Armor, always

[Atlus]

Hey everybody, I'll elaborate more later when I have more time, but in a nutshell had my first spill last night. Was going about 45-50 (the posted speed limit) when a deer jumped right in front of me and stopped. Naturally I tried slowing and swirving but the damn deer freaked and ran towards my light. Long story short, I got away with some bruises and a bit of rash on my thumb (gloves tore through) and knees, but if it weren't for my leather armored jacket...shudder

No matter how safe you drive sometimes acts of god just happen, always stay armored!

-Alex

[alanmcorcoran]

God is a deer? Glad you are okay and in good spirits. How is the bike?

I recommend, if it is ridable, getting back on it before you think about the deer too much.

[alantf]

God is a deer?

No, God is a "deity". When people say "dear God" it means something completely different. Notice the different spelling of "dear" & "deer"

There endeth today's lesson.

[Water Warrior 2]

Atlus, glad to hear you survived to tell about it. Slowing down before the "hit" was probably the reason for no real injuries. Think about upgrading your safety gear. Yah, I am a safety freak but here is what I wear. Armored jacket and pants. Armored gloves, riding boots and full face helmet. Not telling you you "should" upgrade but you could upgrade in the future. Safety is a personal choice about the amount of risk we find acceptable. Will now step down off my soapbox.

[patrick_777]

Did your helmet take any impact? If so, you're better off replacing it right away.

[mr. softie]

Glad to hear you were not badly hurt. Gloves must be very sturdy to protect your hands. And knee armor is nice to have as well in a get off. Years ago I wore through well into the skin with what I thought were heavy leather gloves and heavy jeans on. The t shirt, gloves, and jeans (along with lots of my skin) were shredded. At least my head (full face helmet) and feet (heavy work boots) were ok. Some armor on the rest of me would have been nice. I ride ATGATT now.

[Atlus]

my gloves are destroyed and my legs/jeans took a beating, but most of the impact got absorbed by my torso. Miraculously I managed to keep my head from hitting the concrete so no helmet (protected it with my elbow) damage, though my jacket has seen better days.
Ugh bike report is pretty bad, though fortunately it's mostly cosmetic. Headlight assembly is torn clear off (though the cables/lights are still good), front break lever ground down to dust, handlebars warped, and a pretty big dent in the gas tank. If anybody is parting their bike, knows people parting their bike, or can recommend good/cheap aftermarket parts I'm all ears haha.

Also, I might have left the bike in the parking light position after I got home without realizing it since I was kind of out of it(I still rode home safely, bike seemed to run fine at least). But now I have absolutely no battery power whatsoever, not even the lights turn on...(god I hope I just left the lights on)

[alanmcorcoran]

Seems like you have a lot of other work to do on it before you try to start it, but if the battery was relatively new it can recover from leaving the headlight or parking light on. You can either push start it and use the engine to charge it back up or get a $20 charger and charge it over night.

[Atlus]

yea I just want to make sure it runs before starting to pay for cosmetic things. God I really hope I just left the lights on. If I damaged the electrical system....ughhhhh...moneyyyyyyy

[mrlmd1]

God I really hope I just left the lights on. If I damaged the electrical system....ughhhhh...moneyyyyyyy

Unlikely, if you drove it home. Check the fuses too, if the headlight was ripped off you could have abraded the wires and have a short in there. First thing to do is to charge up the battery.

And glad you're OK.

[Atlus]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the well wishes and what can I say, it's always nice talking to other people who actually know that "oh no" moment on a bike to empathize.
-Alex