Something magic about riding at night...

[jshram]

Took a 200 mile trip after work from Vegas through Armagosa, CA, Shoshone, CA, Pahrump and back... lonely-lonely roads, no moon and endless stars. There is something magical about riding a bike at night. Hard to describe, but your senses are heightened, smells, sounds, temperature, sight... the white light on the road, reflections off everything (even bugs) and the soft glow of the instrument cluster make for a blending of adrenaline, solitude, comfort and a union with the machine in the environment...

A couple pics from tonight...

[R J]

You must be lucky and not have any varmints to jump out in front of ya.

If I tried that around here, I'd have to contend with a lot of DEER.

Wife so far this year has hit 2 'IN TOWN' that is inside the city limits, on the way home from work, I got a little Bambi and no damage to the truck.

Her car Toyota (Highlander) has suffered $3,100 in the 2 contacts with DEER.

Wifes sister is a rural mail carrier in Missouri and so far this year she has hit 11 deer and 9 raccoon's.

1 deer she got her truck was on it's 1st mail delivery run.

[MP]

Agreed with the great night riding.  However, I also have to contend with forest rats, (deer), and pheasants.  They swarm to the road ditches in the evening.  So, I try to avoid riding then.  Just too dangerous here.

MP

[hubcapsc]

I had a magical solo ride recently, in the dusk, down hwy 60 from the
New River bridge to Lewisburg WV... at one point I noticed a whole family
of deer just a few feet from me standing on the side of the road... that's
a real nice stretch of road...

-Mike

[jshram]

If i were at home in Utah at 6000 feet, tons of deer. Lower elevations, vegas, death valley, where i was, not as bad... Not risk  free and i kept speeds down too. Still, love night riding...

[Troystg]

I agree, something magical about night rides.. 

Until the morning when you have to clean the two inch layer of bugs off the bike (back in Louisiana..)   


Here in DC I take the wife on evening rides after the traffic dies down.  We usually end up returning around 9 PM. 

[old2soon]

When I lived in Texas I had my Virago. Did a LOT of night riding there. Come thru a dip for a creek or river and feel the temperature drop near the water then pick up again on the other side. Smell the cows and horses and the chickens but might not see them. AND run a tad slower cause of the forest rats. East Texas at night has some interesting aromas.   Some nights the ground fog was up to the road and not on it while other nights the ground fog was on the road with a serious temp drop. I'd run more at night here in the Ozarks BUT we have a large population of forest rats here.   RIDE SAFE.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Here in the desert heat night time riding is a pleasure. No deer but you do have to be watchful of coyotes and donkeys. I used to commute 90 miles on the bike to work. The morning ride was usually pitch dark and very peaceful. Almost always saw falling stars every day, coyotes, foxes, bobcats. As an aside we just did a ride to S.F. and were going down Hiway 99 in the dark. We came around a bend in the road and there were bright headlights coming straight at us. I was trying to figure in my mind to go left or right. I held my lane for a few seconds and realized it was a train that was parallel to Hiway about 30 feet away. It was just a trick of sight that we came together at the same time. But it got the adrenaline flowing. My wife did real good too. She just put her hands on my sides and didn't flinch to the side throwing our bike out of the lane. Anyway I too like riding at night around here but probably not so much in an area where deer are lurking to kill you.

[BF]

I agree.  I like riding at night. 

I ride alot at night riding to and from work.  Like taking the long way home. 

[GeoffreyB]

I ran with a group for a late night run around downtown Dallas to "beat the Texas heat" this summer - Saturday night from 10PM to Sunday morning 5 AM.

We settled down for a bite to eat from 2-3 to let the drunks get home, but it was AMAZING to ride around the city - so few cages on the road they were easy to spot, temps were good, very different to see a major city so "still".

Down side was getting up for Church on Sunday at 8.  Silver lining was that Sunday siesta from 1-3!

Would do it again with proper planning.

[MarkT]

I like night riding when temps are good, no traffic, on country 2-lanes when I can use the lights.  Plenty of deer here but I've learned to watch the edges as well as them standing on the road.  Muleys don't wait until you are there then run in front like whitetails do. They tend to stand around or mosey on the road.   They do hang out in big groups a lot - there's a herd of over 20 around here.  If you see one there are more nearby.  Only the babies are likely to run when you get close.  Even so, I often give them the horn if they look skittish - so they go ahead and move then instead of right into me.  Drive slower at night so I have a better chance of missing them if it happens.  

I think night riding, at least in the country, is safer dealing with cages as well.  Certainly much more visible with my lights; not going to disappear into the background.  Drunks, not so much around here, at least not when hours from closing time.  I haven't seen an obvious drunk on the road in years.  

I just improved the lighting on the Magna so it compares with my big bikes now.   Turns out, the Honda dealer didn't set the headlight up properly with dealer prep.  In fact he didn't on the Wing, or set up the jet for altitude on the garden tractor either.  I doubt he did the Valk right either but I upgraded the headlight to 130/90 with relays right away anyway.  I'm wondering exactly what "dealer prep" they did that I paid for.  Now the Magna has three headlights, not just a headlight with 2 spots.  And the OEM headlight actually lights up the road very well by itself, now that it's aimed right.  June didn't like night riding before, with her vision not so good at night.  Now I think she will like it much more that she doesn't have to depend on the huge light from my bikes.  Everyone needs to watch carefully for deer around here, expecially at dusk and after dark - and I think most brain-dead cagers are not aware how many deer are here, close to the road, in the ditches and even on the road.  Most are not watching for them, as I see them fly by deer that are obvious to me.  They hit a deer with one of those low cages with a sloping hood and that carcass is coming through the windshield. Of course, after hitting them, I'm more aware and see them as a threat that must be watched for.

[cookiedough]

agree,  I drive home from work at 11:30 p.m. and every single day almost see another dead deer alongside my 15 miles commute road.  I slow down to 50-55 mph vs. 60-65 mph at night and use my brights and external fog lights as well always keeping an eye on the ditches/sides of roads constantly.  I've missed one barely once and not a good feeling.  It will only be a matter of time am sure just hoping YEARS away from now.

I like night riding but for whatever reason, that time of night a lot of traffic is coming home from work also and is always coming at me back to bigger city so have to constantly switch back to dims which I don't like on the Valk to see the sides of roads. 

[Daniel Meyer]

Yep, night riding is something special! 

[Rio Wil]

It doesn't get any better than night riding in the desert.....

[R J]

I agree with mark, except I am on the other side of the 13,000 ft wall we call the rockies. here we have deer, antelope (prairie maggots) elk, horses, sheep, cows, drunken cowboys, coyotes, mt. lions, alligators, and woolyboogers I think. if it can be hit with a bike, we got em.

Sounds like my side of the mole hill also.

So far this year I have hit, baby deer, fox, coyote, chicken, turkey, numerous sparrows, squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, big black mean dog, was meaner than hell after we made contact.    He chased me 2 miles down the road before he gave up.   Also hit a calf, cat, rat & a possum.

Baby deer were hit with the Dakota, the rest were hit with the Chevy Trike.   Got the Turkey with the Valkyrie Trike.    That big ass-ed Turkey really make the Valkyrie go airborne.

I used to try and miss these a'holes, but anymore I zero in dead center and grab a great big handful of throttle.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I agree with mark, except I am on the other side of the 13,000 ft wall we call the rockies. here we have deer, antelope (prairie maggots) elk, horses, sheep, cows, drunken cowboys, coyotes, mt. lions, alligators, and woolyboogers I think. if it can be hit with a bike, we got em.

Sounds like my side of the mole hill also.

So far this year I have hit, baby deer, fox, coyote, chicken, turkey, numerous sparrows, squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, big black mean dog, was meaner than hell after we made contact.    He chased me 2 miles down the road before he gave up.   Also hit a calf, cat, rat & a possum.

Baby deer were hit with the Dakota, the rest were hit with the Chevy Trike.   Got the Turkey with the Valkyrie Trike.    That big ass-ed Turkey really make the Valkyrie go airborne.

I used to try and miss these a'holes, but anymore I zero in dead center and grab a great big handful of throttle.

You better watch out RJ, you are going to have the ASPCA knocking on your after killing all those animals