Are you a biking aficionado? If you like bikes, then you will surely love long night rides on the highway. Whether you live in a metro city or in a small town, getting on
the highway is a wonderful feeling. The sheer freedom and thrill that you experience on the road can’t be expressed in ordinary words. Many people prefer to bike in the night time as it is less crowded and easier to navigate the roads. However, riding on Indian roads at night is a challenging and dangerous task. Read this to know how to protect yourself and the pillion rider in your night bike rides.
Wear Protective Gears with Reflective Belts or Surfaces
First and foremost, wear ample protective gears during all your bike rides. Helmet is the bare minimum but you should always wear high quality riding gears that can protect you during your falls. These padded gear take the bulk of the impact and protect your internal organs from getting damaged.
During your night rides, you need to wear an additional layer of reflective gears to indicate your presence on the road. With a small signature and road presence, it will be almost impossible to see a motorbike on the road for fast moving, large cargo vehicles. So, wear reflective clothes, gear or even belts to inform other drivers that you are riding on the road.
Check the Engine Oil & Brake Oil
While this is a general precaution, it becomes all the more important to check for your night trips. If your motorbike is low on engine oil it could get heated in the travel and the engine might even cease causing a delay and putting you at anuncomfortable and dangerous position. Similarly, most modern bikes use hydraulic operated brakes. So, ensure that brake oil is optimum for you to ride. Always top up these oils before embarking on your journey. This could ideally cost only a fraction of the cost that you will be spending after an accident. So, don’t be stingy and ensure your safety.
Ride Safely within the Speed Limits
Most of the Indian bikes are underpowered and are in the lower engine capacity range. This leads to a high throttling by the riders on the highway to maintain an optimum speed. The thrill of speed is good to experience but the poorly lit roads harbour many challenges and unexpected troubles in it. So, always maintain the recommended speed of the road. Most highways are laid for a traffic speed of 80 to 100 kmph. So, cruise in the 80-90 kmph range. This way you will ensure the safety of yourself and others.
Stay in the Lane for Bikes
Another key issue faced by riders on Indian roads is the absence of a wide enough lane. While there are lanes that are explicitly marked for the bikes on the highway,these lanes are often narrow and crowded leading to safety issues. Most riders shift to the unsafe fast lanes or slow lanes on the highway. This puts both the bike and other vehicles on the road at risk. Added to the risks and other problems, a minor skid on the road can lead to running over by other vehicles.
So, whenever you travel during the night time, stay within the lane for bikes and maintain the uniform speed. Even if your bike skids or your bike tyre gets punctured, you will stay on the safe side of the road.
Always Carry Tools & and a Tyre Inflator
When you travel at night, you will not be able to find the garages and mechanic shops on the way. Even the few that usually operate on the highway will remain closed at night. So, always carry the necessary tools with yourself. Check the tool box before embarking on a night trip. Similarly, carry a Smart Tyre Inflator for Bike. This can come handy and help you to inflate the bike tyres. Oftentimes, riding with either low tyre pressure or too much tyre pressure can put your bike at a risk. Portable Tyre Inflators are affordable and are competitively priced at around ₹3500 to ₹4500/- depending on the brand and capacity. These are easy to operate and can be used to even inflate car tyres.
Next time when you are thinking about a night trip, follow all these directions and you will have a safe and adventurous ride.