I was riding south on highway 101 coming from my girlfriends' house in Sebastopol, CA at about 2am. I was on my GS450, a little project bike I learned to ride on when I started college. It was a dark night and the little headlight barely cast enough light to see very far ahead. I was in a hurry to get home in time for my morning shift in Palo Alto the next day (ah- what you go through for love)
I was overrunning my headlight a bit (going about 80mph) when suddenly I saw thing - thing- in my lane. It was brown, streched across the whole lane perpendicular.... yes, its a DEER! dead, but in my way. Going about 80mph with the small distance I had to react, my instincts kicked in from the MSF saftey class. "Straighen up, stand on the pegs, get off the brakes"
Well, I jumped a deer that night on my GS450. I ran it over, caught some air, and landed pretty good. Amazingly, the bike didn't wobble or tip. I kept my line and pulled over right away to inspect the tires and oil pan. Fortunately, there was no damage! But the night left a shadow in my mind; the shadow of what is beyond that dinky little headlight that you can't see at 2am. I know if I hadn't straightened up, or if I used any brake, I would have been in big trouble. Something to be said for those MSF classes.
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