New Bike...Just Down!

[Mighty Mouse]

Nah, that's my much better looking little brother. A common mistake.

 

[Mikethebear]

Just received my new 2021 R3 GT. Breaking it in with 150 miles on it, hit a herd of deer and have been recuperating for about four weeks after having been thrown from the bike on a highway in NJ.
Spent ICU and hospital time.
Damage to the bike seems mainly cosmetic but I'm just not willing to ride a bike with $17000 worth of "Cosmetic" damage to it so will be getting a new one.
My recovery is slow and painful but there was no avoiding this herd which appeared in front of me before I could even hit the brakes.
am 77 years old so recovery seems to be forever.

I just saw this post... I hope you feel and you are getting better... I'm still in recovery from my broken pelvis... it got split open... Called an open book pelvic fracture. 30 years as a nurse and I had to look it up. They are very rare and hardly ever happen. But instead of the lottery, I got this...lol... Was not caused by a herd of deer though but an 18 year old kid on his cell phone and running a stop sign. I've had a few accidents over the years but this was the worst. I hope to be you someday... 77 yrs old and still going strong and riding... I love rockets but Indians are beautiful bikes. Hang in there buddy and don't worry. You will be back in the saddle again before you know it.. I hope next time the deer stay on the side of the road and don't run out to meet you. Take care, you have a lot of miles ahead of you....

 

[Lemieuxfan]

How nice for all these well wishes. The awful thing about this experience was its unavoidability! You are simply a victim of circumstance.
I've been riding for 60 years, have done yearly cross country trips amounting to tens of thousands of miles and NEVER hit a deer before.
Now....10 minutes from my house at my ridiculous age...BAM! Maybe going 40-50 mph and killed two deer....They almost killed me!
I'd say be careful if I had any advice about how to avoid this issue but I do not have a single word!

a month or so back i had a real close encounter with a deer- about 9:30pm at night going about 45-50mph deer came out of field on right side then next thing you know he was right on me i braked then veered to the left hand lane (thankfully there was no oncoming vehicle) he was so close i grazed his head with my elbow) was able to stay on bike get back to house and got real spiritual. (no atheists in the foxhole)
I got one of those cone deer whistles and have it mounted right above radiator- i recommend everybody get one it may save your life and your bike

 

[zenbiker]

I am saddened to hear of this brother. I know how it fells hitting a fawn and totaling an FZ-1, but each crash is different. What speed did you hit the heard at?

45-50..about

 

[zenbiker]

I basically don't ride at night anymore, rarely even in a car. Went to store the other night, deer crossed in front of me on the way there, on the way home, 6 or 7 miles, tops, 2 deer and a fox crossed, one deer just stood in the road until I came to a complete stop. My wife and I have each hit 3 in the 32 years I have lived out in the swamps.

this accident happened at 12:30 in the afternoon in perfect sunlight!

 

[Tripps]

Follow up, I now have 4 hits. Our dog went into seizures, found an emergency vet in Tallahassee, jumped in her brand new car with 300 miles on it and set out, hit a deer within 5 miles. $8600 damage, in the shop for 5 months due to supply chain issues, the dog died, and the vet charged us $1100.

 

[Bob R]

Hope you get better soon. I have only hit two animals in my nearly 60 years of riding and they were both decades ago. The first one I hit totaled my Yamaha twin 100 (remember those?), it was a small Falcon, made by Ford that pulled out in front of me.

The second totaled my twin 100 replacement, a Yamaha Catalina 250 twin. It was a buffalo (American Bison), It was dark and those things reflect exactly zero light. I hit him broadside doing about 40. I went over him, he lay down grunting and bellowing, I laid down grunting and try to breath. I knew I had to move before him because he was likely going to be pissed. I managed to get to the side of the road, he managed to get up and wander off. A Highway Patrolman came along and we manhandled the bike into his trunk and he dropped me off at home.

get better soon! sorry for that, one of my main concerns (and black bears) when riding in the mountains...

I would worry about the bear eating me after he got me dismounted.

bob

 

[Brodrock]

Follow up, I now have 4 hits. Our dog went into seizures, found an emergency vet in Tallahassee, jumped in her brand new car with 300 miles on it and set out, hit a deer within 5 miles. $8600 damage, in the shop for 5 months due to supply chain issues, the dog died, and the vet charged us $1100.

Boooo! Find a new vet.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Boooo! Find a new vet.

In California if you need an 'emergency' vet after hours you might as well take out a second on the house and bend over. It's like 4 times the price of a regular vet visit. It truly is shocking. The not so funny part is they know most animals are family so they can charge what they want and in my area they certainly do.

 

[Brodrock]

In California if you need an 'emergency' vet after hours you might as well take out a second on the house and bend over. It's like 4 times the price of a regular vet visit. It truly is shocking. The not so funny part is they know most animals are family so they can charge what they want and in my area they certainly do.

Grrrrrrrr!