Hit a deer yesterday morning

[dannyboy6811]

Well, riding to work yesterday morning around 6am, i see a deer jump out about 40 feet infront of me. So i hit the brakes and start slowing down, and what do you know, 3-4 more were coming right behind it. I made a split second decision and decided to lay the bike down instead of hitting the deer head on. Wow, i never realized how far you can slide going around 70 kph. I remember laying the bike down and sliding, then sitting up and watching the sparks fly as the bike kept going. Got up and moved the bike to the side of the road and called 911, firetucks ambulances and 2 opp showed up, like a little parade just for me lol. So the police started looking around and it looks like i slid under the deer breaking att 4 legs and killing her. Im pretty scraped up, thank god I was wearing proper gear (well except for pants). Jacket is shredded, steel toe boots are toast, gloves are full of holes and my pants, well, they dont look like pants anymore.

Im alright for the most part, quite a bit of road rash on my knees and an extremely sore body but nothing broken and I'm still alive so thats a plus. Bikesx fairings are scrap (possibly worth saving), but the frame looks good and it drives straight so I think its good to go. Just gotta get a headlight and indicators and I'll be back on it in no time.

So thats my story so far, off for at least 2 weeks so I'm gonna try to enjoy it lol.

Thanks for listening to my story,


Dan

[Twism86]

Hey Dan, i had my first accident this morning. Sucks dont it. Body is just sore all over. Im glad your ok and im sure our bikes will live on to ride another day. Mine was caused by an idiot behind me but you cant control nature or drivers. Ill be looking for a headlight too. Always gear up man! Ride safe.

Tom

[Firewalker]

Dan, nice going on the quick decision.  I know the rash is painful....ask me how I know.  I am very glad you were able to clear the deer without much impact.  Your internal injuries to your thorax and abdomen may have been horrible if you would have been upright on impact.

Glad you lived to tell about it.

Scott

[Anaconda]

That's quite unfortunate for your bike, and glad that you're ok.  I as well do not have any leg protection, which when i low sided, scraped my knees up pretty good and a nice chunk of skin is gone forever.  the scar shows nicely lol and after my own low side, I'm planning on purchasing this to wear under my jeans in the future.  http://www.btosports.com/p/MSR11REFLEX

[rger8]

Scary!!!! Glad your ok. I wonder if those silly those deer whistle things would have worked

Hope your back to it soon!

[romulux]

It's really good to hear you weren't hurt worse -- but hopefully it's a learning experience in a big way.  Road rash is almost entirely preventable.  Wear riding pants.

You got seriously lucky, deer are killers.  If you see one, there's probably more.  Scrub as much speed as possible the moment you see one near the road and be ready to stop.

Was your adrenaline pumping hard afterwards, shaky and queasy?


I'm gonna do some backseat criticizing here and say that laying it down is almost never the right decision -- certainly not for deer crossing the road.

How far were you from the deer when you started to "lay it down"?  How did you initiate the slide -- slam the rear brake and push one side of the bar?




http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS355US355&q=motorcycle+i+had+to+lay+it+down+myth&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Well, riding to work yesterday morning around 6am, i see a deer jump out about 40 feet infront of me. So i hit the brakes and start slowing down, and what do you know, 3-4 more were coming right behind it. I made a split second decision and decided to lay the bike down instead of hitting the deer head on. Wow, i never realized how far you can slide going around 70 kph. I remember laying the bike down and sliding, then sitting up and watching the sparks fly as the bike kept going. Got up and moved the bike to the side of the road and called 911, firetucks ambulances and 2 opp showed up, like a little parade just for me lol. So the police started looking around and it looks like i slid under the deer breaking att 4 legs and killing her. Im pretty scraped up, thank god I was wearing proper gear (well except for pants). Jacket is shredded, steel toe boots are toast, gloves are full of holes and my pants, well, they dont look like pants anymore.

Im alright for the most part, quite a bit of road rash on my knees and an extremely sore body but nothing broken and I'm still alive so thats a plus. Bikesx fairings are scrap (possibly worth saving), but the frame looks good and it drives straight so I think its good to go. Just gotta get a headlight and indicators and I'll be back on it in no time.

So thats my story so far, off for at least 2 weeks so I'm gonna try to enjoy it lol.

Thanks for listening to my story,


Dan

[redhawkdancing]

Glad your okay!  I second the use of the knee pads. Even just a set of volleyball knee pads under your jeans is better than nothing.

I live in an area with a lot of deer. Some motorcyclist say they ride like all cagers can't see them. I ride like all deer want to kiss my headlight. 

I bet we could all practice emergency stopping more often though. I know I don't practice it enough, but this is a wake up call. A rubber surface with breaking behind it will almost always stop you faster than steel and plastic with just road friction.

[Janx101]

2nd that emergency braking practice.. i'm still new to road riding (only couple weeks in) .. but when i did my L plate training course in Australia about 5 weeks ago, the instructor gave the class some valuable tips and emergency braking was high on the list.

He has been riding for over 20 years btw and STILL tries to fit in a emergency practice stop about once a month but never more than 3 months goes by without at least one practice... even in a quiet parking lot when the local mall is closed .. he did say also that "complacency about your own high road skills in all situations is an extreme danger, it takes zero time for an emergency to appear, however it may take you minutes or hours of excruciating pain for you to die".

it may be alarmist and gloomy-doomy thinking ... but i would bet that every single person on this site and millions more besides all know at least one person who got taken out in an emergency situation.. and yes you cannot prepare for everything.. just prepare as much as possible to try and react/remove yourself from that situation.

as another post somewhere on here said "the law of averages exists, pay heed to it" .. or at least something like that 

[GI_JO_NATHAN]

Man that sucks that you and your bike are banged up. But glad you'll both ride again. I had a deer stop at the edge of the road infront of me a week ago on my way to work in the morning. I feel like I dodged a bullet.

[Syzygy]

I can't imagine a GS500 will do a stoppie, but I've been grabbing front brake hard to practice emergency stops on the street and it's amazing how much a little extra pressure on the lever helps things.

Peace,
Syzygy

[Jeff P]

ditto on practicing emergency braking.  Rubber has a better coefficient of friction than footpeg. 

Proper technique is to gradually, but rapidly, increase your pull on the brake lever.  As you decellerate, weight is transferred to the front wheel, increasing the available friction force for braking.  Rear brake at same time if you can remember. 

Tricky to keep your cool and do that all at once, which is why practice is essential.   

Deer scare me more than other cars. 

jeff

[ragecage23]

Usually when I have to brake quickly for what ever reason, my rear tire locks up. Of course I make sure that it stays locked up, but then all i have is the front brake and I swear one of these times I'm going to lock the front up too and poof...down I go. I've been thinking about getting different rear brakes so it's less likely for me to lock it up.

[GI_JO_NATHAN]

Usually when I have to brake quickly for what ever reason, my rear tire locks up. Of course I make sure that it stays locked up, but then all i have is the front brake and I swear one of these times I'm going to lock the front up too and poof...down I go. I've been thinking about getting different rear brakes so it's less likely for me to lock it up.

Not that I would do it, but some people let a little air in the rear brake system to make them a little softer.

[ragecage23]

I wouldn't want to do that either because then it'd be a Buddha Loves You trying to get the air back out if I needed to, I'm just looking for less grip. Or maybe I just need to practice my emergency stopping. Instead of "oh shaZam! *slam on brakes*" I could be "oh shaZam! *stop*"

[dannyboy6811]

I laid it down pretty much on the deer I would say the deer was about 2 to 4 feet infeont of me. I've been questioning it for the last couple of days but I believe sliding is better than going face first over the bars. 40 feet at around 80kph comes in about 2 seconds although it seemed shorter than that lol. I have spent much time practicing emergency braking, I hope none of u have to make that decision ever!!!

[Janx101]

one other thing i did remember the trainign bloke drilled into our skulls.. at only 60kph it will take just about any bike 24 metres to stop .. and thats if you are ready for it... add in some reaction time and you could easy be looking at 50 to 60 metres .. about an olympic swimming pool long.. "we" accellerate better than the cagers, but the stopping again sucks! 

[xxLeemanxx]

I know exactly how you feel.  I hit a deer going around 35mph two days ago on my GS.  It was a small deer but I hit it mid air as it jumped into the road.  I managed to keep the bike up and it only cracked the fairing in a couple places.  Any suggestions on fixing the cracks?

[Firewalker]

I laid it down pretty much on the deer I would say the deer was about 2 to 4 feet infeont of me. I've been questioning it for the last couple of days but I believe sliding is better than going face first over the bars. 40 feet at around 80kph comes in about 2 seconds although it seemed shorter than that lol. I have spent much time practicing emergency braking, I hope none of u have to make that decision ever!!!

The time I ended up sliding it was when someone pulled out in front of me.  Right turn on red.  Anyway, I was on target to strike the drivers door.  Attempted counter steering....then harder counter steering.  Ended up losing the rear end and slid.  The good part was my lack of contact with the car.  Also no contact of my bike with the car.  I think the back tire slid under the front end and out.  It happened so fast there wasn't much except reflex but I was rashed up minimally despite my crappy choice of riding attire.  I am sure I would have gone up and over if I would have stayed upright.  40mph T-Bone with bad odds for me.  Glad you are doing ok.

[Electrojake]

Just browsing the forum and came across this great thread.
Anyway, the points I'd like to state are:
1.) I agree, Deer frighten me more than heavy traffic. It's a crapshoot!

2.) The rear brakes on the GS500 are crap!
I have been scolded by masters of roadcraft here in the past but I own several bikes from little dirt bikes & scooters up to 1200cc Harley Sporsters and I'm telling ya' the rear brakes on the GS500 are crap.
I've ridden Mini bikes with better modulation.
And yeah, I know all about track days and proper self discipline, etc, etc,
The GS500 rears have no feel and they lock far too easily. End of story.

And speaking of intentionally laying down a bike. . .
With ABS systems soon to be standard on more & more new bikes, laying her down will be all but impossible.

Thanks,
I feel better now that I got to vent!

P.S. These stories are fascinating.
Thanks for posting them here, I learned a lot.
Keep em' coming.
-Ej-  

[ragecage23]

The GS500 rears have no feel and they lock far too easily. End of story.

Okay good, so it's not just me.