Roadkill at 28 mph

[scooterhoot]

Had a little fun on the way to work yesterday morning, about 6:40 in the am. It was a dark and cold morning in south east Michigan, 40 degrees and dawn hadn't started to break yet. In the middle of scanning the rear veiw, the shoulder for returnables ( they how I finance my life stile after being down sized ). What appears dead ahead ( it was dead and right in front of me ) was a LARGE raccoon, I'd say a 25-30 pounder, laying crossways, and unavoidable. Couldn't sworve arond it had enough time to get up on the pedals, felt like hitting a furry rock, and every thing went dark........
the inpact had broken the zip ties holding my 8ah sla battery in place and disconnecting the lighting wiring. About a 1/2 mile up M50 someone had their driveway lights on so I was able to effect battle damage assesment and repair and made it to work on time, only working part time these days. On my return trip the bike just didn't "feel" right. Turns out that I broke 2 spokes and bent the axle so today after UPS gets here it's off the the bike shop. All I can say is that I'm glad it wasn't a DEER!!!! One of our asset protection people hit one of those yesterday as well (in her car of course).

 

[BarelyAWake]

Hmm - round here we call that dinner!



Not really lol - glad yer ok! I hit a dead deer w/a motorcycle in my youth - it was both catastrophic and messy. In a total reversal of yer experience - my motorcycle was fine (street legal dirtbike) but I was a bit bent lol

 

[Bikeguy Joe]

Glad you are O.K.

I watch a buddy of mine run over a giant snapping turtle on his ten speed. We came around a corner hauling A and it was right there.

I knew what was going to happen before it happened.

 

[azbill]

I'm glad the bike took the brunt of the damage (they can be fixed/replaced)

 

[scooterhoot]

AWWW shucks AZ... I just spent 37.00 on a new wheel! I only paid 2.00 for the bike!But it's faster and less painful to replace parts. Of coure not all of my parts work the same as they did 30 years ago.

 

[george_n_texas]

I just did simular last night...hit speed bump goin behind Wal-Mart which dislodged my tool bag which went straight under my back tire...not only that I hit the brakes forgetting to engage the clutch bout went over the handlebars...had to be a funny site for the guy watching the security cameras. Glad U is ok only my pride was hurt this time.

 

[bandito]

Putting aside human injury 1 good thing is bicycle parts can be relatively inexpensive to replace compared to a car or m/c unless you ride lance armstrong type bikes.

 

[Kevlarr]

One thing I've found is that going by a dead skunk on a MB at 28 is pure agony.

A friend of my brother hit a buck on his Harley about 10 years ago doing close to 70. The way he tells it he was just riding along one night and everything went brown then black, the next thing he knew he was laying in the middle of the road covered in blood, his bike in the ditch ahead of him and laying in the road behind him was a completely split in two 8 point buck. The guy walked away without a scratch!

The best part was the reaction he got when he walked up and knocked on the door of the closest house to ask to use the phone. lol

 

[KilroyCD]

I haven't hit any roadkill yet (thankfully), but I did come within a few feet of nailing a deer (a young fawn) at 25mph on my Whizzer at the East Coast Rally at Cape Henlopen last month. I'm glad I had just recently switched my wheels to a set by Worksman, as I had to haul that bike to a stop pretty darned quick. The new brakes worked superbly.

 

[sudjim]

I didn't think a 30 MPH bike with 1-2 inch wide tires could kill a squirrel, but somehow the little guy thought he could out-dodge the bike. Should have dashed left one more time. I wasn't about to throw myself and the bike to try to save a suicidal rat. So he got what he bargained for and no damage to me or the bike. Well, his genes wont be passed on to future squirrels. I am helping the species through un-natural selection. Jim

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

I'm glad you weren't hurt!!! But, I think this is a great learning experience of "watch the road", not the mirror or the side of the road for 'returnables'!
Going over the bars at 28 MPH can mess up your whole day!!!

 

[Kevlarr]

I didn't think a 30 MPH bike with 1-2 inch wide tires could kill a squirrel, but somehow the little guy thought he could out-dodge the bike. Should have dashed left one more time. I wasn't about to throw myself and the bike to try to save a suicidal rat. So he got what he bargained for and no damage to me or the bike. Well, his genes wont be passed on to future squirrels. I am helping the species through un-natural selection. Jim

Years ago I was riding my MC down a dirt road and a squirrel ran right in front of me, nailed that little guy with both tires and I'll be dammed if he didn't get up and run off to the other side of the road!

 

[noco]

i used to live and work at a ski resort...some days we would have elk on the trail...we all used to just blow right thru them...till one day one moved...man that was bad...some serious injuries there....so as was originally posted glad it wasnt a deer

 

[Michigan Mike]

I hit a poor squirrel in my car a few years ago. I looked in the rearview mirror to see if he made it and I immediately saw a crow coming down for "dinner". Either this was a fortunate crow or one that had learned to watch the road.?

 

[robin]

I talked to the Midway B.C. RCMP last year--i came on a guy killed on his motorcycle laying dead on the road-the police said in that area they have 2-3 motorcycle deaths a year there are so many deer -its natural grasslands and few people-when going there to visit my son i am extra careful and watchful. I think many people from city areas are unaware of these road hazards.

 

[dmar836]

There are guys killed all the time hitting deer. I almost hit one in the city on an R6 a few years back - my first nose wheely at 60mph!
My wife was on her tri bike and fell at much less than 28mph dodging a dog. Took 3 surgeries to get her nose and collar bole back to normal.
I, myself, slid 85ft once and road rash is not fun..... or worth it!
I know I rant a lot about "the right way" to do things but these motorbikes are easy to acquire but are hardly toys.
It's not the expected things that cause the problems.
Dave
KC

 

[george_n_texas]

People flip suv's alot trying to avoid a rabbit or squirell...best to just take the critter out if it's the last second.

Here's a tip from a trucker: You can brake hard and you can turn hard most of the time but if you do both at once you are likely to flip that's usually why you see a flipped truck in a straight away.

 

[NEAT TIMES]

Coons Are Hard To To Kill. I Have Ran Over Then With Cars And Pickups. Man, They Thumppity Thump Against The Frame, But Still Run Off. They Are Hard To See At Nite On The Blacktop Roads. Great Sport Hunting Them With Dogs. My Friend Was Bragging About The Coon Hound He Bought, Near $3000. I Went Out With Him One Nite. Way Off To Our Right He Got On A Hot Track. He Was Sounding Off Really Good Till He Was In Front Of Us But Still Aways Off. Then It Got Real Quiet. I Said, That Over Priced Mutt Lost The Track!! He Said, No I Don`t Think So, Just Wait A Bit. After A While The Dog Started Braying Again, Way Of To Our Left. I Said, What The He%% Is Going On?? With A Big Big Grin, He Says, That Dog Is So Smart, He Won`t Bark When He Is On Posted Land!! Ron

 

[george_n_texas]

That dog is as smart as the monkey Jerry Clower told about.

 

[Tim_B_172]

I've almost hit 2 squirrels. I'm always afraid the little rat will survive the front wheel and grab my pant leg. Could you imagine having an angry squirrel running up you're leg while doing 25mph?