Generally a bad idea to ride in twisties at night?

[77south]

All of your cornering questions can be answered at length by the book "A Twist of the Wrist".  It is a fantastic way to start thinking systematically about what is going on when you make your motorcycle turn.  Much of the material should be covered in any kind of track day training, but this will help you stay shiny side up until you get there.
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Motorcycle-Roadracers-Handbook/dp/0965045013

Also, please don't ride fast on twisty roads at night.  That is good advice for any rider, not just beginners.  A cliche that applies in this situation is: You have the rest of your life to figure out how to ride, how long that is, is up to you.  Seriously, think about it.  After dark you have wildlife, road hazards, inclement weather, drunk drivers and tired drivers and less visibility to see them and have them see you.  Which is not to say you can't ride after the sun goes down, you totally can, just that is not the time to push it.

[sgollapalle]

The headlight on the monsters is pretty lame (even with brights ON). The only time I rode at night was in the keys, when I under estimated how long they were..

either way, as someone above had pointed out, there is random shit on the road (I have seen Queen mattresses on the side of the road). A small patch of gravel when you are at full lean will throw you off. Sad part, even with the best lights you still might not see it in time to make corrections.

[Betty]

All of your cornering questions can be answered at length by the book "A Twist of the Wrist".  It is a fantastic way to start thinking systematically about what is going on when you make your motorcycle turn.  Much of the material should be covered in any kind of track day training, but this will help you stay shiny side up until you get there.
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Motorcycle-Roadracers-Handbook/dp/0965045013

Perhaps it is worth noting that despite a (self-proclaimed?) title of 'the Bible' ... there are other worthy books out there if that is a path you pursue.

I have done a couple of the Superbike School classes (albeit in Australia) which I found excellent but I really struggled with Code's writing style in his books ... your experiences may vary of course.

[mrpetebojangles]

Before I bought my bike I read a Keith Code Book and another one titled Proficient Motorcycling. I still use them as reference tools from time to time. I appreciate all the feedback in this thread!

[CairnsDuc]

I for one used to ride my Local Twisties at night, I have been riding for over 12 years, I know the particular roads I rode very well, but in my case it was a constant evaluation of which was more dangerous, The Road at night, or the Road during the day. (When I say night I used to get up at 4am, and by the Time I got Dressed, and rode out to the Road it was about 4:30am, so still dark, but the sunlight would be just starting to arrive by the time I had ridden up and down the range) The Gillies Highway (19km long with 263 Corners with a 900 m elevation change) in North Queensland Australia links the High Country to the Coast, It is a popular transport Road with lots of trucks going up and down all day, it's also a popular Tourist Road with lots of poorly driven Tourist Hire Cars weaving about all over the show also jamming it up during the day.

So I decided this was the lesser of 2 Evils, I rode the Road a number of times in the Dark very slowly and cautiously to see what it was like during the dark of Early morning, I also changed the Headlight Bulb to give me a brighter and Whiter Head light, and I also changed the Angle of the Headlight to give me better lighting coverage while leaned over in the corners. yes there was the risk of an Animal strike, although for the last few years it was a very rare occurrence to see any Animals on that road (day or night)  but that risk was always there.

After about 3 Dark trips I slowly started to ramp up my attack, I never pushed to 100% (I never do on the Public Roads) The Road is pretty much Traffic free at that time of the Day, When I came up to blind Corners I would run them wide to stay well away from the Center line just in case a Car or Truck was coming around the other way and crossing over the Center line.

But it was a catch 22, Ride during the day, Lots of traffic, extreme risk of getting run off the road or simply stuck in traffic, lots of Police and heavy trucks to ruin the fun, but at least it was bright and sunny and your vision was better.
or
Ride when it was dark and Early, vision was worse, but the roads were clear of Tourist drivers and trucks, I pretty much had 30km of road to myself to play on (never once saw the Police at time of day either)

I would ride up and ride down the Range all before most people were getting out of bed, by the time I reached the bottom of the range (roughly 6 - 6:30am) the traffic was starting to head up the range for the day, I would be riding home for Breakfast with a Smile on my Dial set to last all week!  

[Drunken Monkey]

Here's a simple caveat: If you do crash, odds are they won't find you until the next morning.

A idiot good friend I know crashed on a night ride. He had to wait until early in the morning (with a compound fracture) before someone found him and got him medical attention.

So, from that point of view, the dark of the morning is way better than the dark of night.

[orangelion03]

30 years ago, I used to love riding at night, particularly in the summer.  I'd ride with friends up to and through Angeles Crest, or out to the desert to watch meteorite showers.  BUT...always rode with a group, and we dialed it down.   I recall it as being a lot of fun as you concentrate on the road, nothing else to distract you.

My night vision is crap now and will only ride in the dark if I'm out later than I thought and need to get to my destination.

[junior varsity]

So, from that point of view, the dark of the morning is way better than the dark of night.

For many reasons, not the least of which is the likelihood of being around angry and/or drunk drivers.   Getting up a little after 4am and being out on the bike by 5-5:30 makes riding very pleasant, and it only gets better as the sun rises.  Traffic is very light.  Drunks are home.  Few people wake up hating the world, so you're less likely to get road-raged as the first other vehicle they encounter.    Around here we have to be on the lookout for turkey in the mornings, deer at night.  So know what to be looking for, and always tell somebody what you are doing, where you are planning to go and for how long, and to expect a call from you later on letting them know they don't need to send out the hounds. 

[mgrisham]

Yes. Get up early in the morning, maybe.

[CairnsDuc]

I might add, I told my Wife I was going on a Ride and that I would be back by a Particular time, so in the off chance that something did go wrong and I wasn't home by a certain time, or hadn't made contact, then time to send out the search party.

Sometimes I wouldn't come back down the same way, I would go for a ride over the Mountains and return by a different Range, so I would pull over and stretch my legs, send her a Text/SMS about my new plan and then ride on.

It was always a handy back up in case my early morning ride tits up.