Things I learned on my first night time ride in 7 months..

[pwh421_imp]

1. The headlight on my 04' BMW R1150R sucked.. Really really sucked.. Like dangerously dim and crappy.

2. The headlight on the CB is fan-fricking-tastic, just so sharp and bright.Also the full time lit blinkers/running lights are a nice touch..

3. Now that I can see I remember that I love riding at night..

4. The new CB1100's dash is super clean and easy to read and sort of beautiful at night..

5. The CB1100's highbeam is bright enough to be a weapon, and that is ok with me..

6. Did I mention how much I love riding at night?.

 

[the Ferret]

Yep good headlight and beautiful guages at night.

There is a certain element you feel from riding at night as opposed to riding in the daylight. Fun and scarey at the same time. I was really amazed at the rally that dUh would take off and go ride the Dragon at night.

Glad you also enjoyed your night time ride.

 

[veech_imp]

Another one of the long list of things that are so good about these wonderful bikes!

 

[drodg33]

I have a hard time not looking at my gauges at night on my 14, I scare myself. It is a good thing I don't ride at night much. It is cool to do though.....

 

[specialist8]

#4 for sure. It's hard to notice the dark green background of the gauges during the day, but then outta nowhere you see their beauty at night shining in full clarity.

 

[jrns_imp]

I love night riding-I do it rarely and when I do I'm very cautious and stay close to town...in the summer there's nothing like it-very unique and fun experience on a warm night -you and your bike. the only thing scares me are the wild animals roaming (deer etc. )... and I agree-the gauges at night are awesome !

 

[silverbub_imp]

& noticing how BRIGHT the headlight makes the raccoons & deer eyes SHINE as they pop up onto the road!... after seeing a shattered Goldwing on a flatbed wrecker's trailer with the rider in serious condition in hospital after his "accident" while into a nocturnal crossing of western Kansas & eastern Colorado in summer... due to his head-on collision with a DRUNK staggering in middle of two-lane back to his edge of town home...I vowed to never intentionally night-ride... too risky for me!... of course, the drunk never made it back home...

 

[Cormanus]

I had two trips in darkness this week. You summed it up brilliantly pwh421.

 

[pwh421_imp]

I had two trips in darkness this week. You summed it up brilliantly pwh421.

So my commute is 54 miles R/T.. My last class (I'm a 43 yr old grad student) gets out at 10pm..

That 30min run home is heaven.. The traffic is gone and the air is cool and generally still (we get a ton of afternoon wind). On my old R1150R it always felt sketchy.. The headlight was dim, it no running lights (only head and and tail), and.. I dunno.. It was just not pleasant..

Glad you enjoyed your night runs too..

 

[the Ferret]

You are right in that part of the magic of riding at night is the aloneness, the absence of light, and the coldness, especially in the low places of the road.

 

[Dharma_Jones93_imp]

I've always enjoyed the interstate at night. Well lit, few other vehicles, no windy/blind/poorly maintained things that are more dangerous with less visibility. I especially enjoy how the lights just kind of whir by, in a bit of a blur. Just a different experience.

 

[DaSwami_imp]

Have yet to night ride, a couple of times I've been out in twilight but never after dark.

Want to, but as bad as the critters are in my neck of the woods, they are even worse at night, with less time/visibility to react.

Maybe in a good sized town with good lighting, I bet it would be neat.

 

[redbirds_imp]

Know the feeling Swami. On our last night ride a few months back, a ride home of only 12 miles, the wife and I had close calls with 4 deer and a raccoon. Cured me for now.

 

[valkanut_imp]

dont like to ride nighttime.always park before darkness.
too much deer and all kind of wild life in my area.
especially friday night when all the young daredevils with their power machine going crazy. last time i've been out a friday evening,i was in middle lane,at 60 mph,and 2 young stay a few seconds by my side,on my right and on my left and...BAM they went on a wheelee at 60 mph.
i turn back home and park it. lol

 

[flynrider]

I ride at night on the city's well lit streets and freeways. Outside of town, not so much. I was particularly reluctant with the CB11 since the headlight seemed to only illuminate about 15-20 ft. in front of the bike. Everything beyond that was dark. This is particularly disturbing on rural, unlit back roads.

I fixed that tonight. Looks like it was just poor adjustment at the factory. I did some experimenting on one of our darker neighborhood streets and found an angle that sends the beam out much farther, but doesn't bother oncoming drivers. Simple fix. I should have done this a long time ago.

 

[the Ferret]

In case anyone else needs to adjust their headlight aim

Adjusting your headlight beam

 

[Cormanus]

I'm no expert, but I reckon the CB has an excellent headlight if properly adjusted.

 

[flynrider]

In case anyone else needs to adjust their headlight aim

Adjusting your headlight beam

Hey, I didn't remember that thread. Turns out I didn't miss a step!

Cormanus, I will agree with you now. Before last night I was seriously overrunning my headlight at speeds over 45-50 mph. It wasn't that noticeable in the city, but a few weeks ago I took off on a trip about an hour and a half before sunrise. Not comfortable.

 

[the Ferret]

In case anyone else needs to adjust their headlight aim

Adjusting your headlight beam

Hey, I didn't remember that thread. Turns out I didn't miss a step!

Cormanus, I will agree with you now. Before last night I was seriously overrunning my headlight at speeds over 45-50 mph. It wasn't that noticeable in the city, but a few weeks ago I took off on a trip about an hour and a half before sunrise. Not comfortable.

Hey, I didn't remember that thread. Turns out I didn't miss a step!

Cormanus, I will agree with you now. Before last night I was seriously overrunning my headlight at speeds over 45-50 mph. It wasn't that noticeable in the city, but a few weeks ago I took off on a trip about an hour and a half before sunrise. Not comfortable.

That's why I tell people to adjust their headlight to their high beam in the dark. There is so much ambient light in the city low beam is pretty much useless, but get out in the country without ambient light and your high beam can be a life saver if adjusted right.

 

[Cormanus]

Yeah ... getting it right makes a big difference. I reckon the CB has a great headlight. It's way, way better than the headlights on a 1990s SAAB we used to have! But then an old fashioned push-bike dynamo would be better than the SAAB's lights.