How to better avoid death & dismemberment...

[Toecutter]

After successfully kicking a rabbit into heaven on the way back from WFO, I still had nine hours to ride to get home, much of it through critter country. The injury I suffered ended up being less severe than it felt like at the time, but I didn't know that until X-rays were taken.

Even if I had known that a bunny was going to hit my foot, I wouldn't have anticipate the impact force to be that severe. Hell, I even stood up on the pegs for some stretching before the next stop, never even thinking that the peg might actually be damaged, much less broken.

Anyway, it really shook my confidence, as any mishap will. The problem was, I had been thinking about the animal factor all night, and just after the previous rabbit, I thought "Hey, maybe I should do whatever I can to safely avoid these things, which will be good practice in case something bigger jumps out in front of me". Then, I stopped in Ely, fueled up and took a short break before climbing back on for the journey to that rabbit's and my destiny, my fatigued mind slipping the pact I had considered just one rabbit prior.

Man, those owls are a bitch too....

So, for now, I'm gonna treat every critter like it's one that can take me out, because the next one very well may. I will try to stay on my game and safely avoid or take precautions to anticipate the encounter. If a deer jumps out head-high, the only recourse will be to duck fast and hope for the best, as one of those things could take one's head off.

In the city setting, cars aren't 18 inches wide and can't come speeding out of behind somebody's shrubbery at a moment's notice, unless there's a driveway. A deer can do 0-30 in about 4 feet. IMHO, a much better chance to catch one off-guard, since they can pop out of anywhere. The good part is, they're relatively squishy, compared to a car, and you'll have a statistically better chance for survival after hitting one.

Delusional? Maybe, but the hard reality of logic would convince me to sell off the bike, go back to being a flightless waterfowl, and begrudgingly crawl into a Subaru. Tough call all the way around, but for now, I'm trying to convince myself to stick with the FJR.

So, fellow fighter pilots, let's hear about your close encounters of the furry/feathery kind, and how, you did/didn't, could've/couldn't do anything differently to improve your chances in the future. It's safety training time....

 

[1FJR]

Birds, got to watch the birds on the road. I do not mean the small ones. I am talking Golden Eagle size. You really have to watch them when the wind is blowing in your face.

I was on my then new FJR on Hwy 134 in Colorado getting used to the bike. I observed a dark shape in the middle of my lane up ahead. As I got slower I realized that it was some sort of bird eating something dead. I started to slow down as the bird had not taken off yet. As I got closer, the bird, which I now realized was a Golden Eagle suddenly realized I was comming. It stood up, opened it's wings, flapped once and was airborn. The only problem was that the wind coming at me was very strong. It lifted the eagle right at me. I ducked, saw the eagle go over me right were my head had been and then heard the truck behind me slam on it's brakes. I pulled over to get the old heart rate back under control. The truck driver also pulled over to see if I had been hit. He thought that the eagle had hit me.

So watch those birds and especially watch which way the wind is going.

 

[Scab]

Around here, it's the wild turkeys. Bastages. They need a frikin' runway to get airborn and get out of your way. I did put the boot to one's back, though.

But, keep the bike, Toe. Life with bikes is a risk, but life without bikes just ain't livin'.

 

[FredandJeannesRacer]

Around here I "keep an eye out" for turkey vultures. They hang out on the roads picking at dead animals. Hope I don't see any at EOM!

 

[Windjammer]

Creature Evasion - now why is that not part of driver training?? I wonder if even the MSF covers this?

Anyway, here's what I've found to be most effective. Now keep in mind I live and ride in semi-rural areas where the creatures are still skittish around humans. If you live in a city where the wild critters have become tame due to living in close proximity to people, some of this might not help you:

1) Using slip-on mufflers to increase the exhaust noise seems to help. Now please don't think I'm off on the Loud Pipes Save Lives tangent here. I'm not. Creatures generally have MUCH better hearing than people, and will become aware of your presence earlier if you're noisier. Creatures around here tend to move away from unusual sounds they identify with humans.

2) If I see a critter, or its eyes glowing in the dark, I change engine/bike speed and move a bit from left to right within my lane. The bike movement and change of pitch in the noise I'm making seems to help critters recognize that I'm a threat to them, and they tend to move away from the road when I do this. The horn can help with this as well.

3) I do try to stay off the road at night, if I can avoid it. Bummer, cuz I LOVE night driving, regardless of car or bike. But the night hides too many things for my liking (including spaced out fellow drivers, who I fear as much or more than the critters).

4) Tunes. The out in the open kind. I had a stereo built into the fairing of my old Connie, and the critters avoided that thing when I had the tunes cranked up. Apparently, they didn't care for my taste in music. Too bad the FJR fairing presents little opportunity for this type of stereo. The in-helmet speakers sound better, but critters can't hear it, so there's a trade off I guess.

5) The Evil Eye (Use the force, Luke). For some reason, looking directly at the creature in question (if you see it in time) and thinking "Don't you even fucking THINK about jumping in front of me!!!" seems to help make them move away. OK, maybe it's just my imagination, but I'll keep doing it anyway cuz I want all the fucking Karma I can get against a critter strike. Ya dig?

Later,

WJ

 

[PAFJR1300]

Life with bikes is a risk, but life without bikes just ain't livin'.

Now that's one hell of a quote!! :clapping:

 

[kulwen]

Years ago when I had a total of 3 months riding experience I hit a rabbit merging from one freeway to another in Oklahoma at 2am. The speed limit was 45mph and I was doing 45mph. However, when I was in the lean and had about half a second adjust for the rabbit which just ran in my path I was not fast enough. My front wheel lifted from the pavement while I was in a lean and I low sided the bike. I hit my elbow and bruised it pretty bad, a few days later the bruise turned into scab. I had no idea a bruise could be so bad it would become a scab. Now days, at night in rabbit country if I am not moving in a straight line I go very slow to give me the time I need to straighten the bike up.

I am also waiting on my Soltek lights to arrive.

 

[vectervp1]

During the 2005 Utah 1088 Rally I managed to clip a dear in Junction Utah around 2:30 am. I was lucky I was in the middle of town, because I had slowed down to 55 (the speed limit). I'd hate to imagine how much worse it could have been if I was going faster.

I was going down the road and had just finished verifying where I was and where I needed to be. I took my eyes off the road for about 2 seconds to verify I was in Junction. I remember looking back up and thinking "OK, I'm in Junction, so that means I just have to ride up to I-70 and cut over to I-15 and SHIT DEER!!!!" I remember looking at my throttle hand and thinking "Don't let go, don't brake!" looking up, and WHAM! Hit the deer. The bike started to wobble all over the road but smoothed out a second later. I remember thanking god I was OK, and I started to move my limbs slowly to make sure nothing was broken.

I spotted a Post Office ahead and I pulled in under the lights to check out the damage. Every body panel on the right side was broken, the right saddle bag was gone, my right PHID was toast, and my right foot peg had a crack in the cast aluminum. I went back to retrieve my saddlebag and to check out the little rat bastard that ruined my night. Sure enough, Bambi looked dead as a door nail to me. I spent the next half hour trying to figure out how to strap my saddle bag to the bike for the return trip to SLC.

When I got back, I learned there were more deer than people in Utah....

Moral of the story.... I'm still afraid of riding at night in deer country. Its not something I enjoy, and I've spent alot of money on lighting to give myself the best chance I have in their territory. I also ride ALOT slower at night when in the woods. Give it time, you'll get more comfortable riding at night again.

 

[dbvolfan]

Damn Possums! They are like ants around here! Had a few pucker moments but no hits...I did have a yellow bird bounce off the top of my windshield...he didnt fare too well.

Glad to hear you are OK Toe!

 

[drew231506]

Toe,

How is it you enjoy riding at all with all of these thoughts?? These posts about dying, or how not to, or who did, what to do when, its becoming obsessive...you must be worn out after a ride.

 

[BobG]

I try to pluck the tail feathers of the birds as I go by, and my wife hates it when I chase down the rabbits, baby ducks and prairie dogs with the bike to tumble them.

The skunks are the worst, they have their way of getting even.

If you think this is sadistic it is not, I can't stand drivers who slam on their brakes on a highway to avoid the previous and cause pile ups and kill people because of their stupidity.

Bob

 

[quietguy]

So, for now, I'm gonna treat every critter like it's one that can take me out, because the next one very well may. I will try to stay on my game and safely avoid or take precautions to anticipate the encounter. If a deer jumps out head-high, the only recourse will be to duck fast and hope for the best, as one of those things could take one's head off.
Delusional? Maybe, but the hard reality of logic would convince me to sell off the bike, go back to being a flightless waterfowl, and begrudgingly crawl into a Subaru. Tough call all the way around, but for now, I'm trying to convince myself to stick with the FJR.

So, fellow fighter pilots, let's hear about your close encounters of the furry/feathery kind, and how, you did/didn't, could've/couldn't do anything differently to improve your chances in the future. It's safety training time....

Had a two year timeout after small dog ran under my wheels in '04. Broken knee, tibia and seven months to walk again.. sold three bikes, gotta divorce and pontificated. Back in the saddle in '06, Burgman scooter... four bikes later, the FJR.

I'm VERY aware and alert for animals, no matter the size.

As for riding or not riding.. give yourself a break, take whatever time you need to digest your experience, then decide. Just don't push it. This is my simple offering.

Best of luck to you.

Lennie

 

[jmarran]

Sunday I was out for a ride with my folks (behind me on their HD), and I was going about 55 on Rt. 9 through Cummington in Western Mass.

It was raining pretty hard but the road was pretty strait through there, so the speed wasn't bad, and I had to stop pretty fast for a bull moose standing on the side of the road, with that confused about whether he should cross look on his face. Sure enough, he crossed.

That's the second time I've had to stop for crossing meese (I personally like referring to moose/mooses or whatever the hell it should be as meese better) in Western Mass in two years! And while a R1 MIGHT just scoot under there, the FJR looks to be a bit too tall if it came to that. I don't even want to think about the aftermath of a moose vs. FJR clipping.

However, glad to hear you came out that much better than the bunny.

 

[wheatonFJR]

@Windjammer: I love your avoidance technique #5.

Can I use it?

 

[Toecutter]

How is it you enjoy riding at all with all of these thoughts?? These posts about dying, or how not to, or who did, what to do when, its becoming obsessive...you must be worn out after a ride.

That's pretty close to hitting the nail on the head, and the exact reason I now ride solo most of the time. However, I have moments of intense joy scattered into an awareness that I hope keeps me pretty safe while I'm out there. Much like a combat pilot on a mission, I would imagine, it's not all fun & games, but for me, the risk is worth the reward. I just want to make sure I'm managing the risk as best I can, as we all should be. Good discussion!

Had a two year timeout after small dog ran under my wheels in '04. Broken knee, tibia and seven months to walk again.. sold three bikes, gotta divorce and pontificated. Back in the saddle in '06, Burgman scooter... four bikes later, the FJR.
I'm VERY aware and alert for animals, no matter the size.

As for riding or not riding.. give yourself a break, take whatever time you need to digest your experience, then decide. Just don't push it. This is my simple offering.

Thank you. The break I'm taking is not exactly optional, as I'm waiting on parts (peg & new tire), need to get set up to change tires, finish building the pool, catch up around the house & yard after WFO, etc...My next planned outing isn't until fall, when I'm hosting my first "rally", The inaugural "Toecutter's California 1500". Actually, I can't wait to get back on the steed, but forcing myself into timeout for a spell....

It was raining pretty hard but the road was pretty strait through there, so the speed wasn't bad, and I had to stop pretty fast for a bull moose standing on the side of the road, with that confused about whether he should cross look on his face. Sure enough, he crossed.

ABS?

 

[VMax_03]

After successfully kicking a rabbit into heaven on the way back from WFO, I still had nine hours to ride to get home, much of it through critter country. The injury I suffered ended up being less severe than it felt like at the time, but I didn't know that until X-rays were taken.
Even if I had known that a bunny was going to hit my foot, I wouldn't have anticipate the impact force to be that severe. Hell, I even stood up on the pegs for some stretching before the next stop, never even thinking that the peg might actually be damaged, much less broken.

Anyway, it really shook my confidence, as any mishap will. The problem was, I had been thinking about the animal factor all night, and just after the previous rabbit, I thought "Hey, maybe I should do whatever I can to safely avoid these things, which will be good practice in case something bigger jumps out in front of me". Then, I stopped in Ely, fueled up and took a short break before climbing back on for the journey to that rabbit's and my destiny, my fatigued mind slipping the pact I had considered just one rabbit prior.

Man, those owls are a bitch too....

So, for now, I'm gonna treat every critter like it's one that can take me out, because the next one very well may. I will try to stay on my game and safely avoid or take precautions to anticipate the encounter. If a deer jumps out head-high, the only recourse will be to duck fast and hope for the best, as one of those things could take one's head off.

In the city setting, cars aren't 18 inches wide and can't come speeding out of behind somebody's shrubbery at a moment's notice, unless there's a driveway. A deer can do 0-30 in about 4 feet. IMHO, a much better chance to catch one off-guard, since they can pop out of anywhere. The good part is, they're relatively squishy, compared to a car, and you'll have a statistically better chance for survival after hitting one.

Delusional? Maybe, but the hard reality of logic would convince me to sell off the bike, go back to being a flightless waterfowl, and begrudgingly crawl into a Subaru. Tough call all the way around, but for now, I'm trying to convince myself to stick with the FJR.

So, fellow fighter pilots, let's hear about your close encounters of the furry/feathery kind, and how, you did/didn't, could've/couldn't do anything differently to improve your chances in the future. It's safety training time....

Hey Toe ... had a deer jump between me and another rider the other day going 45mph ... scared the s**t outta me ... no time to do anything but hang on.

JW

 

[MikeYork5]

Birds, got to watch the birds on the road. I do not mean the small ones. I am talking Golden Eagle size. You really have to watch them when the wind is blowing in your face. I was on my then new FJR on Hwy 134 in Colorado getting used to the bike. I observed a dark shape in the middle of my lane up ahead. As I got slower I realized that it was some sort of bird eating something dead. I started to slow down as the bird had not taken off yet. As I got closer, the bird, which I now realized was a Golden Eagle suddenly realized I was comming. It stood up, opened it's wings, flapped once and was airborn. The only problem was that the wind coming at me was very strong. It lifted the eagle right at me. I ducked, saw the eagle go over me right were my head had been and then heard the truck behind me slam on it's brakes. I pulled over to get the old heart rate back under control. The truck driver also pulled over to see if I had been hit. He thought that the eagle had hit me.

So watch those birds and especially watch which way the wind is going.

So.......there's this BUM (no I mean vagrant, got to be politically correct, errr...... thats right, no politics here) So......there's this BUM on the beach and as the park ranger approaches him (the BUM) he notices he appears to have roasted and partially consumed a good sized bird over an open fire. There's a pile of white feathers, some with black tips close by identifying to the ranger that 'dinner' used to be a seagull. The ranger promptly informs the BUM 'that's against the law, you can't kill/eat seagulls' so he arrests the guy. The next day the BUM is infront of the judge (you can tell this is a joke, in Calif it would take a few months to get an apprearence), who admonishes him for his bad behavior and poor judgement, but adds, "By the way, I was wondering what exactly does a seagull taste like?" The Bum replies "Oh it kind of tastes like a cross between an Eagle and a California Condor".

 

[jmarran]

It was raining pretty hard but the road was pretty strait through there, so the speed wasn't bad, and I had to stop pretty fast for a bull moose standing on the side of the road, with that confused about whether he should cross look on his face. Sure enough, he crossed.

ABS?

I wish I had ABS, but no. I have an '05 w/out ABS, and that's the one thing that keeps me thinking about that '07 STILL at my dealer here in Pittsfield. I guess ABS would have just taken all the fun out of it.

 

[v65]

Birds, got to watch the birds on the road. I do not mean the small ones. I am talking Golden Eagle size.

I had an eagle teach me a lesson. We have a lot of small birds around here, and I have learned that the best way to deal with them is not to react, they do a remarkable job of getting out of the way on their own. So last year I see bird take off headed in my direction. Not lots of room, but plenty of room for him to maneuver out of the way, and I braked lightly. Well then he turns and I realize this is one big SOB! Looked like a 10ft wingspan, but taking into account exagerration due to sudden panic I would say probable more like 6-7 ft.

At any rate it was a good thing I was already lightly braking because he was no where as nimble as the little guys I had grown accustomed to! I ended up missing him by a good 10ft, but at 40 mph 10ft is too close for comfort. Apparently he thought so to, a couple of weeks later he had his Canadian goose buddies trying to bomb me with the latest high-tech fecal explosives from close range. :lol: