websaytko.com - raredog’s chronicle

Based from what I have experienced last week, night riding are not that easy and quite dangerous, so be prepared. Here are some tips. Please read.

There are times when you must continue riding at night, or times when you choose to go for a ride after the sun goes down. You may find yourself miles from home as it gets dark, or you may choose to ride cross the desert and avoid the daytime heat. Whatever the reasons for riding at night, there are some special considerations for motorcyclists.

Vision is one of our most important considerations. If you can’t see where you are going, you can’t stay on the road. If you can’t see the hazards ahead, you can’t take evasive action. The human eye is not well adapted to nighttime vision, and it is sensitive to chemicals such as alcohol and carbon monoxide. Human eyes take several minutes to adjust chemically from very bright surroundings to dim light levels. Consider what happens when your photograph is taken with a flash. You are momentarily blinded until your eyes can adjust. The same thing happens when going from brightly lit restaurant to a dark parking lot, or when you stare at the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. There are several tactics you can use to maximize your nighttime vision:

  Use clear eye protection, and keep it clean and free of scratches.
  Avoid alcohol and smoking before or during a night ride.
 Wait a few minutes after leaving a bright area before riding away.
Allow your eyes time to adjust to the low light level.
  Practice avoiding bright light sources as you ride along. Look to one side of street lights, signs, or headlights. For example, as a car approaches, shift your vision from the headlights to the white line along the edge of your lane.

Another consideration is protective gear. Since you can’t always see the condition of the road surface, you are more likely to have a spill at night. And, since the air temperature usually drops significantly after dark, you need more insulation. So night riding demands the best riding gear. A full-coverage helmet provides much better insulation and facial protection.

Fatigue is a common problem at night, especially on longer rides. It is easy to get weary while riding but procrastinate in taking a rest break. Yet failing to deal with fatigue can create a situation that leads to an accident. Smart riders take more frequent breaks at night. They get off the machine and do some exercises to get the blood flowing again. As a minimum, consider walking briskly to the other end of the parking lot and back. Coffee stops are beneficial, not only for the beverage, but also for the change of pace.
If you just can’t stay awake find a suitable spot and take a short nap, or even stop at a motel and check in for some sleep. A room for thee night is cheaper than a crash.

Wild animals are more likely to be roaming the highway at night, especially during the spring and fall. Animals like deer are difficult to see at night, and hitting a deer with a motorcycle can be disastrous for both animal and human. The correct tactic for avoiding a deer strike is to brake quickly to a slow speed when a deer is seen ahead. Deer eyes reflect light as much as a glass reflector. If a “reflector” alongside the road winks off and on, it is very likely a deer or other small animal. Remember that deer travel in families, so one deer indicates that others are nearby.

Of course, it helps to spot wild animals if your headlight is bright and correctly aimed. Your high beam should strike the road surface at its maximum range, yet allow the low beam to be below the eye level of approaching motorists to avoid blinding them. If you make frequent night time trips, consider an auxiliary driving light, wired into the high beam circuit. Remember, all vehicle light must conform to the equipment laws of the state you are riding in.

You will also help yourself to be more readily seen by adding reflectors or reflective tape to the rear panels of tail trunks and saddlebags, or adding extra taillights. The human eye has trouble judging distance of red light, which may contribute to an increase in rear-end collisions at night. Reflective clothing and added lights can help other drivers to judge your distance.

When riding in traffic, try to maintain more space around you, and be especially wary of vehicles approaching from behind. Adjust your riding tactics to avoid having to stop in the middle of the street waiting for traffic signals. When approaching a stop signal, adjust speed so you don’t have to wait a long time for the light. When making a left turn, consider going around the block to the right, rather than waiting in the left lane where a sleepy driver could pick you off.

You may decide to follow another vehicle at night to take advantage of the additional lights, or to help avoid animal strikes. By observing when the lights of the vehicle in front of you bounce up and down, you can get an idea of where potholes are. If you do follow a car or truck, increase your following distance to at least 4 seconds to allow space for braking. Make a point of counting out your following distance in seconds, rather than just guessing. When the car ahead passes by a stationary object such as a street light, start counting, “one-thousand-and-one”, one-thousand-and-two…” If you can count to four before passing the same street light, you are at the minimum distance.

Be aware of other vehicles that seem to pace you at night. Some drivers are merely curious, but others are “weirdos” looking for a little entertainment, and you could be the victim.
Change speed or lanes to create space around you and separate yourself from possible problems. When pulling into rest areas or restaurant parking lots, scrutinize the night life there before shutting off your engine. If you don’t like the looks of the place, move on, and find someplace more friendly.

Some riders enjoy night riding, some tolerate it occasionally, and some motorcyclists can’t stand it at all. If you have reservations about night riding, or can’t seem to keep your eyes open after dark, don’t do it.
For more helpful riding tips, you can purchase this book from Whitehorse Press at: 1-800-531-1133 or take an Experienced Riders Course (ERC), call the Rider Ed. office for schedule and application at 732-572-0800.
Source: http://www.rider-ed.com/tips/ridingat.html

The night we conquered Sierra Madre (Marilaque)
After being absent in group rides for more than two years. I could say that this is one memorable ride for me. It started only this friday, when my ride buddy Deo (padre damaso) called me and asked if I want to join a group ride, which he said rxbandits organized on a thread in MCP. I was hesistant to say yes kaagad, kase si Geely (my scooter) is not really in good condition for the past few days, it always went dead because of loose wiring in the CDI, plus I only have 2 ball guides instead of three (nde ko pa napapalitan yung isang nasira).

So I said, “When and where are we going to ride?” Then I was surprised with his reply. “WE’RE GOING TO RIDE TONITE!! at Marilaque (Sierra Madre). Whatttthaa!! “Are you insane?” Tonite at that place?  Well, after telling me about the thread  at MCP and going at my house that night with his friend Norman, I was positively sure that they really are serious about this ride.

So we went to Tropical Hut and waited for the group of rxbandits (DannyM4, Sting, and Eric). whew…when I saw them arrived with their ride, I whispered to Deo “Do we really have to go?” It’s because the group that arrived compose of big bikes and cruisers…waaaahhhhh. We will be left by those guys with their much faster bikes. But they told us not to worry, coz it will be a slow-paced run. Ok, we said, needless to say, we join the ride.

Now the ride… Why this ride will be memorable for me, because this will be the first time that I would do a night ride unprepared, and to very remote place.. Going up there was smooth, there was no traffic at all, because it’s already past 10pm. After We passed Cogeo, the wind got much colder, and street lights are getting rare. Darker and darker as we go uphill, zigzagging on the very nice curvaceous cemented road.

It’s kinda creepy out there, totally NO LIGHTS!!!, I told myself, in the cinema, just stay for five minutes and you could excellently view the whole place, but here is absolutely dark, even when we stopped for a cigarrete break, all I can see silhouettes of my ride buddies.

The best that I can see clearly when we’re riding was around 20 feet ahead of me. It’s like an arcade game.  Speed up at your own risk, unlike in the morning you get to know ahead if the road is turning left of right., but that night is totally different, totally awesome, and totally challenging I should say!!! Most of us that night experienced almost overshooting the curves, it’s really a rush feeling of adrenalin, I even laugh at my buddy Norman because he twice run on the other side of the lane because of the his speed , I was following him, so I slow down a bits,  coz i might overshoot  also hehehe.

At around midnite, we parked infront of Sierra Madre Resort/Motel which looks like an abandoned house that night. Telling stories, stargazing and smoking cigarrete..Oh how nice if we bring along a thermos so that we all can have a nice cup of coffee.  After 30 minutes we decided  to go down and hit the road.

One of the highlights in this ride is when we meet along the way rxbandits brother (forgot his name) when we we’re descending. “Your the man!!!” Imagine riding all by himself on that creepy night. I guess he’s really excited to be with this ride, so he follows even he’s alone.  I salute you bro!!

Except for a minor electrical problem rxbandits had with his ride, we went down smoothly, the pacing is much more faster and intense, you canreally feel the arenalin rush pumping thru your veins!!! Whewwww…Awesomeeee… Unprecedented!!!

We arrived at Brickroad, STA. LUCIA at around 2am. I thank God as we congratulates ourselves for a very nice and safe ride we had. And looking forward for another insane ride ahead of us.

http://www.motorcyclephilippines.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46395

Geely and me was on a journey again. This time we went to a place called Timberland. A very high place indeed, passing to the town of San Mateo Rizal to the hills of Sierra Madre. Up there you could see portions of Marikina, Pasig and Quezon City. I thought Geely won’t make it to the top , bcoz the road there is definitely steep, although it is already cemented. We’re lucky that it was good weather, coz I’m sure it would be very difficult to traverse it when it’s raining and perhaps I would think twice if I would still go up there, hehehe.

We’ll the main reason that we travelled to that place is to watch the mountain bike/hiking endurance race promoted by Men’s Health Magazine. Biking is really one of my favorite sports. I salivated when I saw most of the riders hi-tech (specialized) mountain bikes which are only prototypes in my younger years. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to come early, that’s why I missed the main event and just able to see the awarding ceremony. But anyways, got some photos, breathe some fresh air, admired the scenery, and headed back to base. Going down is another adventure.