Getting up for work it’s dark, getting out of work it’s dark, the nights are definitely drawing in. While there are some benefits to riding in the dark such as cooler temperatures, the hazards increase significantly with the lack of light. If you don’t put your bike away over Winter and continue riding through the year, have a read of our advice for staying safe.

The Hidden Dangers of Motorcycle Riding at Night

With limited visibility comes more cautious riding. Here are several things to be aware of while riding in the night time.

• Hidden Obstacles: Beyond other vehicles on the road, the road becomes more hazardous due to obstacles and debris in the road, potholes of any size, loose gravel, manholes, and many other things that become less visible when darkness approaches. They also become more difficult to manoeuvre around. While you may easily see something on the road, moving in your lane of travel can put you on a collision course with something you didn’t see hidden in the darkness.
• Animals: As the saying goes, ‘a deer in the headlights’ is an accurate depiction of animals who freeze under pressure when they look into your headlights. Many preys and scavenger animals tend to come out at night to avoid the risk of active predators in the daytime and/or they are merely nocturnal by nature. Thankfully, most animal eyes will emit a glow and signal their presence to you if you do happen to come across one at night, just in time to avoid their bodies on the road.
• Limited Visibility: There is a significantly higher risk of biker fatalities at night. Make sure you are seen with high visibility clothing (yes we know it’s not fashionable, but it’s needed) and make sure you can see with a clean headlight (you can also upgrade your bulbs if needed) and take your time.

Visibility

It’s common sense, the light decreases, you need to make yourself more obvious to other road users. One way to do this is to wear reflective panels. It’s not the case that high visibility yellow/orange coloured clothing makes you seen at night, it’s actually the reflective silver lines and panels that reflect headlights that improve your visibility.

For added visibility, stylize your motorcycle and/or your gear with retro-reflective tape that will catch the attention of other motorists. You can purchase a roll of tape in virtually any color imaginable to amp up your gear. Use your creativity when applying the tape, as you can add them along the edge of your bike, on your forks, along with the panniers and saddlebags, or for those looking to take it one step further, on the lip of your wheel rims. Reflective decals are also available as well for those who want to include additional designs on their bikes, armour, or helmet.

Flexible, thin LED lighting tubes can also be added to clothing and your bike.

Make yourself heard

“Loud pipes save lives.” You’ve most likely heard this expression at least once. Your exhaust can definitely announce to other motorists that you’re near them, whether you’re coming or going. Although they may hear that you’re nearby, that doesn’t guarantee they can see you, so continue being alert and cautious of your surroundings. Also make sure your exhaust is still within the legal noise limit. Upgrading your motorcycle’s horn if it’s a little quiet is also recommended.

Make sure you can see clearly

Make sure your headlights are clean and you have decent bulbs. It’s a good idea to carry spare bulbs with you just in case they fail while you are out riding. Some older bikes can be upgraded to LED bulbs to give you a better view of the road ahead, and extra lights can be added to your bike if needed.

Keep your motorcycle helmet visor clear of grime, dirt and bugs with a good cleaner and microfibre cloth. For stubborn bugs and dirt, leave wet kitchen roll on your visor to soak it before wiping it clean with your cleaner and cloth. While a tinted visor can help with the low sun in Winter, you will mostly need a clear one, as you’ll need all the light you can get. Some helmets now come with adaptive visors that change to light conditions, and most now include a pop down dark visor that sits behind your clear one that can be activated and removed with the touch of a button.

Your visor will fog up in Winter due to the drop in temperature, heavy breathing and bad weather. If you are planning on riding in Winter, consider an upgrade to an anti-fog visor or pinlock. Carry visor wipes with you too.

Lighting Options:

• LED Lights: Standard incandescent bulbs are bright, but switching them to an LED light bulb can amplify your visibility from other motorists and allow you to see farther and better at night. LED bulbs can output more light with reduced power from the motorcycle and without the extra heat of a higher wattage incandescent bulb. Just be careful that your motorcycle flasher can compensate for the reduced resistance from adding or changing bulbs to LEDs. You may need to change the flasher on your motorcycle to an electronic flasher instead of a resistance flasher to compensate for the change in bulbs. Here are a few ways to see and be seen better by adjusting your lighting options:
• Brake Light Flashers: You can change out or add to your brake lighting with a flasher that makes your bulb flash multiple times when the brakes are applied. Rather than having a steady light, it will grab the attention of the motorist behind you with a few flashes and then stay steadily illuminated.
• Headlight Modulator: A headlight modulating kit can add some attention from oncoming motorists by pulsing your low beam headlights. With many new cars featuring daytime running lights, your headlight can become lost in a sea of headlights at any point during the day. A pulsing light breaks up the sea of lights and gives you the extra attention you need to stay safe. Although some motorists may find it as a distraction, it just proves that it’s doing its job – you’re being seen!
• Auxiliary Lights: Beyond replacing the OEM bulbs with LED replacements, there are plenty of options available for custom lighting for added visibility to your motorcycle. The type of lighting that you would want to add depends on the purpose you are trying to serve. For example, you can add lights to help you see further down the road for safer night riding, to improve your ability to see when there are foggy conditions, or to brighten up the areas of your peripheral vision. You can add single bulbs up to multiple strips in multiple colors and some kits are even smartphone enabled to change colors at your command!
• High Beams: As a highly debated topic, high beams during your night time riding can be advantageous to motorcyclists. One of the leading causes of accidents are other motorists turning right in front of a motorcycle and so bright high beam lights can alert drivers of their action of cutting off a motorcyclist.

Adjust your riding to suit the conditions

Keeping out of blind spots is a must all year for bikers, but more so in Winter. Make sure you are visible in rear view and side mirrors and overtake with care. A good piece of advice is to ride like everyone is out to kill you. Not a nice thought, but it works.

Allow for more distance between you and the vehicles in front for extra braking space. While your reactions may be fine, your bike’s brakes will need extra time than normal to stop in slippery and wet conditions.

While road markings are a good source of information on the road layout, the white paint and cats eyes can be very slippery. Be extra careful when changing lanes, especially if crossing large hatching areas.

Keep your motorcycle well maintained

Slippery roads, road salt, the cold and damp can damage your bike, whether it be due to incorrect storage, to having an accident due to poor brakes or tyres. Keep your motorcycle in top condition if you are riding through Winter or putting it into hibernation, read our Winter maintenance tips here.

Take more breaks if you’re going on a long journey

Your eyes will be straining more in the dark and concentration levels will be increased, so it’s important to stop regularly on a long journey, or even stop on your regular commute if you feel tired. Keep yourself hydrated too. Only set off again if you feel alert enough to ride safely. You don’t want to be a danger to yourself and other road users.

Additional Safe Riding Tips

• Practice Defensive Riding – One of the best strategies to stay safe is to pretend that you’re invisible. Sometimes you blend in so well with traffic that you pretty much are. Ride defensively and always think of what you can do to stay safe if another driver doesn’t recognize that you are there.
• Be Alert – You should constantly scan between the horizon and your mirrors. Position your mirrors so that you can just use your eyes to see what’s behind you and not have to turn your head to look around you.
• Stay Out of Blind Spots – One of the worst places to ride is in a blind spot of another rider or larger vehicle. They can easily merge or change lanes into you and/or swerve to miss debris in the road and cause an unavoidable collision.
• Use Your Signal – Turn signals are a courteous way to signal to other motorists that you intend to change your course through a lane change or turn. During night riding, they can also grab the attention of another motorist via the flashing lights.
• Increase Driving Distance – When you can’t see clearly in front of your motorcycle, the following distances need to be greater than they usually are. While you can stop far faster than most vehicles on the road, many things can happen quickly during the night riding hours. Add a few extra seconds for reaction time for a potential problem that will far outweigh getting there a few minutes later because of traffic or a need to ride slower.
• Turning/ Cornering Changes – One way to make cornering easier is to try to separate the braking action from turning. Brake the most (if not all) before you commit to a turn. This will give your tyres the most traction available for each action and gives you the most stability.
• Riding in Thirds – Each lane can be split into thirds (left, middle, and right), and generally speaking, are equally important no matter the time of day. Use them as needed to stay safe and avoid anything in the roadway. Each section has an advantage and disadvantage to offer concerning other motorists, debris, passing, etc. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to which you should ride in. Stay safe and seen, period.

Night riding can open you up to a whole new world. You can ride the same stretch of road in the daytime for years and one ride during the night hours can completely disrupt your perspective. With changing scenery comes changing dangers. A small change in your riding gear, small upgrades to your motorcycle, and specific modifications to your riding habits can keep you safe and enjoying your newfound riding scenery. Stay safe!