Hawk Kawasaki - nearly literally!

[izzi81]

I had to make a wee trip on my bike today, about 20mins each way on the motorway. On my way home I realised that despite having my bike for a while this was the first time I'd had it on the motorway. I'd been cruising along at 80mph - plenty for me at the moment - but as I was reaching the roundabout to come off the motorway thought I'd have a go at hitting 100. Just because I've never done it before, and the road was quite quiet. So I accelerated and watched the needle creep up. Just as I reached 95mph a big hawk decided now was a good time to fly out from the left hand verge and cross the road. It leisurely flapped its way across, *right* into my path. Here I am, whizzing up the road as fast as I've ever been before, and right in front of me, lined up with my Ninja's pointy nose, is a huge bird of prey. No time to take evasive action so I just keep going.

It *just barely* crosses my path, it's wing tips make contact with my bike but in the lightest possible way, it wouldn't have been injured.

And I continue, heart just ever so slightly in my mouth, thinking that if the bird had moved a millesecond quicker, or if I'd reached 100 faster, I would have had hawk plastered all over the front of my bike and me, and quite possibly might have come off. At a scary speed.

That brought me down to earth a bit!
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[PikeyNSR]

Be grateful that you were riding a 600 and not a ZX1200R - altough perhaps then the encounter might never have happened because the hawk would have been behind you?

Hmmmm...
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[iCraig]

I've had that with a number of animals the last being a squirrel, which I hit and killed it instantly.

Hit a rabbit on the GS too, froze in my headlight with me doing about 90, I had no where to go and hit it full on, how I managed to stay on I don't know!

[mrchips]

I know someone who had a bird hit his fairing at 130.

[Sparks!]

A pheasant ran out in front of me once.. I saw it so slowed down in time, went to go round the right of it, but it moved right, so I moved left and the fecker also moved left beeped horn and it scarpered but was quite funny
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[palmer]

i was pillion on my dads 600rr, and if anyones ever been on one ull know how much higher you are compared to the rider.

we were cruising at about 90 and these pigeons were flying along side us to the left of the road. all of a sudden they both turned, one spacked the screen, cleared my dads helmet and smashed right into mine, the bird layed in my lap till i threw it off. i got home and looked at the bike and my helmet, and they had matching pigeon dust silloettes (spelling?)

[Kickstart]

Hi

Hawk is nothing. Try running over a sheep .

All the best

Keith
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[mattsmith95]

I live in the countryside so I have to ride with great care because
of the number of foxes, Also get the odd pheasant.

Who needs fox hunting anyway, there are so many dead ones
killed by cars.

As for izzi81 and the motorway scare, I've had that happen and
seen it happen too many times. Motorways scare the shit outta
me thesedays.

[Josh]

I have had so many close encounters, badgers, squirrels, deer, rabbits and a blackbird.
Never hit one, the squirrel was the closest, reports from the people I was riding with say it dashed infront of me and then back between the wheels as I passed it to the squirrel.
The others all moved out of the way pretty sharpish when I hit the throttle, although speeding up when faced with animals in the road is a little stupid, I find it works better than slowing down.
And the blackbird just flew in front of my face at about 30, kind of scary.
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[mr jamez]

I get this all the time in the mini.

Mind you it isn't that much of an issue in a car road kill the size of a bird is not a worry, though I would be kinda gutted if it were an eagle

[craigie b]

Is running over a small animal like a hedgehog or squirrel enough to cuase you to crash? I'm not advocating the idea but I've been doing a good bit of night driving across the country and am concerned that a hedgehog could be the end of me.....

[iCraig]

[mr jamez]

You only actualy notice it in a car when you look in the rear view mirror at the gory mess

Don't fancy it on a bike though

[/noob]

[PsychoHippy]

Damn, I've hit so much wild life I've lost track!
Crow into the shoulder at 85ish on the M4. One's that come to mind quickly are Sparrow/Starling into the helmet at 95ish on the A4. Badger thrown up by the lorry in front, hitting my boot and breaking the armour, also on the A4. Oh - a deer at about 75 square on the front forks, this too was on the A4.

Hmm, I see a pattern forming - maybe I should find a different way to work
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[Andy99]

Someone i used to know, thought it would be funny to run over a hedgehog which was curled up scared in the middle of the road.He rides over it looses the front falls off and brakes his arm
Serves the b@stard right i thought so i told him so.He never told me what happened to the hedgehog but i somehow doubt if it was OK.
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[Finglonga]

This is what happens to a pheasant when it flys into your wheel at 80mph. The idiotic bird was walking accross the road decided it wasn't going to make it, turned around to go back into the hedge then the retarded rooster turned again and flew infront of me.
https://www.ukgser.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=165773

Yes that is Blood on the rim and the guts went all over the exhaust, engine, center stand and my boots(must have had its fill of blackberries as its intestines were purple) . The car driver had a fair share of blood and feathers. When he pulled up next to me the first thing he said was ''It just exploded''. The smell was like a BBQ to start with but as the day drew on it got sickening.
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Andy Sez....
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[Jebus]

the best story ive heard was my mum was driving at night through some lanes and some guy chucked a rabit that he had hit and it spat on my mums windscreen!

[stinkwheel]

I deliberatley run over grey squirrels, fecking vermin! They are quite difficult to hit though, easier in the car (I do stop to finish them off if they just got a glancing blow).

I once had a sheep run into ME on the bike (ran into the side of my leg) fecking stupid animals.

A rabbit is unlikley to upset the handling too badly, they are pretty squishy when you are doing anything over 60, you sort of go through rather than over them.
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