10 Tips for Riding Motorcycle in Night

Darkness of night - For some, this phrase is next to fear, for some it signals to freak out a party. While the duration of the day after sunset and before sunrise may lay the people down to rest, there are some who just love to explore the other side and wake up their nerves into a frisky note. And if you are a motorcyclist who is bitten by the bug of adventure, the latter factor is surely the one which appears to be more enthralling. Riding a motorcycle at night is an exhilarating challenge in itself, and if you are well versed of the antics of riding in the dark, it comes out as an enjoyable experience. But if you are not, well, all you may end up with is an unpleasant scene depicting yourself on a stretcher in hospital. If you are still smitten with the imaginations of yourself indulged in some fun-filled night riding, we surely can help you out with these following top ten considerable points, which you should keep in mind before hitting out the dark world ahead. These points are as follows:-

1. Upgrade your bike’s lightings - Needless to say, the first thing to appear in mind when you decide to kick off your bike for riding in night, is to ensure whether all of the lights of your motorcycle are working in proper condition or not. To start with, the illumination of all the lights, especially the headlight, must be bright and high-set enough to light up the terrains ahead, without violating the traffic laws. For this, be ensured that the wimpy bulbs which have worn out or have given up their breath should be replaced with a brighter new unit which should be more powerful, without putting too much load on the battery of your motorcycle. The replacement bulbs may either be of similar wattage or of an upgraded voltage. Be sure to upgrade the electrical system with better battery with prolonged life and safer wiring if you wish to opt for upgraded bulbs. Also, these new bulbs should not hamper the switchgear or plastic lens of the headlight in any condition. To amplify your vision during night, you may also equip your bike with secondary or auxiliary headlamps which can be fitted as after-market components alongside the main headlamp. But be sure that these secondary headlamps are not too powerful or high-powered as compared to the main headlamp, avoiding of which may be deterrent to the drivers/riders in front of you. Also, be kind to the riders in front of you by lowering the lights when you are heading directly towards him.

1. Increase your visibility to others on the roads - With seeing other properly during riding in night, it’s equally important to be visible to others as well. Following are the methods with which you can increase your visibility to others properly during night:-

> By adding additional lights - As said in the previous point, the auxiliary lamps not only amplify the brightness on the road, but also make you instantly recognizable to the oncoming traffic due to the additional lamps in front. Also, the auxiliary lamps make you recognizable as a much larger vehicle to other riders in front of you as compared to riding with a single headlight, which may help you to garner a commanding view ahead with the riders giving you a proper space to maneuver around.

> By adding reflective tape to your bike - Adding reflective tape or neon strips on your motorcycle’s components such as front headlamp visor, front and rear fenders, sides of the wheel rims or the body panels of your motorcycle help your visibility to others as they have the tendency to reflect back the light which falls upon them.

> By adding reflective material on your clothes - Apart from adding reflective tape on your motorcycle’s parts, the tape can also be plastered on your riding apparels such as helmet, jacket, gloves or riding pants, provided your riding gear is of a dark color, say black or grey. For instance, you can wrap a reflective arm band around the sleeves of the your riding jacket.

> By making your helmet instantly recognizable - You can do it in two ways, either by wearing a helmet of attractive color and not a dull one, or just as said now, by sticking reflective tape on the front, back and sides of your head gear.

3. Be ensured that your vision is clear - After checking your bike’s ability and others’ ability to see ahead, now it’s your turn to examine whether you are able to keep in check what’s all happening ahead you or not. First and foremost, be ensured that the visor of the helmet you are using is clean and devoid of any scratches, dirt and mist, or not. If in access, the dirt and dust particles have the tendency to reflect the light back, which may hamper your vision. The scratches are even bigger deterrents in your vision, which may distort the lights falling on you, thus distracting your rideability in night.

4. Use the lights of other vehicles equally - Apart from using the full potential of your bike’s lights, you can take assistance of the lights of other riders/drivers who are on the roads as well. This antic particularly helps when you are riding ahead them and you want a proper illumination on either sides behind you. But at the same time, make sure that you are at a suitable distance apart from the other riders on the road and not hampering their rideability.

5. Ride slowly and defensively -

> Remember, the night time is not the moment to ignite up your racing spirits and ride as if there’s no tomorrow. The bright day hours may be the one to ride hard, but the same is not advisable during night. Use all of your motorcycle’s lights, including blinkers and pass flasher and even your bike’s horn to make the other riders sense your presence.

> Give yourself enough room on the road - While riding during night, always be sure that there is enough space around you, so that it gives you a chance to be aware of the proximity of other vehicles when they head towards you. This advice proves very helpful at the moments of cornering or when you wish to take a U-turn. This way, you give enough time to other riders to respond to your actions safely.

> Pick out the safest lane possible - This simply means - never interrupt the blind spot of other riders, ever. Especially when you are behind a much larger vehicle, say a truck or a bus. This makes the vehicle ahead you ignore you indeliberately, as you are not visible in the rear view mirrors of those vehicle. So, it’s advisable to ride on the sides of either of the lanes present on the surface. But be sure you are not riding on their edges, which may have unpredictable presence of potholes, mirrors and other disturbances.

6. Keep control of your speed - Apart from your self-cautiousness, it is essential to abide by the law too, when you are riding in night. No matter how good is your eyesight, when you ride in night, the degree of your visibility ahead reduces by a huge extent. In that case, be aware of the speed limits of the road on which you are traversing, as the other riders may not be as cautious as you. This will also reduce the chances of being stopped by traffic policeman and being ticketed by them.

7. Keep a watch on the living beings on road - And by that, we mean both animals and human beings. If you are riding through a dense forest or prohibited area, you must be knowing that night is that duration of the whole day, when most of the wild animals such as leopards and deer ply on the road. Also, it is these hours which are fully utilized by the thieves and dacoits, owing to the scarce density of people. So, try to avoid riding through such dangerous areas, even if they owe to reduce your riding time by a considerable margin. Also, have a watchful eye on stray animals and humans who try to hinder your riding speeds.

8. Wear right-sized and appropriate clothes - By saying this, we mean to say that wear those clothes which fit you properly, and more importantly, are suitable for the weather and temperature in which you are riding. This point becomes more of a concern during winters, when you need to carry extra clothes to warm yourselves in case the whether becomes more chilly and adverse for riding.

9. Take adequate rest - No matter what time of the day, riding a motorcycle becomes tedious after a while. And this happens more during night, when you are expected to take a rest to eliminate the tiredness of the whole day. So, it is advisable that instead of riding continuously for hours, take a short break to keep your focus towards the ride constant. The long highway stretches sometimes become too monotonous, and in that conditions, you may feel drowsy. If you feel so, better take a rest at a proper place in the midst of your journey. Also, avoid consumption of caffeine and alcohol, as they may make you feel more soporific.

10 Proper planning - Before you commence you ride for the night, make sure you are well-planned for the journey, by keeping these two important points in mind:-

> Prepare your stuff - Keep all the crucial stuffs of yourselves as well as bike, so that your ride seems to well-prepped. This includes your riding gear and bike in a well condition. Clean your bike properly before hitting the tarmac.

> Measure your riding speed and distance for the journey - Riding at night reduces the number of assistance you get on the road by others. So, it is advisable to prepare your road map well before starting the ride. Also, be sure to monitor your riding speed according to the time you need to take to reach the destination. Also, plan your stay details for the journey, if you intend to take a break in the midst of your journey.