Riding at night

Dnvrfox- you have set a problem as it does take a different mindset expose yourself to the dangers of night riding in traffic. First of all you have to be seen and although clothing will come into this- Bike lights are imperative.

The occasional ride at night and I have seen riders without lights but with refelectors. They do work- but are illegal on their own and don't help you see. So lights are the main requirement. Rear lamps and over here we have no rules on quality or performance to be legal. But if you have any sense you fit two. One set on steady and one on blink. The idea for two is that if one fails- you will still be seen. Of course additional lamps will help to be seen better and if you do a lot of night riding it is worth investing in the Powerfull HID types.

Front lamps and remember that these are for two reasons. For you to see and for you to be seen. If you always ride in well lit areas- then all you need to be legal is a lamp. If you have any sense though- you will get a bright light to attract others attention. The others also includes pedestrians that are just as blind to bikes as cars are. But if riding in dark areas- there is a rule that you can only ride as fast as your lights will allow you. Once again I would suggest two lamps and I have a powerfull rechargable lamp that has 2 x 5w luxion LED's and that is bright. Completely adequate for road use- and just about powerfull enough for offroad downhills ar 35mph. There is a more powerful type of lamp called an HID- but these are expensive and to be be honest- are possibly too powerfull for road use. Good lamps though if you can afford them.

But even with a good front lamp- you do need a "Backup" lamp for additional lighting or if the main one fails. My backup is battery operated and is a Cateye 1w that is no longer made. Adequate enough to get me home and I carry spare batteries aswell. By far the best lamp you can have as the backup though- is a helmet lamp. They are very handy for pointing in the direction of drivers to catch their attention and to look outside the area of the main lamp to see what "Beastie" is lurking there. Also very usefull for map reading and repairing the bike if you ever have to.

Night riding takes some practice. The shadows thrown by the lamp do give a different perspective and no matter how powerfull a lamp you have- you will not see everything in the road. Potholes are not as visible- and you can only see where the lamp points. Just takes a bit of getting used to but for me Offroad night riding is fantastic. Can't say the same for the roads and the MUPS as you have to be aware that no matter how bright your lamps are- there will always be the one idiot that still does not see you.