Riding at night

TCSTD

I know that most of us would rather ride during the day, but how many people also ride at night to save gas instead of using their cage? This is probably more related to those that have to work the late evenings or graveyard shifts.

smitty901

I never ride to save gas Ride because I want to and I can.
I ride day and night.
Just because it was night would not be a reason for me to leave the bike at home.
Night riding requires a few different skills and a bit more mantance things like keeping lights clean (front and rear) and aimed correcty.
If your going to ride at night a smal flash light stored some were comes in handy.
Clear glasses are nice to have at night
I do avoid riding at night if it is loking like rain, rain and night just make it to hard to see.

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readski

Got to agree with smitty... ride because I want to... too many people come up and tell me "you must be saving gas".... they just don't get it

Just cause it is dark is no reason not to ride...just use some caution...

Agro

I like smitty ride both day and night. Yes I do have a cage but generally only use it when I cart the kids around.
Need to wear a Bandana or something at night to keep the bugs out of your teeth, but if you havnt had a feed for a while LOL.

glider

I also ride because I want to regardless of the gas.

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Hobbit

riding at night is awesome it allows you to become more attuned to the bike and you can go soooooo much quicker (if you have good lights) as you can see on coming vehicles further away and round corners

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Sharky1948

Yep, day or night...for fun! I, of course, ride more slowly at night to avoid deer and not to overrun my headlights. I added the running lights to my Sporty and it has made a big difference in illuminating the road.

On the glasses/goggles, I like the yellow lenses rather than the clear. They seem to cut down on glare better. And, it makes things look cool (except for the rider!) as well.

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glider

I hear they sell those yellow glasses with small rear view mirrors on the sides now

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smitty901

I have for years argued that if you were buying a motorcycle to save money on your comute you were fooling your self.
A 20,000 dollar bike plus mods and extras we all must have .
Some good riding gear insurance and up keep would buy a lot of gas on your car.
Now if you went out and bought a 3000 dollar scooter it lowers those cost some but still for most the limited number of day and miles you can use it do not add up to a big savings.
Up keep on a two wheeler adds up.
I live in Wisconsin and by October you start to see less and less riders and are all but the harder core riders are gone untill March or April. So you still need your car. It is not like you can do one or the other.
My car gets 27-30 mpg driving to work my Hd gets 40 to 45 for the most part.
even at 4.50 a gallon not that much of a savings depending on miles driven.
A bike is still a I want not a money saver.
Now if you want a bike are going to have one anyway then you do get some advantage out of it.
When the wife and I jump on it and take off for a few days for running around it is far cheaper than the car and a heck of a lot more fun. Like my my wife say a trip on the bike is a lot cheaper that a trip to Jamaca, and as we have found more fun. Key word here and it goes along with owning a HD FUN.
If we were to make a 150 to200 mile trip one way to visit and take the car I would try to find away out of going. If we take the bike I am the first one out the door. this pays off in happer home life . Those of you that have been married for a lot of years understand this one well.
Friday night fish fry is a lot more fun on the bike and I think the ride is why we do.
Ride because you want to, ride because it makes some of the day to day stuff fade for awhile Ride for any of the 100's of reason you can come up with. The wife on back holding on to you counts as cuddle time .
But to justify your ride by how much you saving I just do not think the math bears that out.
When people at work ask me why I buy something like that the only reason I give them is I WANTED IT. Then I put on my Hd jacket bots helmet and ride off smiling ear to ear.
Yea I ride it to save gas That my story and I am sticking to it.

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bwalsh22

Couldn't agree with you more smitty. People always look at me and say you must get great gas mileage, I tell them yes it is good for that, but what I save in gas I spend on insurance, the bike and upgrades I wanted the bike, yes I ride it to work everyday I can, but mostly because it makes my commute enjoyable and that is my time to ride, since I have a 3 yr old at home with a pregnant wife so weekends are either quick trips or in the SUV. The rainy days just stink being trapped in my cage.

To the original point, I will ride when I can day or night, just so happens that I have not ridden at night yet.