Anyone else feel safer at night?

[derek533]

I know most people would say that riding during the day is safer, but personally, I feel safer at night. Part of it is traffic I'm sure or lack thereof after rush hour. But part of it seems that I'd be hard to spot during the day on a dark colored bike and moving in and out of shadows and trees. At night OTOH, all the lights are on, and I've noticed myself, that I'm better able to spot bikes from a distance at night better than I am during the day.

It's also one of the reasons that I still have the stocker turn signals on since they are very noticeable as running lights at night and not tucked up underneath the fairing.

Maybe not I dunno. I guess it boils down to whatever your most comfortable with and the brightness of your gear during the day. Keep in mind though where I live. It's not that hilly here .

 

[fb40dash5]

Nah, we got deer. Lots and lots of deer. And drivers dumber than deer who are fully capable of screwing up driving at any time of day.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I wouldn't say I feel safer at night, but comfortable riding. You are always at a disadvantage during the night versus the day. You just simply cannot see as much versus the day. But when I am out at night, I will always wear reflective gear and I have additional reflective material apppied on my bike and helmet. For instance, I have a strip of reflective tape going up and down my forks. Since my forks are silver, you can hardly tell that I have any reflective tape applied on my forks.

 

[Ssky0078]

Like VegasRider I feel comfortable at night but safer during the day. I live in the city and there is always traffic, even at 3 and 4 in the morning. On top of that the number of drunk drivers is ridiculous here.

If I go ride in the country, coyote is the preferred beast to take out a motorcycle in AZ, as well as some deer, elk, tarantula and cats

 

[Nelly]

Like Kenny, I always wear HI VIZ gear and have added extra reflective stickers to my helmet and wear reflective LED lights on my arm at night. This being said, I dislike night riding, I live in the country where there is no designated street lighting and we have wildlife, Foxes & Badgers.
I also wear glasses and at times struggle with the glare of oncoming traffic and 99% of cagers will not dip their high beams when behind you. I don't like the reduced visibility and you have to adjust your speed and road position accordingly. I do love the cool damp air and reduced traffic though.

Nelly:thumbup:

 

[Red Wazp]

Nah, we got deer. Lots and lots of deer. And drivers dumber than deer who are fully capable of screwing up driving at any time of day.

We have deer, racoons, bears, coyotes, opossum and drunks. No way I feel safer at night.

 

[FIZZER6]

I agree with everyone talking about the threat of wildlife.

Deer in the roadway are a MAJOR hazard in the eastern US. From this time of year through Christmas I will see deer in the road at least once for every 10 miles of backroads I travel after dark.

Even though you may think that drivers can see your lights better at night what you forget is that a motorcycle with 1 or 2 headlights so close together your bike may look like a car coming from 1/4 mile down the road when you are in fact only 50 yards away. Cars will pull out in front of you at night because of this.

 

[krid80]

If I go ride in the country, coyote is the preferred beast to take out a motorcycle in AZ, as well as some deer, elk, tarantula and cats

Wait..... TARANTULA big enough to take out a motorcycle?!?!?!?!?! Did no one else notice this?! :scared:

 

[Susan]

I have a healthy fear of deer, elk, moose... too. And drunk drivers. And gravel. And sand. And gummy bears (yep, saw a pile of gummy bears on the road in a school zone the other day).

And I can't see worth beans in the dark whether I'm wearing glasses or contacts, and it's worse than that with oncoming headlights.

Given that car drivers often don't notice bikes at the best of times, I prefer being able to ride in the daytime so I can see where I'm going and see things that pose hazards.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Wildlife, has always been my greatest fear when riding a motorcycle. Not people or traffic. Wildlife is unpredictable, they can come out of nowhere and very hard to see. Even if you see them, no guarantees what they will do.

Remember, if you can eat it in one sitting, like a Tarantula, hit it. Not worth trying to avoid it and possibly crashing. If you can't eat it in one sitting, better try to avoid it.

 

[Nelly]

Wildlife, has always been my greatest fear when riding a motorcycle. Not people or traffic. Wildlife is unpredictable, they can come out of nowhere and very hard to see. Even if you see them, no guarantees what they will do.

Remember, if you can eat it in one sitting, like a Tarantula, hit it. Not worth trying to avoid it and possibly crashing. If you can't eat it in one sitting, better try to avoid it.

What do you do if your eyes are bigger than your belly???

Nelly

 

[pulsar2]

I do feel a bit safer or to be specific - more relaxed while riding at night. Last week I had to ride in heavy rain when I started off after 5PM. I noticed that I was more nervous and less confident till it got really dark. I think it is mostly because when there is light, I try to focus more on nearby obstacles/hazards than scanning ahead for other potential dangers. This creates a panic feeling because I dont know what else is lurking on the road further ahead of me. Also, sand/water looks a lot more menacing when I focus right in front of the front wheel instead of a good 30-40 yards ahead. Once dark, I can only see what is lit up by the headlights, which reduces chances of locking on to nearby objects. This translates to less nervousness - since I can scan way ahead of me and be confident of the path I could take in case of any danger.

 

[pookamatic]

Relaxed? Yes. Less targets that are also more easily identified by lights.

Safer overall? Probably not for reasons already mentioned. Animals don't have headlights. More drunk and drowsy drivers. Easier to let your guard down when you're not constantly dodging bullets.

In nearly 20 years of driving, I just recently learned something though. At night while driving a car, I really don't head check lane changes on the highway. Just sideview and go. Headlights are just about impossible to miss on a quiet highway.

 

[deeptekkie]

I feel safer at night, (especially at speed), except for the danged deer! One night at 80 mph I had a rear hoof less than four feet in front of my face! (BTW: This was NOT one of Santa's!)

 

[Susan]

In nearly 20 years of driving, I just recently learned something though. At night while driving a car, I really don't head check lane changes on the highway. Just sideview and go. Headlights are just about impossible to miss on a quiet highway.

:spank:

See the bit I bolded. You're giving me heart palpitations.

I always shoulder check. Every lane change. Every vehicle.

/Miss Bossypants

 

[shamrocker]

I do prefer riding at night, personally, and since I ride around suburban areas, wildlife really isn't a big concern. With the dual headlight mod and street lights, I feel my visibility is good, and the fact that little traffic is on the road is a big plus.

 

[trepetti]

I can't say I feel safer, but I was saying to a friend recently that ironically I feel MORE visible at night.