You ride at night a lot? Give much thought to deer strikes?

Kristopher said:

Definitely a high risk area up there!

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Newburg Prison is probably the highlight...

Now add a fog blanket in the mix of deer and darkness...

did it a few times commuting a few years back and often as a youth in Houston, minus the deer...questioned my minimal level of sanity a few times when I hit the wall of fog near Lake Travis. High beams and additional lighting doesn't help at all, other than illuminating the previous hit two stripes ahead of you...if you can see that far!

I was following H this time last year doing a SS ride. We hit the FOG near Ozona in WTX on I-10 around 10AM...she "invited "me to run point on the 80MPH flowing stretch .
We were passed and passed trucks that came up quickly...slowing or speeding up not an option..I tagged a semi I could keep visual on at a distance I felt we could manage a stop...just hoped folks were paying attention behind us. BTW, same area I saw a herd of goats standing in the median earlier that summer.Lovely.
Was done in about 10 miles and I fell back to sweep.



Found this pic I took as I finally could ease up and snap a pic as the fog lifted considerably

Good point about fog. One minute you are safely going 60 mph, the next 25 is dangerous and you don't know if the greater danger is what you can't see or the following vehicle that is still going 60 and can't see your little tail light until too late. Bad visibility (fog, heavy snow, fogged face shield) I find even scarier than a slippery road - and the two often happen at the same time. Often best to pull off and wait for conditions to improve, but not always possible.

henzilla said:

Found this pic I took as I finally could ease up and snap a pic as the fog lifted considerably

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That would be a relatively clear morning in the Ridge and Valley region of PA. Bloomsburg is in a broad valley due to the river, but the surrounding valleys are typically narrow and often trap the fog until 10A. When you only see the dots on the fawns as a blur to the right of your throttle hand, that's scary......

36654 said:

That would be a relatively clear morning in the Ridge and Valley region of PA. Bloomsburg is in a broad valley due to the river, but the surrounding valleys are typically narrow and often trap the fog until 10A. When you only see the dots on the fawns as a blur to the right of your throttle hand, that's scary......

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Oh yeah I've ridden through that area may times, morning fog can be bad. But like every other situation, if you slow down and be extra alert you reduce your risk.

I for one will not give up riding at certain times of the day or areas for fear of deer. Wear your gear, be smart, slow down and enjoy the ride. Otherwise why ride at all?

I mean really, a deer, dog, kid, car, teenager, you name it can jump out of front of you anytime and anywhere. Ride smart nut fearful imho.

Heck I was hit with a flying hubcap once, should I avoid any road where hubcaps can be present?

36654 said:

That would be a relatively clear morning in the Ridge and Valley region of PA. Bloomsburg is in a broad valley due to the river, but the surrounding valleys are typically narrow and often trap the fog until 10A. When you only see the dots on the fawns as a blur to the right of your throttle hand, that's scary......

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Yeah, that was light compared to the two-three painted stripe limit before that. Had I taken it earlier, she would not be visible at all, nor the stripe mid pic. Slowing down was not a safe option as folks were still trying to operate at 80mph...like people do in a driving rain where visibility and traction are iffy.

We were staying at the lodge at Queen Wilhelmena in Arkansas a few years back in April. You could not see six feet in front of you on the mountaintop ridge. Trying to locate the bikes was an adventure in the parking lot.
We waited a bit, but it seemed to thicken so we eased down the twisty, usually fun road until it cleared near town.

BMARC153920 said:

Oh yeah I've ridden through that area may times, morning fog can be bad. But like every other situation, if you slow down and be extra alert you reduce your risk.

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Until the clown behind you doesn't slow down, and doesn't perceive you - in time to avoid swatting you from behind. If folks run into the backs of cars and semis in fog how well do they see us? That is the makings of the horrendous 15 or 20 or 30 car pileups we read and hear about.

PGlaves said:

Until the clown behind you doesn't slow down, and doesn't perceive you - in time to avoid swatting you from behind. If folks run into the backs of cars and semis in fog how well do they see us? That is the makings of the horrendous 15 or 20 or 30 car pileups we read and hear about.

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Yep and as I said I'm not going to ride in fear of an accident because then why ride ever? There is no perfect situation, some carry more risk than others and sometimes you need to decide not to ride as well as not drive.

Just my take, everyone has their own risk threshold, but if I cut out riding at night, riding in the rain, riding in temps below 50, riding at or near sundown or sun up, riding during the rut and riding in fog I would put about 500 miles a year on my bike then what's the point?

I, and just me speaking, didn't buy my bike to ride in big loops starting at and end back at my house only on perfectly sunny days, with temps between 72 and 80 with a zero chance of precipitation, only on days with light traffic between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm. I ride when and where I need to ride, I know the risks and adjust my style, start and end times and stopping as warranted by the current situation.

But that is me and it has worked for the past 30 years.

My point is, I will not a blanket statement stating I will not ride under....situation with one exception and that is snow and ice.

If I deem it dangerous then I will not ride but otherwise I'm on two wheels as much as possible over being in my truck.

Coming back from a trip a few years ago, I was handling riding late at night, the freeway traffic and scanning for deer quite adeptly, until a massive downpour hit, less than an hour from home. With my old vision, combined with the rain, drastically changing the riding environment, I decided that was to be my last night ride by choice. During the past few years, I might ride a total of a couple of hours per riding season, if even that. I know that the risk of what can happen in the dark, especially deer encounters, is certainly not worth covering a few extra miles. Since then, I've even booked into a motel when just an hour from home.

BMARC153920 said:

. I ride when and where I need to ride, I know the risks and adjust my style, start and end times and stopping as warranted by the current situation.

But that is me and it has worked for the past 30 years.

My point is, I will not a blanket statement stating I will not ride under....situation with one exception and that is snow and ice.

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I think most of this audience has ridden in almost every condition you have. Also many in the years experience category.
I think the gist is a lot of us have altered our styles and preferences...if you have been 30 years and no big animal hits, good on you. My worst hit was on a sunny 55 degree day. Have found that icey shaded corner on a 50 degree day when the rest of the route was dry...it happens.
Some of us can ride almost year round, other's only a few months so they do what they can to enjoy their bikes. Our preference is to plan to avoid certain situations nowadays, doesn't mean we always do. H still commutes in the dark in winter, her choice and she too knows the deal.
Not riding today in CENTEX as there is a layer of ice on everything and there is not any reason I need to be in it.

henzilla said:

I think most of this audience has ridden in almost every condition you have. Also many in the years experience category.
I think the gist is a lot of us have altered our styles and preferences...if you have been 30 years and no big animal hits, good on you. My worst hit was on a sunny 55 degree day. Have found that icey shaded corner on a 50 degree day when the rest of the route was dry...it happens.
Some of us can ride almost year round, other's only a few months so they do what they can to enjoy their bikes. Our preference is to plan to avoid certain situations nowadays, doesn't mean we always do. H still commutes in the dark in winter, her choice and she too knows the deal.
Not riding today in CENTEX as there is a layer of ice on everything and there is not any reason I need to be in it.

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Like I said we all have our level of risk vs reward balance. For me, with the limited riding season I'd hate to give up riding in the dark for fear of deer and eliminate almost 60% of my daily commuting in the am only to be miserable in my truck going home on a beautiful spring or fall afternoon. Or sit in a hotel because of a bit of fog. Of course some situations such as ice or snow make riding impossible.

My only real point is if you ride smart, slow down and wear your gear you can substantially lower your risk and still enjoy the ride.



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As I get older the voices are getting louder. No, not those voices; I pretty much have them under control, mostly. I mean the voices that whisper in my ear about the possible consquences of going into a corner too hot, finding that hidden patch of black ice or meeting Bambi up close and personal. When I was young those same voices were egging me on to go faster and not be a sissy, but now the cautionary voices are always there. I just had a friend about my age go down and hurt himself. Not life threatening, but he will require the better part of a year to recover and be riding again. That's a great deal of cost for the questionable rewards of perhaps pushing too hard.

akbeemer said:

As I get older the voices are getting louder. No, not those voices; I pretty much have them under control, mostly. I mean the voices that whisper in my ear about the possible consquences of going into a corner too hot, finding that hidden patch of black ice or meeting Bambi up close and personal. When I was young those same voices were egging me on to go faster and not be a sissy, but now the cautionary voices are always there. I just had a friend about my age go down and hurt himself. Not life threatening, but he will require the better part of a year to recover and be riding again. That's a great deal of cost for the questionable rewards of perhaps pushing too hard.

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Weird, don't you think? A 25 year old rider SHOULD be thinking "If I take care of myself, have a bit of luck, and don't take stupid chances, on average I should have 60 good years ahead of me. Don't want to blow that for the fun of going really fast around a blind curve." The 70 year old rider SHOULD be thinking "I've already got a body that hurts a bit, probably not many riding years left, and too many people I know are in nursing homes - which are not really too thrilling. Bet I can double all those 'suggested speed' signs and, if I am wrong, what have I really lost? A few 'golden years?"

But that is not how most of us think, young or old.

akbeemer said:

As I get older the voices are getting louder. No, not those voices; I pretty much have them under control, mostly. I mean the voices that whisper in my ear about the possible consquences of going into a corner too hot, finding that hidden patch of black ice or meeting Bambi up close and personal. When I was young those same voices were egging me on to go faster and not be a sissy, but now the cautionary voices are always there. I just had a friend about my age go down and hurt himself. Not life threatening, but he will require the better part of a year to recover and be riding again. That's a great deal of cost for the questionable rewards of perhaps pushing too hard.

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I identify with those remarks.

When I was young, I rode 100 MPH with no protective gear on two ply tires and crappy brakes. Thought nothing of it.

Now I dress for the crash and think about how much longer I will be able to ride. Pushing the envelope is best done by those younger. Not that I"m that old at 68.

Riding Well is as much mental as anything else.

henzilla said:

Not riding today in CENTEX as there is a layer of ice on everything and there is not any reason I need to be in it.

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Not riding today as it's -4F.

As Elmer Fudd would say....

Kill the groundhog
Kill the groundhog

It just occurred to me in this thread, I'll be 48 this year; the same age Joey Dunlop won his last Isle of Man TT. It's also the same year he was killed racing. While researching Joey on the official website, I came across a trailer for a movie called "Road" narrated by Liam Nielson, about the Dunlop dynasty. It looked quite good. Due to come out in July.

Deer Fear

Living in western NY and growing up in the North Country area of NY, I have encountered deer several times in my 40 years of riding, but one particular time while riding my Honda CBR929 one jumped out in front of me. I had race brakes on the bike and could have stopped, but would gone right over the top of the handlebars. I couldn't swerve into the other lane as traffic was coming at me, so my racing class instructor's voice entered my head (the throttle is your friend) and told me to hit the throttle. I pinned it, aimed for the middle of her body and ducked as far below the windscreen as I could (it is amazing how fast the brain can process those thoughts). The impact was loud and jarred me as my lower extremities were thrown against the tank. I remained upright, the engine was still running, but the front was destroyed. The radiator was bent and the plastics were trailing me as the wiring was still attached. I pulled over and ,after checking myself for injuries (there was some bruising only), noticed I had deer guts and deer crap all down the side of my leg. I that I had cut through her rib cage and had she was in two pieces. I survived relatively unscathed, but the deer did not. The guys in my track club immediately dubbed me Deer Hunter.

I don't worry too much, but do keep a watchful eye for deer. I have had a couple of them run up next to me and run along side me since the one I bagged. There are so many obstacles out there that we have to keep our eyes open for, but I refuse to ride scared. It will be what it will be.