Night Riding Tips for New Motorcycle Riders

Regardless of your riding experience level, you will want to follow a few safety tips when riding your motorcycle at night. Our experts at Thompson’s Motorsports have created this guide to help you familiarize yourself with a few basic but essential motorcycle night riding tips. Read on to learn more, and for more advice, contact our dealership in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Make Yourself Noticeable

The first thing to do when riding a motorcycle at night is to make yourself visible to other motorists on the road. Avoid wearing dark-colored clothes, especially black-colored outfits, when riding your bike at night. It is often hard to notice dark colors in dim light conditions, and you might be more prone to being in an accident.

Wear bright colors like neon or fluorescent colors and throw an orange-colored safety vest over them. You can also add retro-reflective tape on your helmet and saddlebags to make yourself more noticeable.

Upgrade Your Motorcycle's Lighting System

You should also boost your bike's lighting system before your night riding trip.

Consider installing single bulbs or strips of bulbs and replacing your standard halogen lights with LED lights to make your motorcycle more visible at night. You can also get a brake light flasher to help draw the attention of distracted motorists around you.

Follow Proper Night Riding Techniques

More importantly, you will want to practice a few night-riding techniques to make your journey safer and more memorable.

Ensure you maintain an appropriate distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead of you and be observant of motorists trying to take advantage of the gap. You should also signal your maneuvers in advance and avoid interrupting the blind spot of other riders. Finally, be vigilant of nocturnal animals that might suddenly dart in your path.

We hope this guide helps you ride your motorcycle safely at night. If you need more advice or want to upgrade your bike before your next trip, visit Thompson’s Motorsports in Terre Haute, IN. We proudly serve those from Bloomington and West Indianapolis, IN, and Effingham, IL.