FJR vs. Bear

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Gmann

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2010
Messages
158
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54
Location
Vancouver Island, B.C.
Saved this for a Friday post.

After nearly 70,000 carefree kilometers on my 06 it all came to an end last weekend.....

I finished installing Winpro's induction plates, Justins LR4's and and a fuse block it was time for a late evening ride to test the lights. The lights worked fantastic. After an hours ride it was time to head home. Passing through the small village of Cowichan Bay with only the low beams on I headed up a small hill travelling the posted speed limit of 60kph (40mph) this black mass erupts from the shadows on the side of the road. I had enough time to think "Bear" and I was instantly flying through my brand new Cee Bailey, Airborne, waiting for the inevitable impact with the tarmac.

I had perfectly T-boned the running black bear with out enough time to even close the throttle. Landing on my head and shoulder I tumbled for a ways before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. Luckily it was a small secondary road with little traffic at 11:00 pm. Jumping up to try and get my bike off the road before some cager drove into it in the darkness. I found the FJR parked 2 feet from the from pavement edge on the right side of the road, perfectly aligned in the direction I was going, upside down balancing on the handle bars and rear rack. I pushed it over to get it to the side of the road and off the pavement.

Neighbors arrived to see what had happened as the bike must of made hell of a racket tumbling down the quiet street spewing plastic in all directions. I told them what had happened and they were shinning flash lights into the forest were they could see a pair of eyes staring back at them, Fearful of an injured bear no one wanted to get to close including the cops who arrived soon after. After being carted away in the ambulance I heard the cops waited with shotguns drawn for the conservation officer to arrive.

Anyhow, As a rider who has always been an ATGATT believer since motorcycle mishaps as a crazy teenager I hobbled away with only a badly sprained ankle with a bone chip as well as a detached ligament in my thumb with a couple more bone chips thrown in for fun. Both appendges wiil probably need surgery.

To finish the story the cops came back the next morning to see if they could find the bear in the forest. They walked in a very short distance and found only a marijuana plantation but no bear! I think the bike is a write-off.....

Gerald (Gmann)

 
Well, poo-poo! Bears are heavier than deer, aren't they? You should be more selective with what you hit!!!

And why does this happen immediately after spending money on the thing??????

But it's good that you're (mostly) OK. Are you gonna get a reward for the pot garden???

 
Maybe the bear had medical marijuana needs prior to being hit, and was on his way home after visiting his "Pharmacy". He definitely has need for his medical marijuana now.

Sorry to hear about your crash, that totally sucks. Glad to hear you made it mostly intact. Kudos for being ATGATT. Hopefully, no surgery in your future.

Those red '14's sure are Purdy!

Heal up fast, and keep us posted.

Greg

 
Gmann,

Very glad to hear that you came out OK. Obviously it could have been much worse. A replacement bike and new farkles for it can be purchased, but we each only get one shot at the staying alive thing.

 
Damn, my wife were just talking about this scenario while on a July Fourth Benefit Ride today. I imagined the bear, bike and rider(s) would all be much worse off than before the impact, but did not think the furry big creature would be fairly injured and able to just get up and walk away.

I guess us humans are more resilient that I thought (and I'm surprised the bear was not injured more too)! Seriously, glad to hear you had relatively minor injuries since it could have been much worse.

Now to shop for a new bike!

 
Very happy to read you are more or less ok all things considered.

ATGATT saved my ass when Bambi did your bear impersonation during broad daylight.

 
You are very lucky even though it may not seem like it at the moment... could've gone all kinds of bad so glad it wasn't too bad... like Fred said, bikes can be replaced... people not so much. Heal well!

 
Thanks everyone for the kind words! Luckily for me the black bears on Vancouver Island are not that big. Bike goes in on Monday for appraisal. It is amazingly undamaged from the gas tank back. My new to me Smuggler is untouched.

Hell with the bear I think I am the one who needs the medical mari-jane!

Cheers,

G.

 
Well, I am glad to hear that you are not too badly damaged.

Chances are that you did some serious damage to the bear and he wandered off somewhere to heal or die. Good thing he didn't decide to stick around and hit you back.

 
ATGATT... I am with you. Had a similar incident exactly 1 year ago to the day. You never know what will run out of the brush and trees. Glad you are ok.

 
Glad to hear you were able to walk away from that one. Even with the best gear, it could have been much worse. I know (like you) how those animals can dart out from the side of the road and impale themselves on the front of the bike so quickly there's no reaction time. Good luck with the insurance (hope you had comprehensive) and hope you're back in the saddle shortly.

 
If Dcarver can fix his, you can fix your's. Start collecting parts now. It will cost you less than you think, unless you want all new parts from Yamaha. I have quite a few spares, but they are all Gen1s.

 
Damn, bro! Glad you were (relatively) unscathed. Betcha that bear has some bruise/cracked ribs, but not surprised he/she apparently wasn't killed. Bears are some tough.

Hope your insurance gets you a new bike

 
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