One thing a Bright Yellow Helmet won't save you from...

[GRN]

Color blind deer... guess they grow them that way down in Texas. Just heard from my Buddy Dwight (1downfourup) who is recovering well at his home in FL after being taken out of the RAT rather abruptly by a doe... his email:

"I was headed down a lonely west Texas two lane road at dawn doing about 65 mph... had been on the road for a couple of hours... in the middle or nowhere, I mean nowhere... and suddenly felt the huge impact of a collision. That is about a one-second, vivid memory. The next thing I recall is finding myself in the road and not being able to stand up. Crawled to the banking on the shoulder for support and dragged myself to my feet. Down the road one way is a totalled ST1300 (silver, the fastest one)... up the road the other way is a mule deer and its parts (including two fetuses) spread all over the road. My "stich" is covered in venison blood and hair. So is the once motorcycle. I remove the new Nolan flipface and look at it... no more face shield, but the helmet took some awesome gouges above and below the face without coming apart. (parenthtically, this is the first time I have taken deer with a ST1300... I usually use a .308 Browning. But three deer with one shot cannot be equalled.) Funny that I bought a YELLOW Nolan to be visible because I liked yours. Damn deer
must have been color blind. So anyway... I find my tank bag in the road and get my phone and camera. No cellphone signal right away... so I walk down the road a way and finally get through to 911. Eventually four other RAT riders pull up to check out the carnage, a trooper arrives... and finally the ambulance. Was the EMT worried about me? No... he was too excited about getting his scissors to cut up all my riding clothes. I managed to strip off my stich jacket before he got to that but was too slow on the pants and everything else. After a 150 mile ride strapped to a plank I spent two days in a hospital where everyone dressed like doctors and nurses but they had stayed in a Holiday Inn the night before. The extent of injuries: three fractured ribs, broken collarbone, a hard to get at abrasions on my back that I got from the stich, not the road (no complaints), a knee abrasion where my knee broke thru the pantleg zipper and got sanded by a road surface made of crushed stone and tar. A few stitches in a finger. That is it. My left eye went dim for a few minutes but otherwise my head dodged the bullet. I sent my luggage home by UPS and flew back to Florida. That is a long way of saying I am looking for a new ride. If you hear of a good used ST or Wing, lemme know...
Yer ol buddy,
Gator"

The last part pretty much says it all... Born to ride. For those of you haven't met Dwight, he's a great guy. First met him last fall for a ride after connecting here, immediately became brothers. He's a 60 something retired exec. with a sparkle in his eye of a 16 yr. old who just got done doin' something wrong, and is getting ready to do it again... get well soon Brother Gator.

I'm nominating 1downfourup as this months poster child for ATGATT... be carefull out there ya'll, this crazy old dude got really lucky!

If anyone down FL way is gettin' rid of a newer ST or Wing in good shape, drop him a line, sounds like he's in a hurry to get back on.

[Britman]

Just recently I read a post about keeping yer cell phone in a jacket pocket rather than tank bag etc.

In a situation like this not being able find the tank bag with phone in could be a royal pain in the A$$.

Now I keep my phone in my jacket pocket.

[dond]

Whew.

A very (sore but) lucky man.

Objects in pockets often cause pretty severe wounds themselves.




Old.... hmmph.

[Bones]

Glad you came through OK, Dwight. Hate to imagine what would have happened without riding gear. Mend well to ride again.

Bones

[Mellow]

Wow, yes, those deer can come out of nowhere, hope he heals fast and glad it wasn't any worse.

I go back and forth on keeping anything in my jacket pockets. Having the cell phone would have been nice unless you landed on it and broke it then that option would have been gone. Luckily, there were others around shortly.

My last trip to Big Bend I was coming around a nice sweeper in the park (shhh... might have been gooing a tad over the limit) anyway, deer goes about 20 ft in front of me, full speed, It was 100 feet past the road before my mind registered it all, that's how fast it happens.

Anyway, glad he's still got his sense of humor and it hasn't taken him out of the game.

Ride Safe.

[BigTom]

EEEEYOWWW

I have never taken a deer with a MC, but have with a car and have a vivid idea about the carnage. I am really glad he is up and moving, and to hear that he is ready to 'climb back on the horse that threw him'.

BTW, my compromise is to carry my phone in my pants pocket. I figure my nice fat thighs can take the beating, and I know where it is. A friend of mine got clunked (by a caddy), his phone was in his bag. He had to 'borrow' a phone from the lady that clobbered him to call 911...she was too shook up. His broken ribs and leg left him stranded:)

[vol 44]

I am from East Tennesee and I am constantly worrying about a deer jumping in my path. Have any of you heard of whistle device that mounts to a bike that emits a sound that deer/critters can hear that keeps them out of your path.

Stay Safe

[dpadair]

Regarding cell phones, I now carry two (I had two anyway - not just for riding). One on me, one on the bike.

[GRN]

I am from East Tennesee and I am constantly worrying about a deer jumping in my path. Have any of you heard of whistle device that mounts to a bike that emits a sound that deer/critters can hear that keeps them out of your path.

Stay Safe

I tried them for a while after tearing the front end off a Monte Carlo on the Ontario State Parkway in western NY... my experience was that I ended up seeing more deer in the road, not less. I think all the deer that would have normally been content to hang and watch me go by got spooked and ran in front of me, not away... my .02

[Simmons1]

I had a near deer experience myself last Monday in the Texas Hill Country somewhere between Junction and Mason. I was clipping along at about 80 and a deer ran out in the road in front of me, stopped, and then ran back off the side of the road. The boss was on the back. It wouldn't have been good at all it we hit it. I slowed way down for the next hour or so and saw mulitple deer on three more occasions.

It was 9:30 am in the morning on a clear sunny day.

I wish the hunters would shoot a few more of them in that neck of the woods.

[stg1]

I wish the hunters would shoot a few more of them in that neck of the woods.

No Kidding!!! What needs to happen is the State of Texas should have an open season for 1 year to clear out some of the herds but that will never happen because of the tree huggin hippies that live down in that area.

[Bones]

I wish the hunters would shoot a few more of them in that neck of the woods.

Any neck of the woods! Send me up some venison...I serve up some fine grilled medallions and a mean bourbon stew.

[GRN]

I got some moose you can have too.......... a lot bigger, and even dumber than deer. They don't look that fast 'til your on them and realize their legs are 4'+ long... YO!

[Bones]

I got some moose you can have too.......... a lot bigger, and even dumber than deer. They don't look that fast 'til your on them and realize their legs are 4'+ long... YO!

(Not nearly as tasty, however. Kindly don't send me any moose for culinary preparation!)

[GRN]

(Not nearly as tasty, however. Kindly don't send me any moose for culinary preparation!)

Just use more Bourbon... before and during!

[Rolling Thunder]

I am from East Tennesee and I am constantly worrying about a deer jumping in my path. Have any of you heard of whistle device that mounts to a bike that emits a sound that deer/critters can hear that keeps them out of your path.

Stay Safe

I can tell you that this whistle is useless and worthless as far as Whitetail deer are concerned.

[BigTom]

You have obviously never tasted the world famous "winkle" stew.

That'd be Bullwinkle. I had a friend took one on with an Olds Cutlass. Darn near tore the top off the Olds, and the Moose walked away. My buddy and his two kids were cut and bruised, but safe. Luckily.

[CrashTestDanny]

Wow - 3 deer in one shot...

Glad you're ok!

[oldfartracer]

A Bambi took took me out in Montana last year. No broken bones but I'm still missing 2 hour. Helmets do save lives. It was the second deer I've hit on that road. The first one was on my BMer about 5 years ago.

Stay away from the Yalk river road in Montana!

[1downfourup]

Hey Everyone...
Just another voice to add to all those who have gone down and walked away. Good gear saves your butt. I am incredibly lucky to have survived that deer. My biggest regret is losing a bike that had my heart an soul in it. The other regret was not finishing the RAT (Ride Around Texas). The RAT was a great adventure and should be on everyone's list to do sometime as an IBA ride. The only part of that ride I had not done before was running through the Big Bend... and that was awesome. Gotta say the Texas State Trooper who handled my accident was very helpful and professional. Thanks, GRN and everyone, for the kind words. Now all I gotta do is find a replacement bike... my antique BMWs are fun but I kinda like STs too... or maybe a Wing:) that could plow thru a herd of deer.
1downfourup

[steve3b3]

It's good to hear that you're okay after the deer hit.

FWIW, my wife and I saw an '05 in the new cycle place in Putnam CT a week ago. Excaliper Motor sports.

Steve:04biker:

[12ride]

Moose story.
The summer of 2004 my wife and me were returning from a trip to Hyder Ak. We were east of Kitwanga BC on Hwy. 16 and it was raining. I came up behind two motorhomes that were doing about 45 mph and proceeded to pass them both. The one in front was pulling a car behind it and just as I pulled in front of it a bull moose ran up the bank onto the road from my left.
Its funny how your mind works, thought # (1) NO ABS (2) motorhome running up my tail pipe (3) it is a loooong way to any medical facilities from here. This all happened in a millasecond and I can still see it today.

All that saved us is the moose (looked like he was 10ft tall - probably was 6 ft at the shoulders) turned and ran away from us down the white line. I was on the brakes as hard as I could without locking up the wheels (water on road, wife , camping gear, clothing bags, full saddle bags) and I managed to slow it down enough that he finally started moving away from me - then cut right in front of me and off the right side of the road. An hour later I was still shaking over that incident. jim