Motorcycle Small Game Hunting

[BlackNinja8]

I ride a lot of country roads where I live and I am constantly seeing roadkill along the way - possums, squirrels, etc. The other morning I ran over a large bird which was already dead and semi-squashed and I was completely surprised at how much it upset my handling. It really made me think about just how much impact a larger animal would cause like a possum for example.

Does anyone have any experience actually running over some animal on their bike? If so, could you give me some advice. And secondly, What is the best option if I am in a lean about to encounter one of these critters and straigtening upright is not an option? I can't imagine being able to stay off the ground if I hit an animal in even a moderate lean.

[Motofool]

You can find some ideas in this post:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...mal#post658866

These creatures tend to be more active during their feeding hours (sunrise, sunset, night).

There is no hope if rolling over one while on a lean: you will go down.

I am not sure if it is a myth or not, but I installed an ultrasonic whistler (worked with the airstream) while I had to commute at night through a wood area, and never had an animal crossing my path.

In cities, cats are specially dangerous at night, because they get blinded by your headlight first, then wait, then get scared by the noise of the engine and finally jump directly under your front tire at the last second (still blind).

[Alex]

General rule is if you could eat it in one sitting, you run over it. If it's larger than that, you attempt to avoid it. It's key to not try and do both; pick one strategy and make sure it's successful.

If you're going to run over it, straighten up as much as feasible, and if you were braking prior to hitting it, get off the brakes and even add some moderate throttle to stabilize the bike. Prepare for the bike to get wobbly for a moment upon impact, and with any luck it will recover momentarily and you're on way (unlike the poor critter).

If you're going to swerve, make sure that you aren't on the brakes so hard that it compromises your ability to steer quickly, use forceful counter-steering (just like you learned in the MSF!) to get the bike to lean and turn *right now* to avoid the larger critter. If you have a choice, aim for the ass end of a deer/cow/moose/brontosaurus, as generally they can move quicker forward than they can backward.

Last resort, if you're going to peg a deer smack in the middle, right before impact get off the brake, and consider even gaining speed if at all possible. I've ridden with people who have ridden, well, through deer at speed, and some of them have even kept the bike upright afterwards. Once impact is a sure thing, trying for stability afterwards is at least worth a shot, and that happens best under throttle.

[daisha]

Originally Posted by Alex

General rule is if you could eat it in one sitting, you run over it. If it's larger than that, you attempt to avoid it. It's key to not try and do both; pick one strategy and make sure it's successful.

If you're going to run over it, straighten up as much as feasible, and if you were braking prior to hitting it, get off the brakes and even add some moderate throttle to stabilize the bike. Prepare for the bike to get wobbly for a moment upon impact, and with any luck it will recover momentarily and you're on way (unlike the poor critter).

If you're going to swerve, make sure that you aren't on the brakes so hard that it compromises your ability to steer quickly, use forceful counter-steering (just like you learned in the MSF!) to get the bike to lean and turn *right now* to avoid the larger critter. If you have a choice, aim for the ass end of a deer/cow/moose/brontosaurus, as generally they can move quicker forward than they can backward.

Last resort, if you're going to peg a deer smack in the middle, right before impact get off the brake, and consider even gaining speed if at all possible. I've ridden with people who have ridden, well, through deer at speed, and some of them have even kept the bike upright afterwards. Once impact is a sure thing, trying for stability afterwards is at least worth a shot, and that happens best under throttle.

Everything about this post was awesome. Kudos to making me laugh out loud at work earning some awkward stares from coworkers.

[BlackNinja8]

Amazingly I've only had critters dart on me twice and both times they doubled back before reaching the middle of the road. But in both cases I felt unprepared and was disappointed in how much I panicked and 'froze' rather than being ready to take action.

I feel like I've got a better idea how to handle those situations now. Thanks everyone.

[hirubhaiambani]

Is sounding the horn a good idea? I know for a fact that horns do not work on most cows strolling on India's streets.

Originally Posted by Motofool

I am not sure if it is a myth or not, but I installed an ultrasonic whistler (worked with the airstream) while I had to commute at night through a wood area, and never had an animal crossing my path.

The ultrasonic whistler won't work for nasty urban critters (I mean, the ones which drive cages and text at the same time).

[Alex]

I think if you have time to hit the horn and wait for a reaction, odds are you have time to do anything you want to avoid the animal. I wouldn't rely on the horn causing the animal to do anything, let alone exactly what you'd want them to do.

[hirubhaiambani]

Makes sense.

Note to self: Practice counter steering and emergency braking (separately)

[Alex]

In the 2011 Iron Butt rally, a number of riders were unfortunate enough to get taken out by wildlife. One hit a coyote out in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. But that's nothing compared to the poor rider who hit a mountain lion out in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. Can you imagine being knocked off your bike, injured, and then hoping you hit the cat hard enough that it is either mortally wounded, or at least hard enough to scare it away from the immediate area until help arrives? (both riders were injured but survived; both were unfortunately knocked out of the rally)

[Alex]

/added a link to this thread from the Riding Skills sticky.

If folks have additional guidance or wisdom to share, here's the place to do it that will get the most exposure.

[toddblue68]

It's good you're not underestimating wildlife in your preparations. I've hit a rabbit at lean with the rear tire and a Jay at 80mph. Neither took me out or upset the bike, but my riding buddy got a mouth full of feathers while he was laughing at me and driving through the puff that was a bird.

Ground based critters are not all you have to worry and consider. But carrion birds can create issues. While not terribly heavy, they tend to be on roadsides eating road kill and don't take to air too quickly. If you're moving at high clip, it's very possible to hit one with your upper body. Think about taking a 70mph fastball from a small bowling ball. When I see them feeding on two lane roads, I slow down and give them plenty of time.

[Vergil]

I took a small bird to the upper chest doing about 55 once. Felt like a baseball hit me. Managed to pull over can get the wind back with out any incidents. The next day I bought the Icon Stryker back protector with the small chest guard.