Thanks for taking your time to watch this! If you are an experienced rider and have some tips for my viewers on how to ride safer at night, let us know in the comments!
no need to rush if you don't have to. The first time I went riding at night was 6 months after getting my bike. It helped that my license level at the time prohibited me from riding at night but even after I got my full license, I waited until I felt 100% confident.
Some solid advice here. Personally, I choose to not ride at night if I can. Nighttime is for eating and drinking 😜👍🏻 However if I do ride at night I do alll that you mentioned as well as as some additional reflective things such as reflective piping on my backpack and these black stickers that go white when lit on my helmet. The more visible you can be the better.
Great video and those would be my top points to consider riding at night. My real life experience was running off the road on my first bike and ending up wrecked in the ditch on a country road. I was a new rider riding at speeds above my capability and it was also night time. I basically was riding on an unfamiliar road, out riding my headlight, road was unfamiliar and thick wooded forests on either edge which also confused my road picture with shadow distractions.... recipe for disaster which led to an almost fatal single bike accident. Fact is, most of my friends accidents happened at night, in group rides, on sport bikes on twisty back country roads. Most of them were single bike accidents. 1. Riding at night reduced your ability to negotiate turns in the road ahead for any experience of rider. Out running your headlight is even a problem sometimes at the speed limit on a dark twisty road. 2. Riding in a group tends to make people ride beyond their limit at any time of the day. This makes out running your headlight even more of an issue at night. 3. Over running the road in a turn. This was the single most common type of accident I have experienced in all my riding time. It's hard or even almost impossible to assess a turns entry and exit point at night with low lighting. This becomes a major issue on unfamiliar roads. Great video KS! Brings back a lot of memories and reinforces those hard lessons learnt. Plus, in my older ripe age of 39, I find it more fun to ride in daylight and at or close to speed limits! Ride safe!
Nice video, well done. The orange lighting of your gauge looks cool. The golden hour is my favorite time to ride, especially in summer. I don't like the setting sun shining like a laser into my face so I wait until that moment when it drops below the trees and then go. I never felt okay about the single tail light on my Sportster. I kept thinking that if that one single filament ever burnt out, my rear end would be totally dark. As soon as I bought the bike, I changed the tail light to an LED panel (inside the stock cover) and changed the rear yellow indicators to red lenses and red LED panels. I also installed a plug-n-play module that turns the rear indicators into running lights that get brighter when braking, so now there's 3 bright brake lights where there used to be only 1. Also, whenever the brakes are activated, all 3 lights flash three times and then stay one. While signaling, the indicators toggle between full-on and completely off for maximum attention.
Another great video. I absolutely love riding at night. The sense of bring in space especially during a light snow storm. One thing I have found out is that animals that are found dead on the road or have their heads turned away from you are hard to see when overriding than your light.
Since I started riding in the '80s, I've hit a few varmints. A squirrel, a rabbit, a skunk, a cat. Almost hit a German Shepard that ran across the road on a curve out in the country. It was a near miss but scared the bejeezuz out of me. Caught a bird (morning dove) in the triple-tree just under the headlight. I've also had to steer around a standing duck, a few large turtles crossing roads, and one time a 4' snake.
great topic. I think the biggest concern I have, is wildlife. I don't ride in the city much at night. Situational awareness is key.... for example, your statement at 50km/hr - if you are on a highway doing 100 km/hr - you need to watch what the others see, and see if they tap their brakes etc. Many years ago - a buddy hit a deer on his bike in the Metchosin area (near you), even at 50 km/hr - it was a pretty big deal.
Motorcycle cops in Los Angeles have a signature blue colored twin tail lights. You can spot the blue a mile away. I bought an LED bike light in the same color and clip one onto my backpack. You can legally have a light attached to yourself as long as it's not blinking. In a sea of red brake lights, the blue stands out really well and being associated with a cop makes people pay even more attention. I always figured I can somewhat do something about the things in front of me, but getting rear ended from behind hard to see coming.
Speaking of night riding, I dunno what the bugs are like in your area but around here in southern Ontario they can be a nuisance. I find that the bugs are the worst just as the sun is setting and for the first one or two hours afterward. Later into the night, there seem to be a lot less of them. I never had a wusshield on any of my bikes so sometimes I catch something inside my jacket or shirt or inside my open visor. Sometimes it's a bee so gotta be careful. There are some pretty big bugs around here. Some of the big ones splatter and make a big mess. The big beetles are hard and hit you like a rock. An additional pain in the butt is the millions of tiny bugs that cover every forward facing surface of the bike. Pro tip, if a huge bug splats on your visor, resist the urge to reach up and wipe it off with your glove because it'll just smear and blind you more. If a big bug sticks to the front of your visor, turn your head sideways and the wind will probably blow it off. In my saddlebag, I always have a tiny pump-bottle of lens cleaner solution and a lint-free cloth just in case.
I did a night ride last year early September from Calgary to Saskatoon (going to Saskatoon it was only the last 3 hours of the trip in the dark and back to Calgary the last 3 hours of the trip). I definitely did not have warm enough gear. As soon as the sun went down she got so cold both ways it sucked I tensed up so much and it made it way not fun
Thanks for taking your time to watch this! If you are an experienced rider and have some tips for my viewers on how to ride safer at night, let us know in the comments!
Great video, I don't enjoy riding at night so I don't do it much. Thanks for the tips
I have been nervous about riding at night when I finally get a bike, but ill see how that goes when I get it.
no need to rush if you don't have to. The first time I went riding at night was 6 months after getting my bike. It helped that my license level at the time prohibited me from riding at night but even after I got my full license, I waited until I felt 100% confident.
Great tips I typically keep more distance from cars at night due to my limited vision
Keeping your distance is always good!
Some solid advice here.
Personally, I choose to not ride at night if I can. Nighttime is for eating and drinking 😜👍🏻
However if I do ride at night I do alll that you mentioned as well as as some additional reflective things such as reflective piping on my backpack and these black stickers that go white when lit on my helmet. The more visible you can be the better.
Visibility is king! thanks for your input - you must've encountered so many animals during your rides!
@@KSMotoCafe sooo many animals that I should be referred to as Dr. Dolittle! Or you might be to young to get that reference 😜
@@Crittermoto lol I know the Dr Dolittle Eddie Murphy edition
@@KSMotoCafe 🤣 right, I forgot they did a remake.
Great video and those would be my top points to consider riding at night.
My real life experience was running off the road on my first bike and ending up wrecked in the ditch on a country road. I was a new rider riding at speeds above my capability and it was also night time. I basically was riding on an unfamiliar road, out riding my headlight, road was unfamiliar and thick wooded forests on either edge which also confused my road picture with shadow distractions.... recipe for disaster which led to an almost fatal single bike accident.
Fact is, most of my friends accidents happened at night, in group rides, on sport bikes on twisty back country roads. Most of them were single bike accidents.
1. Riding at night reduced your ability to negotiate turns in the road ahead for any experience of rider. Out running your headlight is even a problem sometimes at the speed limit on a dark twisty road.
2. Riding in a group tends to make people ride beyond their limit at any time of the day. This makes out running your headlight even more of an issue at night.
3. Over running the road in a turn. This was the single most common type of accident I have experienced in all my riding time. It's hard or even almost impossible to assess a turns entry and exit point at night with low lighting. This becomes a major issue on unfamiliar roads.
Great video KS! Brings back a lot of memories and reinforces those hard lessons learnt. Plus, in my older ripe age of 39, I find it more fun to ride in daylight and at or close to speed limits! Ride safe!
You make some great points here Joel. It is a fact that night time operations increases risks in any activity! Thanks for confirming that
Nice video, well done. The orange lighting of your gauge looks cool. The golden hour is my favorite time to ride, especially in summer. I don't like the setting sun shining like a laser into my face so I wait until that moment when it drops below the trees and then go. I never felt okay about the single tail light on my Sportster. I kept thinking that if that one single filament ever burnt out, my rear end would be totally dark. As soon as I bought the bike, I changed the tail light to an LED panel (inside the stock cover) and changed the rear yellow indicators to red lenses and red LED panels. I also installed a plug-n-play module that turns the rear indicators into running lights that get brighter when braking, so now there's 3 bright brake lights where there used to be only 1. Also, whenever the brakes are activated, all 3 lights flash three times and then stay one. While signaling, the indicators toggle between full-on and completely off for maximum attention.
Another great video. I absolutely love riding at night. The sense of bring in space especially during a light snow storm. One thing I have found out is that animals that are found dead on the road or have their heads turned away from you are hard to see when overriding than your light.
light snow storm and you still go out riding!?
@@KSMotoCafe lol. You know Ontario weather, Sunny and hot then the next county road blizzard. and this was in September. haha
@@StoichioJoe ah that surprise september snowfall - yes now I can relate
Great vid brah, good reminder for the avid rider and good new practices for the noob.
Thanks man!
Since I started riding in the '80s, I've hit a few varmints. A squirrel, a rabbit, a skunk, a cat. Almost hit a German Shepard that ran across the road on a curve out in the country. It was a near miss but scared the bejeezuz out of me. Caught a bird (morning dove) in the triple-tree just under the headlight. I've also had to steer around a standing duck, a few large turtles crossing roads, and one time a 4' snake.
Great video!! Really good tips
Thanks a lot Andy! Im sure you guys had your fair share of night riding when you guys went across Canada!
great topic.
I think the biggest concern I have, is wildlife. I don't ride in the city much at night. Situational awareness is key.... for example, your statement at 50km/hr - if you are on a highway doing 100 km/hr - you need to watch what the others see, and see if they tap their brakes etc.
Many years ago - a buddy hit a deer on his bike in the Metchosin area (near you), even at 50 km/hr - it was a pretty big deal.
I saved a video of a motorcyclist that hit a deer with his roadglide and man it looked rough!
Had my first nighttime ride of the year last night going home from an evening shift. Looking forward to DLS 😆
lol yeah - sometimes the winter riding forces us to ride in the dark!
Motorcycle cops in Los Angeles have a signature blue colored twin tail lights. You can spot the blue a mile away. I bought an LED bike light in the same color and clip one onto my backpack. You can legally have a light attached to yourself as long as it's not blinking. In a sea of red brake lights, the blue stands out really well and being associated with a cop makes people pay even more attention. I always figured I can somewhat do something about the things in front of me, but getting rear ended from behind hard to see coming.
interesting but does that become impersonating a cop which makes it illegal?
All good points. But for me I try not to ride at night if I can help it.
yeah same here - the fun disappears with elevated risks
Speaking of night riding, I dunno what the bugs are like in your area but around here in southern Ontario they can be a nuisance. I find that the bugs are the worst just as the sun is setting and for the first one or two hours afterward. Later into the night, there seem to be a lot less of them. I never had a wusshield on any of my bikes so sometimes I catch something inside my jacket or shirt or inside my open visor. Sometimes it's a bee so gotta be careful. There are some pretty big bugs around here. Some of the big ones splatter and make a big mess. The big beetles are hard and hit you like a rock. An additional pain in the butt is the millions of tiny bugs that cover every forward facing surface of the bike. Pro tip, if a huge bug splats on your visor, resist the urge to reach up and wipe it off with your glove because it'll just smear and blind you more. If a big bug sticks to the front of your visor, turn your head sideways and the wind will probably blow it off. In my saddlebag, I always have a tiny pump-bottle of lens cleaner solution and a lint-free cloth just in case.
yeah bugs are so bad on the island but I remember that Ontario had tons of bugs on the road!
Good video, l try to avoid night riding, but when l do, l wear yellow lense goggles and my Costco rain jacket.
hmm do those yellow lens goggles actually work well?
@@KSMotoCafe They seem to capture whatever light is available, l see much better with the yellow over the clear.
I did a night ride last year early September from Calgary to Saskatoon (going to Saskatoon it was only the last 3 hours of the trip in the dark and back to Calgary the last 3 hours of the trip). I definitely did not have warm enough gear. As soon as the sun went down she got so cold both ways it sucked I tensed up so much and it made it way not fun
yeah riding cold definitely takes the smile away from your face so fast! 3 hours at night yikes!