Riding your motorcycle at night is a different experience. With less crowded streets and cooler air, you can escape into a different world that feels free. While riding at night has its advantages, there are risks and limitations, too. The main issue is that everyone has trouble seeing as clearly when it is darker. When you ride at night, you have to be concerned about seeing others and also being visible yourself. Here are some tips to keep yourself safe and avoid accidents as you ride your bike at night.
1. Upgrade your headlight
While every street-legal bike has a headlight, some are better than others. Making an update is useful if your headlight is an older standard halogen light. Even just replacing the bulb with a brighter one is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to improve your own sight and increase your visibility. You can also replace the entire unit with LEDs or HID conversion.
2. Replace your tail light
Many motorcycle tail lights leave a lot to be desired in terms of brightness and safety. Sometimes it is only a single dual-filament bulb also used for turn signals. Upgrading this to a LED light is a simple way to increase your rear visibility. Some models of bikes may even be able to handle additional lights to supplement the tail light.
3. Install reflective accessories
Reflectivity is a key aspect of nighttime visibility, especially on the side of your bike. You can improve the visibility of your ride simply by adding plastic reflectors. If there is not adequate room for these on your bike’s frame, add reflective tape to your wheels.
Taking these simple steps can make a huge difference in your safety when you ride at night, reducing your risk of getting hit by a negligent driver. However, accidents happen to even the most careful riders. Should you ever get injured on the road, contact a personal injury lawyer.