Goldwing vs. Deer

J

jesse

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jesse
Whacked a deer with my 2004 GL1800 on July 4th @ 70 mph. I hit the dear at precisely mid center and launched it over top of me. Pretty uneventful, kept the bike upright, came to a controlled stop, and had no injuries. Just like an airplane, if the **** hits the fan, don't give up on controlling the machine and you might just be alright.

My dad was following me on his BMW K1200GT. He said that it looked like I may have missed it, given how my bike didn't even wobble from his perspective, but realized that wasn't the case when all the goldwing parts started bouncing off his windshield.

Immediately after the accident, I left my dad with the Goldwing, got back on the horse, and rode his BMW the remaining 2 hours back to my place to pickup my truck and trailer. My dad ended up in worse shape than me, given the mosquitos pretty well ate him alive.

The above worked out nicely, any fears the accident gave me were pretty well gone by the time I rolled into my driveway on his BMW.

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Picked up its replacement today, same color, but 19 years newer:
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New model handles much better than the older ones, and all the modern electronics sure are nice (gps, xm, apple carplay, etc). I was suspicious of the automatic DCT transmission, but couldn't find any around here with a manual, so went with the automatic. So far, I'm loving it.

Anyhow, if you ride motorcycles, think twice about what you're riding. Had I been on a lighter/naked bike, I'd have been toast.
 
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That's one way to get an upgrade, I guess.

Glad it seems to have worked out well. Congrats on the new bike, it is a beauty.
 
Glad you are safe! Congrats on great response.
 
100+ pound rodents. Glad you are ok, the bike was trashed, next time don't leave anyone behind. Mosquito bites can ruin your life.
 
PaulS said:
next time don't leave anyone behind. Mosquito bites can ruin your life.
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Oh boy…I better not tell you about the ticks…

Anyhow, wasn’t a better option, my dad had no interest in riding any further that night after watching the accident. He also didn’t know the route to my house and didn’t want to deal with an unfamiliar truck and trailer.
 
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Glad you’re good, man! Good skills in keeping control.

I have a ‘21 Wing. It’s my third Goldwing - previous ones were an ‘86 1200 and a ‘99 1500. The current model is by far the best. Honda did everything I always had thought they should’ve done for Goldwings. The stock seat is the best yet - 700 mile days are no problem. The saddlebags are small, but that’s a minor drawback and not hard to pack a few weeks’ worth of stuff into them.

Have fun!
 
Jesse, glad you were able to ride through the encounter! I hit a similar sized deer last summer on my BMW R1200GS, like you, I center punched him with the front wheel, but miraculously it bounded of the front wheel and into the ditch on the right side. I came to a stop and the bike had zero damage, the guys riding behing me couldn't believe it. So yes, always keep riding/flying until the outcome is certain.

I also have a 2022 Goldwing Tour DCT, and like you, took a chance on the DCT. So far, I love it, it suits the character of the bike perfectly, and the DCT gets fantastic mileage. I get 48-50mpg two up and loaded. You'll also find that the handling and brakes are fantastic, this bike rides more like a large sport tourer. Good luck and enjoy!

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Man, amazing story! Glad you made it out unscathed and also did a little wildlife conservation for us.
 
Dayum...points for a giant heavy bike. Glad you're okay!
 
jesse said:
Oh boy…I better not tell you about the ticks…

Anyhow, wasn’t a better option, my dad had no interest in riding any further that night after watching the accident. He also didn’t know the route to my house and didn’t want to deal with an unfamiliar truck and trailer.
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I know all about ticks, luckily not personally. Glad it all worked out!
 
Did you harvest the deer?
 
I've always heard that the best option, for when a large animal appears in front of the bike without time to stop, is to just "drive" right through it. You have proven that method works. Great to hear everyone is OK!

New bike is nice ...
 
Wow. Glad you’re okay. That would have been much worse on something like my Daytona; that ‘wing came through better than @SkyChaser ’s car with her deer strike.

Love the new bike!
 
Wow good job!

I put a sport bike down once after hitting a raccoon…it wasn’t the impact that caused me to crash, it was the fact that hitting a raccoon is like hitting a giant ball of grease…their greasy skin/coat made my front tire act like it was covered in lard. I lightly braked after the impact and the front tire washed out on me.
 
Jesse, I’m sorry to hear about the accident, but I’m thankful you’re safe! Those deer can come out of nowhere. The new bike is surely a beauty!
 
Half Fast said:
Wow. Glad you’re okay. That would have been much worse on something like my Daytona; that ‘wing came through better than @SkyChaser ’s car with her deer strike.

Love the new bike!
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Especially considering he hit his at 70mph! I hit my deer at less than 10mph, so that is seriously impressive.
 
Wow. That could have gone so much worse. Kudos for keeping the ship upright and remaining cool.

That replacement Wing is a beautiful thing and the proper color!
 
Holy crap. I hit a deer about that size, also going about 70 mph, in a full size Bronco back in the 90s. I was fine, the deer also flew through the air, but it was a hard hit. That impact felt harder than a VW Rabbit that plowed into me a few years later going around 40. Glad you were OK, and were able to shake that off. Can't imagine the impact, but betting it hit a lot harder than you realized at the time. Deer don't have crumple zones.

New bike looks great! May the only thing that ends up on your windscreen be bugs.
 
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