How To Ride Your Motorcycle Safely at Night

Motorcycle riding is one of the most fun and thrilling activities you can enjoy. Riding during the day comes with a lot of safety benefits. However, once in a while, you may find yourself riding under cover of darkness. Here, we offer some tips to keep you safe when you're on the road at night. For more information about safe biking, or to see what we have in stock, stop by BMW Motorcycles of Burbank at our location in Burbank, California, also serving the neighboring cities of Pasadena and Glendale.

Make Your Motorcycle Easy to See and Hear

Most accidents that happen at night are caused by reduced visibility. To safely drive at night, you need to use audio and visual means to let other riders know where you are. The best ways to go about this are:

• Wearing reflective motorcycle clothing: Others on the road often identify the rider before seeing the motorcycle. When choosing reflective motorcycle clothing, go for reflective panels or those labeled 3M.
• Add reflective tape: Reflective tape is another good way to let other motorists known your location. You can apply the tapes to the backs and sides of the panniers, on the forks, or on the rims of the wheels. Put some on your helmet, too.
• Fit a loud exhaust: You need to make yourself known using audio as well as visual means. A loud exhaust is one of the best ways to announce your presence to other road users.

Increase Your Field of Vision

Making yourself visible to other motorists is one way to boost safety. However, you also need to work on increasing what you can see and improving how well you can see it. Like every automotive, your motorcycle is bound to undergo wear and tear. You need to ensure that you can see clearly at night and all your lighting is operating optimally. You can do this by:

• Cleaning your headlights: Over time, your headlight lenses accumulate dirt and moisture, which interfere with visibility. Take time to frequently clean the lenses with water.
• Cleaning or changing your visor: A dirty or worn-out helmet visor can greatly interfere with your visibility while riding at night. Use a microfiber or visor cleaner to get rid of dirt and accumulated debris.
• Avoiding dark-tinted visors: Visors with a dark tint are good when riding during the day, especially when the sun is up high. When riding at night, though, it's best to go with a photochromic visor that adjusts to the dimmer light levels.

Regular Motorcycle Maintenance

When riding at night, you need your bike to operate optimally. All systems and parts should be able to respond swiftly in case of an emergency. Some of the parts you need to look at frequently include the brakes, headlights, tires, and suspension. 

Following the tips mentioned above should help you safely enjoy riding at night. To learn more about anything related to motorcycling, contact our team at BMW Motorcycles of Burbank, or visit us at our location in Burbank, California, also serving customers in nearby Pasadena and Glendale.