dcarver
Well-known member
Left the house early, 0630, to meet other riders in Arroyo Grande at 0730, on an intercept mission to meet Barabus and the So Cal gang on the Cierro Noestre ride. The morning dawned beautiful with the hope and promise of a great day.
When Bambi decided to impede my path of forward progression.
Background info... Early morning light, on schedule, not in a hurry. Same road I commute on 4x week, never seen deer, ever, in that location. Honestly, can't say if Bambi was bounding or stationary, but the moment of realization that impact was certain was instantaneous. Applied front and rear brakes to ABS lock up, then realized the hit was going to happen.
First thought - and a direct quote - 'this is going to fucking hurt', 'I'm going over the top, glad I have all my gear on'.
Immediately followed by 'hit it square'
Followed by 'Don't hit with the front end compressed'...
So I released all brakes and just fucking t-boned Bambi, right in her mid-section.
Her hind legs straddled the left, the front legs the right of the bike. The front fender slid under the belly and lifted her up, off the ground, where Bambi, bike and me traveled for over 500? 800? feet before she slid off to the left, catching my leg and foot as she went by.
I took a quick look and saw Bambi still along for the ride then realized that I wasn't 'riding the bike' and looked up to the road.. and road the bike. It was sketchy, but I was on asphalt, the bike was upright.
I recall thinking 'I can't believe I'm still upright' immediately followed by 'ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike as the FJR disintegrated and flew by to left, right, and over me in slow motion.
Then, it was just over. Simply, over. I didn't crash, didn't fall, just stopped. Just stopped. The bike was still running, but nothing looked the same. Did a U turn, heard plastic crunching, got to a safe spot, killed the ignition and just, well, just looked at the carnage.
A nice guy on the way to his job at DeCou Lumber stopped, about 1 or 2 minutes later, asked if I was OK -- he couldn't believe his eyes.. a rider up, walking around a bike decimated, and Bambi dead. Plastic and FJR parts all over the road...
Dead Bambi
Mr. DeCou lumber and I kicked FJR parts off the road to prevent someone else from problems, then I RODE the wounded FJR home, approximately 5 miles back to the house. Got the truck, returned to the scene for more fotos and to pick up parts..
Dead fucking Bambi
The dogs loved the new eu de deer bambi scent..
Dead FJR
Dead deer in FJR headlights look....
Moral of the story - I don't know if there is one.
I will say that posts on this forum were very beneficial to me during this crisis. The phrase 'ride the bike, ride the bike' just kept echoing in my ears over the 6 eternities this event occurred. I never gave up, never closed my eyes, kept my focus on coming to a safe stop. Somewhere, I had read that hitting a deer with the front end compressed could lead to lifting the deer over the top and taking out the rider. Not sure if that's a true fact.. but it's amazing how many thoughts you can process in a very short period of time while in a crisis situation.
Walked away
When Bambi decided to impede my path of forward progression.
Background info... Early morning light, on schedule, not in a hurry. Same road I commute on 4x week, never seen deer, ever, in that location. Honestly, can't say if Bambi was bounding or stationary, but the moment of realization that impact was certain was instantaneous. Applied front and rear brakes to ABS lock up, then realized the hit was going to happen.
First thought - and a direct quote - 'this is going to fucking hurt', 'I'm going over the top, glad I have all my gear on'.
Immediately followed by 'hit it square'
Followed by 'Don't hit with the front end compressed'...
So I released all brakes and just fucking t-boned Bambi, right in her mid-section.
Her hind legs straddled the left, the front legs the right of the bike. The front fender slid under the belly and lifted her up, off the ground, where Bambi, bike and me traveled for over 500? 800? feet before she slid off to the left, catching my leg and foot as she went by.
I took a quick look and saw Bambi still along for the ride then realized that I wasn't 'riding the bike' and looked up to the road.. and road the bike. It was sketchy, but I was on asphalt, the bike was upright.
I recall thinking 'I can't believe I'm still upright' immediately followed by 'ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike, ride the bike as the FJR disintegrated and flew by to left, right, and over me in slow motion.
Then, it was just over. Simply, over. I didn't crash, didn't fall, just stopped. Just stopped. The bike was still running, but nothing looked the same. Did a U turn, heard plastic crunching, got to a safe spot, killed the ignition and just, well, just looked at the carnage.
A nice guy on the way to his job at DeCou Lumber stopped, about 1 or 2 minutes later, asked if I was OK -- he couldn't believe his eyes.. a rider up, walking around a bike decimated, and Bambi dead. Plastic and FJR parts all over the road...
Dead Bambi
Mr. DeCou lumber and I kicked FJR parts off the road to prevent someone else from problems, then I RODE the wounded FJR home, approximately 5 miles back to the house. Got the truck, returned to the scene for more fotos and to pick up parts..
Dead fucking Bambi
The dogs loved the new eu de deer bambi scent..
Dead FJR
Dead deer in FJR headlights look....
Moral of the story - I don't know if there is one.
I will say that posts on this forum were very beneficial to me during this crisis. The phrase 'ride the bike, ride the bike' just kept echoing in my ears over the 6 eternities this event occurred. I never gave up, never closed my eyes, kept my focus on coming to a safe stop. Somewhere, I had read that hitting a deer with the front end compressed could lead to lifting the deer over the top and taking out the rider. Not sure if that's a true fact.. but it's amazing how many thoughts you can process in a very short period of time while in a crisis situation.
Walked away 
