There is more to riding a motorcycle at night than simply getting on your bike and cruising through town after the sun goes down. For one, you will need to make sure that you are more aware of your surroundings and of the area you are in. It's relatively easy to navigate through an area you are not that familiar with in the daylight, but this can be intrinsically more difficult at night. Also, if you are keeping an eye out for obstacles, animals, children at play, etc, it can be hard to also look for street signs and keep your balance. Doing all this in the dark is that much more difficult.
Before you plan to ride out at night there are a few extra things that you can do to help make sure that you have a safe and reliable ride. First off, you will want to make sure that you check your motorcycle's lights before you take off. This may sound like something simple, but since most rides are during the daytime, you would be surprised at how many people forget this simple safety tip.
Second, get a pair of night riding glasses to help you see at night. If you already wear prescription glasses, then you will want to make sure you're either able to wear these glasses over your prescription pair or purchase a pair of riding with prescription lenses. Also, make sure you wear night visible clothing. You don't have to cover yourself in highly reflective orange clothing, but there are some motorcycle patches you can add to your jacket that are reflective. Also, there are some reflective stickers that can be placed on things like helmets or boots. Small steps like this can help you to stay safe riding at night.
