No time for sightseeing.......

[Stanley Steamer]

......you have to keep focused or else......it will cause some unpleasantness......it's a good way to get your mind off the politics as of late also.....

Tail of the Dragon at night 2

[BF]

I actually like smelling the roses.   

[alph]

I love riding at night!!!  especially on a spring evening when there's still some frozen ponds on the side of the road and you get that thin fog layer that's just over your head, or low enough that it's below your windshield!!   

[iliveforcurves]

I too enjoy riding at night.  I used to work 2nd shift and would take the long way home on country roads.  I like to ride until about an hour after sunset on my road trips, when everybody is home and watching TV and I have the roads to myself.   

[saddlesore]

Wheeew!! I can breath now.

[SpidyJ]

Not for me............I'd have to do some serious mods to my I-S beore attempting that! 

[cookiedough]

I don't mind riding at night until last night reminds me on why I do not do it as much as some might.

Around 11:30 p.m. coming home from work around a 9 point big bodied buck walked out on my side of road and lucky for me stopped on the shoulders white line and turned around.  I instinctively locked up both brakes doing 60 mph down to 20ish or so in NO time flat. No way had time to come to complete stop if the deer decided to walk/trot across road probably would have hit it and done some damage for sure to bike and myself.  

Pretty impressed with over 800lb. bike with me pushing 300 that nearly 1100lbs. can stop johnny on the dime so well even on OEM original brake pads some 12 years old.  Will be replacing the OEM pads next time with tire change just to be on the safe side don't want to push my luck.  

[MarkT]

Wow.  I've changed all my brake pads several times.  Guess that has to do with mostly mileage.  Though I don't use the brakes heavily most of the time, but downshift to slow, saving them.

I recently got two Heros on ebay at great prices, and set up  mounts front and rear on Deerslayer.  Haven't used them at night yet.  Might check that out, I have super bright lights - 130/90 headlight + 2 A/C landing lights + 2 50w halogens  - though it's quite a ride over to the twisties in the foothills.  I did do a 90 mile ride through the fall colors up there, but haven't had time to edit it yet.  Some good sequences, hope to get time next week for that.

[cookiedough]

Yah, I don't use my brakes much either downshift or just slow down if riding by myself mostly only 28K miles on 2001 I/S.  Surely the cagers behind me do not like using my brakes much at all since they have a harder time judging me slowing down since not using my brakes much at all.  Am sure in 1-2 more years when need new tires will for sure be time to replace even if not worn down a ton.

Nice bright extra lights driving at night surely doesn't hurt, but sometimes those darn deer can jump out right in front of us without warning and if they run across the road at just the right time,  NO amount of lighting will avoid a collision. 

[MarkT]

Yah, I don't use my brakes much either downshift or just slow down if riding by myself mostly only 28K miles on 2001 I/S.  Surely the cagers behind me do not like using my brakes much at all since they have a harder time judging me slowing down since not using my brakes much at all.  Am sure in 1-2 more years when need new tires will for sure be time to replace even if not worn down a ton.

Nice bright extra lights driving at night surely doesn't hurt, but sometimes those darn deer can jump out right in front of us without warning and if they run across the road at just the right time,  NO amount of lighting will avoid a collision.  

Don't know where you are, but having lived in WI for many years and now here in CO, mule deer behave differently from whitetails.  Generally mulies don't panic and run in front of you like whitetails.  More like they just amble onto the roadway. And they move in groups - if there's one, there are more nearby. So if you have great lights and can leave them on, watch the roadway and edges for brown and you won't as likely have a deer hit.  Not so with whitetails.  I've hit and had many close calls in WI - even watching carefully with great lights, you still might have a deer hit.  Best to slow down and let someone else drive point (like a cage).

[Willow]

Yah, I don't use my brakes much either downshift or just slow down if riding by myself mostly only 28K miles on 2001 I/S.  Surely the cagers behind me do not like using my brakes much at all since they have a harder time judging me slowing down since not using my brakes much at all. 

Not to hijack the thread, but just a word of advice -  I too use engine braking now and then to reduce my speed.  Even then I touch my brake pedal to send the slowing down messsage to anyone behind me.  Often the pedal isn't enough to engage the brake but enough to illuminate the brake light.  I learned long ago to think of that pedal on the right as the switch that turns on the brake light.

As to the subject of the thread I also long ago learned to not look at any of Stanley's videos unless I have to.   

[Jess from VA]

I also use the brake light switch to show brake lights without actually braking, but I use the hand lever...... making multiple quick flashes..... usually only when heading into a yellow at high speed with plenty of cages behind me.

[GiG]

 

I also use the brake light switch to show brake lights without actually braking

           

[Jess from VA]

Hey Gig (Jig?), that sticky brake pedal has long since been lubed.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

Yah, I don't use my brakes much either downshift or just slow down if riding by myself mostly only 28K miles on 2001 I/S.  Surely the cagers behind me do not like using my brakes much at all since they have a harder time judging me slowing down since not using my brakes much at all. 

Not to hijack the thread, but just a word of advice -  I too use engine braking now and then to reduce my speed.  Even then I touch my brake pedal to send the slowing down messsage to anyone behind me.  Often the pedal isn't enough to engage the brake but enough to illuminate the brake light.  I learned long ago to think of that pedal on the right as the switch that turns on the brake light.

As to the subject of the thread I also long ago learned to not look at any of Stanley's videos unless I have to.   

I thought everybody knew better?