Windy night riding

[Thaeos]

Seeing as I had received some dririder thermals and a revit wind/water proof balaclava for xmas I decided I'd give them a test last night.

It was also my first time riding in the pitch black, and it was pretty windy.

My experience? The gear held up well, I didn't get cold at all, only a very small amount of wind seemed to be getting in my helmet/touching my head. As for the ride, well it was an interesting experience!

It would be prudent to put some better lights in my bike, the high beam is hardly more effective that the low beam. At some moments it was a bit scary when I would no longer be able to see the reflective centre strips and wonder where the hell the road was, going up/over a hill for example. I've concluded that for riding at night I need to slow down. One moment that seems to stand out was on a straight piece of road heading towards Clevedon at about 90kmh when I hit a small animal, I think it was a bird, sitting on the road. I just didn't see it until it was too late, caused quite a thud but I was looking up at the horizon, didn't lose control.

So what I've taken from this is that I don't need to be cold on a bike if I have the right gear, and that I should slow down at night.

[PrincessBandit]

Good post. I've found that the most frustrating thing for me when night riding in rural areas is the pathetic light spill from my head lamp. Having ridden home from Kawakawa Bay a few times at night I think that a lot of confidence has to do with knowing the road (which I don't really) and being able to see well. There have been a couple of times when I've spotted a small rock on the road when it would have been too late had my line been slightly different - that creeps the crap out of me! I guess hitting something whether alive or inanimate does make me think twice about choosing to ride in the dark.
If I thought my night riding was likely to increase I'd definitely invest in a stronger headlamp.

[Roadsafe Nelson]

Good post & great learning experience for you!

When riding in windy conditions, drop down a gear (rather than riding in top gear) & use the engine to power you" through" the wind. It makes a lot of difference, giving better stability & control

Get some Xenon bulbs for your headlight..

"Xenon bulbs use an electric current arc passed through Xenon gas, rather than a filament, to produce light. This method requires minimal electric current draw compared to filament lighting, and its output is comparable to daylight. As the human eye has evolved to see in daylight, Xenon lighting causes less eye strain than other bulb types, making it a more convenient and safer night lighting option. Xenon bulbs increase reflections on road signs and markings."

http://www.hella.co.nz/?t=91

in AK these are the stockists..

http://www.hella.co.nz/?t=173

[CookMySock]

I don't need to be cold on a bike if I have the right gear, and that I should slow down at night.

Yeah. Wait until you try heated gear in the winter. I got heated grips and heated jacket, and its fooken marvellous. Go anywhere, anytime, without care or regard for warmth.

Get some Xenon bulbs for your headlight..

AKA HID, yep these are fooken maaaarrrvellous as well. They are illegal but that is no different to your noisy exhaust - just another modification for your safety and enjoyment. You do have to be careful with stacked independent high/low beams as they take quite a while to strike up, so if you have a HID lowbeam and you flip to low - you get NO light for a full second and a half. Emphatically unamusing mid-corner I assure you.

BTW you don't need to buy expensive Hella. Search trademe for H4 HID. Get the ones with Ballast/Inverters. The ones with bulbs only, are fake.

Steve

[Thaeos]

so if you have a HID lowbeam and you flip to low - you get NO light for a full second and a half. Emphatically unamusing mid-corner I assure you.

Ha, crap. When I went on my first ride out to Kaiaua PirateJafa talked about some ride he had gone on with a bike with dodgy electrics or battery or something in the middle of the night, when he braked the headlight would pretty much go out. That would make cornering fun for sure..