...so do bees, large moths...and every other critter I've squeegeed off my helmet this week...
I read that those locusts are big enough to bend your face shield so it touches your nose of you hit one at 60 mph! That's got to be messy!
No locusts for me but a 3 hour ride in upstate NY had my shield half covered yesterday.
I took a cicada in the forehead section of my helmet.It sounded like a rock smacking me.
This may sound like a joke, but last week a rooster grazed my leg. I thought it was a plastic shopping bag with a red logo or something on it. Til the little bastard started flapping its wings and running........I'm just glad it wasn't a turkey or anything.
I've had a freind hit a Magpie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Magpie) in the shoulder at about 100km/h. Swooped down and got him in his armour.
I had a Cicada hit my visor, couldn't see out of the right side of my visor and the left had a fair bit of mess on it. Pulled over at the traffic lights and cleaned it (I keep vuplex and microfibre cloths in my bag). Bit of a thud when I hit it. Also hit a bee at about 60km/h right between my collar bones, it stung me and I couldn't get to somewhere to deal with it for about 2-3 minutes. That really hurt.
Yessum, I've hit a bird doing a 100. Even got the thing on film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlQfy3YXVJI
Once, when riding with visor open doing 110 some kind of bug splattered onto my glasses. Then bug guts made its way around and got into my eye, stinging like a mutha. I now keep my visor down.
Michael
Took a junebug in the shoulder at 100. That was a bit of a shock.
Those buggers are heavy for their size. :mad:
Had the visor cracked just a smidge when a yellow jacket slipped in, bounced off my face and started crawling around on the inside of the helmet. I opened the visor all the way and he flew down and out. I felt REALLY lucky not to have been stung.
..... think you all suck.
Quote from: ojstinson on June 01, 2011, 09:01:02 AM
..... think you all suck.
Why?We all have a story?You to shall have one.Just keep riding.If you never have one then you will be one of the lucky few.
Quote from: ben2go on June 01, 2011, 09:47:49 AM
Quote from: ojstinson on June 01, 2011, 09:01:02 AM
..... think you all suck.
Why?We all have a story?You to shall have one.Just keep riding.If you never have one then you will be one of the lucky few.
He was referring to the fact that the creatures listed above are probably all squished/flattened/wishing we didn't insist on travelling >30mph, I think. Note the change in subject line.
Ahhh.... humour... the last frontier of the Internet
Me and three other guys were hauling ass on a dead read last week, doing 145mph or so through a long shallow bend and I hit a sparrow, thing flew right into my chest. Felt like I got punched, lol.
... known to man. Once at 90+ a VERY large insect ( I think it was a grasshopper ) struck the post of my mirror and showered my face shield and the entire front of my brand new riding jacket with a disgusting yellow substance---I never was able to get all the stain out.
Quote from: ojstinson on June 01, 2011, 10:52:07 AM
... known to man. Once at 90+ a VERY large insect ( I think it was a grasshopper ) struck the post of my mirror and showered my face shield and the entire front of my brand new riding jacket with a disgusting yellow substance---I never was able to get all the stain out.
My nice Alpinestar jacket is slowly getting bug spots that are hard to get off.... Damn things.
:D
Can't really impress the chicks at the checkout counter at the local stores in your cool leather jacket.... It's all covered in bugs 'n shaZam!
Quote from: Twism86 on June 01, 2011, 11:14:54 AM
Quote from: ojstinson on June 01, 2011, 10:52:07 AM
... known to man. Once at 90+ a VERY large insect ( I think it was a grasshopper ) struck the post of my mirror and showered my face shield and the entire front of my brand new riding jacket with a disgusting yellow substance---I never was able to get all the stain out.
My nice Alpinestar jacket is slowly getting bug spots that are hard to get off.... Damn things.
That is the one nice thing about a mesh jacket. I can just toss my Tourmaster in the wash.
Quote from: ryott52 on June 01, 2011, 02:44:30 PM
That is the one nice thing about a mesh jacket. I can just toss my Tourmaster in the wash.
Hmmm...my Fieldsheer mesh jacket label expressly forbids washing, always wondered why...it's a b!tch to get the bugs from the mesh holes using a sponge.
For me, the worst part about bugs is that split second when you see the bug, know it's gonna smack you in the face, but don't have time to do anything about it. Same thing with rocks hitting your windshield.
Quote from: XealotX on June 01, 2011, 04:50:35 PM
Quote from: ryott52 on June 01, 2011, 02:44:30 PM
That is the one nice thing about a mesh jacket. I can just toss my Tourmaster in the wash.
Hmmm...my Fieldsheer mesh jacket label expressly forbids washing, always wondered why...it's a b!tch to get the bugs from the mesh holes using a sponge.
For me, the worst part about bugs is that split second when you see the bug, know it's gonna smack you in the face, but don't have time to do anything about it. Same thing with rocks hitting your windshield.
That's odd, what's it made of? My jacket is polyester, you just take out the pads and wash it in cold water, then you can machine dry it on low heat.
Quote from: ryott52 on June 01, 2011, 04:53:04 PM
That's odd, what's it made of? My jacket is polyester, you just take out the pads and wash it in cold water, then you can machine dry it on low heat.
Mine is polyester as well. I don't understand what would happen to it...its been rained on plenty of times.
I have a handheld shower head in the shower. O wash my jacket in the shower and let it drip dry :thumb:
Michael
Bug story:
3 weeks ago, i was coming home from work and was on Deerfoot southbound ~120kph.
A bug hit my neck, flew under my helmet, and started crawling on the inside of my visor.
Upon a closer inspection, it was about 2" long, bright orange, had a long tail, and was scary as F$%#.
http://www.insectsofalberta.com/ichneumonwasp.htm
Being in the left lane, there was no safe shoulder to pull over, so..... i had to get to the far right side of Deerfoot, ASAP!
After about 15 seconds of dodging Calgary drivers to cross 5 lanes of traffic, i made it to the shoulder and at this time the bug
decided it needed to crawl up inside my helmet. I started ripping at my chin strap, finally getting it off in time for the bug to fly out,
land on the collar of my jacket, and crawl inside. I unzipped my jacket and jumped off my bike, catching my heel as i went, resulting in me hitting the dirt on my back and the bike slowly teetering over towards me. I got my jacket open in time for the bug to fly away and to see my gs falling over... thankfully, I was able to stop it going down with my foot.
Big picture:
Me, helmet off, on my back in the dirt, open jacket, leg up on the gas tank/frame stopping it from falling, on the side of Deerfoot during rush hour.
A passing motorist stopped and asked if i was OK.
"Yeah, thanks, just a bug attack..."
He rolled up his window and slowly drove away......
Thought i'd share my oh-S*** bug moment.
We all have stories, i cant wait to hear more from others!
This is not a bug story---it's worse! I once got caught in a -can't pull over-situation during a flash hail storm ( during the day ) in the middle of summer in central Florida. I was wearing a jacket and helmet but my hands were completely unprotected, I could intermittently tuck the left close to my body but the right had to stay put for obvious reasons. It was absolutely excruciating and it was a very long 2 or 3 minutes before I could take an exit and get off the highway, I actually pulled onto someone's lawn and under an awning to protect myself. The pain to my arms and shoulders was bad enough but those things crashing onto my bare knuckles is difficult to describe.
Well, I told yall about the bee that got between my helmet and jacket at 65mph. My neck swelled to the size of a golf ball! Dr. says I'm allergic now GREAT!
But, a couple of years ago Easter actually was riding out to the BF house at 45 mph on 192 and the car in front of me kicked up a piece of tire about the size of a softball. Although, I had my jacket on and the armor took the brunt of the blow. It was still enough to seperate my shoulder at the AC joint. Boy did that suck!
Mary