Deer

Deer came up in another topic, so I thought I'd post this as a general warning:

Here in Indiana, we've had super-dry weather all summer and I know it's been that way in a lot of places other than just the Midwest as well. The result being many farmers are bringing in corn and soybean crops early, and some are scrapping them altogether to bail them as hay since hay prices are raised due to the weather. So in no time, expect there to be lots more deer on/around rural roads because of the early harvest giving them nowhere to go.

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

As a rule of mine I never try to out-swerve a deer. They'll win every time.

 

Well I haven't almost hit a deer but a COW, yes. Went for a ride last week end and found out that a cow on the far side of the road will allways cross the road in front of you. Just slow way down and let him pass. 600 pound bike VS. 1200 pound steer. Steer will win every time. Didnt hit him but scared the crap out of me. Ride safe out there.

 

I had goats jump out in front of me on a scooter in the hills of Rhodes(greece)

 

I have the XJ I do because PO hit an elk and it scared him good. Some road rash on the bike but nothing major. I think he got lucky because elk are so tall he just hit legs.

 

Whilst riding around Khong Island in Southern Laos, we had to stop our bikes and give right of way to a female buffalo who was feeding her calf in the middle of the road.
You don't get a lot of traffic on Khong Island!

 

Over here in the flats of Northern Ohio, there are WAY too many deer running amok....When I ride home from work, I see them on an almost nightly occasion (I work afternoons) usually standing off the side of the road, green eyes glowing. I've had a few close encounters, but my motto is ALWAYS ride slower at night, cause i've literally run over a few coons and possums in the past.....and each time I thought I was gonna down the bike, but I just ended up kinda ramping them like a speed bump....got my heart-a-pumpin! 8O

-Nick

 

My uncle and his wife at the time were on their goldwing about six years ago and hit a deer. They both walked away from it, but he walked away with a broken arm and her with a ton of gnarly bruises.

XJturbo: Your story reminds me of my first time ever on the interstate on my 550Seca (or on any bike for that matter). I'd had the bike for all of a week. Decided to ride from Muncie (where I lived at the time) to Indianapolis. About an hour ride. Figured it'd be a good first ride on the interstate, and it was evening so there was little traffic. I saw in the road what looked like a pothole, but I saw it too late to serve. Braced myself for the bump of hitting a pothole at 70 mph (not enough time to even slow down much), and realized WAY too late to do anything about it that it was a semi-tire. Awesome.

I swear it felt like both wheels left the ground, but the bike didn't even wobble (I hit it straight-on because I thought it was an unavoidable pothole). I stopped at the next exit to make sure I hadn't done any damage to the bike, and the whole time I was checking it out I was shaking like a leaf, hahaha.

 

Those recaps are mothers. I've had a few close calls myself. The rider course I took teaches you to try to hit objects as square and direct as possible, and unweight from your butt, even stand/squat a little. They had a 2x4 for us to run over.

 

That's pretty much what I did with the tire, but I thought it was a pothole and not a tire, haha.

 

A couple of years ago I was driving taxis at night. It is quite rural here
About 3am driving too fast on a quiet county road a deer ran out in front of me. All i could do was break and hope. I missed the deer but to this day I still do not know how I missed the fawn following her and keep the car on the road at the same time. Lesson learned