Riding a motorcycle at night

Night riding can be wonderful: cooler air, quieter roads, a sky full of stars. It also takes away much of what keeps you safe in daylight. Drivers see you less, you see the road less, and your body would rather be asleep. A bit of preparation makes a big difference.

How to be seen at night

At night, drivers often see a single headlight and little else. That makes it hard for them to judge your speed and distance. Give them more to work with:

• Reflective gear. Reflective panels on your jacket, pants, helmet and boots light up in headlights. Moving parts like arms and legs catch the eye best.
• Light colours or hi-vis help at dusk. Once it's fully dark, reflective material does more than colour alone.
• All lights working. Check headlight, tail light, brake light and indicators before you leave. Keep lenses clean.
• Reflective strips on the bike and luggage, if local rules allow.
• Lane position. Avoid riding where a following car's lights hide you or where you're in a driver's blind spot.

Headlight aim and use

A badly aimed headlight either lights the road just ahead of your wheel or dazzles oncoming drivers. Neither helps.

• Check the aim with the bike loaded the way you usually ride. A passenger or heavy luggage compresses the rear suspension and points the beam higher. Your owner's manual explains how to adjust it, or a dealer can do it.
• Use high beam on empty roads, and dip it in good time for oncoming traffic and vehicles ahead.
• Mind the corners. On many bikes the beam stays level while the bike leans, so the inside of a bend stays dark. Slow down for it.
• Use other lights. The tail lights of a vehicle well ahead can show you where the road bends.

Visors and glasses: no dark visor at night

A tinted visor or dark sunglasses cut the little light you have. At night, use a clear visor. If you ride into dusk, carry a clear visor or use a helmet with a drop-down sun visor you can flip up.

• Clean it inside and out before you set off. Dirt and smears turn every oncoming headlight into a starburst.
• Replace scratched visors. Scratches scatter light and cause glare.
• Fight fogging with an anti-fog insert or by opening the vents — cooler night air makes fogging more likely.
• Don't stare at oncoming lights. Look toward the edge of your lane until they pass.

Protect your night vision

Your eyes take time to adjust to the dark, and one bright light resets them. Dim your dashboard if you can, and turn down the brightness of a phone on the handlebars or switch it to dark mode. At stops, avoid looking straight at bright forecourt lights before you ride off. If you wear glasses, make sure they're clean and free of scratches; ask your optician about lenses for night driving glare, rather than tinted lenses.

Speed and sight distance

The key rule of night riding: you should be able to stop within the distance you can see. If your headlight lights up only a short stretch of road, that's your stopping distance. Riding faster than that is called overriding your headlight, and it leaves no time to react to anything that appears in the beam.

Road surfaces are harder to read at night too. Gravel, potholes, wet patches and diesel are easy to miss. Leave more space, enter corners slower and ride with extra margin — the same principles in cornering techniques apply, with less information.

Animals on the road

Many animals are most active around dusk, overnight and at dawn, particularly on rural roads near fields and forests.

• Watch for eyes reflecting in your headlight, often before you see the animal.
• Where there's one animal, expect more.
• Slow down where warning signs or roadside verges suggest wildlife.
• If something appears, brake firmly in a straight line. Only steer around it if there's clear space, and look at the gap, not the animal.

Fatigue and cold

Your body expects to sleep at night, and tiredness creeps up without warning. Cold makes it worse. Signs you need to stop: yawning, heavy eyes, missing a turn, drifting in your lane, or not remembering the last few kilometres.

• Take regular breaks and stop the moment you feel drowsy. A short rest beats pushing on.
• Wear an extra warm layer; temperatures drop after sunset.
• Drink water and eat something light.
• Plan night rides on roads you know, and keep long trips for daylight when you can.

Other road users can be tired too, and late at night some may be impaired. Give erratic drivers lots of space.

Before a night ride

• Check all lights and clean your visor and lenses.
• Pack a clear visor, warm layer and a reflective vest.
• Charge your phone; carry a power bank on longer rides.
• Plan your route and fuel stops — many stations close at night. Our trip checklist covers the rest.
• Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to arrive.

That last step is easier with GOEZ. Choose a Ride Buddy, and when you start a ride they can follow your live location from a private link in their browser. If you need help, hold the SOS button and your messaging app opens with a message and your location ready — you tap Send. Riding at night in the wet as well? Read riding in the rain and pick gear from the motorcycle gear guide with reflective panels in mind.