My first night ride

[ARNIE R]

My first night ride....

Yesterday, I went down to Waynesboro, VA, to pick up the southern entrance of Skyline Drive and proceeded north. My original intent was to do the entire 105 mile ride to Front Royal, but of course, I got engaged in the scenery and time went by quickly.

Started getting near sunset, so I stopped at an overlook to observe the sun set, along with about 20 other people with tripods and cameras set up to record the incident (I used to do this yearly until about 15 years ago, then real life took over).

Now, I had two hour ride back home. I was a little nervous at first, especially down that curvy four mile ride down from the park, but as the ride progressed, I started feeling more comfortable. Everything seemed quieter and more peaceful. Had to watch out for the glowing eyes of the deer and other wildlife since they seemed more numerous than usual. I was also somewhat surprised at the amount of extra lighting provided by the factory fog/driving lights.

Anyway, got home safely and felt really good. All went well and I was tired but refreshed at the same time. Of course, temperatures in the low 70's in November do not hurt.......:cheers:

 

[mark4Jesus]

When we picked up our Spyder, it was a two and a half hour ride home. We stopped to eat which added 45 minutes to that. It got dark about an hour before we got home. As you say, with all the lighting, seeing is not an issue. As with you, looking for glowing eyes was my main concern! First ride home we had curvy roads, city riding, interstate riding, and riding in the dark. The Spyder is a pleasant night time ride.

 

[d.o.spyder-rts]

Happy to hear you made it ok for your first night ride. The more you ride your spyder the more comfortable you will become with it. Keep on truckin'. Dale

 

[Chupaca]

Well done.....

May not be your last but now you have a couple hours under your belt..:thumbup: not a night ryder myself prefer to ryde the dawn dark but do get caught at times...

 

[TEWKS]

Sounds like an awesome loop to have so close to home! :thumbup: Little different but I rode snowmobiles for years up in the backwoods of Maine, loved it at night. You had the trail in front of you to concentrate on and it was easy to see other machines approaching with their flickering headlights.

Pat

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

NIGHT RIDING

If you haven't switched to LED headlights , you should consider doing this .... For less than $100.00 - LED's will give you TWICE the light that OEM Halogens do ..... I went to 100 watt Halogens because I don't see as well at night , but my New LED's put them to shame .......... Mike :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

Night riding can be good as long as the lighting is right on. Glad to hear you are enjoying the ride.

For general information:

LED's if you don't already have them are an improvement. Don't overdrive any lights.

Night time critters can be an issue. I came from MN and WI and got more than one thrill from deer and driving at night.

For the time being, I don't get to drive in the dark since I live in the land of the midnight sun. When it is dark--its usually to cold or icy to drive.

 

[Mazo EMS2]

I won't even ride in the dark around here this time of year. The damn deer are out of their minds "looking for love". I wa just at a motorcycle vs deer crash last year, two people on a Harley, no gear of course. They hit a deer in the early afternoon. He died on impact, she dies the next day. Today I saw several crossing the road ahead of me at noon. Lots of em dead along the highway:shocked:

 

[mark4Jesus]

If you haven't switched to LED headlights , you should consider doing this .... For less than $100.00 - LED's will give you TWICE the light that OEM Halogens do ..... I went to 100 watt Halogens because I don't see as well at night , but my New LED's put them to shame .......... Mike :thumbup:

I watched a video on replacing them. Looked like a lot of work to get to them.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

A LOT OF WORK

I watched a video on replacing them. Looked like a lot of work to get to them.

It looks worse than it actually is ... you will need a 6+ in extension for your 10mm socket . I 've done the headlights in less than an hour..... the improvement is ...as they say " PRICELESS ". It will more than pay for itself ...the first DEAR you don't hit ....This isn't a Farkel !! it's a serious Safety item ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Night time critters can be an issue. I came from MN and WI and got more than one thrill from deer and driving at night.

Generally speaking dusk is worse than later in the night. Deer and antelope and other critters are on the move at dusk and more likely to be grazing and quiet during the dark hours.

 

[mark4Jesus]

It looks worse than it actually is ... you will need a 6+ in extension for your 10mm socket . I 've done the headlights in less than an hour..... the improvement is ...as they say " PRICELESS ". It will more than pay for itself ...the first DEAR you don't hit ....This isn't a Farkel !! it's a serious Safety item ..... Mike :thumbup:

Do you have an RT? Wondering what the fog lights would be like.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

FOG LIGHTS

Do you have an RT? Wondering what the fog lights would be like.

#1. THEY ARN'T NEARLY AS BRIGHT AS THE HEADLIGHT UNITS ARE .......and #2. they are four times as difficult to put in :gaah:.... I know I did as install for a member here ...... Mike

 

[ARtraveler]

Generally speaking dusk is worse than later in the night. Deer and antelope and other critters are on the move at dusk and more likely to be grazing and quiet during the dark hours.

Yes. When I lived in Duluth MN, I frequently took evening rides through Jay Cooke State Park. When dusk came on, there were herds of deer all over the place. Made driving interesting, but I knew what I was getting into there. :yes:

 

[ARtraveler]

RE: Fog lights. They are good for more of the front end being lit up for visibility. Not so great for actual lighting. The LED lit bumpskid from Spyderpops is an accessory that I like a lot. My front end is lit up like a Christmas tree. :yes:

 

[ARNIE R]

I think mine is pretty well visible from the front end, too. The rear isn't much different either.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

RE: Fog lights. They are good for more of the front end being lit up for visibility.

I find fog lights with OEM bulbs fill in the area very nicely between the bike and where the LED headlight beams hit the road.