Danger Zone Into the Night
DANGER ZONE INTO THE NIGHT
IGNITION
RIDE SMART
Illuminating tips for nighttime riders
John L. Stein
As Chazz Michael Michaels confessed in Blades of Glory, "The night is a very dark time for me." While that's true for everyone, it doesn't have to keep us from riding at night. In fact, thanks to your bike's lights, nighttime can actually make you more visible to car drivers than in the daytime-and there is often less traffic as well. So you're covered there. But after dark, other risk factors do emerge or increase: Hidden road hazards. Bambi, Beowulf, and other critters. Cold. Fatigue. Drunks.
Once again, car drivers receive the best and brightest safety technologies before motorcyclists, who-given our 35 times greater likelihood of dying in an accidentneed them far more. One such technology is Audi, BMW, and Mercedes' night-vision systems, which use infrared cameras to detect pedestrians or animals that might be invisible to the naked eye. Any night rider who has flown past deer standing on the roadside knows how valuable this technology can be. Many high-line cars also get HID xenon or LED headlights, still a rarity on bikes. On a positive note, bikes such as the BMW Ki600GT and new Honda CTX1300 do have them, with the K-bike also having an adaptive headlight option.
Regardless of the specific bike you ride, here are four ways to prepare for safe transit at night.
[ii Get your eyes checked. When your pupils dilate in the dark, light rays entering the lens perimeter intensify any imperfections. The result is a loss of focus you might not experience in daytime. Have an ophthalmologist check your eyes under low-light conditions to make sure they are functioning properly.
[2] Add headlight firepower. Aftermarket companies, including Baja Designs, Motolight, Clearwater Lights, and PIAA, offer accessory lighting that can better illuminate a pothole, debris, or wandering animal in time for you to react. Even a fraction of a second of advance notice can make a difference.
[3] Follow those tracks. Riding in the primary tire tracks in your lane reduces the chances of striking unseen debris at night. That's because preceding cars and trucks in the lane help sweep those tracks clear. Better their tires than yours!
[4] Think like a cop. Nighttime is party time, and according to the NHTSA, more than i6 percent of weekend nighttime drivers are DUI. So while you're not looking to make arrests, you should still watch for drunk drivers-and then stay well out of reach.
BIG LUMENS
Motorcycle head light technology trails the auto motive industry. But a few com panies, such as Hart eylJ avid son are catching on. Its Daymaker high-output LED lights are stan dard on select models and can be purchased as an acces sory for a wide range of models ($400 to $425).
