Going out to play at night

[dern]

Anyone else like going out to play at night when the roads are less busy? Downsides are the additional wildlife I guess but the roads are a lot emptier.

Does anyone supplement their lights to provide a better view?

[weeksy]

Nah, never liked it at all. Can't recall a time the the last 15 years I've ridden in the dark.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I prefer to go out early before all the idiots get on the roads, I do see a lot of foxes and deer.
I've only ridden my GSXS once in the dark, the headlight was not as good as my 32 year old FZ750

[dern]

Not keen on getting up in the morning at the best of times

The lights on the 1190 are pretty good at night but the ones on the superduke aren't anywhere near as good. I'll have a fiddle adjusting them before going out again. I also don't like the automatic on/off nature of them.

[Demannu]

Anyone else like going out to play at night when the roads are less busy? Downsides are the additional wildlife I guess but the roads are a lot emptier.

Does anyone supplement their lights to provide a better view?

You've obviously never seen the mess a boar makes of a bus, let alone a bike!
And it doesn't matter how good your lights are!

[Cousin Jack]

Lights on my T100 were crap, upgrading the bulb produced brighter crap.
The VFR was superb. 4 seperate lights, all lit on main beam.
The new Honda is a LED version, not tried in the dark yet, but I am not convinced it will be good.

[Whysub]

Roads around me are fairly empty all day. Came back home through Aragon last weekend, and on many roads saw just a few cars every hour.

The lights on all my bikes are quite poor. Best light I ever had was a 7 inch Harley Davidson light I had bolted to one of my Japanes bikes (could have been a Bandit).
Most bikes I've ridden have had pretty poor lights, which seems to be reflected in the posts here.

[Trinity765]

Not at night. I used to go out early Sat/Sun mornings, at the crack of dawn. I have deer fear now - I've had a few close shaves and know too many people who have been injured. It also takes me an increasing amount of time to switch my brain on in the morning - I used to jump up, have a coffee and be ready - now it takes me the same amount of time to work out what day it is.

[mangocrazy]

I don't ride in the dark by choice. The only way I do is if I get caught out by the onset of darkness.

The last time that happened was about 15 years ago...

[wull]

Early mornings are the best or later in the evening when it’s still daylight. That’s when the shenanigans happen!

So much traffic these days, it’s a complete party pooper!

[wull]

Not at night. I used to go out early Sat/Sun mornings, at the crack of dawn. I have deer fear now - I've had a few close shaves and know too many people who have been injured. It also takes me an increasing amount of time to switch my brain on in the morning - I used to jump up, have a coffee and be ready - now it takes me the same amount of time to work out what day it is.

Funny story about deer. I’ve had so many close calls but the one that was funny was when I was on my R6 way back and was having issues with the clocks, they would just stop working, very temperamental until one day I hit a deer, it barely clipped the front sent me into a tank slipper briefly but I somehow managed to recover, clocks never failed again after that.


But, later that day I started having gearbox problems

[Bustaspoke]

Regarding actual night riding,I've not rode a motorcycle in pitch darkness for a few years & these days I would only do it out of neccesity,not for pleasure.
At this time of year it's only going dark at 10pm so I'm happy going out for an evening spin,but I'm wary of other road users not seeing me when the sun's low,also we now get deer jumping around.That said though we also get deer jumping around in the middle of the day.
I leave on the commute around 5.15 in the morning & the amount of dozy wildlife,mainly wood pigeons on the road is quite worrying.
It's different on the pushbikes,on a still Autumn evening,it's quite hypnotic on quiet country lanes as you focus on the beam of light in front of you,riding in the silence.It's also a good experience on a mountain bike doing a XC route,I wouldn't want to ride anything technical in the dark.For some night riding is thieir favourite riding.
I know a couple of people who have rode off road on KTM enduro bikes at night & really enjoyed it,apart from the trip to A & E ...

[Dodgy69]

When I was 16 and hooning around the country lanes on my fizzy, we used to see who could leave there lights off for the longest in the dark, whilst doing maybe 45 ish. Was a bit silly when I think about it now.

[ChrisW]

The only time I've ridden after nightfall for ages was for my daughter who wanted some long exposure (streaky motorcycle lights) shots for her Photography course, although, as above, I've got happy memories of night-time riding from when I was sixteen on a moped.

[Bigyin]

During the winter i travel to work and home again in the dark. On the Fazer i hate it as my iphone torch probably gives more illumination than the paltry lights Yamaha provided. I can run on full beam and nobody flashes me to dip them. On the big Multi the LED lights are superb and give exceptional view of the row ahead and thats without lobbing on main beam or the extra ones next to the Rad that are fitted as "fog lights"

Almost hit a muntjac deer last winter on the Fazer on a dual carriageway and didnt even see it till it was about 6 foot in front and flashed past my left foot luckily enough

[rodbargee]

passed a couple yesterday that needed sorting out reported them at the local vets its all you can do, they run out on you all over up here.

[The Spin Doctor]

So long as it's dry and not foggy, I enjoy riding at night, as long as I'm not tired. I remember one ride home across Romney Marsh that was simply awesome - high summer, nothing on the roads, and wisps of fog drifting across the road from the dykes.

I often used to ride to the Bol d'Or overnight too. Late afternoon ferry from Dover, a few hundred miles in daylight, a short kip about 10 pm, then most of the rest of the way at night. One ride, we arrived in the Ardeche just as the sun was starting to come up... absolutely stunning backdrop of a purple sky behind the silhouettes of the volcanoes.

[Count Steer]

Can cope mostly with the candle in a jam jar lights if it's dark enough. Eyes adjust. It's the yobba ray headlights* of stuff coming the other way that uggbers everything up. Takes 10 mins to adapt/adjust again.

Sometimes it's easier with visor up too if the visor is anything but spotless.

* There seems to be a competition among the car makers to have the first headlight beams that you can see from space.

[Mr. Dazzle]

My pre covid lockdown commuting meant I rode in the dark every weekday for about 4 months of the year.

Obviously after all that it pretty much doesn't bother me. Riding in the dark AND rain on unlit country roads with lots of oncoming traffic though.....

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I hit a deer once, fortunately it was with an Opel Manta, neither me nor the Manta suffered any damage, the same can't be said of the deer