ALFJR 1, Deer 0, FJR wounded

[ALFJR]

I am in the process of taking a little trip from home in Detroit to Los Angeles. About one hour outside of Gunnison, CO, I miss hitting two deer, but not the third one that appeared from the shoulder of the road. I was focused on the first two that were to my left, when the third one decides to throw itself in front of the FJR to commit suicide. It succeeded! It went flying into the air and landed back on the right side of the road.

I managed to keep the bike up. Don't ask me how. I think it may be the result of having the front end loaded with a fistful of front brake in trying to avoid the fist two. I'm fine, not a scratch, just a tad rattled. The FJR did not fare so well, however.. The windscreen broke at the metal brackets, pretty much sheered completely off! The FJR can be driven and I did so for about 40 miles back to Gunnison. It's just it is now a "Naked Bike".

I'm thinking about taking it to Coyote Motorsports in Denver which is a Yammie only dealer. Is their service any good? The other challenge is that I need to be in L.A. by Sunday evening. I'm thinking I will leave the FJR at Coyote, catch a plane to L.A., and hope like hell they are done with it the following Friday. Alternatively, ride it to L.A. as planned, but banged up.

The cowling is toast. The lenses and one of the reflectors inside the headlamp assembly is busted up, and who knows what "stays" under the plastic is screwed up.

I'm open to ideas! Frickin' Forest Rats!! I was having a blast, too!! I did the Garden of the Gods this AM, followed by a run across Monarch Pass. Oh well.. I always say, "ya gotta be someplace , doin' somethin'! I am counting my blessings! This could have been a lot worse, given the stretch of road I was on .. CO RT 92, with minimal guard rails, sheer drops, and minimal shoulders!

Now how do I get one of those deer killer symbols??? :angry:

Cheers!

 

[SacramentoMike]

First of all, congrats on staying vertical. Glad it wasn't any worse. Good lesson for every rider here, too. See one deer, expect more. You're lucky that suicidal one didn't have a bomb strapped to his chest, at least. I'd ride with broken plastic if it still worked ok, but not without a windshield. Good luck on the fix. And that Garden of the Gods is some stuff, isn't it?

 

[teerex51]

Glad you kept the ship on an even keel Alfjr. :hi:

The amount of damage you sustained points to a fooked-up front subframe, I'm afraid. And when the headlight assy takes a hit like that, its mounting tabs shear off and often take with them the corresponding tabs on the side fairings. Plus the windshield frame is probably bent six ways till Sunday.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but the old FJR does have a glass jaw, in a manner of speaking

Stef

 

[Ari Rankum]

First - congrats on keeping the bike rolling and not getting hurt. That's a happy ending right there.

I agree with what Teerex said; it's really hard to know how bad the damage is, and it could be very bad.

Your idea of maybe hopping on a plane and coming back to pick up the bike after L.A. is the adult in you talking. Of course, the adult in you may become child-like in the face of what airlines will charge for a short notice ticket.

Thinking outside the rubber room, you might look for rental bikes in the area or, cheebus, kill me now, a rental cage.

Lastly, there are many lessons in your post. The most important of the lessons may be that deer season is not when deer are present on the roads, it's when more deer than usual are on the roads. Deer are ever-present, and they ALWAYS ride the short bus. Dumb freakin' animals, they.

 

[CODan]

ALFJR,

I live in Gunnison. Maybe I can help you. I will PM my cell to you.

There is a Yamaha dealer in G but they have 0 experience with FJRs I imagine. Take it to Gunnison Motorsports, on the west end of town. The owner Fritz Kadlec is a very good guy (80s dirt racing stude) and they have a good mechanic. He can get parts fast.

Or take it/get it to Davis Service center, 65 miles away in Montrose. They are a big shop and their rep is good.

You are right about 92, that could easily have ended in your death, or worse.

I don't know anything about Coyote.

 

[ALFJR]

Guys,

Thanks for the input. terex51, Sto bene, spero!!

CODan, you have a black FJR, if so, I saw ya in Gunnison yesterday, just before the wreck?! I will call you. Many thanks in advance, sir!!

One thought this AM, is to get the bike to LA. I went to the dealer in Gunnison yesterday and they said they could not ensure parts in time as UPS does not have Gunnison on some guarenteed delivery list given its loacation.

For those in the LA area, given that I have to be there, anyway, would LA's proximity to Cypress be of any benefit towards ensuring parts delivery??? In Detroit, even express ship of parts is a two-day affair. Given Cypress is "down the street" from LA, I would think a dealer there could get parts quickly.

Just thinking outside the rubber room as suggested earlier!!

Thanks!!

 

[ALFJR]

One more point of consideration... LA looks to be about 900 miles from Gunnison. Mostly superslab. I can roll like the old days on this naked FJR and rather passing everyone, have most everyone pass me!! That will be a switch!!

I could even salvage some ride time. By getting to scooter to LA, it would resolve a whole bunch of logistic matters too! I welcome any input!!

 

[ALFJR]

Sorry one more...

As there is one more lesson here!! For those of you coming to CO, all the locals last night told me that they had to feed deer (WTF are these folks thinkin') by helicopter this winter because the weather was so bad. So, the forest rats are still hungry and are now feeding at the edges of the road!! State Trooper told me she almost took out an Elk night before last.

Be careful out here! The forest rats are out of the woods and on the roads!!

 

[FZ/FJR Mike]

Glad you survived intact. You're absolutely right about the forest rat problem, they are just overgrown rats. Sounds like your bike is rideable & I say go for it. Thanks to all the Co riders who've offered help. The motorcycle community is one of the most caring groups I've ever come across. Good luck with your adventure.

 

[Randy]

Howzabout this...Go to a bike shop. See if they have any old windscreens off of anything laying around, drill some holes in it - zip tie it to what's left of the upper fairing mount, head back to Detroit Rock City in 2 days - back home by Friday. Catch a flight to LA, do what ya gotta do, come home, take the time to patch 'er up right, then try it again.

 

[ALFJR]

Randy,

Hey! Issue is that there is nothing to attach a windscreen to. The mounts/brackets sheered right off. Looks like they are made of the old "pot metal" that breaks real easy. Three sheered off, and the fourth one is flopping inside the cowling. Good thought, though. And yes, I did consider slabbing it back to Detroit. Still an option.

Also, CODan is on his way to my hotel. He's going t help assess damage and options. Weather is a factor too. Clear to LA, nasty going back east.

Decisions, decisions..

 

[Wyosteve]

ALFJR,

If for some reason you end up in Denver, I'm in the FJR assistance directory, Give me a call if you need any help. I can help with transportation, repairs, etc. Raining cats and dogs right now, not a nice day.

Take care and glad you are OK. That is the important part.

Steve

 

[ALFJR]

ALFJR,If for some reason you end up in Denver, I'm in the FJR assistance directory, Give me a call if you need any help. I can help with transportation, repairs, etc. Raining cats and dogs right now, not a nice day.

Take care and glad you are OK. That is the important part.

Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the opffer of assistance. I appreciate it! And yes, weather is a factor. CODan just left and he thinks like I do that the bike is ride-able. He offered help too! You guys are great. I need to get on the help list for Detroit as soon as I get back. Another lesson in all this.

Stay tuned, I think I'm gonna limp it to LA. Thanks to all, once again!!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Glad you are okay ALF JR AL :clapping:

It's good to hear of so many volunteering to assist you. :yahoo:

 

[twistedcricket]

Really glad you're ok. Happy that the bike isn't totated!

I plan to be in Colorado tomorrow, riding to Sacramento. I'll PM. I would be willing to chat about your route and if I could be your wingman in case something else goes wrong with the bike.

Your misfortune has given me great insight to the deer population. While I'll be on the slab through CO, I'm guessing that deer aren't going to just stay in CO.

 

[Checkswrecks]

You're 2/3 the trip to LA, but are really in the beginning of the whole ride, because of still having the trip home. Refer back to the others who've hit deer or otherwise done major damage to the front and don't be surprised by how long it can take to fix. If me, I'd get an estimate from the dealer where you are, but seriously consider what Randy said about limping it home and flying to LA. If the bike gets stranded in LA because you have to go home for the family and job, shipping the bike will probably cost somewhere around $700. There's the cost of your plane ticket and if it's at home, you're not in LA worrying about the bike instead of having a good time.

My 2 cents.

Bob

 

[NoCage]

Now how do I get one of those deer killer symbols??? :angry:

Right click on the one in my sig line and "save as" to somewhere on your hard drive. Then update your sig line... you may need to put it in photobucket first.
Good job keeping it up... I'm not sure how with hard braking. Mine wasn't totaled, the sub-frame was okay, and the total repair was $5,700.

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Congratz on keeping it upright. Did you get any pics?

Josh

 

[Parkerspop]

The biggest issue I see is where did you tie the deer to to haul it home? Those saddlebags aren't quite that big and I don't think you would have liked staring up the deers bloody arse all the way home....