Bottom line is I'm absolutely fine, my dear roadster's life is hanging in the balance, and I have an eight point rack to hang on my wall without ever firing a shot.
Skipping ahead to the lesson learned: Riding at 65mph at night on a rural two lane road in deer season in Maryland can have consequences if you've used up all of your nine lives. Fortunately, I had at least one life in reserve.
I was looking out at the farthest extent of my high beam and barely had time to register the fleeting concept that a dear had leapt into my path from the right side of the road before I hit him dead on in the location of the ideal kill shot behind the front shoulder. When I get the pics up you will see the bruise there. It went something like this: DEER!
SMACK! I don't think his feet had completely landed before we collided and I know I hadn't hit the breaks. His left antler was also broken off the skull at the root and there was some blood from the nose so it could have been the head trauma that killed him, but either way, it was instantaneous, as they say.I recall the sensation of my right hip careening off of his back and there was deer hair there on my BMW Tourguard Jacket to confirm that. The next thing I recall was sliding down the road on my back deciding to keep my arms tucked in on my chest. There was no oncoming or trailing traffic, so when I came to a stop I took a couple of seconds to collect myself (in the middle of the oncoming lane) and do a body inventory by wiggling parts before I stood up. I stood up and felt no pain or unsteadiness, so I walked over to the deer, which was only a little ways back up the road and back on the right berm. My bike was over on the left berm. It all couldn't have been more convenient.
I walked slowly around the dear because I thought it might kick or get up to bolt, but it was stone dead. I reached for my cell phone on my belt at the right hip, but the flip lid was disarticulted from the base and the lcd was crushed. My pager on the other hip was also smashed up fairly well. The very minor tenderness on the hip bone at the pager location and a very superficial two square inch abrasion above my right knee where my flannel lined Draggin jeans rubbed without breaking down are the complete extent of my injuries.
After about two minutes a very nice guy drove up in the oncoming lane to find me waving him down. I tried to call two friends using his cell phone but only got their voice mails, at which time he offered and took me the five miles to my friend's house.
During the event, I never had time to raise my heart rate, but by the time I got to my buddy's I was pretty jazzed up. I'm not a hunter, but I wanted those antlers for my wall and the war story. We went back to meet the tow truck and got the rack.
I forgot to give the key to the tow truck driver so Bob's BMW has not completed the assessment. The rep says he thinks "it's almost totalled" but I haven't got the official word yet. She really held up quite well but she wouldn't start or shift, so I'm not optimistic. I had the plastic engine gaurds and my full system cases on so the only major damage appears to be to the beak, which was disintegrated and the headlight, which was smash downward. If the triple clamp or telelever is twisted, I suspect, that will seal her fate.
My other gear included a SUOMY helmet (I forget the name right now, but it was about $350 and DOT/Snell.) BMW full racing boots. Sidi full racing gloves with gauntlets and reinforced knuckles. I had my heated Gerbing jacket underneath, but the full CE padded jacket held up great. There are multiple small tears all over the front, so I must have spent some time sliding there, but don't remember that. The right elbow cloth was completely torn away to reveal most of the CE pad, but that was about it. The pants aren't torn anywhere - even the denim held up. So obviously, ATGATT applies.
I'll try to get the pics up as soon as I can. Most aren't any good at all because of the night conditions and my friend was pretty cold when he was taking them.
I often think that if I would have just closed my eyes, rather than panic braked, maybe I'd have missed those pesky deer.
