GOOD night riding?

[Thekerrick]

Ive always loved driving at night, no cars, open roads, less police, and when the moon is full there are some beautiful viewing areas.

However I haven't really had any pleasant night rides on my bike. Mostly its been commuting in the morning to work. Now that Ive shifted to a different schedule I don't really drive at night at all.

Since its summer I wondered if anyone goes on night rides just for the hell of it? I know its more dangerous but Id bet there are some areas that are just as safe as in the day time.

Last week we had some pretty hot days and when the night time hit it was so nice out. Perfect riding temperature. Only the fear of night time critters held me back.

[slumlord]

I really enjoy night riding on occasion. Get up at about 4 AM and go out for a very slow ride on the little CB100 on all back roads. There is absolutely no traffic and the bike is so quiet at 25 MPH or so that you see a lot of wildlife.It is almost as if you own the entire countryside because there is no one around at all. I do not use a helmet on these slow rides [not required by law in my state]. It is really about as safe as riding a bicycle without a helmet.
On the other hand,I hate riding a bike at the speed limit at night. My bikes are old and do not have enough generator capacity to put enough light out there to see road hazards like trash and loose gravel

[Maico Shark]

Nite rides are always better with the old lady up on back. Gentle cruising along winding country lanes...leaning in unison around turns with warm summer breezes blowing through your hair. impromptu stops at grassy meadows to trade whispered words and secrets beneath the starlit night. Nite rides I'll never forget still cast shadows on the fence rows along the pathways of my mind. - I am the midnight rider

[HKshooter]

I intentionally avoid night riding. Around here there are WAY to many critters that dart out in front of you, all big enough to wreck you, some big enough to total a car.
People nod off, drink and drive more at night. I've even heard some people compain that they have a hard time seeing at night.
Even if there were none of the above to worry about there is still that flying carpet of bugs that is never ending around here. Those things don't like to come off very well.
Speaking of bugs, I was on my way to my girlfriends house a few years ago, driving at night in the early summer through a wooded area. I never saw the cloud until I was right on it. Never before and never again since then have seen anything like the thunderstorm of what I think were mayflies. They so completely covered my windshield that I had to stop and try to clean it off for lack of seeing. All the wipers did was smear it around. It took me hours to get the dried goo off of my Mustang the next day.

[Thekerrick]

Maico slum you make me want to take off right now. Sounds erie and beautiful. Ill have to find some open country, mostly wooded here.

HK where do you live where the bugs are like that! Nothing that crazy here.

[jmark]

Nite rides are always better with the old lady up on back. Gentle cruising along winding country lanes...leaning in unison around turns with warm summer breezes blowing through your hair. impromptu stops at grassy meadows to trade whispered words and secrets beneath the starlit night. Nite rides I'll never forget still cast shadows on the fence rows along the pathways of my mind. - I am the midnight rider


You are a poet, my friend. :)

A woman friend of mine recently came to me with something she thought was nice. I had been introducing her to music that I like, and Emmylou had come up, and one of my favorites, the song "Sweet Old World," written by Lucinda Williams and covered (beautifully) by Emmylou.

My friend -- a gorgeous, sexy, funny, amazing woman -- did some research. And she came to me with a quote she found from Lucinda... Someone had asked her, "Describe the perfect man for you." And her response was, "A poet on a motorcycle."

Ahhh. Those night rides.... I too want to head out on one right now...unfortunately, it's raining, and my babe is asleep. Maybe tomorrow night!

[HKshooter]

I live in northern Indiana. Lots of crop fields divided by a scattering of lakes, dotted by occasional wooded areas. Skunks, beaver, opossum, turtles, gound hogs, racoons, deer, cats, dogs, rabbits. These are just the night time critters, the list goes up in the day but daylight gives us a better chance to see and avoid them. There is not a single road I travel on during my 20min ride to work that is devoid of something mashed. Just today I saw dead beaver, turtle, deer and something I really could not identify. Had fur and was very dead.
Yesterday you could add a live deer to that. I'm glad he sayed in on the other side of the road though I had slowed down just incase he changed his mind.
Bugs are very thick here but who knows why, with all the chemicals they use on the fields. Soon the fireflys will be thick and one can drive around with glowing yellow spluts all over the windshield. And the june bugs. Ever hit one of those at 60mph? They are big and HARD.

[CB750F]

My night vision is getting pretty bad plus way too many 4 legged, brown 100+ pound critters here in PA that wander the roads at night.

[HKshooter]

I forgot to add a big one. Every so often some farmers cows will get loose and wander into the road. Rare though but always seems to happen at night.
The farmers themselves are a hazard arond here too. They transport implements on the roads. sometimes at night. Some of these machines are nearly twice as wide as the lane they travel in and even when they move over they still occupy a good portion of the oncomming lane. At night they fire up all the lights on the things but they are not aimed for road driving, they are aimed for seeing the rows in the fields and are very, very freeking bright. Oncoming traffic gets blinded and can't see what's behind the unit. Often times they are pulling something and by nature of the beast some of those towables jut out into the oncoming lane. Very bad juju. Me and a friend nearly had the roof AND our heads removed by a chisel plow blade that was at that perfect heigth behind a tractor wider than his lane with all the lights on so we could not see squat until we were past the cab of the tractor. That was a close one and had I been on a bike it would not have been pretty.

[rexmitchell]

I like to ride at night, just feel like I am a little bit less visible than during the day, still is enjoyable though, like you said less cars, its a good time to think about things.

[SuperSherpa197]

i ride at night every time i get off work, which is usually 2-5 am. though i enjoy it very much, i don't enjoy all the deer, armadillos, turtles, opossums, hard to see trash in the road, morons that leave their bright lights on, cars that tailgate you but you can't haul ass for fear of it being a LEO, and just generally being sleepy from work.

so yeah, no joy rides at night out in the country, but in the city i'll ride all night long.

[Prodigy]

"Speak softly and carry a big stick" T. Roosvelt
Night critters wont bother you ;)

[TXPaul]

I love riding at night....much cooler than during the day. I live near a big city so there's not too many critters to worry about. My favorite is a full moon ride.....very relaxing.

[kaempfer0080]

Full moon riding is the best. It's really cool in winter when the snow has a sort of sheen ice surface and it all glows blue-white from the moonlight. I haven't gone out in the winter though, I've only seen that in a car.

[iTrek]

Was riding back home from a friends house last night at 12 or so, I was surprised how peaceful it is riding at night.

[rldguy]

I commute to work in the dark and I love it, but haven't done any joy rides at night.

Great post Maico!

[FlyBy]

I ride during winters and while coming back from work at 9pm its as dark as 1am. Its kinda fun coz the roads are empty and there is not much traffic. Night riding has its own beauty and trust me its fun if you are not going slow.

[do0zer]

If you like riding at night check out

dragonlights.net

These make night riding great

[InfiniteMiles]

I would rather go on early morning rides. I take it slow and wear an open face helmet, down country roads.

[Mr. O]

I ride early morning to work around 4-5am. I do enjoy it although having the possible 100# critter jump out in front of me really makes me not want to. And that's why I have my gear all set for tomorrow morning.:D The low temp tonight will be in the mid-50's. It's going to be a cold one tomorrow! :71baldboy:

[badinfluence63]

Where I live its nice,serene and pleasant at night. Unfortunately thats when deer,moose and bear come out.

[afmajernik]

I love night riding more so when i know the roads and can go slow and really enjoy it. However riding through mountain highways at 80 not knowing the roads to well wasnt as fun

[bronx]

i love to rip it late at night.. if i ever cross paths with an animal i hope its something cool.. like an escaped tiger,, or even better a liger.

[calebh]

only night rides i've been on, i came back covered in bugs... otherwise, i'd really enjoy it. they really like to splatter themselves on my faceshield...

[shiekyabuty]

I was really nervous at freeway speeds, the speed and also leaning, so I practiced at 4:00 AM.

It was nice to have no cars on the road and be able to go as fast or slow as I needed.

[Badlands-4-2]

I have always looked at night riding as something I only did when I had to. Now after reading Maico Sharks post, I have a different opinion.

[wingedone]

If you live in Michigan, only if you like taking your life in your hands.

When I was much, much younger, I used to love to drive at night. TV, movies always makes it look cool, peaceful.

Truth here is, you try and do that and run the gauntlet of deer. I hit a deer with the Goldwing 10 years ago and I am still fearful to ride at night (though I ride to work every morning (usually in the dark) when I can.

But I am leary and on edge the whole time. Not peaceful.