I enjoy a night ride occasionally. It can be a pretty good way of relieving stress after a long day and help you sleep better. It's particularly nice in the summer, especially in rural areas where the crickets are out and you're sharing the road with the nighttime wildlife.
That being said, I don't generally prefer nighttime riding. My optimal time for riding is typically very early morning, like around 5:00 AM. Here you get the all the benefits of night riding coupled with the fact that the roads are even more empty.
Depending on the time of night, people can still be commuting home or going places, but at 5:00 AM sharp there literally isn't a single person on the road, save for truck drivers.