Oh Deer... again...

3744 Views 86 Replies 46 Participants Last post by cycledude, 2 mo ago

Werdigo

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

With a sunny 60F-ish Maryland day it seemed time to give the 2018 DCT Wing a little exercise. The rural roads of northern Baltimore County are only a short hop away and I chose my favorite 70-mile loop that includes Prettyboy Reservoir. Heading home, at the 57-mile point, I was tailing a pickup truck at a comfortable distance, figuring deer would hear it and allow both of us safe passage.
No deal... we were doing about 45 mph when a large brown and white blur appeared, seemingly leaping right into me. I felt a "thud" and a slight leftward pull of the steering, but didn't go down and kept moving ahead. The bike seemed to be working fine, but some flapping plastic led me to stop to check the damage. Woah... the photo shows it. (I don't know where the deer ended up, right or left side. Maybe it heard the truck, then decided crossing the road was safe.)
After finishing the ride home I called my insurance company, then rode the 11 miles over to the dealer, a bit anxiously with plastic flapping at (slow lane) freeway speed. It awaits professional attention.
Next accessory: For sure, a deer whistle...

Tire Fuel tank Wheel Vehicle Automotive fuel system

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 5

1 - 6 of 87 Posts

yellowrex

· #3 · 2 mo ago

Werdigo said:
With a sunny 60F-ish Maryland day it seemed time to give the 2018 DCT Wing a little exercise. The rural roads of northern Baltimore County are only a short hop away and I chose my favorite 70-mile loop that includes Prettyboy Reservoir. Heading home, at the 57-mile point, I was tailing a pickup truck at a comfortable distance, figuring deer would hear it and allow both of us safe passage.
No deal... we were doing about 45 mph when a large brown and white blur appeared, seemingly leaping right into me. I felt a "thud" and a slight leftward pull of the steering, but didn't go down and kept moving ahead. The bike seemed to be working fine, but some flapping plastic led me to stop to check the damage. Woah... the photo shows it. (I don't know where the deer ended up, right or left side. Maybe it heard the truck, then decided crossing the road was safe.)
After finishing the ride home I called my insurance company, then rode the 11 miles over to the dealer, a bit anxiously with plastic flapping at (slow lane) freeway speed. It awaits professional attention.
Next accessory: For sure, a deer whistle... View attachment 416112

Best to get the electric deer whistle, Hornet is the brand and it works I have had one for years, and some kind of camera since you ride in such a deer infested deer area so you always know what happen.

Save

Reactions: 2

yellowrex

· #4 · 2 mo ago

Werdigo said:
With a sunny 60F-ish Maryland day it seemed time to give the 2018 DCT Wing a little exercise. The rural roads of northern Baltimore County are only a short hop away and I chose my favorite 70-mile loop that includes Prettyboy Reservoir. Heading home, at the 57-mile point, I was tailing a pickup truck at a comfortable distance, figuring deer would hear it and allow both of us safe passage.
No deal... we were doing about 45 mph when a large brown and white blur appeared, seemingly leaping right into me. I felt a "thud" and a slight leftward pull of the steering, but didn't go down and kept moving ahead. The bike seemed to be working fine, but some flapping plastic led me to stop to check the damage. Woah... the photo shows it. (I don't know where the deer ended up, right or left side. Maybe it heard the truck, then decided crossing the road was safe.)
After finishing the ride home I called my insurance company, then rode the 11 miles over to the dealer, a bit anxiously with plastic flapping at (slow lane) freeway speed. It awaits professional attention.
Next accessory: For sure, a deer whistle... View attachment 416112

You should start a new post guess the price of my damage that will be a good one, I will say 7k.

Save

yellowrex

· #39 · 2 mo ago

Bowhunter61 said:
Sorry but I laugh at the thought that deer whistles work. No whistle is stopping a running deer from crossing the road. Most likely that deer was flushed out of the woods by something if it appeared that fast. This time of year it could have been a shed hunter, coyote, or just got spooked. I lived in Glen Rock PA for 30 years and I know exactly the area you ride, I hit 2 deer with my truck in north Baltimore county.

Well I met a man that had those electric ones on his 1800 GW I ask what is that and he told me then I ask does it work and he told me I live and ride in a area that seem like a Deer reserve his bike was a year and a half old and he had road it 75K and he said I have not hit one yet and he see them grazing on the side of the road all the time, and what he told me was it will not make them run but the sound is not white noise like traffic to them and they stop and look to see were the sound is coming from and that is exactly what it does, I saw this more than once for myself while riding.

Save

Reactions: 1

yellowrex

· #55 · 2 mo ago

Grouchy said:
I'm late to the party, but reading through this I'm reminded of a time a few years ago while riding down a busy wooded road known for deer. Scanning along the edge of the road I saw several deer coming out of the trees and headed for the road. The lead buck went up to the side of the road, stopped and I swear he looked both ways and hesitated as I and a car going the other way came to almost a dead stop. This buck seemed to make eye contact with both of us and then trotted across the road as nonchalantly as possible with the rest of the herd following. I've had lots of encounters with deer over the years, but nothing even close to what I saw that day.
This was not rutting season and there were not likely any predators in the area, so the herd was not panicking. It's also likely I was just anthropomorphizing what happened, but I have to wonder if, over the years a few deer are beginning to learn about roads and traffic. You'd think the dumbest ones would eventually get culled by natural selection.
Anyway, I'm glad the OP came out of the encounter with nothing but damage to the bike. I'd like to hear the outcome with the insurance company as well. Wing parts are so expensive these days that a total loss number is probably easy to reach.

You are correct if the numbers get to 70% or maybe even higher, I do not understand why every one thinks it is so easy to total, for all that really want to know call your agent and ask them what % of the value of the vehicle does it take to total your car, bike or what ever and post it here you will see, State Farm fix my 2015 Abs bike and it had $14,700 in damage and if you think you will muscle your insurance company around you will see, and that was $200 away from being totaled and I call the state insurance commissioner and they told me it was the company's call.

Save

Reactions: 1

yellowrex

· #57 · 2 mo ago

Rick H. said:
There is a lot of truth in what you say, but that’s the point where you argue with the insurance company for value of the motorcycle before the crash versus post crash. In other words will you get the same amount of money for it being crash free compared to a bike that had 70% of the value repaired or replaced. Sometimes you have to take off the gloves get tough or get a lawyer.
Rick H.

No disrespect to you but when you tell them you are going to get a lawyer the only thing they will say is we will be looking to hear from him, they do this hundreds or maybe a thousand times a day they know the rules and when you tell the attorney what you wish to do if he is true to you he will tell you he will take the case but it will be slim chase of winning, and as I said call your company and ask what % does it take to total your vehicle, and that is the only real way you will know what will happen in the event that you need to file a claim.

Save

Reactions: 2

yellowrex

· #79 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

MFL said:
Can you give us some tips on where and how to mount the Hornet on a 2018+ Goldwing? Thanks!

It should be as close to the ground as possible facing forward when the bike is in the up right riding position @ a 45 deg angle, and it should not be mounted @ the rear just saying the angle is so the sound bounces of the pavement and travels further distance, and not so low it will touch the ground in turning, if you have highway pegs look @ them that is how I mounted mine on some Kuryakyn pegs, and that is how I will mount them on the 21 GW in one of the unused holes with a short piece of metal for the bracket, yes it will have a switch so I do not have to hear it when I am in the garage with the bike turned on and you can hear it it is a very low tone sound, and yes @ very slow speed you can hear it when it is quiet around you.

Save

Reactions: 2

1 - 6 of 87 Posts

Top Contributors this Month