My tennis career was 2 feet from ending today!

B

bblue777

Banned
Nice weather today, so I took my moto out for a run in the back roads. Nice elevation changes, beautiful fall foliage, twisty roads. I was taking it all in.

Was on a road I never rode on... took my eyes off the road for 1/2 a second to look at my GPS.

When I look up, the big brown thing (DEER!) ran across the road, 2 feet away from my front wheel. It was so close I could see the spots on her skin.

I was going about 40mph.... I have full riding gear on.. helmet, leather jacket and pants, boots, gloves.... but a collision at that speed would most probably break a bag of bones.

Scary!
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Ride motorcycles, deal with the risks.
I have FIVE former riding buddies who died late at night coming home from our late night rides.
 
goran_ace

goran_ace

Hall of Fame
Whether you are in a car or a motorcycle the moral of the story is that if you takes your eyes off the road for even a moment bad things can happen.
 
Overdrive

Overdrive

Legend
Wrong consensus here. Motorcycles are much more maneuverable than cars.. that is pretty much the only difference. I believe if the OP was in a car, he would have hit the deer and either died or developed serious injuries..
 
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B

bblue777

Banned
@acura - can't stop... this is something only riders can understand.

@r2473 - good for you... it is dangerous on the streets.. I now have full gear on all the time + high-vis vest + white color helmet (wife says I look like a moto cop lol) + high beam on all the time.... I do think all this is working.. rarely do people attempt to pull out on me any more...... but, there is nothing you can do about them stupid deers.

@Lee - yeah, the stakes are quite high, considering the duties as a husband, dad, etc.... hey, not to mention all the effort over the years to build up a serviceable tennis game.

but, like acura, I can't stop (not yet).

today, went out to some state forest sand/dirt roads for the first time.. (on my sport bike with street tires lol), was slipping and sliding left and right and it was a blast lol.... on the market for a dual sport to do the dirt for real!
 
B

bblue777

Banned
@mikeler - I know it does sound funny..... but it is a hard addiction for a lot of people.

before I started, i thought it was nuts.... you know, it's like riding on the roof of the car while holding on to a handle bar.
 
T

Tamiya

Semi-Pro
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane...? :shock:


Overdrive said:
Wrong consensus here. Motorcycles are much more maneuverable than cars.. that is pretty much the only difference. I believe if the OP was in a car, he would have hit the deer and either died or developed serious injuries..
Click to expand...

do you ever ride?

Cars can stop regularly faster than bikes, even a fancy BMW 1200 with antilock & antidive
 
Overdrive

Overdrive

Legend
Tamiya said:
Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane...? :shock:




do you ever ride?

Cars can stop regularly faster than bikes, even a fancy BMW 1200 with antilock & antidive
Click to expand...

I rode a few times.

I believe he swerved from the deer. Also, I sincerely doubt that you can get out from a deer accident while traveling 40-50 mph. You may not know, but those animals can total your car.. :(
 
N

NJ1

Professional
Overdrive said:
Also, I sincerely doubt that you can get out from a deer accident while traveling 40-50 mph. :(
Click to expand...

This is way off. It would have to go through the windshield to kill someone unless you're driving a hooptie.

OP- glad you're okay.
 
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MauricioDias

MauricioDias

Rookie
mikeler said:
You guys should go back and read your posts. Hilarious that people HAVE to ride a motorcycle.
Click to expand...

totally agree. If you like wind go parachuting as one said, or buy a convertible. Motorcycles are dangerous, there is no way to ride without any risks.

I lost some friends in accidents and thats enought for me to avoid motorcycles. Remeber that if you hit anything riding the careen is your body, no airbags.
 
B

bblue777

Banned
- parachuting... statistically it is MORE dangerous than motorcycling
- convertible... they are fun, was actually looking for a Miata earlier this year.. still looking for one.
- the risk is real... but is also overblown. seems everybody knows somebody who died on a motorcycle.. but since overall motorcycle fatality is about 10% of all motor vehicle fatality.. therefore everybody should know 9 other people who died in a car/truck/bus!
- I am a very defensive (car) driver, also did the motorcycle safety course, always wear full high visibility riding gear, high beam always on, extra brake lights... but deer are unpredictable... also, supposedly the right move on a deer is a quick stop (full brake front and back), not swerving (due to deer often make random moves).
 
B

bblue777

Banned
- convertibles are fun, but bikes are totally different experience though :)
- where I live, (almost) traffic free riding is about 45 minutes away in some state forest, not too close, not too far.
- looking forward to a Vegas vacation in a few days, will rent a dual sport to ride in the desert :twisted: ..... someday I will move to the West.
 
dParis

dParis

Hall of Fame
Isn't there a saying about motorcycles that goes something like: There are two types of motorcyclists; ones that have had an accident and ones that are about to have an accident.
 
Avles

Avles

Hall of Fame
NHTSA says that per mile you're 30 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car. I'll pass.
 
Leelord337

Leelord337

Hall of Fame
I had an ATV accident last year...was going down a hill and it tipped over and landed on me, (big four wheeler, kawasaki brute force 750), broke my shoulder blade on my tennis arm and 3 ribs. Luckily my shoulder was undamaged but all the ribs were 100% fractures. I was out of tennis for 6 months, but now am back playing again better than ever, and almost won my univ's intramural tournament, lost 7-6 in the third set tiebreaker in the final...Anyway, I was VERY lucky with the accident, could've been much worse... it missed my spine by inches when the ATV fell on top of me.
 
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Overdrive

Overdrive

Legend
Leelord337 said:
I had an ATV accident last year...was going down a hill and it tipped over and landed on me, (big four wheeler, kawasaki brute force 750), broke my shoulder blade on my tennis arm and 3 ribs. Luckily my shoulder was undamaged but all the ribs were 100% fractures. I was out of tennis for 6 months, but now am back playing again better than ever, and almost won my univ's intramural tournament, lost 7-6 in the third set tiebreaker in the final...Anyway, I was VERY lucky with the accident, could've been much worse... it missed my spine by inches when the ATV fell on top of me.
Click to expand...

Ohh......

Good job on the tournament! :)
 
A

acura9927

Semi-Pro
Avles said:
NHTSA says that per mile you're 30 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car. I'll pass.
Click to expand...

You sure are missing out on some good sh@t. You can spend 8k on a new bike that takes you from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. To do that in a car you have to spend like $$$$$$$$$$$ dollars. Its an adrenaline rush and escape from boredom I cant stop. I mean when its summer and 80 outside you cant tell me you a bike doesn't interest you.
 
B

bblue777

Banned
Avles said:
NHTSA says that per mile you're 30 times more likely to die on a motorcycle than in a car. I'll pass.
Click to expand...

The stat is correct...

However, the death counts are heavily concentrated on those who ride crotch rocket with t shirts and flip flops, those who ride drunk, those who are unlicensed and untrained, those who don't have helmet on etc.

If you do it right, the motorcycle is about 3 times more dangerous than a car.
 
S

stapletonj

Hall of Fame
As an attorney who does car accident cases all the time, I know the following.

1. auto/motorcycle accidents are almost NEVER the rider's fault.
2. The rider is almost ALWAYS at least 10 times more injured/killed than the car driver.
3. off road m/c riders do tend to crash and break a few bones here and there, but serious permanent life changing injury or death are VERY uncommon.
4. ATV/4wheelers get into crashes both on and off road far more often than M/Cs, they are at fault far more often and their injuries are far more serious than M/Cs.
5. Many Many Many serious ATV/4wheeler accidents are on the road and are one vehicle crashes. (i.e., going fast on the paved road, lost control, and went flying into the trees, etc. at top speed)

Bottom line.....ATV/4wheelers have this problem because an inordinate number of them are not experienced, drunk, high, overconfident, and often bring it on themselves.

M/C riders in the woods are much safer (no cars to hit or be hit by, lower overall speed during crashes, bikes are lighter, etc.)

street riders are MUCH more safety conscious, and RARELY are the cause of an accident...............But they are still just as dead.

Not judging, just observing the stats....
 
B

bblue777

Banned
@stapletonj - everything in your post makes sense.
@mikeler - insurers probably follow a stat curve, which is why the premium is so high for a 20 yo, compared to a 50 yo.
 
ollinger

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
1) I ride a bike but do so less and less as the risk is becoming greater and greater. Motorcycle fatalaties are up in recent years, auto fatalaties are down. I suspect the fact that more and more very elderly drivers are on the road (fastest growing segment of the population) will push up motorcycle fatalaties as those drivers don't see as well and don't react as well. Passive (airbags, etc.) and active (automatic braking) safety features of cars keep making them safer and safer.
2) Half of all motorcycle accidents do not involve another vehicle. Most of these seem to be loss of control from taking turns too rapidly, so the assertion above that riders are not generally to blame is dubious.
3 Deer continue to encroach more and more in suburban areas as their habitat areas disappear. An orthopedist friend of mine has a motorcyclist patient who's been hospitalized TWICE for collisions with deer. The second of these actually involved the deer T-boning HIM, running out of the woods directly into the side of his bike.
 
B

bblue777

Banned
ollinger said:
1) I ride a bike but do so less and less as the risk is becoming greater and greater. Motorcycle fatalaties are up in recent years, auto fatalaties are down. I suspect the fact that more and more very elderly drivers are on the road (fastest growing segment of the population) will push up motorcycle fatalaties as those drivers don't see as well and don't react as well. Passive (airbags, etc.) and active (automatic braking) safety features of cars keep making them safer and safer.
2) Half of all motorcycle accidents do not involve another vehicle. Most of these seem to be loss of control from taking turns too rapidly, so the assertion above that riders are not generally to blame is dubious.
3 Deer continue to encroach more and more in suburban areas as their habitat areas disappear. An orthopedist friend of mine has a motorcyclist patient who's been hospitalized TWICE for collisions with deer. The second of these actually involved the deer T-boning HIM, running out of the woods directly into the side of his bike.
Click to expand...

1) could be also due to the industry pushing bigger/heavier/faster bikes to the public.

2) I think the 'assertion' was referring to car-moto collisions.

3) Deer see side ways and run to open areas when they sense danger, hence the stupid T bone lol.
 
max

max

Legend
I live in the ******* where we have tons of corn-fed deer. One problem to note is that there simply are fewer hunters keeping the numbers down. . . partly because, with the rise of divorce, there are fewer single mommas teaching their boys how to hunt! which is an interesting problem, to be sure.
 
max

max

Legend
The motorcyclists here are usually pretty gray-haired. The motorcycle thing might be "driven" by baby boomers.
 
atatu

atatu

Legend
max said:
The motorcyclists here are usually pretty gray-haired. The motorcycle thing might be "driven" by baby boomers.
Click to expand...

When I retire to the Florida panhandle in six years, I'm going to get a Vespa that I can ride down the clay courts. Until then, I'm staying away !
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
BBlue...
Most of our sport riding was done late at night, usually between 1AM (start of the meeting) thru 3AM. Less traffic, we lived in SanFrancisco.
As said, all were caused by late night car driver's heading home, at least 4 were intoxicated, one an old lady turnin.g left into her driveway.
While we have multiple slideouts, a few crash's into parked cars, nobody was every seriously hurt in our rides. We'd go 80 mph thru intersections, ran red lights, and dragged footpegs thru most right hand corners, and came close on left hand corners.
But the fatal accident's happenned AFTER our rides, when we were heading home, riding slowly and unwinding.
 
J

jswinf

Professional
bblue777 said:
I was going about 40mph.... I have full riding gear on.. helmet, leather jacket and pants, boots, gloves.... but a collision at that speed would most probably break a bag of bones.

Scary!
Click to expand...

Wouldn't have done the deer much good, either. Glad you're both OK.
 
N

NJ1

Professional
LeeD said:
We'd go 80 mph thru intersections, ran red lights, and dragged footpegs thru most right hand corners, and came close on left hand corners.
.
Click to expand...

Real shame more of you didn't get squished given this behavior (if true that is, which considering the source....). It's because of crap like this that most drivers hate people on motorbikes. And yup, I used to ride but I'd save the idiocy for when I wasn't on public roads in built up areas.
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Gotta admit, I don't do that anymore. I quit bikes by 1983.
In our defense, we didn't start out planning to ride like idiots thru the streets of SanFrancisco. But competition, lack of brains, youth (the defining factor for stupidity, we were under 25), and some of us top 3 SundayMorningRide guys who wished they were racing for real.
SMR was the well documented ride/race from MillValley to overlook above Stinson, and then from there to PtReyesStation. Plenty of full road race bikes and one GrandNationalDirtTrack #5 in 1958 BSA Goldstar, full race.
 
ballmachineguy

ballmachineguy

Hall of Fame
LeeD said:
SMR was the well documented ride/race from MillValley to overlook above Stinson, and then from there to PtReyesStation. Plenty of full road race bikes and one GrandNationalDirtTrack #5 in 1958 BSA Goldstar, full race.
Click to expand...
Fun times! Did they have “safety meetings”back then, or did those come later?
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Safety meetings.
Let the racebikes go first.
Then, big fast street bikes.
250's last, unless you're Bill Boyd on a Yamaha Twin Jet 100, who won it several times...1st half.
Stinson to Pt. Reyes Station has 2 stretches where my X6 Hustler 250 topped 102 mph before I got scared.
I seldom finished midpack, usually much worse.
 
T

tennishabit

Legend
bblue777 said:
Nice weather today, so I took my moto out for a run in the back roads. Nice elevation changes, beautiful fall foliage, twisty roads. I was taking it all in.

Was on a road I never rode on... took my eyes off the road for 1/2 a second to look at my GPS.

When I look up, the big brown thing (DEER!) ran across the road, 2 feet away from my front wheel. It was so close I could see the spots on her skin.

I was going about 40mph.... I have full riding gear on.. helmet, leather jacket and pants, boots, gloves.... but a collision at that speed would most probably break a bag of bones.

Scary!
Click to expand...

then u should buy our on-visor transparent display/screen so no need to look at gps/phone/etcetc. even u can play hardcore porno on it so no need ever to turn ur head for some fancy legs/bottoms on the footpaths.............:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D:-D..................
 
ngoster

ngoster

Semi-Pro
The closest thing to a deer for me was a turkey vulture perched on the slope of the side of the road. I saw it as I rounded the corner and slowed down. As I got closer and closer, I kept repeating to myself, "Don't do it. Don't do it." Then right when I before I got to our intersecting point, it decides to take off to cross the road. Bam! Its fat-ass body slams against the top front of my helmet. The impact felt like I bowling ball hit me. It knocked my head back but, luckily, I wasn't going that fast. I pulled into my wife's cousin's house nearby to check myself and let the shock wear off.

Other than that, I've had plenty of scares with indecisive squirrels running across the road. Pucker factor medium. Small road kills are surprisingly slippery.

Definitely ride on as long as you're still enjoying it. Rubbers down, shiny side up and always wear as much gear as you can.
 
T

tennis tom

Legend
Overdrive said:
Wrong consensus here. Motorcycles are much more maneuverable than cars.. that is pretty much the only difference. I believe if the OP was in a car, he would have hit the deer and either died or developed serious injuries..
Click to expand...
Truer words were never spoken--the deer would have either died or developed serious injuries--and the OP would be dining on venison that night.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Funny that OP phrases worry over a tennis career ending accident instead of the probable dain bramage that would have resulted if he had wiped out at speed, even with a helmet.

I gave up the cycles, both motorized and pedal powered when I moved to FL…no interesting country roads nearby and way too many older drivers unwilling to share the road or yield right of way.
 
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