Like the old saying goes, “The Lord looks after fools and drunks.”
Judging by the video on the above right, this guy definitely was not drunk, but he seems to be a bit of a fool.
He was doing speeds of 80+ mph, on a rainy day, through a heavily wooded road.
His poor decisions aside, he really is a good rider. Notice the speed at impact -- 72 mph... And he DIDN’T dump his motorcycle! Now HOW did he do that?
Sure, luck played a part, it was a glancing blow from the deer. But a less experienced rider still would have been toast. Watch the vid, there are a few lessons we can learn:
-
1) Obviously, ride defensively, and Minimize the danger to yourself in the first place. Speed lowers your reaction time, and rain makes for slick road surfaces (especially a light rain such as that in the video -- where all it does is make oil residue rise to the road surface), and heavily wooded roads dramatically decrease your visibility (you won’t be able to see the deer until it leaps out in front of you, and the deer won’t see YOU until then either).
-
-
2) However, one just can’t be 100% safe while riding. Nothing could have stopped that deer from jumping out into the road, after all. So if you simply can not avoid a road hazard, and you know an impact is coming -- whether it’s from a furry woodland creature, or some road debris -- Keep the wheel straight.
-
-
3) Inertia can be your friend, or your foe. Do not turn the wheel at the time of impact. That will guarantee that you’ll not be able to maintain control. However, with inertia on your side, you may be able to brace yourself and power through the hit, as this rider did.
-
-
4) Do not lock the brakes. This could send you fishtailing into the impact -- which could mean that you hit the deer (or whatever) sideways... NOT good. You and your bike WILL become airborne. And after the impact, if you lock it, you could lose control and do more damage to you and your bike than the impact itself.
I used to work at a bike shop, and I’ve seen some really messed up bikes (& bikers) after a deer vs. motorcycle crashes.
He is one LUCKY guy... But also, he did the right things, in a bad situation.
Be careful out there. The deer get restless in Fall.
