sat am ride ends in deer ding, no coffee or pastry

Folks who try to characterize deer as stupid, possessed, whatever (and
I'm not picking on you, Pablo, just picking up on the trend) fail to
realize that these behaviors are exactly what have enabled them to
survive for millions of years before the advent of motorized vehicles
in only the past 100 years or so.

The apparent indecision, darting one way and then another when caught
in the open? That's what gets them away from a directed attack by a
wolf or cougar. Unpredictability keeps the predators guessing and
wasting their energy. Running across a roadway? That roadway didn't
use to be there, and the deer have been passing through there since
long before man came along and built it. The deer has mating season
hormones driving him, or the promise of better foraging. We are the
interlopers, not them. To load them down with all sorts of
characterizations because we occasionally have encounters of the
unfortunate kind is as silly as characterizing a tornado just because
it hit your house instead of going around it.

 

Yeabut, I can still want them all dead.

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Infant

 

I've had pedestrians do that in front of me as well.

--
--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

Aww, in this world there's room for deer...



Right next to the mashed potatos.

--
--
Barb
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

Oh and one more thing: I've seen people behave exactly the same way!
Who hasn't witnessed someone doing the "deer in the headlights" thing
at a really bad time? And I've watched racers crash, jump up and
inexplicably run across the track with bikes whizzing by, instead of
staying put. Panic has a strange effect on the brain, whether it's in
a deer or a human.

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

I fully agree.... my strategy useful in the dirt and in a few
cases on the street. putting the bike on it side and letting
the wheels and engine take the impact takes at least a second,
and a few seconds lead time before impact is anticipated,
maybe

... with a deer jumping into your lap you gotts maybe a
twentieth of a second... one is completely screwed...and no
way in hall to plan your fall as you would already be in the
air, in shock, totally out of control by the time you had time
to react, then due to hit the ground in half a second.



Ive been thinking what would I do...I have no clue..probably
just my eyes would bug out a little before impact. I can
see that I should damn well get better gear.

thats scary business, especially seeing the damage done to you
and Bob at such low speeds and the 15% survival rate...


Phil Scott

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

The typical reaction time is 1 second if you are
sharp...implimenting a jump would add another 1 second or
more...thats two seconds.. You dont have that time with a
deer jumping out in front of you.

You might have that time with a car pulling on front of you
200' ahead though.

It is well worth thinking about in advance... btw be safe on
the bike and practice stopping suddenly using the front brake
in panic mode so it becomes a natural reflex.

Study up on counter steering, and practice sudden turns so you
can do that instantly in a bad situation, thats more
difficult. Riding a dirt bike will do wonders for you also.

Ive saved my life a few times when it was not possible to stop
and when I had a second or so by throwing the bike down on its
side (a flat tracker tactic) and letting the wheels and engine
cases take the impact... but thats not viable on most sport
bikes, the riding position and bars are too short. I put
high wide bars on my bikes for that reason though.

Others have pointed that though that with todays superb
rubber, braking may be you best option... and it surely is
in perhaps most cases.

One guy a few years ago though hit the side of a semi trailer
at 90 mph, turning his brain into a spray of pink foam... he
could have gone under the trailer if he had put the bike on
its side and probably at least survived...those have 3' or 4'
clearance in many cases.

When you ride I recommend constantly looking for escape routes
also...and pre planning and going over in your mind what you
would do under various emergency situations.

it took me a year this time out to get over my inattentive car
driver mentality... those bad habits and unfamiliarity with
bikes are behind the high accident rates in the first 6
months.

Good luck


Phil Scott

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

Out of general curiosity, and because someone else described
the deer as solid and meaty...can you describe the sensation
of having all the meaty muscle directly hitting your
face...what does it feel like.

Phil Scott

 

Indeed. I remember reading a psych study in school that showed a direct
correlation between familiarity with a task and how quickly people could
perform that task under stress. They showed people perform familiar tasks
faster under stress than they do when relaxed, but perform unfamiliar tasks
slower under stress and with a higher frequency of mistakes.

 

Phil Scott wrote:

Out of general curiosity, and because someone else described
the deer as solid and meaty...can you describe the sensation
of having all the meaty muscle directly hitting your
face...what does it feel like.

Phil Scott



Brian wrote:

Have you ever been punched in the face?......hard enough to see stars
and have your knees wobble?

Go to your local meatworks and get someone to drop half a beast on
you......for scientific reasons, of course!

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

I wonder if loud pipes would actually help.... Bobs bike
probably had stock exhaust, and at 40 mph would have been
quiet...maybe Jims the same way.

Has anyone researched that? Maybe the HD people?



Phil Scott

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

Do you think loud pipes give better odds?

Phil Scott

 

--
Phil Scott
Ideas are bullet proof.

In 1960 or so, at the Lodi Cycle bowl a new guy was out
practicing and froze up at the controls and couldn't turn,,,
he rode up the side of the bowl embankment with his 650
triumph and landed the engine cases directly between the legs
of a woman watching the practice from the hood of her car.

that law suit went for 10 years,


Phil Scott

 

Get the pipes that sound like a cougar snarling for maximum effect.

 

Bummer Jim! Glad that the injuries were not more severe. I had close
encounters of the non-impact kind with the Giant Antlered Rats several
times over the last week while on my trip to Lake Powell and back. I
still maintain the fantasy that deer whistles might work.

--
PC Paul
89 PC800
77 R100RS

Trip pics at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paul1cart/my_photos

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society" - Theodore Roosevelt

 

Hey Jim, you don't ever have to justify yourself to the peanut gallery.
If they think that you had any chance to react, they have no clue about
how deer act or how well they are camoflaged.
That's a nice neighborhood you live in BTW.
Yes, I'm top-posting again...

--
PC Paul
89 PC800
77 R100RS

Trip pics at: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paul1cart/my_photos

"To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society" - Theodore Roosevelt

 

So do you keep cats around the shop so you can rub yourself in its
litter box before heading on out?