Riding at Night

[blaine]

Originally Posted by fg1234567892000

Riding at night for me is uncomfortable; perhaps I'm not used to it. It also doesn't help that the first time I rode my bike out at night I got nailed by a deer. It throughly wrecked my first motorcycle. Now I'm much more cautious about going out at night;

That would scare the crap out of anybody.Ride when you feel comfortable. :2tup: :rawk:

[blaine]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

You can increase your measure of safety by installing a SilverStar bulb in the GZ. Some bikes do tend to vibrate a SilverStar to death but the rewards are better visiblity and always having a spare just in case you need one is a very good idea. Always carry a small flashlight at night. Part of your knowledge base should be knowing how to change a bulb.

I have had a SilverStar bulb in for over a year,no problems yet. :plus1:

[diffluere]

I used to be really paranoid about riding at night but now it's cool. I was riding with two friends to Cedar Key and we all hit at least one (already dead) animal going near 60mph and I didn't fall off or wreck or anything. They were all small, the one I hit was just meat and stuff so I couldn't tell what it was. Henry hit an armadillo on his Harley that we think was still alive. Luckily it was squishy side up when he hit it.

I need to get a better bulb. Henry has a super bright headlight plus two little lights and he lights up the whole road, so I just ride behind him and steal his light. Other Henry had a Ninja and his light wasn't too bad either.


The worst part is when it rains at night. That's a little stressful.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by blaine

I have had a SilverStar bulb in for over a year,no problems yet.

What's a silverstar bulb? Not being an American, I've never heard of it. Can you explain what it is, then I might be able to find one under another name, here. Anything that gives better visibility has got to be a good thing. :2tup:

[blaine]

A SilverStar bulb is just a hi-performance head light bulb.Because they are brighter & whiter They tend to have a shorter life span.

[ncff07]

Even tho this is an old thread Ive noticed a couple things, the seat being wet could be from dew after dark Ive already ran into that. And as far as parking under a street light I WONT do that again. Close yes maybe but not under it I spent 10 minutes picking and flipping bugs off my bike before I went home!

EDIT: And the first time I had it out after dark I was suprised at how bright the GZ headlight is even on the low beam. I liked it, lighted up my side of the road completly.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by alantf

What's a silverstar bulb? Not being an American, I've never heard of it. Can you explain what it is, then I might be able to find one under another name, here. Anything that gives better visibility has got to be a good thing. :2tup:

Alantf, the SilverStar is made by Sylvania. The SS bulbs available in Europe are actually a bit better than the ones we get here. They do not draw anymore wattage but they make better use of it.
I put them in my last 3 cages and the Vstrom has been equiped since 2006 with nary a problem. Lynda's GZ did kill one with vibration I would guess but it was an improvement over OEM. Her M-50 had a SS installed a month after she got it. I think they are well worth the price.
PIAA makes a vibration proof bulb that is very bright but the price is a heart stopper.

[Viirin]

I prefer riding at night on clear roads - runs home from work at 2am on empty, dry roads are just the best - riding at night in the rain just sucks though - with rain on your visor and people behind and in front with high beams on for no reason what so ever visibility goes to zero - every drop on the visor lights up and makes it impossible to see! It can be hard enough keeping your bike on the right side of the road let alone looking out for potholes and manholes.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

You can increase your measure of safety by installing a SilverStar bulb in the GZ.

Most reports I have seen favor the PIAA bulbs over SilverStar.
Similar performance but much longer life.
A little more $$$ too, I think.

[edit] I see you covered that already.

[dhgeyer]

I don't ride at night if I can possibly avoid it. Last Summer my daughter hit a deer a couple of miles from home. Came out of nowhere - she never saw it. It hit the right front corner of her car. In 2004 I had one jump in front of me, and it was a close call. If I'd been going a bit faster I'd have hit it. It jumped from behind some trees and landed in the road in front of me. There was nothing I could do - it happened so fast. I was lucky. The last Iron Butt Rally had one fatality - a deer strike. Larry Grodski, one of the most esteemed motorcycle safety experts and trainers in the USA was killed by a deer strike. He didn't like to ride at night either, but was forced to because he lost his motel room and had to move on to the next town. Got him killed. What impresses me about all these incidents is that, no matter how well trained and skillful you are, it doesn't matter. They come out of nowhere so fast there's nothing you can do. Riding at night is a lottery, pure and simple. I don't want to play.

I used to love riding at night, though. It's almost mystical - city lights or country roads. I miss it, but I won't do it willingly.