hit a taco bell dog,

[Big Si]

I hit a roe deer one autumn evening on a quiet back road.

In autumn, the roads stay warm as the air cools, so the stupid animals lie on the road.

Fortuntely, I had seen it as a lump on the road and had slowed right down. It ran almost off the road, and then ran back onto the road, at which point I clipped it with the bike.

By the time I had stopped, got off the bike and headed back, it had got up and run away.

Si

[BentRod]

I'm saving my own animal strike story for the student budget bike thread, but I will tell you another or so.
First off,
one of my first rides out when I started, I wore a full face and was movign nicely through farm country in the evening, coming home to Hamilton. along one stretch though I seemed to hit patch after patch of little bugs, which popped on my visor with out much incident. However, after about 4 km of this I started having issues with visibility, and tried to wipe the mess off the visor. I did this only to find that bug guts tend to streek.

I cracked the visor open so I could see, slowed down and ate a fist full of bugs until I got to a coffee shop where they handed my a rag and had a good laugh about it.


Deer story, not mine.

Friend of mine, Evert, was out on his 03(?) R6, and was communting home one evening, just outside of town. On one side was a thinly forested area, and on the other, farmer's fields with corn stalks tall as a man. He said he was going about 60 when a doe stepped in front of him and he cut hard to avoid it. It became clear that he wasn't going to be able to avoid a collision so he lowsided the bike and got away from it, letting the bike slide into the doe. Evert, wearnig jeans, textile jacket, racing gloves, and full face was ok, and came to a stop on his butt. for all intents and purposes he was unharmed. Some time later a truck came to collect him and his wreck. he must have tried to put something in his back pocket because it was about this time he realized that he had WORN THE BACK POCKETS CLEAN OFF HIS PANTS.

[tkent02]

perhaps i should slow the feck down.. yeah i should..

Yeah, like THAT's going to happen.

[rudy]

Not a story of me, but I was there.

Before I got into bikes I was cruising around with two buddies on their Honda Shadows. I was in a big old Jeep at the back. Heading down a nice gravel back road, empty fields on either side. There was a decently deep ditch between two fields on the right side that we all happened to be looking at for whatever reason. Paul went past just fine, a second later Dave goes past at which time a Turkey Vulture with a wing span of about 6 feet pops out of this ditch and up to the road. I guess he was flying along in the ditch and was gonna go over the road. Scared the crap out of Dave as this huge bird was inches from his head. We all had a good laugh after, except Dave, who didn't think it was so funny. That's a big, heavy bird!

[GS550ES-Hank]

The NH manual says to slow down, and swerve away from a dog as far as possible, traffic permitting, then when along side said dog, accelerate away. If it does approach close, you actually are supposed to kick at it. I seriously don't think I'm balanced or coordinated enough to pull it off yet.

Since we're on the topic of wildlife hits, the one and only time I rode without my helmet, which is legal in this state, I took a bumble bee to the face. They're unassuming enough in the open, but at 30, those things are like bricks!

Unrelated event, I was headed down I-93 up here on a nice highway cruise with a t-shirt on (it was about 95F outside) and took a wasp at 70 to the forearm. Startled me and I ended up with a welt the size of a golf ball when I got home.

I'm never riding without at least a helmet and long sleeves again.

[MelodicMetalGod]

Try avoiding these hopping buggers.

Wow! That's a funny lookin' deer! Australian doe?

[MelodicMetalGod]

In the late 80's, on the way home, three blocks from my house I encountered a squirrel in the road. He ran from the left curb to the parked cars on my right. Figured he'd gotten where he was going and I would just cruise on by. At just the wrong moment, he decides to run back to the left. Didn't go well for him at all. He missed my front tire by hit his head on my headers and the back wheel ran right over him. In my reviews all I could see was him twitching in the middle of the road...broke my heart. I had no idea what to do an rode on. To this day I wish I'd returned to put him out of his misery.

Natures got a lotta cute little critters that mean well enough, but they're none too bright at dealing with traffic.

[jeepinbanditrider]

Animanls and me did not get along when i was young. Back in the late 70's early 80's. At 15 i hit a dog that came out from under a pick-up leaving my friends house. I was on my 76 yamaha enduro 250 no liscense no gear other than my helmet. took all the skin off my right elbow and broke my rear turn signal. The lady that owned the dog came out of her house and started yelling at me about killing her dog. I said your dog almost killed me and she said she was going to call the cops. I hopped back on my bike and took off out of there.

At 18 i hit a deer at night at possum kingdom state park. To much to drink on a twisty road going way to fast on my 72 honda 750 four. Came around a corner and there he was standing in the middle of the road. If i hadn't been drinking i think i could have avoided him but that didn't happen. Hit him mid section about 50 MPH this time with no helmet. All i could think was keep your head up. Luckily i went down on top of the bike and just slid to a stop.

Awesome I grew up in Palo Pinto. Spent my fair share of time up at PK lake

[DanTheMan]

The NH manual says to slow down, and swerve away from a dog as far as possible, traffic permitting, then when along side said dog, accelerate away. If it does approach close, you actually are supposed to kick at it. I seriously don't think I'm balanced or coordinated enough to pull it off yet.

I thought NH was a heavy MSF state? In the our MSF training we teach to NEVER, EVER kick at a dog, and the way to avoid a dog intent on catching you, you must slow down, first to throw off the dog's timing sense and then accelerate away from it, a proven method that works if you notice the dog first.

[GS550ES-Hank]

It's only as a last resort if you're stuck in traffic, or otherwise where you can't get away from the animal.

[sean doan]

hit a bid dog

when i was about 14 i was riding a honda 250 dirt bike witch was way to big for me i was following my buddy on his quad and my neirbors 150lb great peiraneze dog ran out in front of me. i was going about 55mph and i flew over the bars about 50ft before i touched ground. had some bad road rash and i actuall killed the dog. when i told my parents the couldnt belive i hit it. we always joked about it looking like a cow walking around.

[sschering]

I've been lucky so far on the bike (Cross fingers) I'm a rolling death machine in a car or truck.. I've been hit by pheasant, a UFF (Unidentified Flying Fowl), run over rabbits (with 3 girls in the, aww poor bunny!), Dogs, quail (stupid birds) and some unknown quantity of field mice.. My wife managed to take out a Deer in Oregon and still drive away. She hit that one dead center on a 78 Camaro. It launched it high enough to clear the roof and land on the opposite shoulder of the road.

One bike related road Kill tale.
About 10 years ago We were heading down the west side of Snoqualmie pass at night.. About half way down we see the highway is just covered in blood..
State Patrol officer was in the road hauling half an elk off the highway, Semi is parked on the side a bit down the road from the stater.. Just past him was a visibly shaken Rider standing by his bike.. Poor guy had just ridden through a river of blood and guts.

[kyscootertrash]

Critters

I've been riding street bikes for about 27 years, and hit my share of animals. Thanks to the pucker factor, I remember most of them.

Dogs: St Bernard, 2 labs, Beagle, and a Shih Tzu that apperently had nothing else to live for. Little bugger didn't even leave a suicide note.

Misc: Several rabbits, several possums (One of the possums cost me a $500 header), a couple of squirrels, a chicken, even a darn skunk. For at least a year afterward, you could still smell it when the motor got hot.

None of these caused a wipe-out. If possible, make sure your running in a straight line, Have a firm grip on the bars, ease off the throttle, and gently apply the brakes. The bike will either knock em out of the way, or go over them.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Only thing those little chee-wow-wows are good for is snake food.

[MelodicMetalGod]

Only thing those little chee-wow-wows are good for is snake food.

Hey now! Don't disrespect the small pups. They've got just as much right to the planet as the rest of us and they'll defend their humans and their homes with just as much courage and ferocity as the next pup...maybe not as successfully , but they'll stand in there as if they were the biggest dog within 500 miles. They don't all travel with in the purse of a rich girl named Paris.