Riding at night
My first 10 years of motorcycling was in South Dakota. I have memories of friends hitting deer or worse yet, trains in the middle of the night.
When I am forced to ride at night........ I ride at the speed comfortable for me to see the entire road and be able to react to the situations that could come up. Hence I would only ride about 40 mph.... that is absolutely unsafe on our highways. Not to mention, one does not make any time driving 40.
My field of view is limited by the lights on the motorcycle and my ability to comprehend the objects on my path. Don't get me wrong......... I have ridden 75/80 on the freeway at night..... but I can't say it was enjoyable.
Hitting a deer at night only happens to people who ride at night. Five years ago, I hit a deer on my motorcycle in the middle of the day.... and was lucky enough not to get hurt. I don't want to have to ditch my bike in the middle of the night due to livestock or deer on the road.
The other thing is fatigue. I can do 800 miles in a day in my car or truck. When I get to 500 on my motorcycle...... I am done. Accidents can happen when one is fatigued. I watched a buddy of mine ride right off the road on a straight stretch of road due to fatigue.
Also, when driving the truck, if I tire, I can pull off to the side of the road and take an hour nap and then continue my travels. Much more difficult to do on a motorcycle at this time of year.
For me, riding a motorcycle is and and always will be about having fun. I don't desire to put 700 miles on the bike riding hard on the super slab. If I had more time and a larger budget, I would ride down to Arizona.... take the extra time and hit motels on the way down and enjoy the trip rather than just the destination. I would love to ride the 101 down to California and then across to desert to Arizona. 1900 miles. Another time.
This trip.... I am going to get south as soon as possible and maximize my time in the sun. Depending on the weather, my bike might still be on the trailer when I get to Monument Valley or the Grand Canyon.
One advantage of traveling alone, is the ability to adjust to the weather or situation.
Sun and hopefully some fun.