Roadkill???

[JuanDan1st]

I was out for a blast yesterday in Cumbria (the A686 for those intersted) and bezzing along quite happily about to change into third, when I noticed a rabbit come belting out of the right hand side bank straight across my path. Obviously I shat myself but other than that decided not to react, and changed up as per normal and luckily missed the suicidal bunny.

Afterwards though it got me thinking - what if I did hit it? What do you think would happen? Was I right to take no avoiding action whilst accelerating hard or should my number 1 priority have been to avoid a collision at all costs?

After that I even got paranoid by the occasional grouse or pheasant which played chicken with me!!

What do people think is the biggest thing you can feasibly hit and get away with it?

[strag]

I hit a Muntjac deer, they are bloody heavy buggers!
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carbon bling

[m0l0t0v]

Self preservation is the most important factor. If avoiding the animal will hurt you then it's time to play survival of the fittest.

Bike tends to win, unless it's a huge animal.

*Remembers G hitting a pheasant and flying in my direction. Also when a pheasant hit me in the chest at 60MPH*
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'99 Hornet 600 , VFR 400 NC30 '92 , Kasawamasaki GT 550 , '98 Hornet 600
**\Tarmacsurfer/** said: It's that immaculately manly coiffure of yours isn't it. One glimpse of your virile locks and the punters can't wait to buy whatever it is you suggest, as it might let them be just a little bit like the Adonis that is our very own Molly Doovydoo said: Its not my fault I can't get it up properly, I just wasn't blessed

[doggone]

I try to hit them because there's millions.
You will feel a slight bump under the tyre.
It would be unwise to hit one when well banked over but I think you'd still be OK unless you tried to yank the bike sideways to avoid it.

[Faldo]

Yesterday I was blasting down a country road, into 3 figures. I overtook a truck and then noticed 3 sad looking ducks in the middle of the road, mourning another mallard that was twitching its way to heaven. I was beeping my (very gay sounding) horn like mad but would they move? I slowed down loads and they moved in at the very last second.

I think its bad enough when you run over something which is already dead, never mind splatting something alive. I would of avoided collision as best as possible.

A couple of weeks ago I was on another country road. As I was going round a bend, there was a van on the other side of the road. I noticed a pheasant coming from the other side of the road and knew I had no chance of slowing down for it so braced myself ready to either hit it or avoid the van swerving into me to avoid it. Fortunately, the van driver didn't see it as it was too late, splatted it with his offside wheel! I got covered in feathers, but that was probably the best outcome in that situation!
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Current: ZZR1400
Previous: ZXR 400 L9, ZX-7R P5, ZZR 400, ZX-7R P6, Bandit 600, GSXR 750 Slingshot, DRZ400, DR650, ZX10R C1H, ZXR 750 L1, ZXR 750 L3, '99 ZX7R P4, KTM 300 EXC, ZX-9R E1, TDM850

[matthab]

Ive hit a Rabbit, left a horrible mess over the engine. All i felt was a small bump and a squeel.

I have hit a pheasent in my car and it took the top grill off my clio. Some super glue required
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2005 - 2006:Peugeot jet force 50 TDSI (sold)
2006 - Present: Yamaha YBR125 06 (extras:pilot sporty tyres and screen)

[ZaphodBeeble]

I've gone over a hedgehog at a 100mph+ speed; was a slight bump. I was upright at the time, if I had been cranked over I might have lost it but tyres are pretty good even if you slide a bit they usually catch again.
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.

[m0l0t0v]

[Joeb46]

on the way to squires cafe in sherburn there was a mass suicidal of squirels
lol
about 5 or 6 sqweshed in the road, in the space of about 5 miles.
never hit anything yet, but i have had a few birds fly right across the front of my face, shits me up
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Current- Drz400sm- For sale
Kawasaki er-5 race bike# 106

[xrgrrl]

[pa_broon74]

Haven't hit anything on the bike yet, (although I did get hit on the bridge of my nose by a bumble bee which brought tears to my eyes.)

In my company car (don't have it any more) I've got an impressive body count, several pheasants, a score of pidgeons, two seagulls (which I got at the same time.)

Two memorable impacts, firstly a pheasant which I hit got its head lodged under the bonnet while its innards sprayed up the bonnet and lodge in the O/S wiper blade. I had to stop and pop the bonnet to get it off, in hindsight, I probably should have left it on for a while as a trophy.

Second one was a sheep, obviously unhappy with its rural existence decided to end its misery by taking a nose dive under my car. It lept from behind a grassy hillock, no way of avoiding it although I was only doing 40 odd mph. It went under the passenger side wheel, fucked the radiator, air con and front bumper. Again I had to stop and go back to drag its poor dead body of the road; the car fairly bounced over the sheep...

I avoid things if I can, hate killing anything.


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Didn't catch anything.

[Suitor_Stu]

I regularly have to avoid pheasants on the roads I use (right in the middle of royal Perthshire, where there are loads of pheasant farms. The first time I came across one on the enfield it darted out from behind a hedge and into my path (I was doing about 50mph at the time on a back-road) so I pulled the front brake hard - a mistake I instantly thought, 'I'm going down if this even remotely locks up!!!' Turns out I need not have worried, I sailed past the pheasant at 49mph, it darted out of the way at the last min. As it turns out, my brake lever was attached to a sponge of some description...or as it's called in the parts manual the 'Twin Leading Shoe Drum Brake Arrangement'...

The gf's dad hit a deer in the highlands on his Bonneville a few years back. He was pretty shaken up, but unhurn. The only damage to his bike was the left indicator where he'd hit the deer. Luckily the farmer drove by about 5mins after the collision. He hadn't killed it outright, so the farmer took out a gun of some nature and helped it on it's way. He then asked him if he wanted to keep it for the meat (this was on another game reserve you understand)? He declined politely. Not sure he thought that one through though - I'd imagine a dead deer doesen't make the best pillion...

Stu

[damz]

i was going along a country road fairly fast when a duck walked out so i slowed down, then another duck followed it and i stopped and watched as 2 ducks and nearly a dozen baby ducks walked behind them which took like a minute for them to make it across the room.

i'd feel too guilty if i took out a family of ducks.

iv'e ran over loads of dead animals though, usually small stuff like squirrals, dont seem to loose much grip going over them.
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Current Bikes RVF400 - 94
Cars: RX7 FD, Eunos Roadster
Former Bikes: FZR 250R 89, ZX7R 98

[the grim reaper]

I've been right behind a mate when he hit a bunny, he reckons he felt a slight bump, all I saw was a prone rabbit spinning across the road on its side.

I had a barnowl hit me in the head when I was doing 80, wrote off a perfectly good arai. God know how I stayed on, I was seeing stars for a while. Fortunately it was a straight bit of road.

Another mate from my bike club had a baby deer fall down an embankment above the road and land right in front of him. He stayed on but it destroyed the fairing on his FJ12. The deer was torn in half.

Best avoid impacts, as long as avoiding action doesn't require anything too dodgy.

Cheers

Grim
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[benjami]

Almost ran over a squirrel on Sunday, maniac was sat in my lane, so I swerved to avoid him, he casually moves back into my path - I just slowed it right down and glared at him running away - the Bastard.

Haven't killed/almost killed anything else though, apart from more flies than I can remember.

[Skudd]

I ran over a 14 year old lad once. He just screamed when I used his ankle as a brake pad. That was about 8 years ago and I still see him hobble around.
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[iooi]

[Moonie]

Bloke my uncle got his bike off hit a badger and went flying over the front.
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[tutton]

Other day topping the bike out 50,
So i see a pheasent left hand side, and its walking across, so i try to go out really wide to miss him, then the pheasent deciedes hes going to speed up, i clipped his tail side, he wernt dead, did a shoulder check. but it was scarey lool
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Past: '05 Peugeot XPS '99 Aprillia RS125 '94 FZR600R
Current: '02 ZX636 A1P '51 CCM R30

[colin1]

When I hadnt had my sportsbike very long, I was on a nice clear country road, and pigeon crossed my path. I saw it a bit before it hit, but as I didnt want to risk binning the bike, I didnt brake very hard.

Unfortunately, it took out my front fairing, and lost a few feathers before hitting the dirt.

I managed to find all the bits, and taped them all back in place for a while until one came up cheap on ebay.

If the same thing happened now in the same situation, I would stop in plenty of time, but you dont always have that option.

Another reason not to go like a bat our of hell round blind bends.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[veeeffarr]

I hit a cat on my VFR, instant death, no death throes, nothing, lardy bikes for the win.

Had a bit of head shake, but nothing major.

T

[neil.]

[killa]

Dogs are something you want to avoid. They are heavy muscular things.
A friend of mine bounced one off the front of his car once and then thew it in the hedge.
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Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[Nixon]

nowt to do with bikes but ...

one of my colleagues had to attend a fatal incident on a country road in the early hours of the morning, a random cow had wondered out onto the road in the dark, bloke in a car comes round the bend sees the cow brakes sharp but still hits it. the front end of the car was destroyed and the carcas went through the window and crushed the driver took several police and firemen to move the dead cow by which time the driver had died.

[ms51ves3]

I narrowly missed a dead squrriel this morning.

I didn't want blood splatter on my white belly pan