Pidgeon hit

[Philip]

was riding at about 60mph when hit by a big grey UFO (probably a pidgeon) . it hit the screen dead centre, which was the only glimpse i got of the poor bugger. well the screen did its job and the bird must have been bounced over my head or off to the side - the screen was on second notch down from top by the way. unfortunately the impact broke the two retaining bits of plastic at the front which meant the screen went nearly flat after the impact. the side tightner screws seem ok after realignment of the teeth to the screen. No damage to the screen itself. I continued the ride(was only a few miles from home when it happened) as the screen could be held upright by the side retainers although the front gradually lifted due to the wind pressure to give a slight "tobinated" effect. Hey ho - not bad crash damage if the only cost is the two screws. On my vfr i guess the bird would have got me in the neck !

 

[Deleted account W]

On my vfr i guess the bird would have got me in the neck !

I've got a GS and I still get in the neck from me bird.

 

[Fanum]

K....er, Roger, you really don't deserve her do you mate

Philip....sounds like a lucky escape....we had a thread a while ago about bird strikes....

Here 'tis but I've often wondered since what it'd be like to take a pigeon in the face at normal road speeds......the shock factor of something appearing suddenly like that plus a half kilo of feathery stuff smacking you in the mush......

Sounds like you actually had a lucky escape TBH

 

[Mouse]

I once had a small bird (not as big as a pigeon) hit my visor when I was doing about 60 or so. No damage, just a lot of feathers, and I had to stop to catch my breath. Then more recently another small bird flew into the front of my fazer - there was bird guts all down one fork leg and on the mudguard, yuk.

The largest animal I've hit was a sheep, they do more damage .

 

[david thorpe]

Pigeons

Happened to me on my 1150 2 yrs ago ~ not funny at the time ~ but memorable because of the mess. I was doing 70+ the woodie say 40 ~ headon impact 110 taken just under the beak on fork stanchion. Big bang ~ bike hardly moved ~ bird disintegrated ~ rider astonished to see (in mirror)what looked like a comets tail receding down the road. I stopped to survey the damage. Bird total write off ~ blood, minced guts and feathers all over crankcase and heads and my nice new Atlantis trousers. Bike undamaged BUT as I still had miles to go it took hours to clean off stove enamelled pigeon parts from the bike and feathers kept appearing in unlikely places for weeks!

I am very grateful it didn't hit me tho' a pigeon is a heavy bird and if it had I'm not sure I could tell the tale now!

David

Ps Pigeon braised in red wine is great

 

[richie]

Hit a pheasant once broke my fairing. So I stopped the bike turned around and picked up the bird.

Had it for dinner the next day...

 

[RobC]

I got home from work one day and I noticed feathers and blood on my forks, engine, crash bars and boots. Never even noticed the hit so it must have flown through the front wheel.

I've also had a small bird hit me in the arm but I was riding at less than 30 so I think it survived.

A couple of years ago I hit a deer at about 60 but fortunately I was in the car at the time. I use the same roads on my bike every day though and I've had a few close escapes...the buggers jump from field into road and are hidden by 6 foot hedges! I heard soon after that there is a bylaw in the UK whereby if you run over a deer it is illegal for you to pick it up and take it home for the barbeque. However, if another driver spots the deer then they are allowed to pick it up. Not too sure how true that is but bylaws can be strange.

Oh...I ran over a rat the other day, had to duck (no pun intended) under a pheasant a few times.

Living in the sticks really does have its hazards.

 

[david thorpe]

deer deer

I think that bylaw (or is it byelaw?) about not claiming the deer you've killed for the pot but the driver behind can, applies to pheasants as well. However I'd rather not test the theort out in the first place!

david

 

[monkeyman]

cement

don't have that problem in London. all the birds are either dead or too asmathic to fly. it's the pedestrians you have to watch out for here. old ladies are the worst; big noise when you hit, then hang on to the front, moaning about the cold and getting their shopping caught in the spokes.

 

[Marty Gutenfart]

The largest animal I've hit was a sheep, they do more damage .

Oh, I dunno. I expect it buffed up your paintwork quite nicely.

 

[Marty Gutenfart]

I'm trying to visualise it now. Standing on the footpegs prior to entry, er sorry, collision were we?

 

[Steptoe]

Oh, I dunno. I expect it buffed up your paintwork quite nicely.

can sit on it after as well .

 

[boundless]

I can put my hand on my heart and say that I can feel the full pigeon-chested gravity of your situation.

Then again, perhaps I should amplify that?


Moral of the story: A bird in Bush's mush would be good telly for Kelly?