Posted by sleazy on May 25, 2008, 6:46 am
> Questions and observations:
>
> a)I didn't realize that a deer can do so much to a car. His car was
> really screwed up.
Yes, so was mine during a 70 mph glancing blow to a doe on 696/96/M5
interchange two Novembers ago. The car sustained $1400 in damage when
the deer glanced off the front right headlight. She split the plastic
bumper, took out the driving light, headlight and crumpled the right
fender. The hood did not get damaged somehow.
> b)If I had struck a deer, what is the likely outcome? If someone says
> "death", I accept that answer, but I'd be curious as to how that
> typically happens. A deer doesn't weigh that much (maybe 150 lbs.,
> typically), and it seems like it might be fairly soft as far as
> obstacles go ... unclear what it would do to a rider at, say, 70-80 MPH.
Death, serious injury or you might walk away with a severely damaged
bike. It all depend on how the FSM looks upon you that day. Deer are
*not* soft impact items. Too much bone and muscle in their bodies to
merely disintegrate on impact without serious mass behind it.
>
> c)Any strategies for minimizing exposure to deer? Not riding at night
> seems pretty sane, but any others?
Slow down a bit at night, scan the shoulders and add some light to your
bike. I run PIAA 510s on the BMW and will be adding some sort of
driving lights to the Trophy very soon.
>
> d)Somehow naively I had assumed that deer don't cross the interstates
> (only roads and 2-lane highways). Wrong!
Welcome to a late realization. I've seen deer in some of the strangest
places. Can you believe there is a good size herd in downtown Detroit?
Apparently you haven't been watching the ditches along our
interstates. There are many dead carcasses littering our freeways and
huge blood smears on the pavement. An 18 wheeler makes them pretty
much explode on impact.
Posted by Stupendous Man on May 25, 2008, 9:21 am
Back in the mid 80s I moved from San Diego to the Sierras. I had learned in
the sparse south that I could go faster on mountain roads at night because
headlights would announce oncoming vehicles before they came around the
curves. Fortunately my education to "hooved rats" came in a Jeep.
Posted by Fred Klingener on May 25, 2008, 11:02 am
> On I-94 tonight West of Ann Arbor, Michigan at around 3 a.m.
> Riding too fast (maybe 80), about the same as other traffic.
> Suddenly, out of nowhere, at least 3 deer crossing the road on a vector
> intercept with me.
Hitting a deer at highway speeds on a bike can absolutely be fatal to both.
Google 'motorcycle deer fatalities.'
For me, the most important thing to do when I see a deer crossing the road
is to start looking for the second and third following. I think a fawn or
yearling is much more likely to freeze in the road.
It's well established behavior that deer, standing by the side of the road,
will sometimes bolt toward headlights at the last instant. A zoologist
friend speculates that they're spooked by the shadows cast behind them, but
who knows.
Around here (western CT), deer crossings seem to be much more numerous
during some weather conditions. Late summer evening after rains seem to be
particularly bad. Around home, I know their behavior and their crossings, so
I drive slowly and haul down hard if I spot deer.
Deer on Interstates, although I haven't had to deal with them on a bike, are
much more dangerous, because of the way cagers around you respond. Or don't.
I try to cultivate a response to any interstate 'event' that gets me hauled
down off the roadway.
There have been times in Alaska I've simply parked my cage because of the
density of moose by the roadside. Driving was just too tense.
My bike's previous owner installed deer sirens, plastic whistles that are
supposed to make a hypersound warning to deer and, presumably, dogs. I
haven't removed them because they may work and they don't seem to have any
downside, except looking dorky.
Carry a small camp stove so if you hit one, cook the liver, tongue, and nose
right away, so you have something to nibble on while you're cleaning the
rest.
Be careful out there,
Fred
Posted by Jeff on May 25, 2008, 2:39 pm
>> On I-94 tonight West of Ann Arbor, Michigan at around 3 a.m.
>>
>> Riding too fast (maybe 80), about the same as other traffic.
>>
>> Suddenly, out of nowhere, at least 3 deer crossing the road on a
>> vector intercept with me.
>>
>
> Hitting a deer at highway speeds on a bike can absolutely be fatal to
> both. Google 'motorcycle deer fatalities.'
>
> For me, the most important thing to do when I see a deer crossing the
> road is to start looking for the second and third following. I think a
> fawn or yearling is much more likely to freeze in the road.
>
> It's well established behavior that deer, standing by the side of the
> road, will sometimes bolt toward headlights at the last instant. A
> zoologist friend speculates that they're spooked by the shadows cast
> behind them, but who knows.
>
> Around here (western CT), deer crossings seem to be much more numerous
> during some weather conditions. Late summer evening after rains seem
> to be particularly bad. Around home, I know their behavior and their
> crossings, so I drive slowly and haul down hard if I spot deer.
>
> Deer on Interstates, although I haven't had to deal with them on a
> bike, are much more dangerous, because of the way cagers around you
> respond. Or don't. I try to cultivate a response to any interstate
> 'event' that gets me hauled down off the roadway.
>
> There have been times in Alaska I've simply parked my cage because of
> the density of moose by the roadside. Driving was just too tense.
>
> My bike's previous owner installed deer sirens, plastic whistles that
> are supposed to make a hypersound warning to deer and, presumably,
> dogs. I haven't removed them because they may work and they don't seem
> to have any downside, except looking dorky.
>
I've heard that skunks hear those whistles too and don't like them. They
are likely to spray some "perfume" as you drive past them.
> Carry a small camp stove so if you hit one, cook the liver, tongue,
> and nose right away, so you have something to nibble on while you're
> cleaning the rest.
>
> Be careful out there,
> Fred
>
>
Posted by Susan \(CobbersMom\) on May 25, 2008, 10:30 pm
"Fred Klingener" <> wrote in message > Carry a small camp stove so if you
hit one, cook the liver, tongue, and nose > right away, so you have
something to nibble on while you're cleaning the > rest.
Heck, you can have the backstraps out in a matter of minutes and have
something much more tastey on the stove.
I like unzipping roadkills from the backside. Lately the guts have been
pulverized and I've only been getting the backstraps. But the local
wildlife have enjoyed a generous feast in my back yard!
Sue
Minocqua, WI
Yamaha '00 VStar 650
'04 TW200 (mud = fun)
Kawasaki '95 Vulcan 1500 V#15937
A crow has seven pinion feathers at the ends of his wings and a raven has
eight. Therefore the difference between a crow and a raven is a matter of a
pinion.
XML Sitemap
>
> a)I didn't realize that a deer can do so much to a car. His car was
> really screwed up.