Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Parents dont want to let me ride my scoot at night so I'm trying to find facts for a good argument. Does anybody have any good facts?

Well, having been a parent I see that point of view but... I do most of my scooter riding at night and like it a lot better and feel safer at night. I find my tail and brake light are more visible than it is in bright day light. Same goes for the headlight. I also wear the safety vest which saves my life every time I ride regardless of time of day or conditions. The vest, jackets and hoodies all have the reflective strips that are visible with even a small headlight from a mile away. Spend the 10$ on a construction safety vest and wear it and show your parents you wear it. That may help your cause. I also find so much less traffic at night so that makes it safer. I have fewer close calls at night for some reason. I also think the only way to get practice driving at night is to drive at night. Just make sure to follow safe driving habits and you should be OK.

Be seen be safe! I drive a lot at night also find less traffic and can control my environment better. I've put reflective tape on all my helmets also. There's tons of great thin tapes out there so you can still make it look good but be functional at the same time. Get a vest wear it even during the day let your parents see your being a responsible driver and be patient they will come around.

I also use red, 1" wide highly reflective tape made by 3M. One stripe below my licence plate and a stripe on my helmet. That makes me seen from behind really effectively. I also practice whats called defensive driving here in NZ. ie. slowing down a bit coming up to major intersections and scanning the road ahead. Also riding in the outer wheel tracks area of the road to be seen by parked cars and hopefully give me time to react/brake/swerve to anything that pulls out in front of me.

I hope you enjoy night riding. Its great fun with less traffic and often feels more 'adventurous' but remember the basics and be seen!

Just do the H.I.D. mod to your headlight and install a rear BRAKE blinking kit.
I would really suggest learning to do night driving in a car or a faster bike/motocycle.
That way you can get out of those crazy cagers way.
A really loud horn that would scare someone stupid.
Most importantly is just being aware and well rested.
I would wear a vest all the time.
Its a good caution.
You're a younger driver, you need to be seen because you will make mistakes.
Trust me I know. Learn to master the thing during the day, then take it to the nights. Cheers - Jumps!

Greetings:

Depending on where you live and ride, there may be less traffic after dark. Fewer encounters with other vehicles decreases the risk of collision by that factor alone. Unfortunately there tend to be more drunk and/or high drivers at night too, which may offset the lower numbers. Furthermore, the dim flicker of a scooter headlamp may be lost in a line of cars with halogen, LED, or HID lamps. What looks like a "hole" in the traffic may in fact be occupied by your soft, fragile body hurtling along between the cars, leading a distracted, cellphone-preoccupied drunk to pull out right after that car ahead is clear. Results may not be pretty. Add the fact that a pothole, a brick or a feral hog in the road isn't illuminated very well until you're 50 feet away, and I'd have to say your parents are right; it's a whole lot more dangerous to ride after dark. Sure, get a vest, but beware of Bambi.

Thanks for the help, going to get a vest and some tape after work tomorrow and hopefully then I can convince them.

I too feel safer driving at night because the headlamp or tail lamp is very visible, much more so than during the daylight. Also at night cars don't sneak up on me, as I can easily notice their headlamps in my mirrors.
The down side to night driving is that road debris, potholes and cracks sneak up on you, so you have to keep a closer eye on those Michigan roads at night.
I wear a white helmet at night, don't know if that matters, but I like to think it is more noticeable.

There were studies done proving a white helmet is the safest helmet colors

Greetings:

I can't tell you the number of times I saw drivers do a triple-take, whip on their seatbelts, and generally hesitate as I approached on my pearl-white Sportster with my Police-style white helmet. That moment of Paying Attention is sometimes the difference between riding by safely and a grisly crash. No studies to cite, but PLENTY of anecdotal evidence. One Deepinnaharta denizen even has the word "POLITE" emblazoned across the fairing of his CB-somethin' - BACKwards. If you look like a cop, they'll straighten up, just for a second. Sometimes that's all you need.

Greetings:

I dunno Mike. Maybe a white one with a dozen Krispy Kremes strapped to the rack?

At least your parents care about you.

need a full face helmet and keep warm on head. LOL

helmet need to wear,, get flying tiny pebble stone, dirty, and flys, roaches

veedubh20 wrote:need a full face helmet and keep warm on head. LOL

helmet need to wear,, get flying tiny pebble stone, dirty, and flys, roaches

Get a helmet like the fly racing trekker, its a duelsport helmet, that has a full face shield.

I love mine.