Thank you all very much for your replies.  I agree, next time animals are just going to be speed bumps.
Yes, it's amazing how much pain you DON'T feel right after a crash.

Typing with one hand sucks, so I'm gonna skip the boring parts and jump straight to pictures FYA.  It's really not that bad.











And finally, for all you Formula1 fans.  This is what I got on my black cast!




Hahaha, going back and reading my second post, I said: "I'm just a geeky engineering", must have been the happy pills I'm taking for the pain. 

FlyingBeagle,  I work on Harriers.

Wow man. Im glad that you are ok. Loks like your gear held up pretty damn good. Heal up quick man. I hope you did not break your lucky wrist. If so i hope you are ambidextreous.

yeah i'm just startin to get over a broke right wrist there 4 a while ,4 1/2 weeks i couldnt ride and noww i cant ride 2day bcause the doc took the pins out of my wrist and put them in a jar and the little bastards were a little over 2 inches long

I wouldn't really consider myself ambidextrous, there's just a thing or two that I can only do with my left hand.

2" long! Ouch, they're still not sure if they'll wanna pin it.

I had a large rabbit run out infront of me, it was too late to swerve, too late to slow down enough and i thought bloody hell prepare to fall off (this was when i was on a little 50cc motorbike) hit the rabbit heard a crunch (that was the worst bit yuk!) bit of a bump n that was that. It was just like hitting a suprise speed bump or pothole in the road.

Glad you survived.  Heal up.

Glad you're okay, and were wearing proper gear.     Isn't post-crash shock awesome?  I felt like I could lift _3_ GS'es and run 10 miles!

Quote from: calamari on August 01, 2006, 11:57:38 PM
My MSF instructor (girl btw) told me that whenever a small to medium size furry animal stands/runs in front on my way while im riding... hold the handlebars really tight, open throttle and lean forward a bit to avoid any flying guts and debris to hit you in the helmet and whatnot. And everytime I see an adorable furry creature near the road, I prepare myself and hold the handlebars really tight... 

Jesus, it sounds like your MSF instructor gave you some really bad advice in order to make a joke. 

Never hold the handlebars really tight, ESPECIALLY when things are going wonky.  If you keep the bike moving, the front end will straighten itself out; keeping your grip tight will just make you turn the bars' jiggling into throttle inputs and make the whole thing worse.  If you keep your grip relaxed and your throttle inputs smooth, you stand the best chance of letting the bike straighten itself out, just like riding over potholes or in gusty winds.  This applies to potholes, cats, rabbits, skunks, anything that isn't just going to stop you dead in your tracks. 

And don't lean forward a bit either.  The reason you accellerate before hitting an obstacle is to LIGHTEN the front end.

Quote from: Smokebombb on August 01, 2006, 09:20:09 PM
Once an animal is spotted, the MSF booklet says:

1) Slow
2) Downshift
3) Accelerate past the point of interception
4) Don't kick at the animal because it will make controlling the motorcycle difficult

That's for things you think might chase you, not for things you think you're about to hit  . 

Other people got it right.  If it's a small enough obstacle to get over, brake as much as you can beforehand, but leave yourself time to let the suspension settle and get back on the throttle before you actually hit it.  Don't be braking at go-time, especially since you can't count on what way the front tire's pointed.  Accellerate slightly to lighten the front end, keep your weight on the pegs and use your legs as shock absorbers.  You're past the point of no return so just keep looking ahead and not down at the furry thing, you'll stand a better chance of keeping your panic and the bike under control.  Animals can go any direction, so swerving can do more harm than good.  Stay relaxed, hold your line, and don't waste your physical and mental energy on the horn because animals just don't understand them.

Skunks == Jumps.

Bummer about the crash dude.  At least you didn't break the "calpoid" bone, one of the little ones in the wrist that take forever (4 months in my case) to heal.

You know what is wierd? While looking at pictures of the "battle damage" my cat (named Helcat, that should tell you something) started pawing at the pics of the scuffed up helmet.  He never "reacts" to the PC monitor like that...  I think you should avoid cats for a while.

   

For future reference- Bikes usually won't start right away after being on thier sides. The carb bowls drain out and sometimes flood the jets and can even get vapor locked.  After crashing out at a race one time the crash truck guy told me a trick to get it running again. Hold the throttle wide open and crank it for a couple of seconds to clear the carbs, then let the throttle close completely and then try to start again. It works like a charm.

Heal quick man, and hope you get the bike fixed soon/cheap.

If you're talking about the tiny curved ones than that's what I broke.

I wonder what your cat is trying to tell us.  I think I'll take your advice and avoid cats for a while.

It was actually the clutch switch on the bike that got disconnected.  I fixed it yesterday and the bike started fine.

Thanks guys.

Hey glad your not hurt worse than you are.  Hope you have a speedy recovery.