For those of you who ride where there are plenty of dense forests and mountains around, deer running out in the road is a fact of life. Luckily I’ve never had a close encounter on a motorcycle, but I’ve almost plowed a few over in my car on more than one occasion. They won’t hesitate to run out right in front of you and are totally unpredictable.
 
So my brother-in-law rode up from Long Beach in So Cal last week on his 2008 Honda Gold Wing. He was on a week-long adventure, riding less-traveled mountain roads in Northern California and then spent a few days with my family before pushing up through Washington State and into Canada. Yesterday he was traveling back home along the Oregon coast and had just left the last town before the California border, a little fishing hamlet called Brookings, right about sundown. Four miles out of town, it happens. A deer on the other side of the road makes a suicide run, bolting in front of a car traveling in the other direction before running into Kevin’s lane. No time to react, Helmet (the nickname my kids gave their uncle) plows into the deer at 55 mph.
 
“It happened so fast I didn’t have time to react,” he said.

Fortunately, he rode it out. Kevin is a big, strong guy, 6’7” tall, and was on a fully-loaded Gold Wing, pushing about 1200 lbs. of man, machine, and gear. He was a little shaken, but was more pissed about his bike getting banged up than anything else. Initial inspection revealed damage that included his front fender, a cracked fairing, busted mirrors, and a sheared-off highway peg. Needless to say, the deer didn’t fare so well. Luckily, he’s an excellent rider, is a big guy, and was on a big bike. I have read reports in the local paper from riders who weren't so lucky. Collisions with deer have even been responsible for a few fatalities that I can recall.

He said that a van who witnessed the accident stopped to see if he was all right, as did another car. Glad to hear there are still good Samaritans out there. They helped him pick up the broken pieces and he was able to ride back to Brookings to stay the night. He was going to inspect the bike thoroughly this morning, but said it was still rideable and that he was going to continue his journey home today. Haven’t heard from him so I assume everything’s OK. Gotta love the Honda Gold Wing. It’s one well-made motorcycle.

Wanted to share this with you because it’s deer season, people. In our home state of Oregon, it’s always deer season on the roads, so stay alert, ride safe, and keep the rubber side down. Kudos to Kevin for pulling it out.