it almost impossible to see and it was too cold to open the visor.
Another great vid! I ride home at night each day because of shiftwork. Whilst the night ride home is intimate ... just the gentle glow of dash and headlights on a pitch black road without street lighting, I do ride warily in case kangaroos or Wombats emerge from the bush. Therefore a good tip is to ride in the centre of the road [when safe to do so] to allow more time for the unexpected.
Like all your videos,do I have anything to add, just to say that the way we ride by day is not the method to employ at night, just slow down and you can enjoy the ride. Good job Kevin.
I have LED's front and back on a Harley touring. On my last two bikes I reversed the wiring on the dimmer switch so the passing lights come on with the hi beam. With LED passing lights it makes a world of difference, especially if they're aimed out to the side just a bit. Makes it easier to see the deer in the road's cousin!
I use Cyclops LED bulbs and a white helmet with reflectors. Also use black 3M reflective vinyl on black parts of my bike. I run a second tail light with a 3 flash strobe on the brake. Only alky consumed on my bike is in the gas.
When riding at night and facing car lights, I look to the outside road line and use that as a guide. Never look at the center line or directly into the headlights of oncoming traffic.
Another great video from Kevin, many thanks. Some other riders call me crazy. I love the peace and quiet of riding after sunset. And there are wonderful smells that come out at night. I'm not sure what they are, but they sure are nice. I'm a cruiser, I ride slow so I'm not out running my headlight. I put a new LED in the old Harley, it really lights up well, and I added two three inch Kuryakyn lamps that are halogen. If I even suspect there is a deer, I nail the horn and the brakes at the same time. I started doing that in the car on my way to work because there were many deer crossings on that 40 mile stretch In South WI and Northern Illinois. Most of the time that horn will spook them so they head for the trees instead of crossing the road. That's how I deal with it, maybe that tip will help someone else.
Thank you Kevin, I ride at night here in southern California and I tell you there's a lot of drivers out there going pretty fast, so I thank you for your 8 tips, I will definitely practice them. Yes you gave us 2 extra 👉
do the stops more often than if you would have during the day. Also temperature drops faster prepare your gear. Do not listen to slow - music that may make you sleepy. Don't trust too much in energetic drinks or even coffee. Make sure you know the route, so you are don;t have to look for a correct turn on each and every crossroads. If you have to stop, double check if the place is well visible to others on the road, but also - if you are not putting yourself on danger (wild animals, thefts). Don't eat too much, it would make your stomach to work more which may cause fatigue or sleepiness. If you spot any kind of fatigue - do the brake ASAP! Micro-sleeps (less than 0.1s) works like if you'd have 0,8%o alcohol in your blood. Mind that, micro-sleeps are the very late indicators, extreme fatigue to your senses started a lot earlier! Time reaction, hallucinations etc. may be deadly dangerous... all the best form Poland, and see you on the road!
Interestingly, in 47 years of riding, all 4 on my accidents occurred in broad daylight. I have no fear riding @ night but my dad taught me to drive within the limits of my lights as a teen & that has carried over to my riding. I have a xp3 Hornet deer avoidance system mounted on my Police Road King (xp3hornet.com) & I have seen it work over & over to freeze deer in their tracks-day & night. I wear yellow tinted shooting glasses @ night which think helps visibility. Lastly, I carry a high viz reflective vest like what’s worn by road workersIt ain’t stylish but you ca
Kevin. Regarding your advice about 'not over riding your headlights'. Here's something really great I learned at a motorcycle class. The acronym, SEE. Search, Evaluate, Execute. If a rider can't satisfy execution, you're moving too fast. Applies to everything! Skiing, skateboarding, boating, whatever...
Really nice vid! 1 thing though which I'd like to highlight (a disclaimer of some sort): You now seem to have a mixed audience, not all of us are from the US. In a lot of countries it is prohibited to fit extra lights onto your bike, or oftentimes it's a bureaucratic nightmare.
Kevin you forgot to mention Mothman & Batsquatch. These 2 creatures are responsible for more road accidents at night than all of the armadillos & deer combined! Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Especially on roads that you are not familiar with. A riders awareness & visibility is his best defense against night time traffic. Be seen & be safe. Try staying back further from traffic ahead of you. What's your hurry.
We have a lot of deer and other animals in the road more often at night. It is important to know, as fast as deer are , they will hesitate for 2 seconds then bolt if in the road. You can not expect to not to hit one if you speed, they can't get out of your way.
I have minimized my night riding, I do wear a reflective vest when I ride alone or at night, I also have reflective piping on my luggage. Great information as usual Kevin😎
The trick to not being blinded by oncoming bright headlights at night is to look at the shoulder lane marker to your right (the white line on the side of the road) and use your peripheral vision to watch in front of you until the car passes. This will ensure that you are not blinded and can still immediately see the road clearly after passing the bright lights. Give it a try, it’s much easier than it sounds.
I just do not ride at night anymore. My biggest fear are the deer at night and early morning. I also have a white helmet with a drop down visor and I have switched to wearing hi viz orange work t shirts during warm weather and a Walls hi viz vest that I put over my coat. I am probably not the coolist rider on the road but I sure have a better chance of being seen.
Very good advice, I live in Memphis ,tn the worst time to ride in Memphis is on Friday's after 12 and Saturdays after 3. P.m here in Memphis they will run over you on purpose, the only time I will ride is day time Sundays are the best all the drunks are at home less traffic, Mondays thru Thursday before 2 p.m memphis,tn traffic has gotten as bad as Atlanta after 2 clock. but your advice is accurate, I figured it out on my own long time of go. my Motorcycle is fire engine red and all my lights are led red and she is lit up, man you can see me coming from a mile away. Loud pipes and a lotta lites is the key to being a safe biker. just best not to ride at knight period, but we bikers so from time to time we will do it.
I think one of the biggest risks is being overlooked. When riding at night many drivers think the light coming at them or behind them is a car behind the cyclist. This is what causes a lot of intersection accidents where a car will turn into the path of a cyclist. I wish bikes had a different light shape/color or something that makes it easier to identify cyclist at night. Lane placement helps as well. The easiest way to notice this is (when driving a car) merging onto a highway. It is really easy to mistake a cyclist in the right hand lane to be one of the headlights on a car or truck further away (especially using mirrors).
Great videos as always, i was just wanting to add that uniquely in Alaska we have moose. They often are standing just on the edge of the road, so for scanning with your eyes I am often looking at the edges to see their eyes glitter in the head light. Also I often ride more towards the center line ( middle of the road ) to give my self plenty of room ( road surface ) to react. We don't have the night time traffic that a lot of other places do so I will often literally ride in the middle of the road. The moose coat color is the same as the fall foliage so riding slower in the fall, looking to the edge of the road, and when you do see one, they often like to wait till your right up on them AND THEN then try and jump out into the road ( happens lot ) so some time really slowing down as you pass will keep you alive. Have a great holiday
When it comes to headlights come in at you you look to the right side of the road right side lane when it comes to looking at the headlights in the tail lights in front of you don't Fix Your Eyes Upon them it becomes hypnotic
I am probably the exception, I always love to ride at night, especially from 10:00 pm until 4:30 AM. That’s when most people are home getting their rest or sleeping and the roads are more cage free away from the city. The times I don’t ride are rush hour 5:00 am to 8:00 am and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The only exception to this is when I am riding on a long road trip. Then I ride from 4:00 Am to about 6:00 pm pretty much non stop and always use detours around cities as I plan my trip. Speaking of night lighting, I strongly recommend adding LED accent lighting strips to light up your motor and side of the bike. I can tell you from experience, the only bike I see at nighttime when driving my car are the bikes that are lit up with accent motor and side lighting. I hardly see their riding buddies With just front and rear lights at nighttime passing in front of me.
Great tips. Just started riding and scared of traffic! I am nocturnal so I plan to do some 4 am rides. I can go slow as no cars behind me. - just in case there is deer.
Ive been riding since 1976 on motorcycles and yes, of course it does by itself become more hazardous at night, visors still need to be down at night but every scratch, every bit of breath vapour seems to become exaggerated, rain! Even worse. Small bikes have weak lights generally so when a car etc is coming towards you with brights on it completely washes out your view of the road. But that’s only on unlit roads, those with street lights are still fine. Best advice I can give is. Ride according to your visibility of the road ahead. In other words slow down x
Some thought on what is best at sundown, when the sky is still brighter than the road ahead, is warranted. Our pupils contract because of the bright sky but this reduces the clarity needed to scan the darker road ahead. It’s the same problem for oncoming traffic. Our eyes adjust to high because of the brighter sky, lessening our ability to see conditions ahead. Slowing down more or purposely not driving at twilight might be prudent
You can also buy Yellow lens riding glasses which brighten surrounding areas at dusk and dark... Go to a pro Mcycle shop for them. They are polarized for glare.
Good LED lights made all the difference for me. Had several close calls with deer, one in the middle of the afternoon, Check the lunar solar calendar to see when most active times when riding in the country. Yes I am serious I have noticed this though the years of fishing and hunting and of course riding.
Haven't read ALL the comments, so I want to include, having corrected vision. I know so many folks, especially the over 50 crowd, that think their vision is just fine. As the old saying goes, the best you have is the best you know. When I started riding street back in 2003 at age 46, I too thought my vision was fine. Until I came running up on a feral pig in the road 100 yards away, in the daytime, and couldn't tell what it was. It was then I had serious thoughts of, "dam, what have I been missing seeing when I ride at night"? A few days later I got fitted for a set of progressive corrected lenses. Wow, what a difference, not in just my vision during riding, but everyday life.
I always have a set of the yellow glasses with me for those times I do wind up driving at dusk/night. They help me, at least focus better than just clear.
Transition lenses in a pair of RXable riding glasses. Clear at night, tinted during the day. EXCEPTION: If there's not enough UV in the sunlight like at dawn or dusk there will still be a bright orange ball in the sky making it a little difficult to see.
I used to ride an XT350, a Yamaha street legal dirt bike. That was by far my favorite bike for night riding. The headlight was not all that bright and it dimmed when the RPM was low; however, the bike was very tall. All my bikes since had lower seat heights. My Virago and my VStar are the lowest, while my Nighthawk had the highest seat height of my street only bikes. It took a while th figure out that the few inches difference in height make a world of difference night riding. I believe it is because headlights from oncoming vehicles hit me lower. I have often sat on the upper seat or used a cushion to raise up for night riding in heavier traffic.
the only thing i can add is i use the white lines on the right side of the roads to help me stay in my lane when approaching traffic blinds me, i also use the center line as well, but sometimes i have to use the white lines to gauge exactly where i am when i am blinded by high beams. ty for the tips kevin!
I'd like to mention one thing. When I ride at night, I'm riding on country roads where I live and where deer are plentiful. I'm really not sure, but I feel by switching from low to high beams on and off gives the deer in the brush down a ways something to notice. Rather than a constant and gradual increase in light. Don't know, but maybe, just maybe it can give them a bit of a heads up knowing something's coming?
Great stuff, thanks a lot. I just started riding a 125 after a Honda ST 50 from 1974 which was my dream as a kid, now in search for confort with a Honda Marauder, learning all techniques including the clutch and ...... modesty. Keep it up !!
One "trick" they teach US Army aviation personnel to do at nights when flying is - when they get exposed to a bright light at night (flash of a weapon...) is to quickly close one eye to save that one the impact of the amount of light continuing to come into the open eye, and help save the NIGHT vision in the closed eye as much as possible. So, as you get ready to pass cars going in the opposite direction, practice always closing one eye before their headlights hit you, and keep it closed until they pass. I almost always focus down on the right-hand side of the road's white line to keep my lane alignment until the brightness of oncoming headlights passes. That also works up here in Upstate NY when it snows hard (in a four tire vehicle) to see where the road is, or else chance driving off it.
Here in the Philippines, many bikes have no reflectors, and many also have no brake light or turning signal light. Some have no headlight also. Pluse we have "tricycles", which are motorcycles with large sidecars and "pedicabs", which are bicycles with large sidecars. You can be riding along at night and suddenly come up on the tail of one, or have one crossing the road right in front of you. Night driving here is hellish, including the poor roads. We don't have deer, but we do have people, dogs, and motorcycles crossing roads all the time. A lot of tricycle and pedicab drivers will stop suddenly and then make a U turn. Sometimes they don't even had licenses or registrations. Often there will be 2 even up to 5 riding on these small motorcycles. Many riders don't wear helmets or shoes or gloves or any protective gear. Finally, most drivers of bikes and cars will drive in any lane that gets them ahead of other vehicles. Many times a vehicle will straddle two lanes so that if there is any obstruction, they can choose the lane to move into.
Here in Thailand you have to be prepared for 'ghost' cars i. e. cars with no lights on at night on not well illuminated super highways. At intersections and U-turns I always look very carefully whether such a ghost car is coming. Nearly every night I spot several of them. Stray dogs are also dangerous at night.
I love your videos, Kevin! I watch you almost daily. Thanks SO MUCH for all you do! I have a suggestion for riding at night my dad taught me (he also taught me to ride when I was 8) when an oncoming vehicle's lights are so bright watch the white line on the road. And on a bike move to the right side of the lane keeping your eyes as far ahead on that white line as possible. And on another note, why is PayPal the only option for payment to join? I'd really like to join but I will never have anything to do with PayPal!
I have a pair of photochromic glasses I always wear when I ride.. They are light yellow at night(thus increasing contrast in low light conditions) but they turn dark brown in the sunlight. They just change in very few seconds, great when you enter or exit a tunnel or in general when light conditions change. Never without. Also, I always set the screen of my GPS to lowest light level at night, to avoid those seconds of blindness when you look at it, then back at the road. Thanks Kevin for all the great work! Cheers from Italy!
If you are a new rider or a rider who wants to continue to grow (That should be all of us ;) ) and you are not a Member at MCrider you are missing out on the best part of MCrider. Go to www.MCrider.com/Member and get access to the Forums and Field Guide.
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Accept credit/debit cards please!!
you probably dont care at all but does someone know a trick to get back into an instagram account..?
I somehow lost the password. I appreciate any help you can offer me
@Gatlin Aries instablaster =)
@Shawn Alejandro thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out atm.
Takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Shawn Alejandro it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you really help me out :D
In Swedish military they teach a method for avoiding light blindness. When the car approaches (before the light blinds you), close one eye. When the car has passed open it again and you have at least one good eye to scan the road ahead with sinsce the closed eye retains its light sensitivity.
Thanks for another great episode!
Good trip comrade
In America I just started wearing sunglasses at night since most idiots over here don't know what a dimmer switch is!
Great tip!
Arrr, that be an olde pirate trick.
Closet That’s accurately spoken. As an FAA and military night vision instructor that’s totally on point.
The tip on keeping your speed low enough to be able to stop within a viewing distance. Not long ago I had to ride at night through a countryside on a very poor road with so many potholes that I had to use all my skills I had practiced on a parking lot. It was my fault that I failed to plan the trip to finish it in daytime (going back in daylight was so much easier being able to see all the road far ahead), so I had to go through that trial. 50 miles of that road took me about 4 or 5 hours to get through. Quite a few cars passed me, but I didn't dare to go faster, because any of those potholes could be my last if I didn't see it early enough at speed. So I kept it slow and steady and got to my destination safe and sound although very tired (add 5 hours of road trip before that crazy rollercoaster ride).
Another thing to remember is that when a road winds not only left and right but also up and down, your headlight patch jumps forward and backward constantly. So you have to adjust speed all the time, when you climb a hill, you have no idea what's behind it, because your headlight points to the sky until you roll over the top.
When riding in the city at night it's important to remember, that car drivers don't see you. 99% of them won't recognize that single headlight as a motorcycle. Even at broad daylight most car drivers don't notice motorbikes but at night it's safer to assume that absolutely nobody can see you and act accordingly.
P.S. And a bonus tip. If you find yourself riding in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness. Take a moment to stop, shut down your engine and lights and admire the stars in the night sky. Those gems can't be seen as clearly with street lights of the cities around you.
Yuri Khromov / in the day time I often shut down and sniff the flowers. .
Here we contend with wild turkeys cows coyotes deer Day time 2 ounce flying beetles bee swarms snakes
Always ambitious CHP Officers illegal aliens drunk Indians wondering tweekers..unsupervised welfare kids.. dogs..
Best of all.. don't drink..
Honest to drunk officer I promise I am not god. ;)
Be cool be smart be safe. Thanks ..
Correct. Sounds like you ride like me, cautious, but love riding. No issues with a little risk occasionally. You can ride bro!
I gave you a thumbs up just for the stars part of you comment alone...
@@BigJake4739 dude I was literally about to say that the stars section made the post worth it. It’s too easy to just speed through life and not take time to enjoy it
A big reason that fatalities happen so much at night is because drunks are on the road. Especially between midnight and 2.
Especially the nut behind the handlebars
I prefer night riding: less traffic and much more quiet. I ride through city/ deer country and drive accordingly. All of your tips are required for safe riding and agree with all of them. Keep up the good work, Kevin: much appreciated! :)
Hi Kevin, another great post, thank you! I flew as a professional pilot for 10 years, and here are another few tips: If you have the option to do so, plan your night ride to be done on a cloudless night and also one with a full moon. It's amazing how much light the moon can give off. Also, if you know you're going to be riding at night, make sure to protect your eyes well during the day, heavy sunglasses for example, this will improve your natural night vision. Finally, if you have the luxury to do so, plan your route using known, well lit roads rather than black back roads. God bless and stay safe!
One way to avoid staring into the incoming headlights is to point your eyesight for a moment towards the right side edge of the road. It helps against blindness and you can still observe what’s going on around you with your peripheral vision.
Thats something I do often but I look at the left side being in the UK.
That's why fog lines were invented. It's not ideal, but you can keep yourself on the road without being blinded by the headlights on the other side of the road.
You are absolutely right my friend !!! I do this also and it works!!!
I focus on the solid white line on the right side of most 2 lane roads.
I follow the white solid line on the right of the road (I don’t fixate!)
My tip is, being hydrated and rested so that your eyes don't produce any film that may cause your eyes to smudge incoming light sources creating a halo effect. If you find yourself blinking a lot at night, then one or both of those is probably off kilter.
audiogarden21 on the same note, buff out any cataracts before riding. It’s Cadillac style, not cataract style!
Haha.
Great advice audiogarden, thank you.
Hey MC. My wife gave me a Cosmo Connected for Christmas. Fantastic! It's an extra LED lamp that attaches to the back of most helmets. It contains an accelerometer so when you decelerate, it lights up like a brake lamp. Really useful in the Winter or for tailgaters. There are several settings for it. I keep mine lit permanently and it shines brighter when I decelerate. You can connect it to your smartphone for more info and options. It will even contact the emergency services if it detects an accident impact. It's designed and made here in France. Not sure about US availability but it's certainly extremely useful for me here in heavy morning and evening traffic. Happy 2019! Keep those vids coming!
I try to never ride at night period. To many chances to hit dear in Indiana. It’s bad enough in the day. But I love to ride. 11,700 miles from March until Oct 10th this year.
That's not an iron butt, that's a carbon nanotube matrix derriere.
Eric O'Connor Not bad for 58 and I had not rode for 35 years Was busy raising 3 kids. 👍
Marty Porter Sr it’s worse at night to hit deer. At least where I live.
Marty Porter Sr Yes you’re right about deer I live in Indy we have deer too
Where I live the deer are all over and I also gave up riding at night because of that. It's just too risky. I don't think I know of too many people who live in my area that haven't hit a least one deer with a car. I just don't want to chance that on a bike.
0:49 Bright screen on your dash should also be a point to mention that it reduce your low light sensitivity. I'm considering to change my dash backlight from bright white LEDs to red ones to help just a little more.
I always turn stuff off or brightness down for that same reason. I'd never drive a tesla because of that dangerous central light where you have to look for heater/aircon controls, stereo etc.
Kevin at MCRiders...thanks for the tips on night riding. After 50 years of driving and riding, my simple rule of thumb is to reduce my speed by around 20%. I would still reach where I planned to go. Your tips are superb. Thanks.
I love riding below 55 mph for reg. riding. Fog speed is not above stopping distance. Deer take a full 2 seconds to realize that we are a danger, if you go below 55 you greatly reduce the risk of hitting deer.
Agree with all of this - I would also reiterate that whenever it's possible I will just pull over and lose my follower if they are getting remotely close. That way if I have to use my limited stopping distance they don't plow into me and the deer. It also keeps me from feeling any pressure to move faster than I want to. They have four wheels to hit the potholes I have one and then my butt. Plus I'm with Yuri - night rides are some of the sweetest and it's great to spend a few moments at the side of the road drinking it all in.
I also avoid riding at night whenever possible. But if I get caught out there for a short time before arriving home or a destination I find my eyes are also very affected by oncoming car lights. Especially the newer cars with hid and LED lights. They pose a much more problem for me than the traditional halogen car lights. So what I've done to help with that situation is use my left hand to block the light as the car approaches and maintain the angle that blocks the light until it's past. I found that doing this blocks the light from my eyes and I can still see the road in front where I need to go.
Even in a car I find it helps with high beams coming at me to keep my focus on the white line along the side of the road. Anybody else find that works?
Night-time and bikes don't mix well at all. I haven't ridden at night in decades: the kangaroos are an absolute menace! Best advice I could add, be you in the city or in the country, is to forget about the speed limit, and just take it real easy, and never be tempted to consume alcohol and then ride (day or night). All good advice Kevin... great video.
i get this advice in person all the time too. Which is great, useful and practical advice for me since I live far from public transport and have no vehicle but my scooter :<
RE: Kangaroos though - in Canberra I actually found it better to ride at night IF the alternative was the tail end of the afternoon where they were active.
Point taken Ben, late afternoon is by far the worst time for roos. I live across the road from a wetland, and late afternoon is when they migrate over the road to my place. Over the years, I have seen quite a number of cars come to grief. If you were on a bike, you'd probably be history. Anyway, I have made it to 57 by always being aware of my limitations. Stay safe.
Hello! , I drive 50 kms every day to my work and back another 50 kms, sometimes at night in complete darkness, what I do is not drive more than 60 kms / hr, all the way, I install a bicycle light type white and red strobe in the back, buy it in gearbest for $ 10 usd brand xanes, but above all slow and very disciplined driving not to exceed that speed
I allways maintain the same speed as everyone else, like go with the flow, going slower then the traffic seem to be more dangerous.
Where I live in San Bernardino California, the traffic is so severe coupled with how inconsiderate people here are to MC riders during prime traffic (day light) it is much safer for a beginner rider to practice and ride at night . The streets are very well lit up anyways .
A random tap of the brake to light up your rear never hurts and reflective tape on all sides and helmet. I have black tape that isn't visible in the day but is bright when lights hit it.
Yeah, agreed. Given all the colors available, there's no reason to not add reflective tape. My bike "lights up" like a Christmas Tree. As a side benefit, it makes finding camp much easier after a call to nature 😉
Always good to check how far you have to press the rear brake until it lights up. On mine, I have to press it pretty far down. On the front brake, it lights up with the slightest touch.
@@DalyVideo I just adjusted my rear switch last week. Much more sensitive now.
oh nice. I should look at how to do that on mine.
How do you do that John? Mine only comes on if I've depressed the back brake quite firmly.
I love your tips for staying alive. Also the statistics, almost 1 in four fatalities is at night and half of those have been drinking. Ride during daylight when possible and don't drink and drive and your chances of survival are greatly increased.
@Trevor Johnson Believe it or not when I wrote my comment that actually crossed my mind. Kind t scary someone else thinks like me. However, I think most people know the reality is at night you are less visable and perhaps a higher percentage of impaired riders and probably more deaths per bikers on the road during at night. I have always thought the same way about 1 in 3 deaths on the road are caused by drunk drivers. We need to get all those sober drivers off the road.
@@johnwidell8092 ha ha ha funny
I always try to avoid riding roads for the first time at night. I like to scope out conditions of an unfamiliar road during daylight hours before hitting them at night. Excellent tips!
You have a whole lot of bikers who sang ride to drink drink to ride that's what they live by down here in Florida they say we have no curves on the roads but the drunken Harley Rider seem to find the ones that we do have and then run off the road and hit a tree
If 1 in 4 fatalities occur at night and 50% involve alcohol. That means that 75% occur the remainder of the time. If I’m not mistaking, by that logic it’s mathematically safer to ride at night with roughly 12.5% of the fatalities not involving alcohol. While I still believe night riding to be more dangerous visually, it seems like it might actually be more safe in some ways based on fatality statistics alone.
Just a random thought.
Be safe out there. Two wheels down.✌️
A trick I always use, but especially efficient at night' is swerving in my lane, making sure my headlight lights up the uncoming driver or the one looking to cut in my lane... They know I'm there ! (No high beam required)
Otherwise I love riding downtown late at night with very little cars around. Sober of course.
I like the idea of starting a trip early in the day, 4 or 5 AM or so. Lighter traffic & I am at my freshest and best status of alertness. I often do a 600 mile day (12 hrs at an average overall speed of 50 mph, actually driving at close to the speed limit. This allows time for fuel etc ( for both me and the bike). Ending the day at approximately 5PM permits an evening meal very near my usual dinnertime. Setting up camp ( if camping) is easier with the sun than without. Checking the machine (T-clock for example). A shower, a good night’s sleep & repeat. Riding into darkness fatigued after a long day on the road is risky & foolish. Understand your body & don’t make foolish decisions while it’s late & you are beat.
5 weeks ago just after it got dark, 8:30, give or take, i was sitting at a red light and got rear ended. the car was blowing thru the light.
the bike with me on it flew about 40 feet. it hurt bad. for 3 days all i could think of was that i wasn't dead or in a wheelchair.
now i am doing physical therapy and getting movement back. the pain is less and hopefully will go away.
i started riding back in 70/71, it has been with me a long time.
now i don't think i will get back on a motorcycle, it hurt very badly and i am so very lucky.
the worst that happened that night was that driver took motorcycles away from me
Thanks for the reminder to scan all side when like a sitting duck while waiting at the signal /light to change -perhaps rather use the side while waiting and not the centre.
Several of us have used yellow tinted shooters glasses for added visibility at night.
I use them both on my bikes and in car, and find they help considerably....reduce glare and improve definition of whatever I’m looking at....👍
Me toooo!!! I keep these in every bike and the car. Not just useful at night, but, rainy days, fog and in the car up north here they are great on snowy days.
Yep. With super bright LED and ultra blue low beams standard on every truck, SUV and sports car today, I'm blinded on two lane switchbacks without them. I carry the motorcycle type with a gasket, so I can leave even my clear visor open on steamy or fog my helmet nights.
I use them its hard to see at night in el paso,all the fast food lights n stuff
yeah those are super good . I can never find the darn things
I avoid riding at night when ever possible, but I do often start a trip before daylight. Years ago, most drivers would dim their hi-beams for other oncoming drivers, but now many of them aren't so courteous, so it's just one more reason I try not to ride or drive at night.
I've noticed the same in New Zealand but I'm not convinced that's the case. A lot of idiots and sissies drive larger vehicles (many of them men trying to make up for something else being smaller I suspect), and these vehicles have quite bright headlights even on low beam. The extra height amplifies anything that may lower the rear of the vehicle pushing the light further down the road
Hi Kevin, I also use reflective riding gloves. If cars are coming up on me, I’ll raise my left hand and meeting cars can see them. It does help, l think. Enjoy the videos.
Great advices !
If possible, when I enter a woody area where animals could jump on the road, I try to follow a car and use it as a shield.
A deer ran out in front of my SUV and I slowed down, then the stupid effing deer turned around and ran toward me. He tried jumping over my SUV, slammed into the windshield, and rolled off the right hand side.
After that, every time I drive at night I do the same as you. Find someone to follow and use them as a shield. It’s not perfect as with my luck the deer would just plan for the opening between me and the car in front of me, but it makes me feel a little more secure. Also worried about the deer being hit by the car in front of me, making the deer fly over the top of that car and into my face while riding my motorcycle. I hate riding at night!
I ride at night a lot and here are my recommendations:
- reflective rim tape; I use the one by seller CustomTaylor33 for $34. More expensive than others but it's highly reflective.
- reflective band around the base of your helmet: MFI Halo band for $20
- a stripe of UV-blocking vinyl that attaches on top of your clear visor, so no tinted visor is needed during the day: "The Original" Helmet Sunblocker for $17
- a high quality LED replacement that works well enough with your existing headlight reflectors: H3 LED Headlight by ADV Monster for $45; 4,800 lumens @ 2.2 Amps and has heat sink bands instead of a fan.
HI Mc,
Many decades ago I used to ride with a friend that was an Optometrist. He gave me perhaps one of the best presents I ever got. He gave me a non prescription pair of polycarbonate glasses with what is now referred to as transition lenses (they used to be called photo grey extra lenses) in a nice aviator style frame. These are the lenses that turn into sunglasses during the day and automatically lighten into clear lenses at night. This way you can always have what you need in one pair of glasses for eye protection. My friend has passed away, but I have replaced the original pair several times at some of the local optical stores. If you are using a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet this is a great option and it is also fantastic with some of the full face models. I hope this is well received by you and your viewers.
I positioned my right auxiliary light farther to the right than the recommendations; therefore, lighting up the side ditch. I have fog lights on my highway bars and I have rotated them up more than the recommendations to give me more light down the road and more visibility to on-coming traffic. I up-graded my rear turn signals to remain on like running lights and added a "tracer light bar" under my license plate to get people's attention. I added adhesive reflector tape around the bike to increase visibility and changed my bulbs to PIAA Extreme White.
What's the reason for turning the light to the right, catching sight of animals sooner?
@@ntdscherer Yes
Man, can’t thank you enough for what I’ve learned from you. Some things you’d think would be common sense, but they’re not unless you have the experience.
I brought some boot, glove and jacket reflectors, along with adding helmet reflectors. Do everything to be seen.
I agree with everything you said on this subject, and like several of your commenters, I try to avoid riding at night. The headlight on the1993 CB250 that I have isn't the greatest, and replacement headlights cost more than the bike. I do find it ironic that there are motorcyclist that are the complete antithesis of what you said in this video. They wear black at night; they replace their turn signals, headlights, taillight, mirrors, etc. with the smallest things possible; then they complain that no one sees motorcycles! I don't get it.
James Bongiovanni I agree with you 100% on the "unseen" riders. Then you see their "Motorcycles are everywhere" stickers on their vehicle in bright contrasting colors, so you can see the sticker. Then climb back on the black bike with all black clothing and tiny lights!
I heard that! My 83 CB1000 Custom doesn't have the brightest headlights.
James Bongiovanni have a ninja 250 it’s headlights aren’t great either
When discussing your bike's stopping distance, and how far your headlight shines, don't forget to factor in reaction time. By the time you notice and identify an object on the road, then decide you must stop and/or turn to miss it, many yards of your stopping distance have typically gone by, reducing how much room you have left to not hit the object.
When choosing accessory lighting, be sure to get lights that have a narrow projection beam of light, and have them aimed properly so they're focused on the road ahead, and not blinding the eyes of oncoming drivers.
When aiming your lights, the measurement of the centre of your headlight must be taken with you on the bike and loading the suspension. An inch or two in how your headlights are aimed can mean the difference between whether oncoming drivers are blinded or not by your lights.
Thing is I LOVE riding at night lol. It's kinda therapeutic after the stressful workday. There's less traffic on the road, the temp is cooler, and you get a whole different set of sights and smells. The town seems completely different. Can tell when someone is grilling, or have a bonfire going. Granted, I live in a city of around 25000 people so it's different for me than in places like Dallas. Love cruising around town at night...but I really wouldn't want to cruise around in the countryside at night as there's a ton of deer in the farmland around the town I'm in. Stay sober, be hyper aware of your surroundings and any traffic that you come across, make sure your your bike and equipment is properly setup and enjoy the ride!
As an addition to the excellent points listed, I add these inexpensive fireflies (tiny LEDs that screws to your Tyre valves) to the front and back wheels of my bike. Cars would notice you from a mile away.
Bukar Abdullahi those tire fireflies can crack your stems and give you a flat tire!
@@shazi412 that's when you screw them too tight.. I've been using em for 3years + and no qualms whatsoever.
Don't hesitate to use the horn, light flashing is OKAY but if you're in the intersection, it's NOT a bad idea to use the horn. I am in Philippines so the road conditions are hostile compared to what most are used to, traffic laws are non existent in some areas, so you have to be full on defensive driving every single time. Night time is especially dangerous here, I got a Versys 650 for extra lights, it does annoy some drivers and they DO try to blind you but it's either that or hoping the roads don't have giant holes, which lol is common here. (rainy season + poor road construction = hell holes).
Video Information Yep, I agree. I'm Filipino, but I grew up and live in America...Asawa ko mula sa Pampanga. Ito nakakatakot sumakay sa Pilipinas, for foreigners that aren't used to it. Ingat ka.
Video Information / ride along leaning on your horn..get a train horn; )
I dont like flashing the light because some folks take that as a "go ahead" sign and the pull right in front of you.
As a nomad rider in the Philippines I agree, abd road conditions are tertible sometimes, unexpected road works, potholes....totally different from the Netherlands
In Thailand lights are flashed as a warning to get out of the way. In UK and Australia lights are flashed as a courtesy to go. Completely the opposite. Beware!
I commute on mine as well, when the sun isn’t quite up/ or down that 30-45 minute time span before or after sunrise/sunset I run with the high beams still on ( providing I’m not meeting any cars) it really helps spotting the deer, their eyes reflect really well. Like I said even though it’s lightish they may blend in the weeds etc...
I have a 2018 Roadmaster with fog lights that project off to the sides quite a bit. Living in Wisconsin this is more important for deer than projecting farther down the road. LEDs are definitely the way to go.
As a fellow Cheesehead (in Chippewa county), I'm about to install an LED "Spotlight" bar on my Honda Shadow (I hope they're not really "spot" lights) and I'll be aiming them up and out for the antlered bike killers and to see around curves.
I changed my front turn signal/ dunking lights to LED switchback bulbs. They are brought white when in running, the switch to amber for turn signal. They help with additional visibility. Still trying to find a good LED headlight bulb. The first one would not light up pay the end of the driveway so I switched back to my sylvania bulb.
I ride in Thailand - things are a little different here... I only ride at night in Bangkok. Riding up-country is way too scary and I've only done it twice in nearly 30 years here, even with nearly 4,000 lumens up-front.
I use the sides of cars as mirrors to see down a line of traffic. Here, lane-splitting is legal, and as the traffic is ridiculously bad, the only option. If you position yourself where the car in front can see you, you can also see along the side of the cars in front. When someone brakes several cars ahead, you will see the increased intensity in the side of a car between you and that car. This also helps when pulling out - you can see other lane-splitters' lights before you see them.
Oh, few deer here, but we do have elephants on the road and they will kill you if you piss them off...
Surely you can see an elephant easier than a deer😉
I play invisible man 24/7. By always pretending to be invisible, I’m never surprised when someone pulls out in front of me or cuts me off.
I ride the same. Always have and it has served me well.
I'm a big fan of reflective hiviz vests. They're inexpensive but give you crazy visibility. I used to commute through Seattle, and I never would have had the courage without my PSE. The first time my buddy saw me, he told me that he had laughed, thinking, "Look at that guy - you can see him a mile off!" Then he thought, "Hmmm, maybe that's the idea", lol. Thanks for your great videos Kevin. Godspeed.
As always, great video Kevin.
Another topic that doesn’t get talked about much is physical fitness. After joining a gym 6 months ago and doing basic muscle group workouts, I have seen a marked improvement to riding. Less fatigue able to ride longer. Something for another video maybe!
I agree; strength and flexibility of the core helps achieve better body "English" or positioning on a bike. So maybe a bit of limbering up before jumping on a bike would also be good.
Not sure how hard you workout, but I've been been doing weightlifting for years. After arm day I need to be careful because my arms are seriously fatigued. I've gotten cramped up while riding...stretching has done wonders for my riding .
Here in Israel we are not allow to modify the lighting on the motorcycle legally. It's insane.
In Florida it's especially dangerous to drive your bike at night because of all of the wild page that we have an epidemic of I said wild pigs they used to just come out at dusk but now they come out in the daytime to I hit one with my BMW 600 I was lucky not to drop my bike I hit one in the Ash and with my Euro sychar outfit and I sent him flying and I just kept right on going I did wrinkles the paint on the fender on the edge also vultures will challenge you for their kill or they will swoop down on you from behind Eagles do that as well if you see the shadow duck I had a white crane take out the police windshield on my Triumph TR6 by taking off too late as I passed by I ducked down and the windshield bent over me and when I stopped it was half broke off so I cut off the rest of it and threw it in the saddlebag and you also have to look out for the Gators at like to Sun on the hot asphalt big rat snakes do the same thing I'm talking about a snake is sick at your motorcycle tire not on something you just squish on the road they tend to get pissed off if you run them over
Facts.
Loud pipes,deer whistles put on bike, slow down and watch for deer, my helmet is a Shark evo-line 2 , got a moto-air motorcycle jacket with reflecting cloth and a air bag.
Loud pipes won't save you, and are more likely to get you killed. I know to many riders who thought that who can't ride no more.
Good info. Thanks Kevin. Couple of things, I read that bikes with two headlights at night look like a car a long way off to a car coming the other way because of the distance between the two lights. So the car doesn’t realize it’s a motorcycle that is much closer and might pull out in front or turn in front of the bike.
If you have a headlight that reflects off of your front fender and lights the area behind your front forks, you can use a block of any type, tape, plastic, or something else water proof, attached to the lens, to push the unlighted area under your engine out to 2-4 feet in front of the bike. It REALLY helps visibility at night.
Only headlight tip I can add...Do not use “HID look” bulbs. They were popular for a while because they were cheaper than true HIDs, but they employ a color filter on the bulb to make the light look like a HID bulb. The yellow part of the light spectrum is what reflects best to your eye at night. That “filter” blocks the transmission of the yellow light. Even if the cosmetic bulb is brighter, less effective visible light is getting back to your eyes. HIDs don’t have this issue because they are pure light burning at a different color temperature (looking “white” or blue-ish to the eye), but all that yellow light is still being projected. FYI, HIDs can be purchased in a color temperature closer to incandescent lights if you like.
Lumens are a good guide, but only if the right type of light is being projected.
Hey Kevin . What I was always taught from the time I started driving cars was that if a car is coming at you with its bright lights on to look down and to the right of the lane. Basically the goal is to keep the bright light out of your eyes to prevent flash blindness. So thank you for the video and have a great day
Hi Kevin. Last weekend I rode from Chile to Argentina through Cordillera de Los Andes and unfortunately delays in the Argentina's customs forced us to ride during the night to Mendoza. The thing is, that I have not done this in the past with my motorcycle and did not know that the stock lights were not good enough (my mistake). It was very helpful that one friend took the lead in front of the group and the other two riders who have great auxiliary lights rode behind me which helped me a lot as my visibility improved signifficantly. My learnings from this experience meet your great advices. I will figure out how to get the MCrider's reflecting decal for me and my friends in Chile. I'm looking forward for your next week MCrider video. Take care.
FWIW - I ride the MIGHTY SUZUKI DR 650 - and the stock headlight is pathetic. Not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but I went with an "after-market" HID-EXTRA "LED" - and it is 200% brighter than the stock headlight...(model no. 9003 - if memory serves) - I've often said, there is NOTHING more important than your safety... If you do nothing else, upgrade the lighting on you bike....
You need better lighting, I'll give you that and slowing down is always a good idea, especially when there's a history of a good deer population in the area. A lot of riders I see at night are leaving a bar, which is also a factor with the danger of riding at night. I see so many riders with their bikes backed up in front of a bar (to show them off) and drink all day, then at night, they try to ride the bike home (or to another bar) and that's when the problems start.
this is good to see someone that tries to help riders . I have been riding motor bikes for 35 years .. the gear today is so much better that of yesterday . the parts that are out there that makes a bike noticeable.. I had a brand new 1983 . gs550. had the head light and tail/brake . no other run lights. I had to learn real quick the do"s and don"ts . I have had many scoots in the past. the vtx 1800 r is my scoot now better brakes /lights and weight. she is a slug around curves but its fine as long as you are paying attention . no problem....
Husband keeps a hi-viz yellow safety vest in saddle bag. It goes over any jacket. It goes on in fog, rain or at night. Also useful if you are on side of road: you want to be seen.
My first motorcycle had only one halogen headlight and riding at night was not a pleasant thing to do.
My second bike was a breeze riding through total darkness with its twin bi-Xenon 6000K headlights, and getting near my home, I often made some bonus miles as I wanted to continue the night ride as long as possible.
My third and current motorcycle has (again) only one halogen headlight which lights up the road well for its size, but at night time I noticed that I couldn't hold a dead steady riding line (a little bit of swinging). This was caused by the lack of sufficient lighting of road surface up to 50ft angled to both sides, which made my eyes search endlessly for the road side markings (lines). To solve this, I installed small LED flood lights angled down at 30 degrees which fill in the dark spots where I nead it. Now riding at night - even in total darkness - is enjoyable again and my mind is at peace, so I can focus on what is important in front of me.
A small additional point about "cheap goggles" (or sunnies ) replacing a visor is that they need to be shatterproof lenses and unbreakable frames. When that stone chip or insect hits your lens you really don't want to end up with an eye full of plastic shrapnel. Safety glasses are a good emergency option.
in one of the books i have on touring there is a whole chapter devoted to riding at night. it consists of one word: 'don't'. that said, any long-distance riding is apt to result in some night time riding. your comments are, as usual, spot on and worth working toward. thanks again.
My c50 boulevard is red so I put red LED lights on the bottom for night riding. At first I thought is was about 70% awesome and 30% safety but seeing as I ride at night A LOT it’s the other way around!
I'm an older guy, a slow rider. But I ride most every day. I don't like riding fast. To me it's more fun riding slow. If I had my way I would ride cross country 35 -45 mph. I just love the smooth sound of my engine at those speeds. Its relaxing, like gliding on a cloud into forever. I hear others who ride by with screaming demon engines and all it makes me think of is piston rings and bearing scraping and wearing out. I want to put put along with my bike for eternity if I could. I have alot of theories that I come up with over the years about riding and how to deal with people when on a bike. Mc is the best as I adapted two of his.The main one is to catch driver entering right or crossing left with a movement. I do a handlebar jerk a couple timed and that flashes them with headlight. As Mc explained in video its the movement that catches corner of their eye. This is significant for me in addition to slowing down with horn honk if needed. The other was understanding counter steering. I cant even understand how I functioned back then for all those years not knowing counter steering. Push right, go right. But the one thing I wanted to say most is how and why I became a right lane, slow lane driver. I have a saying I come up with, " The right lane is the right to drive slow lane". Its like this, people are nice if they get their way. Nobody really wants to kill anybody, its just that many are childish self absorbed assholes who dont really think through consequences. So forgive me for the following crudeness but atemporal necessity for visual. The left lane is the rectal tract poop shoot cannon. It is the turdball collection chamber. Turdball drivers drive fast, tailgate and are just plain dangerous. Riding in the right lane allows turdballs greater access to the rectal cannon. But as a right lane driver you constantly have to sacrifice and make space ahead so they can pinch ahead. Usually the ratio of good steady speed drivers to turdballs is good and the turdball interaction is momentary. Riding in right lane makes it easy to spot them.
Having the right to ride slow in right lane has other advantages. To understand this you have to understand what I did when I first rode. Back then I was the flighty bird. Speeding allong to get out of situations. All I can say is that in my fear and dread of other drivers (cagers) I was always speeding to get to a clearing, but what I realized is that I was not dealing or managing with others in my space. The flighty bird is like flying from one panic situation to the next.
The right to drive slower (not too slow) also makes it easier to what I call corral drivers behind you. So for example on right turns a tailgaters can make a right turn dangerous. So I test them for stopping response ahead of time. This is especially important if I got to stop at a merge. Sometimes that has to happen.
If I have to ill skip the turn or pull off the road. Just depends on how well the guy behind reacts to the corral. Good drivers give good distance.
I always give good polite driver a friendly wave, thumbs up.
One more slight advantage of the right lane,, after the turdballs shoot down the left comes the relaxing time. The good guys/steady speed and lane can form sort of a defensive block for the left crossing traffic. I get to their right rear but far enough back so blind spot avoidance. The football defense can last quite a while but always a little sad and naked when formation disappears.
Now about the night driving. Since I am older I have less need to drive than the rest of you. So I like to ride at optimal times with less people. I know every single little bump on the roads I ride on so I can do nights. This might be strange to you but I like to get ice cold at night in the wee hours. Feels good in short shots.
In the daytime just avoid rush hours. The morning rush hour is the worse. People speed to avoid being late and getting fired. Noon is lunch rush so avoid ff locations. Evening rush is least bad of the 3.
I can plan trip to restaurant or whatever by examining which direction traffic is busiest and time things to avoid rush hours. You might wonder how this could be, and that is because the majority of people all do the same thing. The drive into town in morning and back to rural home in eve. So traffic tends to be predictable
On a club run last year, one of our number was lagging behind and the darker it got, the more he dropped back. We stopped and when he appeared we asked him what the problem was. He said he couldn't see well at night. On checking his visor it was covered in scratches, finger marks, old bug splat and so on and bright lights just were a mess of stars and lines. He said even the tail lights he was following made it almost impossible to see and it was too cold to open the visor.
Gotta keep those optics crystal clear- it makes a HUGE difference.
Time for a new windshield.
If you use 3m lense and hard plastic restorer it will clean up minor scratches and smudges
Another great vid! I ride home at night each day because of shiftwork. Whilst the night ride home is intimate ... just the gentle glow of dash and headlights on a pitch black road without street lighting, I do ride warily in case kangaroos or Wombats emerge from the bush. Therefore a good tip is to ride in the centre of the road [when safe to do so] to allow more time for the unexpected.
Like all your videos,do I have anything to add, just to say that the way we ride by day is not the method to employ at night, just slow down and you can enjoy the ride. Good job Kevin.
I have LED's front and back on a Harley touring. On my last two bikes I reversed the wiring on the dimmer switch so the passing lights come on with the hi beam. With LED passing lights it makes a world of difference, especially if they're aimed out to the side just a bit. Makes it easier to see the deer in the road's cousin!
I use yellow goggles at night and rainy days.
They increase the contrast and avoid being blinded by the headlights of oncoming traffic.
I think that through watching your videos you've probably already saved my life.
Thank you 😊
I use Cyclops LED bulbs and a white helmet with reflectors. Also use black 3M reflective vinyl on black parts of my bike. I run a second tail light with a 3 flash strobe on the brake. Only alky consumed on my bike is in the gas.
When riding at night and facing car lights, I look to the outside road line and use that as a guide. Never look at the center line or directly into the headlights of oncoming traffic.
Another great video from Kevin, many thanks.
Some other riders call me crazy.
I love the peace and quiet of riding after sunset. And there are wonderful smells that come out at night. I'm not sure what they are, but they sure are nice.
I'm a cruiser, I ride slow so I'm not out running my headlight. I put a new LED in the old Harley, it really lights up well, and I added two three inch Kuryakyn lamps that are halogen.
If I even suspect there is a deer, I nail the horn and the brakes at the same time. I started doing that in the car on my way to work because there were many deer crossings on that 40 mile stretch In South WI and Northern Illinois.
Most of the time that horn will spook them so they head for the trees instead of crossing the road.
That's how I deal with it, maybe that tip will help someone else.
Thank you Kevin, I ride at night here in southern California and I tell you there's a lot of drivers out there going pretty fast, so I thank you for your 8 tips, I will definitely practice them. Yes you gave us 2 extra 👉
I use night vision glass's , they really help .
do the stops more often than if you would have during the day. Also temperature drops faster prepare your gear. Do not listen to slow - music that may make you sleepy. Don't trust too much in energetic drinks or even coffee. Make sure you know the route, so you are don;t have to look for a correct turn on each and every crossroads. If you have to stop, double check if the place is well visible to others on the road, but also - if you are not putting yourself on danger (wild animals, thefts). Don't eat too much, it would make your stomach to work more which may cause fatigue or sleepiness. If you spot any kind of fatigue - do the brake ASAP! Micro-sleeps (less than 0.1s) works like if you'd have 0,8%o alcohol in your blood. Mind that, micro-sleeps are the very late indicators, extreme fatigue to your senses started a lot earlier! Time reaction, hallucinations etc. may be deadly dangerous...
all the best form Poland, and see you on the road!
Interestingly, in 47 years of riding, all 4 on my accidents occurred in broad daylight. I have no fear riding @ night but my dad taught me to drive within the limits of my lights as a teen & that has carried over to my riding. I have a xp3 Hornet deer avoidance system mounted on my Police Road King (xp3hornet.com) & I have seen it work over & over to freeze deer in their tracks-day & night. I wear yellow tinted shooting glasses @ night which think helps visibility. Lastly, I carry a high viz reflective vest like what’s worn by road workersIt ain’t stylish but you ca
Kevin. Regarding your advice about 'not over riding your headlights'. Here's something really great I learned at a motorcycle class. The acronym, SEE. Search, Evaluate, Execute. If a rider can't satisfy execution, you're moving too fast. Applies to everything! Skiing, skateboarding, boating, whatever...
Really nice vid! 1 thing though which I'd like to highlight (a disclaimer of some sort):
You now seem to have a mixed audience, not all of us are from the US. In a lot of countries it is prohibited to fit extra lights onto your bike, or oftentimes it's a bureaucratic nightmare.
Kevin you forgot to mention Mothman & Batsquatch.
These 2 creatures are responsible for more road
accidents at night than all of the armadillos
& deer combined!
Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Especially on roads that you are not familiar with.
A riders awareness & visibility is his best defense against
night time traffic.
Be seen & be safe.
Try staying back further from traffic ahead of you.
What's your hurry.
We have a lot of deer and other animals in the road more often at night. It is important to know, as fast as deer are , they will hesitate for 2 seconds then bolt if in the road. You can not expect to not to hit one if you speed, they can't get out of your way.
I have minimized my night riding, I do wear a reflective vest when I ride alone or at night, I also have reflective piping on my luggage. Great information as usual Kevin😎
The trick to not being blinded by oncoming bright headlights at night is to look at the shoulder lane marker to your right (the white line on the side of the road) and use your peripheral vision to watch in front of you until the car passes. This will ensure that you are not blinded and can still immediately see the road clearly after passing the bright lights. Give it a try, it’s much easier than it sounds.
I just do not ride at night anymore. My biggest fear are the deer at night and early morning. I also have a white helmet with a drop down visor and I have switched to wearing hi viz orange work t shirts during warm weather and a Walls hi viz vest that I put over my coat. I am probably not the coolist rider on the road but I sure have a better chance of being seen.
If you can't avoid the light of on comming car, you can close your one eye for a moment so that you can faster adjust to darker environment!
@Pimpy Bojangles feel free to improvise
Very good advice, I live in Memphis ,tn the worst time to ride in Memphis is on Friday's after 12 and Saturdays after 3. P.m here in Memphis they will run over you on purpose, the only time I will ride is day time Sundays are the best all the drunks are at home less traffic, Mondays thru Thursday before 2 p.m memphis,tn traffic has gotten as bad as Atlanta after 2 clock. but your advice is accurate, I figured it out on my own long time of go. my Motorcycle is fire engine red and all my lights are led red and she is lit up, man you can see me coming from a mile away. Loud pipes and a lotta lites is the key to being a safe biker. just best not to ride at knight period, but we bikers so from time to time we will do it.
I think one of the biggest risks is being overlooked. When riding at night many drivers think the light coming at them or behind them is a car behind the cyclist. This is what causes a lot of intersection accidents where a car will turn into the path of a cyclist. I wish bikes had a different light shape/color or something that makes it easier to identify cyclist at night. Lane placement helps as well. The easiest way to notice this is (when driving a car) merging onto a highway. It is really easy to mistake a cyclist in the right hand lane to be one of the headlights on a car or truck further away (especially using mirrors).
GS750,GS1000,GS1100 ES...many more
Too numerous to mention since 1978
My latest bike is a zx 14....night time
Is my time to ride....
Great videos as always, i was just wanting to add that uniquely in Alaska we have moose. They often are standing just on the edge of the road, so for scanning with your eyes I am often looking at the edges to see their eyes glitter in the head light. Also I often ride more towards the center line ( middle of the road ) to give my self plenty of room ( road surface ) to react. We don't have the night time traffic that a lot of other places do so I will often literally ride in the middle of the road. The moose coat color is the same as the fall foliage so riding slower in the fall, looking to the edge of the road, and when you do see one, they often like to wait till your right up on them AND THEN then try and jump out into the road ( happens lot ) so some time really slowing down as you pass will keep you alive. Have a great holiday
When it comes to headlights come in at you you look to the right side of the road right side lane when it comes to looking at the headlights in the tail lights in front of you don't Fix Your Eyes Upon them it becomes hypnotic
I am probably the exception, I always love to ride at night, especially from 10:00 pm until 4:30 AM. That’s when most people are home getting their rest or sleeping and the roads are more cage free away from the city.
The times I don’t ride are rush hour 5:00 am to 8:00 am and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
The only exception to this is when I am riding on a long road trip. Then I ride from 4:00 Am to about 6:00 pm pretty much non stop and always use detours around cities as I plan my trip.
Speaking of night lighting, I strongly recommend adding LED accent lighting strips to light up your motor and side of the bike. I can tell you from experience, the only bike I see at nighttime when driving my car are the bikes that are lit up with accent motor and side lighting. I hardly see their riding buddies With just front and rear lights at nighttime passing in front of me.
Great tips. Just started riding and scared of traffic! I am nocturnal so I plan to do some 4 am rides. I can go slow as no cars behind me. - just in case there is deer.
Ive been riding since 1976 on motorcycles and yes, of course it does by itself become more hazardous at night, visors still need to be down at night but every scratch, every bit of breath vapour seems to become exaggerated, rain! Even worse. Small bikes have weak lights generally so when a car etc is coming towards you with brights on it completely washes out your view of the road. But that’s only on unlit roads, those with street lights are still fine. Best advice I can give is. Ride according to your visibility of the road ahead. In other words slow down x
Some thought on what is best at sundown, when the sky is still brighter than the road ahead, is warranted. Our pupils contract because of the bright sky but this reduces the clarity needed to scan the darker road ahead. It’s the same problem for oncoming traffic. Our eyes adjust to high because of the brighter sky, lessening our ability to see conditions ahead. Slowing down more or purposely not driving at twilight might be prudent
You can also buy Yellow lens riding glasses which brighten surrounding areas at dusk and dark... Go to a pro Mcycle shop for them. They are polarized for glare.
Good LED lights made all the difference for me. Had several close calls with deer, one in the middle of the afternoon, Check the lunar solar calendar to see when most active times when riding in the country. Yes I am serious I have noticed this though the years of fishing and hunting and of course riding.
Haven't read ALL the comments, so I want to include, having corrected vision. I know so many folks, especially the over 50 crowd, that think their vision is just fine. As the old saying goes, the best you have is the best you know. When I started riding street back in 2003 at age 46, I too thought my vision was fine. Until I came running up on a feral pig in the road 100 yards away, in the daytime, and couldn't tell what it was. It was then I had serious thoughts of, "dam, what have I been missing seeing when I ride at night"? A few days later I got fitted for a set of progressive corrected lenses. Wow, what a difference, not in just my vision during riding, but everyday life.
I always have a set of the yellow glasses with me for those times I do wind up driving at dusk/night. They help me, at least focus better than just clear.
Transition lenses in a pair of RXable riding glasses. Clear at night, tinted during the day.
EXCEPTION: If there's not enough UV in the sunlight like at dawn or dusk there will still be a bright orange ball in the sky making it a little difficult to see.
I used to ride an XT350, a Yamaha street legal dirt bike. That was by far my favorite bike for night riding. The headlight was not all that bright and it dimmed when the RPM was low; however, the bike was very tall. All my bikes since had lower seat heights. My Virago and my VStar are the lowest, while my Nighthawk had the highest seat height of my street only bikes. It took a while th figure out that the few inches difference in height make a world of difference night riding. I believe it is because headlights from oncoming vehicles hit me lower. I have often sat on the upper seat or used a cushion to raise up for night riding in heavier traffic.
the only thing i can add is i use the white lines on the right side of the roads to help me stay in my lane when approaching traffic blinds me, i also use the center line as well, but sometimes i have to use the white lines to gauge exactly where i am when i am blinded by high beams. ty for the tips kevin!
I'd like to mention one thing. When I ride at night, I'm riding on country roads where I live and where deer are plentiful. I'm really not sure, but I feel by switching from low to high beams on and off gives the deer in the brush down a ways something to notice. Rather than a constant and gradual increase in light. Don't know, but maybe, just maybe it can give them a bit of a heads up knowing something's coming?
Good tip,and it works.
Great stuff, thanks a lot. I just started riding a 125 after a Honda ST 50 from 1974 which was my dream as a kid, now in search for confort with a Honda Marauder, learning all techniques including the clutch and ...... modesty. Keep it up !!
One "trick" they teach US Army aviation personnel to do at nights when flying is - when they get exposed to a bright light at night (flash of a weapon...) is to quickly close one eye to save that one the impact of the amount of light continuing to come into the open eye, and help save the NIGHT vision in the closed eye as much as possible.
So, as you get ready to pass cars going in the opposite direction, practice always closing one eye before their headlights hit you, and keep it closed until they pass.
I almost always focus down on the right-hand side of the road's white line to keep my lane alignment until the brightness of oncoming headlights passes. That also works up here in Upstate NY when it snows hard (in a four tire vehicle) to see where the road is, or else chance driving off it.
Here in the Philippines, many bikes have no reflectors, and many also have no brake light or turning signal light. Some have no headlight also. Pluse we have "tricycles", which are motorcycles with large sidecars and "pedicabs", which are bicycles with large sidecars. You can be riding along at night and suddenly come up on the tail of one, or have one crossing the road right in front of you. Night driving here is hellish, including the poor roads. We don't have deer, but we do have people, dogs, and motorcycles crossing roads all the time. A lot of tricycle and pedicab drivers will stop suddenly and then make a U turn. Sometimes they don't even had licenses or registrations. Often there will be 2 even up to 5 riding on these small motorcycles. Many riders don't wear helmets or shoes or gloves or any protective gear. Finally, most drivers of bikes and cars will drive in any lane that gets them ahead of other vehicles. Many times a vehicle will straddle two lanes so that if there is any obstruction, they can choose the lane to move into.
Here in Thailand you have to be prepared for 'ghost' cars i. e. cars with no lights on at night on not well illuminated super highways. At intersections and U-turns I always look very carefully whether such a ghost car is coming. Nearly every night I spot several of them.
Stray dogs are also dangerous at night.
I love your videos, Kevin! I watch you almost daily. Thanks SO MUCH for all you do!
I have a suggestion for riding at night my dad taught me (he also taught me to ride when I was 8) when an oncoming vehicle's lights are so bright watch the white line on the road. And on a bike move to the right side of the lane keeping your eyes as far ahead on that white line as possible.
And on another note, why is PayPal the only option for payment to join? I'd really like to join but I will never have anything to do with PayPal!
Reflective rim stickers are looking nice and help to be seen at night.
I have a pair of photochromic glasses I always wear when I ride.. They are light yellow at night(thus increasing contrast in low light conditions) but they turn dark brown in the sunlight. They just change in very few seconds, great when you enter or exit a tunnel or in general when light conditions change. Never without. Also, I always set the screen of my GPS to lowest light level at night, to avoid those seconds of blindness when you look at it, then back at the road. Thanks Kevin for all the great work! Cheers from Italy!