Close call--deer

[scout70]

Yesterday I was two up riding on a back road about a mile from Port Townsend, Washington. It was 78 degrees at 3:00pm. I was on a two lane road at 35mph and certainly not contemplating a deer. The road was straight but was the type of road with no shoulders and the woods coming up to the sides of the road. Anyway, suddenly a large buck shot out 90 degrees infront of me at about a 3/4 run--no time to do much of anything. It was a flash. I had been riding with two fingers over the front brake lever and the sudden emergency caused me to hit the break and move slightly right enough to barely --and i mean barely--miss the deer. The dears rear end came within inches of grazing my left fairing. Thank God.

In the immediate aftermath I said a 10 second prayer thanking the good Lord for preserving us from a strike and wreck. Timing is everything. The rest of the day i reflected on the event, mulled over what I could have done better and some additional thoughts. here is what i realized and want to share.

1. I am glad I was able to react on the brake as fast as I did. That quick reaction plus the explosive LT brakes and nimble handling gave me some immediate speed reduction and allowed my escape. Deer are NOT predictable and can appear anytime of day!!

2. I am glad I was doing the speed limit--35mph.

3. Dressed to crash. Both of us had BMW Rallye pro gear on plus Tourgaard pants. We had excellent protection had the bike gone down. This is the best example of why you need to be prepared to go down.

4. Glad to be on LT. For all the complaints and nit-picking that shows up on this forum, I am glad I was on an LT. The combination of my quick reaction plus the massive brakes and nimble handling of the bike helped avoid an accident. Thank you BMW. I will gladly exchange any final drive problems for supurb brakes and handling anytime.

Summary point: We came so close! Time and chance are everything on a bike. Always dress to crash, be alert and be thankful!!!

Bob\2005 LT.

[rattler50]

You're a lucky guy. We have deer like rats here most of the year. I'm very wary in the places where the brush and trees come almost up to the road. I've had several close calls. Three Harley riders were killed in Colorado a couple of weeks ago. Nine bikes riding through Colorado and an antelope ran out and struck the lead rider. He went down and killed the antelope. The second rider, a couple, hit the remains and went down. All three were killed. I didn't hear anything about the gear they were wearing but I'd guess half helmets at best, if not a flaming doorag. They were out of Amarilllo. It's sad but it happens often. The Boy Scouts got it right...........Be Prepared....... :(

[rkimmel2]

Best advice ever is "trust your brakes." Nice miss, and in a worse case scenario riding the speed limit+reduction of speed through hard braking=ALIVE! The helmet saves your life, the other gear saves you weeks of pain.

[Palerider]

An important point as well is riding with your controls covered..........reduces reaction time considerably..............just doesn't look as cool as those tall ape hangers with the fringes on the end.................. ;)

[cuffer101]

Two weeks ago on a Friday afternoon, i was headed into work. I have to go by an Indian Reservation and the people going in and out of there dont watch what they are doing at all. Anyway, there was a car in front of me going about 5mph under the speed limit and I was about 5 car lengths behind him. A car started to pull out from the gas station, saw the car coming, stopped, and then pulled out in front of me. She saw me and stopped with her bumper on the center line. Slammed the brakes on, seen where I was going to hit her drivers door and slip around the front of the car. I swear my leg brushed her front bumper, slid back in my lane , let off the brakes and pulled in the clutch and just coasted for a minute. I got to work 5 minutes later and was still shaking. Thank God for ABS brakes and the great handling of the this bike. I have sworn at this bike for minor breakdowns and been a fat pig. But damn, the fat pig sure can dance.

[judgebill]

Hit a deer with my LT. Going about 60mph, raised road, clear sides, not close trees but it was around 7am, Idaho. Doe came from my left, going straight across the road. No chance to do anything but blink. Believe I hit her square in her middle and flung her off the road to my right. The bike barely hesitated, kept going in a straight line. I brought it to a stop about 100 yards down the line, turned and came back and parked. Then I realized I had lost both my rear view mirrors and smashed the headlight. Found one RVM and a few pieces of plastic. Deer was dead, lying downhill on the side of the road. Got back on the bike and rode another two hours where I found a BMW dealer who was able to fix the headlights and give me another mirror and mount the salvaged one. Bike continued to work just fine for another 1000 miles. But the repairs to bent frame members and broken fairings is expensive. I didn't have a scratch. 850 lb bike, 200 lb rider and 120 lb deer. Strike one deer. Lessons; get a deer whistle, don't ride in deer country before 10am or after 4pm and if you must, do it slowly. I was very careful the rest of the trip. Yes, was wearing full suit of armor plus full helmet and boots and gloves.