My First Night Ride

[Way]

I wasn't sure where to put this but since I'm a newb, I figured I'd share some of my lessons/impressions here.



Well I now have about 400 miles riding experience under my belt. I have been trying to get an HID kit for a while now. I'm trying to keep the cost down and have been concentrating on Ebay so far. One seller who had what I was looking for (an HID high beam) just doesn't seem to care about making the sale. He happens to be the most expensive by the way. Another wants my phone number so their "tech" can call me to give me the rundown on the options I have. I would much rather he emailed me as I can read and review the options instead of trying to remember what the heck they are. I have been itching to go out for a night ride to see just how good (or bad) the stock headlights are. I figured it would be good at the same time to test my commute without having the pressure to get work on time which Sunday would fill the bill just fine. So Sunday night it was...

About my usual time to leave for work, I embarked on the ~60 mile round trip, nice and dark out. The half moon was visible in the night sky, with some dark clouds around but clear otherwise, temperature about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The road is in good shape, with about 5 miles of freshly paved road about a half mile from my house. I have never seen the headlight at night so I did not quite know what to expect. I had read in the forum that the GZ's electrical system was not quite as powerful as maybe it should be but I have to say I am impressed with the brightness of the stock headlight. The high beam really seems to do a good job of lighting up the road. I decided when I first got the bike that I would limit my night speed to about 50 mph, give or take. I did a kind of informal test of the braking distance versus headlight range and it seemed to be right about 50 mph. I'm sure it might go up when I get more experienced but that of course is future. For me, it's 50 mph. Being as I wanted to measure this using a non-reflective object, like an animal like, oh say a moose for instance, would be. I used an unlit light pole as my guide and did my best not to anticipate the stop. I was able to stop comfortably as soon as the pole came within sight of the light at 50 mph.

The drive down was uneventful, pleasant in fact as riding has become for me. This ride was also a test of the OEM windshield height versus the bug-o-polis I ride through. It should be noted that as another member of this forum did, I inverted the mounting brackets so the windshield gained about 2-3 inches in height, level with the bridge of my nose. I was looking over the top through the shield of my full face helmet. Turns out to be the exact right height for me at 5'7". I rode through plenty of bugs but none really hit me at all. So the OEM windshield has worked out well for me.

I made it about 20 miles through the flat road and was well pleased with the performance at this point. Visibility was good, bug situation was not a problem. Next test coming up was the fairly steep hill. I have a 3 cylinder Geo Metro that I end up in 3rd gear, about 40 mph by the time I get to the top of the hill. I was able to keep the GZ in 4th and maintained about 45 mph to the top, not too shabby.. not too shabby at all.

One thing I noticed at this point about the headlight is that while high beam did light up the road pretty well, it was high enough that it did not give much warning of bumps in the road, no shadows to give any depth perception. This would come into play as I took another road that I don't usually travel and thus was not as familiar with on my normal commute. It is an alternate route that loops back to the road I just rode in. I took a few turns wayyyyy wide because I hit rough spots through the turn and could not do much to counter except lay off the throttle. They were fairly sharp turns that I did not anticipate because of my unfamiliarity. Lesson learned: Try not to ride unfamiliar territory at night.

Well after that, I was back on familiar territory. As I got back to the route, the moon was gone. It had just started to sprinkle and the road was very lightly wet. My face shield had water droplets and a very fine mist was risen from the road. No puddles though thank goodness. But now I had to stay off the center line, which I do anyway but now it had become a hazard as well as the mist and wet road. I had also noticed by this time that any oncoming car's lights would completely eliminate my ability to see in the distance as well as to the sides until the car passed. Lesson learned: Check the weather before a night ride. Rain at night, even a drizzle, changes things for the worse. The road wasn't wet all the way but it was enough because that's where my "adventures" occurred.

First guest on the list was a rabbit. Small of course and not very fast. It started crossing the lightly wet road slow enough that it was walking rather than hopping and close enough that, with my light pressure on the rear brake and very slight swerve, I missed it by a hare's breadth. (See what I did there? ) I was about 6 inches (15 cm) away from its tail. Lesson learned: an animal throws a wrench into the works whenever it wants to. Speed or the lack of, is the best defense. I saw it, knew the hazard but wet conditions totally changed my reaction time.

After that little adventure, I still had about 15 miles to go. The road was wet all the way back with some dry sections here and there. I found out that even though the temp was 70 and I had a heavy leather jacket, I still got a bit chilly at around 50 mph. I'll keep that in mind for the Fall. Heated grips definitely in the future. Mo' money, mo' money...

I got to a section where the swamp begins, slowed down. There is a flat section where there is a water spring on the right and the swamp off to the left. The road is flat and straight here, long enough to be a passing zone. I was coming down the hill approaching this flat area and passed an oncoming car. Here is where the temporary blindness comes into play. As soon as I passed I flicked on high beam and right there, at the left of the road, facing my side of the road was a MOOSE. I would have seen it in plenty of time in the conditions as they were when I went through some 25 mins earlier. Not so this time. That oncoming car limited my effective visual range by at least half. It is blinding enough that I can't see anything even with their headlights. I may have to get my eyes checked to be sure. I don't have any such trouble driving my car but the motorcycle is totally different... headlights are blinding. But that moose was looking to cross the road and I hit the brakes pretty hard. I have practiced enough slow maneuvers to have developed a healthy respect for the front brakes so I was at least careful to not hit that too hard. The rear tire skidded/squealed briefly but it was long enough to make the moose bolt. It turned back and headed into the swamp. thanks be to GOD. If it had headed the other way,
being chilly would have been the least of my troubles. Lesson learned: Wow.. just wow. Everything I've stated all put together.

I was going to settle for the Silverstar bulb but now I'm convinced I'd better go HID no matter what. Hope someone gains a bit of experience from reading this. Except for the parts where my survival / well being was threatened it was an enjoyable ride. :hide:

I guess if anything is to be learned, planning beforehand is essential. Night riding is not something to be taken lightly.