Fall is really officially here up in the northeast. Most folks have put their two-wheels away for the season, but I’ve been seeing some diehard motorcyclists nearly every day. Today is suppose to be in the mid 60s, so I hope to be able to get enough work done to be able to take advantage of the weather and go for a ride.

Remember the post I wrote in April about spring riding hazards? Fall has its own set of road challenges, so I thought I’d add a few tips here.

As I wrote before, chances are these things don’t all happen only in the fall (some were on the spring list), but if you’re still riding, I hope that my list will help you be safe on the road.

- Piles of Leaves - Leaves are everywhere this time of year, and even small piles of them can be slippery. Do your best to avoid piles of leaves on the road - they are slippery by themselves, and they can also hide road hazards underneath them, such as potholes, piles of gravel, or a patch of oil.

- Driveway washouts - Fall rains can cause dirt and gravel driveways that run down into the road to leave deposits of gravel and dirt on the base of the driveway that runs out into the road. Gravel can be deadly.

- Shorter (darker) days - As daylight savings time goes into effect, the sun rises later sets earlier than it did before so morning evening commutes can be darker. The days are getting shorter every day, so if there’s any chance you’re going to be caught in the dark, be prepared. Make sure you change out any tinted shields for a clear shield (or at least bring one along with you that you can swap out when necessary), and be sure your lights are all working properly. Consider wearing a brightly colored reflective vest over your jacket.

- Cold - It’s not hard to notice that days are getting colder, especially when you’re creating your own windchill when you’re riding your scooter. Cold isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be dangerous - stiff cold fingers can’t react to brakes as fast as warm hands, and if you’re obsessed with how cold you are, you’re not watching the road as carefully as you should. Time to put on your full-face helmet and wear a neck warmer, put on your larger windshield and break out the warm gloves, and add the liner to your armored coats and pants. Make sure your hands have flexibility enough in your heavier gloves to reach your brakes.

Some people purchase electric-heated clothing (or make their own) or add heated grips.

- Fog outside - I’m living in a river valley now, and fog is a regular part of riding experiences. Come around a corner and there’s a solid wall of fog. Fog sticks to my windshield, causing decreased visibility and increased glare from other vehicle’s lights. This is one reason I cut down my windshield - it’s still high enough to protect me, but not so high that I can’t see over it. I used MotorcycleCruiser.com’s instructions on how to cut down a windshield.

- Fog inside - Cold air outside a helmet mixing with warm breath inside makes for a foggy mess and decreased visibility. It can happen so fast that you don’t have time to open up your shield to be able to see. How can you stay warm with closed vents and shield, but avoid fog? One temporary solution is an anti-fog treatment like Cat Crap - I’ve found it works, but it has to be reapplied regularly. I just ordered a pinlock shield with a pinlock anti-fog lens for my Shoei helmet that has received good reviews, so I’ll give a report on that once it gets here.

- Shadows - Here’s another spring hazard that has reappeared once the leaves have fallen: On a sunny day, when the trees don’t have their leaves anymore, it looked like some roads are covered in zebra stripes. This is pretty disconcerting since it makes it difficult to focus on the road or see hazards like sticks or rocks.

- People - Even though I notice the two-wheelers out there, I try to remember that probably drivers in general don’t expect to see motorcycles or scooters when the weather gets cooler, so are less apt to look for us on the road.

If you’re planning on riding year ’round, check out this article on riding in cold and snow.

Be careful and stay safe! Oh, and Happy Halloween!