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This never ends well......

xp8103

New member
http://www.kjonline.com/news/man-dies-when-motocycle-hits-moose_2012-09-02.html

If you've EVER seen one on the side of the road, they ARE the quintessential "immovable object". Hitting one in a car is a near death sentence. I'm afraid hitting one on a bike is tragic.

I live in a suburban area of our capital city. The interstate off ramp is 1/4 mile from my house. I was coming home a couple weeks ago down my road about 8:30 pm in my truck and a cow (female moose) ran right across the road in front of me. I have a 1-ton 4wd Ram and I was looking it directly in the eye. Fortunately I wasn't going that fast and could stop.
 
I rode through New Hampshire and Maine this past saturday myself. I kept seeing the "Moose Crossing" signs and actually wanted to see a moose. Now I'm not so disappointed for not seeing any.
 
I passed by one near the roadside earlier in the season while riding up in VT. I can honestly say that an instant pucker reaction immediately occurs, and secondly, that is a very large animal to look up at from the seat of a bike! :brow
 
Moose are deadly. They are 8-10 times the weight of a deer. Their height means even in a car if you clip their legs a half ton carcass comes straight through the windshield. You rarely hear of a deer collision killing the occupants of a car. It's all too common when hitting moose.

Fortunately moose are slower moving and less skittish than deer, but if you see one slow right down and proceed with extreme caution.
 
++32232 - MOOSE ARE DEADLY

15 or so years ago I had one run into the SIDE of a van load of kids on a school field trip. I was doing about 20 or so mph on the opposite side of the road parallell to the moose's direction of travel. Thought I was past her when she decided to make a sharp left turn. Head came through the windshield, seven grand damage to the side of the van; not a mark on the front. Fortunatly the kids were fine other than a bit of glass in hair and clothing, but it did shorten the field trip.

When a moose decides to go somewhere, it goes.
 
Don't ride at night.

If you do, you take on the risk of hitting moose, deer, assorted critters that you will rarely be able to see to stop in time.

We stayed in northern NH one summer night. We had the car, and decided to go out and see the stars because it was very clear and moonless night. Driving along an empty 2-lane road at night at slow speed we encountered a moose across our path. We were going very slowly and had no trouble stopping. I would not have wanted to be traveling on the bike trying to make miles in that situation.

Harry
 
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I was the primary driver of a Prevost XL coach for a music group for 18 mo. I made a rule for all of us that drove the thing:
"if you see a deer in the road, hit it square and don't do anything else. The 300 lb SS front bumper would take care of it. If you have a cow or a moose in the road, you should consider slowing down before hitting it..." :nyah

The moose and bovines are high enough and massive enough that the entire front end of that bus would collapse and guess who's going to be eating raw meat?
 
I've seen plenty, both on the road and off . One reason moose are so dangerous is that they're practically impossible to see at night. They are VERY dark and reflect almost NO light, and may be moving slowly or not at all. Driving/riding at night, by the time you realize it's a moose, chances are it's too late. At least deer and horses reflect a bit of light. And the previous comment about height. . moose stand so high--considerably higher than a horse-- that if you hit them in a car, they come through your windshield while with deer, your hood takes at least some of the impact. On a bike. . .hitting a moose would be like running into a tree trunk across the road at about 3-1/2 to 4 feet high. An adult bull runs from 700-1400 lbs or so in the northeast, and bigger in the far north (Alaska).
 
The only moose meat I have eaten was delicious, but I think trying to kill one with a motorcycle is inadvisable - how would you get all that meat home on a bike?

If you ride a sport bike though and find one standing in the middle of the road at 90 degrees to your path of travel - aim for the middle, accelerate, and duck. How many people can claim they have ridden beneath a moose? Wear your helmet cam on the side so you don't tickle its tummy.
 
Two years ago on the Elliot Hwy north of Fairbanks a traveler was attacked by a moose. He stopped to put some rain gear on and as he started to leave a large cow moose crossed the road in front of him. He paused and let the moose cross and then began to accelerate once the moose was entering the trees. The moose wheeled about and ran into the rider. Both went down but the moose got up and stomped the rider and then continued on its way. The downed riders girlfriend (a trauma nurse) was following and found him with his helmet turned on his head 90 degrees causing him to choke. Thankfully her training kicked in and she got the helmet off so he could breath but supported his neck properly. The rider had a broken neck, head trauma and several other broken bones. He was flown to Seattle and did recover after several months in a halo. Bike was totaled.

Best guess is that there was a calf following the cow moose and the rider got between the two so momma moose attacked. Moose are not to be trifled with.
 
If you ride a sport bike though and find one standing in the middle of the road at 90 degrees to your path of travel - aim for the middle, accelerate, and duck. How many people can claim they have ridden beneath a moose? Wear your helmet cam on the side so you don't tickle its tummy.

LOL
You go first...I would love to see the video!
 
Cattle (dairy and beef) that have broken through a fence are a more common problem here in Fly-Over-Land. I don't have to worry about moose until I get a bit farther north. When I have seen them on the road I have been suitably impressed and intimidated. The story is a sad reminder to ride within the limits of you conditions as much as possible.

Would never think of trying to ride under one. More brains than guts and that's not saying much.
:brad
 
Cattle (dairy and beef) that have broken through a fence are a more common problem here in Fly-Over-Land. I don't have to worry about moose until I get a bit farther north. When I have seen them on the road I have been suitably impressed and intimidated. The story is a sad reminder to ride within the limits of you conditions as much as possible.

Would never think of trying to ride under one. More brains than guts and that's not saying much.
:brad

Moose reported in SW Minnesota. Verified. Rumors of them in SW Nebraska, sounds like too much ethanol to me (wrong habitat) but I'm not gonna take any chances.
 
There have been confirmed incursions of cougar in Lilydale for example. Would not be surprised to find a moose wandering about but I am more likely to hit a deer or wild turkey when riding around here than a moose. Critters, they just don't read dnr range maps.
:brad
 
A couple of friends and I were on our way to Yellowstone when a moose came down off the hill and ran across the road. I was riding second and far enough back that I didn't have to panic brake but the guy in front was smoking his tires slowing down but managed to avoid contact. I still remember thinking in the middle of the action " If he ducks he can go under."
 
Actually, not sure what the ground clearance is from an adult moose's hooves to its belly. Nor the ground clearance of a sport bike. Might be best to measure them then try it with a complete taxidermy mount moose which couldn't move at an inopportune moment. (If the measurements work, you can be sure it will soon be posted on YouTube.)

In eastern B.C. the BIG animal to watch out for is elk. Similar weight to moose I believe. On the highways there I have yet to encounter either a deer or elk, but I only ride only during full daylight. A friend who lived there for a many years tells me it can be very scary at night, especially when elk cross the highway only to encounter a tall fence and are then forced back across the highway. My friend always set his cruise control in the car at 80 kmp and was lucky to get by with a few close calls.
 
I bought a bike from a guy in Anchorage who was in a cast. He showed me his K100 that went under a moose without sustaiing much damage. The rider, however, did not fit under the moose.
 
I found this Critter Curriculum piece from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. According to this the average moose belly is 35 inches off the ground. If you choose the 'belly pass' on average then, based on this and given the average seat height of a BMW, your bike may make it with some damage but you won't even if you are hanging off the side. We need to come up with another tactic to recommend to the MSF to teach.
;)

:lurk
 
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