Riding at night can be an exhilarating experience as you cruise through the darkness. A vibrant city or a silent forest creates a calming backdrop adding to your sense of freedom as you ride. But safety and visibility become ever more important when the sun sets.
That’s why Tru Tension are sharing our top five tips for riding at night. We’re a trusted companion for electric motorcycle enthusiasts that deliver top-notch maintenance tools and equipment every time, with backing from renowned investor Touker Suleyman from Dragons Den. In this article, we’ll address making yourself seen, preparing your bike, and improving your vision.
We’re committed to giving you straightforward and valuable insights. And that commitment has created a thriving community within the electric motorcycle world. You can count on us to stay informed about all your maintenance needs. Join our passionate biking community today.
1. Upgrade Lighting Systems
You first need to ensure your bike’s lighting systems are working. Check what bulbs you have. Are they standard factory-installed bulbs? If so, they may not be powerful enough for optimum brightness at night. Consider an upgrade to high-quality headlights which have added brightness for better visibility. The ideal bulbs will produce clear white light to make obstacles blatant and increase contrast.
Popular options include:
- Halogen bulbs
- LED bulbs
- High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights
As well as better illumination, these bulbs usually have a longer lifetime than standard bulbs.
Be careful your new lights comply with local regulations for beam patterns and brightness. You can check if this applies to you in The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 or other government guidance.
Improve your bike further and increase its longevity with our motorcycle maintenance checklist. >
2. Maintain Clean Reflective Panels
Reflective panels allow better visibility at night, which is crucial for road safety. The panels reflect light back to its source, making you show up much better on dark roads. Ensuring the panels are free of dirt or debris is critical so they aren’t unhelpfully covered. Regularly inspect and clean them to preserve their utility.
Find out how to keep your motorcycle clean with our highly recommended cleaning products. >
As well as cleaning existing panels, you can bolster your visibility further by adding extra reflective products in strategic places. For example, you could add adhesive reflective tape or stickers to:
- The sides of the bike.
- The panniers.
- The rims of the wheels.
Always ensure the stickers are safe to apply to the part of the bike you’re using them on. Every bike is different, so do your research before adding any reflective markers.
3. Incorporate Reflective Gear
You, as well as your bike, need to be seen when you’re on the road at night. You take up a significant portion of space as much as your bike does, so it can be dangerous if you wear dark clothes. Invest in reflective riding gear, such as:
- Jackets
- Vests
- Trousers
- Helmets
- Gloves
Like your bike, these garments can reflect light back to other road users and keep you visible.
When selecting gear, look for products that meet safety standards and have solid reviews. You want to find garments with reflective elements on the front, back, and sides. If you want an advanced option, look for a jacket with built-in LED lights or reflective piping.
4. Inspect and Prepare Your Bike
Night-time rides often involve long journeys, especially if you’re commuting. Breakdowns happen on lengthy rides and can be difficult to manage in the dark. Minimise the risk of mechanical issues – inspect your motorbike before going on a night ride. By checking on your bike, you can maintain it more accurately and reduce the chances of breakdowns or accidents.
Find out how to restore an old motorcycle to be fit for use. >
Look at your tyre pressure and depth of tread. If your tyres are correctly inflated and have good tread, they’ll stick to the road and enhance stability and control. Also, check for any wear and tear on the tyres. If the damage is bad enough, consider replacing them.
Next, check the brakes’ condition by pumping them to see if they are in good working order. They may need cleaning if they’ve picked up residue while riding. Test the clutch and throttle are fully responsive, and tighten your bike’s chain if necessary.
You’ll also want to check the fluid levels on your bike, including:
- Oil
- Brake fluid
- Coolant
Low fluid levels can cause performance problems and even damage your engine. This is easily avoided! To be extra safe, carry spare fluids and an essential emergency toolkit.
The last thing you want is a dead phone if stranded in the dark. If you don’t already have one, consider adding a power outlet to your bike to charge your phone or GPS in case you need it. Bring the correct charging cables for your device too.
5. Be Mindful of Visibility Limitations
Now you’re visible, it’s equally vital to take precautions with your own sight limitations in low light. Darkness can confuse your depth perception, making it difficult to judge distances accurately. Adjust your riding style accordingly and prepare for changes in conditions causing even further reduced visibility.
An easy fix for the risk of low light vision is to reduce your speed. It’s also best to keep a safe following distance to allow other drivers time to react to your presence. In the dark, other drivers may not see you as clearly as bigger vehicles, so giving them extra space and time is key.
Make sure you’re ready for unlit or unreflective obstacles. Pedestrians, cyclists, and animals are usually harder to spot in the dark. Take care of bends because hard-to-see hazards can suddenly appear with less time for you to react. As well as that, they can be generally trickier to navigate at night.
For more safety tips check out our article on riding a motorcycle on the motorway. >
Safer Night Riding with Tru Tension
Riding at night requires extra attention to your bike and yourself as a rider. Visibility and proper vehicle function are crucial to keeping you safe and giving you a stress-free nighttime ride.
At Tru Tension, we aim to give you and our community of riders practical tips to have the best driving experiences. Not only do we want to share our knowledge with you, but we want to help boost your bike to the next level. We offer products that can help you stay safe on the road and keep your motorcycle in expert maintenance. Whether day or night, you’ll be able to go on the best trips with minimal distractions with Tru Tension.
If you want to find out more, get in touch or check out some of our related articles.
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