Riding in Darkness, Complete Darkness!

So I have been commuting to work about 3 days a week when the weather permits. Not on the KZ yet, but on my Zx-10r. Its about a 13 miles one way on a fairly senic two-lane road. I really prefer my commute in to work in the mornings. The traffic is nearly non existant, and I prefer the cool weather in the mornining hours. However I do have to ride in the darkness since I start work at 6:00 am. The ride home in the afternoons can be hectic dependant on the traffic which is infinantly worse at 4:30pm. Also, it is usually hot since I have at least half-a-dozen traffic lights to stop me as I pull out from the shop.

Now last Monday, I had a particularly exciting ride in to work. I pulled out from the subdivision and got on to the first stretch of two-lane. Big bright Moon on the way down in the western sky. This will be important in a minute. About 4 miles from the house, and firmly in the happy zen state that only the motorcycle can produce on the trip to work. I round a familiar left hand sweeper that I usually take at about 75 mph, and just as soon as I get straightend up, OUT GO THE LIGHTS! Oh shit! What do I do? Well thanks to that big, bright moon, I could halfway see the road before me. I roll off the gas, and check my mirror to make sure that I don't get run over.

As I'm rolling to a stop, I reach into the fairing and start to jiggle wires. The lights flicker back to life, but will only stay on with a pull on those wires. I ride one handed down to the end of the street where there is a gas station parking lot that I can pull off of the road. With a little fiddling, I get the lights to stay on reliably, and I'm off to work.

The culprit turned out to be a headlight ground wire that was folded over hard. It had broken and was only making occasional contact. Seems like a bike with two seperate light bulbs would be okay if one goes out, but the low beam and high beam bulb share the ground. Its also too bad that almost no roads in my area have no shoulder. It would be nice to be able to pull off in an emergency situation.

Remember to keep your head on your shoulders, and stay calm in a panic situation. Hope you enjoyed my little story. Cheers!

jiggley jeff reportimg in and calling it foggy and blurry

Thanks for the tale, testarossa

you don't realize how dark it is until your lights are gone.i rode about 40 miles home after dark with no headlights once.the worst part was the other folks that couldn't see me and would pull out in front of you,i was on the brakes hard enough to wag the tail of the z1r a couple times lookin at the side of cars.not to mention i had some false courage in me and thought i should hurry.i am sure that trip cost me something i was going to get away with later in life,that i now won't.100mph plus after dark with no headlights sure makes you feel alive,maybe not for long.i guess there is always the last time.

leon

ahhh the old ,,,i'm being chased by the police ,black out runs....they were the better part of being young....good place for a toggle switch i'd say...good story

Wow, 40 miles with no lights. I don't think that I would have made it that far on this road. As soon as I cross 2920 it gets real dark in a hurry. This road has 100 foot tall pine trees on either side, and nary a streetlight for about 6 miles. I did do the blackout in my car one time while avoiding some unwanted legal attention. Remember to use the handbrake to avoid the taillights giving you away.

One of the plugs under the tank or the frame!
It has a bad connection!

i wouldn't do it again.
i look back and shake my head wondering how i made it.
it is over keetonville hill which is all curves and hundred foot drop offs,they recently added guard rails since then.many people die on this road yearly.no street lights this is in the country.the moon was out,and the adrenalin was pumping,i passed cars in the curves on the inside.come up on em and couldn't scrub off enough speed so just lay on over and dial it up.
runnin like my hair was on fire.stuff on my bike drags before i can get all the way to the edge of the 190 tire.
after i made it home alive my wife wanted to kill me .i was supposed to follow her and ended up fallin out and screamin around her and blazed on to the house.i do stupid $hit like this every now and then to make sure it isn't my day :ohmy: .
those times seem to be fewer and farther apart the older i get,kinda weird how that works.

leon :evil:

Funny how that adreniline works on your mind. In the moment, its all thrilling and life affirming, but after the fact you say to yourself "Damn I'm lucky that I made it through that one!" You do have one of those milestone birthdays this year, don't you?

Whoa.It may not be ur day but I dont believe that I would be flashing a bird at the Grim Reaper.He might just MAKE it ur day.lol.bj

Yupp, had a light burn out at night a couple of times, love these old sealed beams, especially if the rubbers are missing.
Also had to ride one handed on my old 750 twin once when the throttle cable broke. Wrapped it around my hand and braced it against the tank to be more steady. That was right at dusk too and I'd passed a few moose and deer on the road earlier. Of course it couldn't be the return cable that broke!