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UTC

The Host with the Toast
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Location: SoCal
 
The Host with the Toast
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UTC quote
Well I was just thinking about how I ride and it seems I don't ride much after sundown, I can only think of a few times and I did not enjoy it. so how may riders ride at night? give a % I will say Im 10% or less night time riding.
@belkwinith avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
Honda CTX 700 DN Automatic Motorcycle
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Location: Naperville, Illinois
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@belkwinith avatar
Honda CTX 700 DN Automatic Motorcycle
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Location: Naperville, Illinois
UTC quote
I have ridden at night only once on my BV 500 and it was not a relaxing experience.

The single headlight has very little illumination and once I got on a unlit stretch of road, it became quite apparent that the headlight was not of the same strength as a car headlight.

So I could not see that far ahead and that bothered me.

I think I could do it in a pinch, as long as there were street lights, but I avoid it since it is even harder to see scooters at night.
@drewteague avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
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Location: Austin
 
Ossessionato
@drewteague avatar
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UTC quote
Hmm.. Well, considering that this time of year, it's light out for 90% of the time I'm awake, I'd say 10% or so.
UTC

Hooked
2007 px200 1968 rally 180 1960 Li150 s2
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Posts: 426
Location: melbourne
 
Hooked
2007 px200 1968 rally 180 1960 Li150 s2
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Posts: 426
Location: melbourne
UTC quote
i work night shift so i am riding minimum 5 nights a week. i really enjoy it in the summer but being winter at the moment its not that enjoyable i find myself speeding a lot because i just want to get to my destination faster so i can warm up.
@varaflame avatar
UTC

Hooked
S125
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Location: Reykjavik, iceland
 
Hooked
@varaflame avatar
S125
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Location: Reykjavik, iceland
UTC quote
Here in the arctic, at the moment, the sun doesn't set...Not even at night... So there is no problem riding at night, just fewer cars around. I'd say that in summertime, perhaps 30% of my riding is at night.
The last two photos in this thread are taken after midnight:
A trip into east iceland (lots of photos)

However, come winter, the sun barely rises...And that's not as much fun.
@benito avatar
UTC

Moderator
2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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Location: Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 
Moderator
@benito avatar
2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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Posts: 16296
Location: Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
UTC quote
I love riding at night on a warm summer evening, too bad I don't recall a single warm summer evening yet this summer. I'd way 30% of my riding is when it is dark out. I start work early in the morning and most of time it is pitch dark out most of the year except during the summer. As well, I get home very late on Thursdays so again I ride in the dark.
@gopam avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
2016 BMW R1200RT & 2007 GT200 & 2020 Vespa GTS SuperSport 300 HPE,2024 Honda ADV 160
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Location: LOS ANGELES
 
Molto Verboso
@gopam avatar
2016 BMW R1200RT & 2007 GT200 & 2020 Vespa GTS SuperSport 300 HPE,2024 Honda ADV 160
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Posts: 1669
Location: LOS ANGELES
UTC quote
I don't know percentages but I commute to work daily so I do ride at night leaving work. Or random other trips. Like Drew said, it is summer now so it doesn't get dark as quick. But when I am riding at night I like to have reflective gear on.......see......me......
although I now pretty much wear hi viz daily now
@hr2lrn avatar
UTC

Addicted
GT200, Honda GB500, Honda CB400, Honda C70 Passport, 1999 Harley Dyna, 2002 Suzuki SV650s
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Addicted
@hr2lrn avatar
GT200, Honda GB500, Honda CB400, Honda C70 Passport, 1999 Harley Dyna, 2002 Suzuki SV650s
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Posts: 695
Location: New Orleans
UTC quote
Recently I took the Vespa to a night time business meeting and was shocked on how dangerous it was with all of the pot holes and cracked pavement we still have in New Orleans 4 years after Katrina. Less then 2 percent of our streets have been resurfaced. Oddly, these are the same roads that I travel doing the day time so I was surprised to realize that I must spend a lot of time concentrating on dodging road obstacles. Which if you think about it, takes you away from watching other drivers.

Scary.
@peterc avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
2009 Vespa GTS 250, TBA
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Posts: 2272
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@peterc avatar
2009 Vespa GTS 250, TBA
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Location: Green Valley, AZ
UTC quote
Here in Pima County, road maintenance sucks. Potholes and sand drifts from washes that can be seen and avoided during the day are not as visible at night, especially with the marginal headlights on my scooters. I ride for fun, and if I don't enjoy it, I don't do it!
@techguy avatar
UTC

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Kymco P250 Now, P200E in the 80's
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@techguy avatar
Kymco P250 Now, P200E in the 80's
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UTC quote
I replaced the bulb in my headlamp with a 55/65 watt bulb and I enjoy riding at night. I always wear reflective gear so I know my body can be seen. It is also cooler and when the daytime temps are over 100 degrees is a refrsshing break.
@radioctrldwife avatar
UTC

Hooked
BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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Location: Hollywood, Md.
 
Hooked
@radioctrldwife avatar
BV250 & Aprilia scarabeo 250
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Posts: 295
Location: Hollywood, Md.
UTC quote
I like to ride at night, but I don't do it as often as I'd like. I can't get my husband to ride at night due to deer in the roads.
@gregt avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Piaggio BV500
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Location: montgomery, alabama
 
Molto Verboso
@gregt avatar
Piaggio BV500
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Posts: 1013
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UTC quote
I absolutely love riding at night!
@lostboy avatar
UTC

Hooked
mp3 250 "Windy"
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Location: Seattle WA
 
Hooked
@lostboy avatar
mp3 250 "Windy"
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Location: Seattle WA
UTC quote
Warm summer evenings are the absolute best time to ride in my book.  Riding after dark presents its own set of challeges, sure, but it gives me no more pause than driving a car at night (or walking at night, for that matter).
@geo-vesp avatar
UTC

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PX150 Serie America, T5 Classic, Harley Iron 883
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@geo-vesp avatar
PX150 Serie America, T5 Classic, Harley Iron 883
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UTC quote
I would say I ride at night probably about 30% of the time. I live in the city and do most of my riding here so it's never really dark and feel a tad more noticeable by other cages now that my lights are actually illuminating something vs in the daylight.
@brilaz avatar
UTC

Hooked
GTS 300 Super
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Location: SF Bay Area
 
Hooked
@brilaz avatar
GTS 300 Super
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Location: SF Bay Area
UTC quote
I ride at night all the time coming home from work late. Not a problem really. Well lit areas for the most part.

I did do a dusk ride last night around the Los Altos hills and saw a LOT of deer. One of which crossed the road about 20 yards in front of me. So I'll probably restrict my night riding to town and city. Don't want to smack into bambi.
@eyeballbill avatar
UTC

Hooked
2013 Yamaha Majesty / 2008 Vespa GTS (sold)
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Location: Emporia, KS
 
Hooked
@eyeballbill avatar
2013 Yamaha Majesty / 2008 Vespa GTS (sold)
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Location: Emporia, KS
UTC quote
I love night riding around town in the warm weather but will not ride on the hiway at night...too many critters out and about, and I can't see the road surface in front of me. And I really hate the increased number of bugs pummeling my body. I commute and work nights once a week, so I'd say 10% of my Vespa time is in the dark.
@mjm50cal avatar
UTC

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Red MP3 500 RUBY DRAGON
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@mjm50cal avatar
Red MP3 500 RUBY DRAGON
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UTC quote
I'd say approx. 13% riding at night. My first time riding at night I was lane splitting and it all seemed sureal and I was on edge. As I got off the freeway and onto a remote road I was very happy with the level illumination that my head lights provided and checked out the high beams and combinations of the two. Though they are very good I will upgrade to HID. My longest night trip was from the Bay Area to Carson City for a job walk in Reno the next morning. I went from sweatin' my ass off in Sacromento at 89 degrees to darkness in the foothills and freezing my ass off at the summit at 43 degrees with somewhat inadequate attire. Night riding is very fun though.

Mike
@dillinger-63 avatar
UTC

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Had 2 2006 GTS 250ie's
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@dillinger-63 avatar
Had 2 2006 GTS 250ie's
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UTC quote
Little to no night riding here.
@bluebuddha avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Kitted ET4.
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Location: City of Lost Angels
 
Molto Verboso
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Kitted ET4.
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UTC quote
That would be me. "vampire night rider". I dig the zen aspect of riding at night and just "chilling out". Especially with it being cooler at night...
@benito avatar
UTC

Moderator
2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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Posts: 16296
Location: Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 
Moderator
@benito avatar
2010 Dragon Red GTS 300 Super, 2018 Grigio Titanio Piaggio Liberty S 150
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Posts: 16296
Location: Toronto, Canada, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
UTC quote
I forgot to mention that with my Xenon headlight, I feel I can see so much better at night than with the scooter's standard halogen light. The only negative about warm summer night riding is the bugs.
OP
UTC

The Host with the Toast
Joined: UTC
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Location: SoCal
 
The Host with the Toast
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Location: SoCal
UTC quote
austrALIEN wrote:
i work night shift so i am riding minimum 5 nights a week. i really enjoy it in the summer but being winter at the moment its not that enjoyable i find myself speeding a lot because i just want to get to my destination faster so i can warm up.
I work nights too and have only road to work a few times in four years
@ifixjets avatar
UTC

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01 ET2 - 01 ET4 -- 05 GT200L / 05 PX150 / 1986 Honda CH150 Deluxe.
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@ifixjets avatar
01 ET2 - 01 ET4 -- 05 GT200L / 05 PX150 / 1986 Honda CH150 Deluxe.
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Location: SoCal PS area
UTC quote
I leave for work at 4:15 am when I ride the PX, 5:00 am when I ride my GT, so for the most part. I ride about 40%-50% of my scooter time in the dark. The headlights on both the PX and GT are more then enough.
UTC

Banned
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Banned
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UTC quote
I often prefer riding at night
and I teach at night, so I scooter commute at night

I have covered my black scooter (& my helmet) with reflective decals so that I will be seen

Old pic of reflective decals, glowing in the flash:
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
OP
UTC

The Host with the Toast
Joined: UTC
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Location: SoCal
 
The Host with the Toast
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Posts: 7199
Location: SoCal
UTC quote
Refletive = Safety
Reflective is good, I have some 3M superblack tape to place on my scoot after I color sand and buff it out. For the most part I don't ride to work since my day or night shift is a 12 hour shift so I tend to want to relax and unwind on my drive home.
UTC

Hooked
GTV 250
Joined: UTC
Posts: 147
Location: Birmingham, UK
 
Hooked
GTV 250
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Posts: 147
Location: Birmingham, UK
UTC quote
mjm50cal wrote:
I'd say approx. 13% riding at night.
Haha, may I ask how you came to this conclusion?

I couldn't say as a percentage, but I do like night riding. I know people on the other side of the pond get scared by moose and other big animals (and rightly so, by the sounds of it), but I'm not so worried because the largest thing you'll probably hit over here is a fox or badger.

The light on the Super seems to be perfectly adequate, although I would prefer it if a high beam also had the lower dipped beam - as it is I either have it dipped and pointing just in front, or on high and illuminating the distance, which means there's an area that's not so well lit just in front of the scoot. It is possible to put the switch so that they're both on at once, but that's not ideal
@menhir avatar
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Moderator
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Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
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@menhir avatar
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Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
UTC quote
50% of my commute is at night...the going home part.

Other than the commute, I usually don't ride after dark...but mostly because I just don't have much reason to.

It's OK along roads that have at least some level of lighting, which is true of my commuting route. But with the weak candlepower of the ET4 headlight, roads with no lighting can be a bit nerve-wracking.

I enjoy my night commute much more that the day commute. The weather is cooler, the traffic is much lighter and less frantic, and I feel more like I am "riding" than commuting. It can be a relaxing end to my work day. 8)

So, night riding in the city and the burbs...I'd happily do that, um, all night. Razz emoticon In the unlit remote areas...no.

Tips.
Make sure your face shield is as scratch free as possible. Just because your face shield looks clear in daylight doesn't mean it's good for night time. A lot of micro-scratches can virtually white out your vision when hit by approaching headlights.

Be prepared for rain for the same reasons. Raindrops can turn into a thousand sparkling jewels in oncoming headlights making it hard to see. Use Rain-X and have something to handy to wipe the rain off when you can.

I always dress a bit warmer at nights. That refreshing cool air sometimes gets a bit too refreshing as the hours pass. If I'm departing in the sunshine, I always take a warmer sweatshirt or something in case the night time temperatures make it necessary to add a layer.
@genie avatar
UTC

Gobshite Shiva
Kymco Downtown 300i the 'Dolphin Noise'
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Gobshite Shiva
@genie avatar
Kymco Downtown 300i the 'Dolphin Noise'
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Location: London UK
UTC quote
from november through march at least 50% of my riding is at night because i don't leave work until after dark. in the depths of winter it's dark when i leave for work in the mornings as well.

the rest of the year .... no idea what the percentage is but not all that frequently
@scooter_bug avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
2007 LX 150 & 1969 Sprint Veloce
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Posts: 1070
Location: Orlando, FL
 
Molto Verboso
@scooter_bug avatar
2007 LX 150 & 1969 Sprint Veloce
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Posts: 1070
Location: Orlando, FL
UTC quote
I didn't like riding at night at first. I didn't even have a clear visor for my helmet until I was scooting for about 3 months. Now I don't think about it, I like night riding as much as in the daytime but its all in the city. There is one street near my house though that has street lights that have a weird effect on my visor. I don't care for night riding on that road.
@sallad avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
GTS
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Posts: 1231
Location: Brooklyn, NY
 
Molto Verboso
@sallad avatar
GTS
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Posts: 1231
Location: Brooklyn, NY
UTC quote
I ride at night all the time. Granted it's New York City so the "dark" of night here is not exactly the "dark" of night a lot of members here might be experiencing...
UTC

Addicted
MP3 Piaggio 2007
Joined: UTC
Posts: 574
Location: Austin, Texas
 
Addicted
MP3 Piaggio 2007
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Posts: 574
Location: Austin, Texas
UTC quote
Night Riding
Love it. Especially since I discovered Nexus Spray for Visors. That stuff doubled my night vision.
UTC

Addicted
Vespa ET4 (Liz)
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Posts: 653
Location: London UK
 
Addicted
Vespa ET4 (Liz)
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Location: London UK
UTC quote
I've ridden at night a few times. Percentage over the year is likely to be less than 5.

I do enjoy it and would like to do it a bit more. It's a nice feeling in a strange way, probably fear combined with alertness and the joy of riding (like being on a roller coaster but being in control). It's a bit scary, especially when zooming up an A road at around 50mph or more on an ET4. It's interesting seeing a silhouette of yourself on road signs because the of the vehicle behind you. I did find my sense of speed altered the first time (traveling faster than I thought I was).
@mogeewogee avatar
UTC

Beer Fairy
GTS-"Cannonball Bettie" Member Iron Butt Association
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Location: Seacoast New Hampshire USA
 
Beer Fairy
@mogeewogee avatar
GTS-"Cannonball Bettie" Member Iron Butt Association
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Location: Seacoast New Hampshire USA
UTC quote
Night riding is really cool, literally. In New England the cool nights may be in the 50's or 60's and a nice cool break from the sometimes humid heat of the day. I grew up riding a MTC at Night in Vermont and the cool nighty air brings back good memories.

Beware of Deer,Skunks, racoons etc... oh yes and the bugs are worse.

I enjoy the glow of the instruments and the lack of "traffic"
@witch avatar
UTC

Moderatrice Strega
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Location: Oregone
 
Moderatrice Strega
@witch avatar
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Posts: 7699
Location: Oregone
UTC quote
No big deal to me. I've been riding scoots since 2001, and have never owned a car. I generally try to get most of my riding around during the day, but if I need to, I have no issues going out at night. Just don't do it that often now because around here, anything worth going to closes about 8pm.
UTC

Banned
50cc Black 2009 Honda Ruckus White 2010 Vespa GTS 300 Super
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Posts: 482
Location: South Cenral Maryland: Washington DC area.
 
Banned
50cc Black 2009 Honda Ruckus White 2010 Vespa GTS 300 Super
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Posts: 482
Location: South Cenral Maryland: Washington DC area.
UTC quote
I say I ride 50% of the time at night. Just happens though it's just short distances.
UTC

Hooked
2008 LX 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 282
Location: Black Lake
 
Hooked
2008 LX 150
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Posts: 282
Location: Black Lake
UTC quote
80 to 90% at night. well its more like really really early mornings and really late evenings. but it's still pitch black most of the time. it changes in summer though because we have daylight savings so I ride home during daylight.
@rinshu avatar
UTC

Hooked
'73 Primavera 125 / '05 Stella/ '63 150GL/ '80 PX150E
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Posts: 413
Location: Atlanta (Decatur), GA
 
Hooked
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'73 Primavera 125 / '05 Stella/ '63 150GL/ '80 PX150E
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Posts: 413
Location: Atlanta (Decatur), GA
UTC quote
Belkwinith wrote:
The single headlight has very little illumination and once I got on a unlit stretch of road, it became quite apparent that the headlight was not of the same strength as a car headlight.
.
Really? Even the non-halogen on my 2005 Stella is plenty bright for me to ride at night. I would assume the halogen on the BV would be much much brighter.
@rgconner avatar
UTC

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GTS250
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Ossessionato
@rgconner avatar
GTS250
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Posts: 2959
UTC quote
gregt wrote:
I absolutely love riding at night!
Me too! There is a sense of serenity riding in the dark, more focused, less distraction, just you and the machine and bajillons of stars.
@veloce75 avatar
UTC

Addicted
not-so-normal
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Location: Batavia
 
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@veloce75 avatar
not-so-normal
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Location: Batavia
UTC quote
here in Jakarta with traffic fucking jam better for night rider
...and agreed with:
L from Jersey wrote:
I often prefer riding at night
and I teach at night, so I scooter commute at night

I have covered my black scooter (& my helmet) with reflective decals so that I will be seen

Old pic of reflective decals, glowing in the flash
UTC

Hooked
1970 Sprint, ET2, GT200, MP3 500
Joined: UTC
Posts: 481
Location: San Diego County
 
Hooked
1970 Sprint, ET2, GT200, MP3 500
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Posts: 481
Location: San Diego County
UTC quote
I enjoy riding at night on occasion, maybe about once per week. I do limit my night riding because it's rural around here, and there are lots of things that like to cross the road at night...coyotes, possums, skunks, etc. Tonight I ran over a snake on the way home. It's difficult to identify possible hazards at night, and to react to things you can't see.
⚠️ Last edited by CafeMoto on UTC; edited 1 time
@hauntedmyst avatar
UTC

Hooked
MP3 500
Joined: UTC
Posts: 480
Location: Chicago
 
Hooked
@hauntedmyst avatar
MP3 500
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Posts: 480
Location: Chicago
UTC quote
I love riding at night and so quite often. I've been trying to come up with a good scheme for reflective tape for my BV500 but haven't yet. I had one on my Reflex that looked great but the BV is harder. I have HJC Windlights on both of my helmets - they need to come up with one with a capacitor so it continues to blink at stop lights.
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