surfinfazer
Junior Member
Well, you can already see where this story is going... I hit a deer on the fz6 this Sunday. I was cruising around the backroads in the area at around 6:30 or 7:00 PM, and out pops bambi. Given the speed I was traveling (umm... the posted speed limit of 45mph, because it would be wrong to do ten over...) and the fact that it came out from solid woods which were only around ten feet away from the road, there was no warning and not really any time to react. There was no deer, then boom, I was smacking one at full speed. I honestly believe that no amount of training or ability could have prevented this. (Before someone points it out, I do know that not riding at dusk probably would have.) Obviously however, not every situation is this fast and blind, and being able and comfortable with emergency stopping and avoiding are extremely important. I think we can all practice more, and can always be better. I know I can...
As for the damage, I would have to say that all things considered, I came out very lucky. I went down pretty hard, and slid for what looks like about 50-60 feet, and my bike went an additional 10-20 feet. As always, I was geared up and ready, but I was not wearing my riding pants... yup, pretty stupid huh? So, I have pretty bad rash on my knees, and a little on my forearm where the armor in my jacket slid out of place at some point. Other than that, and feeling pretty beat up all over, I walked away from the accident just fine. No broken anything, no head/neck/back injuries, nothing. I can't begin to describe how lucky I feel. Amazing. No doubt being fully geared (except pants) kept me from being more injured.
How about the bike? Well, I am still waiting for the insurance company to call me and let me know the decision on the value of the damage, but it doesn't look good. It is truly amazing how fast the price of parts and labor can add up. The bike went down on the right side, and slid for what looks like about 70 feet give or take, ending up in the dirt on the side of the road. This managed to scrape and damage virtually every single piece of the bike that is on the right side, with the lone exception of the front fork. Not exagerating. Anything and everything got at least scratched if not destroyed. However, the bike does not look "mangled" or "totaled". It still rides, pretty well actually. Engine fired right up, everything seemed good at first, except obviously the cosmetic damage. Well, after my head cleared and I started thinking about it, the frame and engine are expensive parts, and given the fact that most insurance companies replace and not repair, those two alone would be worth half the price of the bike... easy. Then tally up everything else, and it started to look a bit more grim. The insurance adjuster came by a day or two ago, and after looking things over, he told me that he thinks it will be a total loss. Still need to hear from them to confirm that, but I don't really expect to hear otherwise.
The gear is probably obvious, I will be getting new everything. The helmet (HJC ac-12) didn't show any signs of damage, but it's not worth taking a chance on. Besides, the insurance company will buy me a new one, so I'll be taking them up on it. I'll likely go with something different though, probably a Shoei or Arai. The jacket (Cortech GX-air) is toast, however I feel that it did it's job admirably. I'll be getting something different there too, maybe an Aerostich or something in that direction. I'll have to front the bill for that though. My gloves (Technic Supervents) didn't take much damage, but they did take enough to weaken them beyond their ability to do this again, so I'll get a new pair. I liked them, and will likely get the same thing again... we'll see. My jeans were shredded like a pack of wild dogs attacked them, and the road rash and the bruising will reinforce what I already knew but didn't follow. ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME!!!!!! Dumb dumb dumb... I can't believe that I wasn't wearing them.
Well, I know that I was extremely lucky, and have definitely learned a huge lesson that will not soon be forgotten. I have read stories like this before, and I still didn't wear the complete gear every time. But, even though it never hit home for me, I hope that I can play my little part in inspiring everyone else to gear up. If one person wears more gear because of this story, than it was worth sharing... otherwise it's just a waste. Wear your gear! I learned the hard way, and still was super lucky to only get minor injuries. You may not be so lucky.
Thank you for reading my story, and ride safe!!!
:Sport:
As for the damage, I would have to say that all things considered, I came out very lucky. I went down pretty hard, and slid for what looks like about 50-60 feet, and my bike went an additional 10-20 feet. As always, I was geared up and ready, but I was not wearing my riding pants... yup, pretty stupid huh? So, I have pretty bad rash on my knees, and a little on my forearm where the armor in my jacket slid out of place at some point. Other than that, and feeling pretty beat up all over, I walked away from the accident just fine. No broken anything, no head/neck/back injuries, nothing. I can't begin to describe how lucky I feel. Amazing. No doubt being fully geared (except pants) kept me from being more injured.
How about the bike? Well, I am still waiting for the insurance company to call me and let me know the decision on the value of the damage, but it doesn't look good. It is truly amazing how fast the price of parts and labor can add up. The bike went down on the right side, and slid for what looks like about 70 feet give or take, ending up in the dirt on the side of the road. This managed to scrape and damage virtually every single piece of the bike that is on the right side, with the lone exception of the front fork. Not exagerating. Anything and everything got at least scratched if not destroyed. However, the bike does not look "mangled" or "totaled". It still rides, pretty well actually. Engine fired right up, everything seemed good at first, except obviously the cosmetic damage. Well, after my head cleared and I started thinking about it, the frame and engine are expensive parts, and given the fact that most insurance companies replace and not repair, those two alone would be worth half the price of the bike... easy. Then tally up everything else, and it started to look a bit more grim. The insurance adjuster came by a day or two ago, and after looking things over, he told me that he thinks it will be a total loss. Still need to hear from them to confirm that, but I don't really expect to hear otherwise.
The gear is probably obvious, I will be getting new everything. The helmet (HJC ac-12) didn't show any signs of damage, but it's not worth taking a chance on. Besides, the insurance company will buy me a new one, so I'll be taking them up on it. I'll likely go with something different though, probably a Shoei or Arai. The jacket (Cortech GX-air) is toast, however I feel that it did it's job admirably. I'll be getting something different there too, maybe an Aerostich or something in that direction. I'll have to front the bill for that though. My gloves (Technic Supervents) didn't take much damage, but they did take enough to weaken them beyond their ability to do this again, so I'll get a new pair. I liked them, and will likely get the same thing again... we'll see. My jeans were shredded like a pack of wild dogs attacked them, and the road rash and the bruising will reinforce what I already knew but didn't follow. ALL THE GEAR ALL THE TIME!!!!!! Dumb dumb dumb... I can't believe that I wasn't wearing them.
Well, I know that I was extremely lucky, and have definitely learned a huge lesson that will not soon be forgotten. I have read stories like this before, and I still didn't wear the complete gear every time. But, even though it never hit home for me, I hope that I can play my little part in inspiring everyone else to gear up. If one person wears more gear because of this story, than it was worth sharing... otherwise it's just a waste. Wear your gear! I learned the hard way, and still was super lucky to only get minor injuries. You may not be so lucky.
Thank you for reading my story, and ride safe!!!
:Sport:
