If you have been a motorcyclist for a long enough period of time you are bound to get hit by something, maybe a rock or a bug. On our ride the other day something happened that I still keep replaying in my mind. This bird tangled with my arm and I think my arm won! Yes, I feel bad because I'm not one to kill birds and animals. Monique and RJ said it was a sight to be seen. Feathers flying every which way and then splat. I'm sorry Mr. Bird but you should have stayed out of my air space!
What kinds of things have you tangled with on the road?
14 comments:
Last August, while riding down the Natchez Trace, a wild turkey chased me and almost took the pillion position. Harley was riding behind me and he also said watching me from behind was pretty humorous. I had to kick my feet out to try to dissuade it from continuing it's attack and then I had to duck hard and kiss the gas tank while it flew up around my head, feathers all a flappin'! I thought I was going to get lifted up by it's talons. LOL!
Encounters like this are just part of it. Ride on!
I saw a similar thing happen with my brother on our cross country trip recently. He was riding his BMW GS Adventure in front of me and 2 birds came swooping on him, one passed in front of him, the other hit one of his side bags, did 2 or 3 pirouettes right in front of me and crashed to the ground dead not too far from my front wheel. My brother didn't even know until I told him later, he felt so bad. I have had close calls but never hit one :-)
Glad you are OK. I have tangled with a bird and a rodent or two. Almost met up with a moose this summer, but he turned back into the woods and I am glad.
Most recently tangled with a Tahoe. I lost that battle (but I am healing up OK) and my less than 4 month old Venture lost and is now in the salvage yard.
Be careful out there.
Because I've never been one to run with a windshield, I've taken all sorts of things in the puss.
Extremely large june bugs in the center of the forehead have left some marks. I once rode into a hail storm with hail the size of golf balls. The worst was riding into a swarm of mayflies.
If you've never experienced a mayfly swarm, see the video here:
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/weird-true-freaky-mayflies-invade-minnesota.html
Welcome to the world of the motorcyclist! That was a big one too! Glad you are safe and handled it. Being hit by debris is just part of the ride...one reason to gear up, in particular the face. On the road to Sturgis this year I got bombarded by rocks, bugs,cigarettes and, a lot of grasshoppers/Katy Dids! The grasshoppers hurt. They also leave a good bruise. My hands were a hurtin', and my boots were covered with guts at the end of the ride. What a rush!
Never hit a bird. Ran over a squirrel once (http://ontwowheels-eh.blogspot.com/2009/09/thump-thump.html), and a dead dog - at night, in the middle of a corner. But I'm with Dean - there's nothing like a June Bug at 70 mph hitting you square in the middle of the forehead to get your attention.
OUCH! So glad you are ok. Birds, it seems, have this penchant for dive bombing my Heritage, especially the redwing blackbirds. They LOVE to buzz me while I am cruising thru the less travelled backroads. I thinnk about the worst I have had are BATS! Yes bats. Unfortunately the windshield does little to keep them away, and its usually while I am riding thru some of the park areas and about twilight at night. I have hit three or four with my widshield, and one skidded off the top of my head and into the grill of the trailing dumptruck behind me. Left a bit of a blood trail across the top of the windhield and over my helmet. Lately I just cruise the Ave any more, because riding thru the neighborhood park areas is turning dangerous.
gotta say, be proud of yourself, sounds like you didnt freak or panic when the bird tried to share the wind. surprises like that can really un-nerve people sometimes.
lets see, recently... i hit a snake saturday and my cheek was bit by a rock (i think). current biggy, my IBA 8/18 ride, either i imagined it or a deer jumped out in front of me and jumped back to the side of the road, in the dark.
old one... the one time i became instantly nauseous riding, i rode up 2-3 bikes behind a guy who had just hit a bear while riding 2up. that was a seriously bad scene.
Glad you fared this one O.K.
I've never hit a bird, but been close. I always fear getting stabbed by the beak if I did hit one though.
Hit a little bird once. Hit my helmet and when I took it off about a mile away you'd a thought I got hit with a 10lb hammer. Slight impacked concusion. Nearly hit deer a few times. Because of that I try NOT to ride after dark once deer season opens Oct 1st. Oh yea once I thought I hit a BIG bug in the teeth and mouth. Went to wipe it away and it was a huge pile of black and white bird shit. Power slid to a stop at a party store ran in grabed a pop and washed my mouth out real fast I did:)
bwahahahahahaha! IHG rides a murdercycle, IHG rides a murdercycle, neener, neener, neeeeeeeeennnnneeerrr!
You's a stone cold killer! You need to paint a bird icon on the side of your bike now like the fighter pilots do for every bogey they shot down.
I have deep sixed 1 snake, 5 rabbits, 2 squirrels, 1 cat, 1 coyote or fox...couldn't tell which it was. 2 small birds, 1 pigeon, 1 hawk and at least half a dozen squirrels. Lets not even talk about huge ass bugs. That has to be in the thousands and thousands. Some so big they chipped the paint or pitted my goggles. (Why you should always have eye protection...I'm a believer.) Been stung inside the nose, tongue and ears several times.
It's a bikers life! Ain't it grand! Oh yeah...B.B. and I took out a 4 foot in diameter tumbleweek a few weeks ago...now that was a trip. It exploded like a bomb!
I had a run in with an evening Bat a few years ago. I heard and felt something hit then I kept hearing this fluttering sound. I looked at my left rear mirror and this small bat's body was wrapped the mirror arm. It was pretty freaky and sent chills up my spine seeing it. I'd gone about a half mile wondering what the heck that sound was.
Poof! Poor bird. Poor arm. But I'm glad I was there to see it! Is that sadistic or what?
Besides, you couldn't help it if the bird-world air traffic control system didn't divert the path of an errant bird. Chirp chirp, wha? Splat!
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