Deer T Boned

[sweetip2000]

I was riding my hog through woodstck ny to my first day of work after a long unemployed winter. I am a painter by trade. I had a painter try out for interior trim and got the job to do the entire interior. I was offered top pay and it was during the time when this plandemic trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro was hot in June.

The house was off the GPS and located in these winding narrow mountain roads. I drove those roads 2 times in my Toyota. I new the roads by memory so I felt comfortable taking the bike. It was a cool summer morning June 4th.
I did not need to bring any tools with me. Everything I needed was there for me at the job to work with.

I have been riding street bikes since 1979. Most of the riding I have done however is off road trail riding and some motocross. When riding deep into trails off road my father told me if you see big game babies like bear deer etc slow it down cause the mom might be near.

I was riding my 2008 Harley 1200 SportsterC. I saw a baby deer on far right of road grazing. The speed limit increased from 45 to 55. I slowed down and got into the far left lane. No cars anywhere. I was the only one on the road.I checked my speed 40 MPH. I saw the head of a doe peering through swamp brush almost 45 degrees to my left and just at the time I saw her out she came with my horn on. No time to react to get the front end down. She was less than 5 feet in front of me and I new I was going to hit her on the side.

I braced myself for the impact. I figured at 40 MPH I will just T Bone her dump the bike and use her as a cushion to to stop. Well damn was I in for a big surprise. I heard a big thud like hitting a big freakin wall of meat. Next thing I know everything went black.

I ended up in a helicopter taken to Trauma 1 unit in Albany NY. I had a really bad broken leg compartmental fracture on the tibia and fibia broken ribs and a broken clavicle.

When I woke up there was metal rod outside my leg drilled into my bone. I have had some bad injuries riding off road but this was the worst in all my years of riding. I never could imagine so much damage would happen going just 40 MPH.

The state troopers called for EMS and saved me from loosing my leg. I will be able to walk again but it will take time.
I think what my dad told me might have saved my life. If I was going 60 or faster I don't think I would be here right now. I never thought this would ever happen to me in all my years of riding but it was the off road experience that saved me.

If you have never drove a motorcycle on the road there is nothing else like it but I recommend that you don't and stick to off road riding. I don't know if I will ride it again but I do know that I will repaint a custom finish on the tins pearl flake and candy and give it my all to put her back together again and keep the bike as my very last road bike.

I will need help replacing some of the oem parts as some of the bolts holding things like foot pegs snapped and a bolt holding the rear shock bent.

I need help taking off all the tins so if you are near central NY and can help out an old Harley guy I will pay you for helping me out as I will be wrenching in a wheel chair for now. I might ride again but it wont be for a while. I really need to get better and recover.

I will post pics of the hog damage and tell me if you can make it out here to NY. I can feed you and give you a place to sleep if needed for the time it takes to repair and I will order the OEM parts.

3z and 8tz I will always be riding my 86 250SX that is for sure.

[knappyfeet]

God bless you man....

This year to yosemite our group of 4 bikes almost hit deers 3 times........ironically twice by me when I was mid pack and once to the guy leading which was so close it looked like he actually did nail it. I use to haul ass in the back roads but not any more and especially not in the high mountians ........I now poke along like an old man in a Prius. They LITERALLY pop out from nowhere I've learned......and the best defence against hitting one is slower speeds.

Heal up soon buddy........and get that sporty fixed. I use to have an 08 and I loved it.

263966

[ATC King]

Get well and get back on a bike, even if only off road. Riding bikes for that long, they're a part of your life and not riding one anymore is like you lost part of it. There is a sense of freedom that comes from riding a motorcycle that isn't easy to explain to someone who's never rode.

As far as animal strikes go, there's plenty potential for those off road too. Sometimes there's nothing that can be done, people are just broadsided by running animals. Anything with hooves can lose it's footing on pavement too, and try to get out of the way, but just falls down (seen that happen).

Dogs running into the road are a bigger problem than deer around here.

40mph is fast. That's like being knocked off of a very fast horse at full speed. It's also much more noticeable how fast that is if doing it while riding a bicycle. A pedestrian hit by a car going 40mph has only a 10% chance of survival. Full on highway speeds are lethal, but it's evident from most people's driving they're blissfully unaware and also think it'll never happen to them.

Here's What Humans Might Look Like If We Had Evolved to Survive Car Crashes: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a30055/this-beauty-shows-what-humans-would-looks-like-if-we-evolved-to-survive-car-crashes/

Trauma, is a good, single word to described vehicle crashes. My experience was with a car driver, and I was a little nervous about getting back on the road because of it, but I really didn't consider I had another option, because I like riding so much and have been doing it for so long. I too rebuilt the bike I crashed on and still ride it. I kept all the busted parts for a reminder.

If I'm ever to the point of physically not being able to ride before dying, I'll hope I've befriended someone with a sidecar.

:beer To you, for getting better and back to where you want.

[El Camexican]

Wow, glad to hear you survived it buddy. God must still think you have some use down here.

Hate to be the one to tell you, but you WILL ride again. It’s an addiction, passion, disease, whatever you want to call it. Some people fall the first time and never ride again, but after riding as long as you have I know how this plays out.

Take care of yourself, do what the doc says, eat right, stay hydrated and avoid the booze and sugars till the bones heal. I wish I could help with the bike, hopefully someone steps up and does you a solid.

May your recovery be as swift and painless as possible :beer

[sweetip2000]

Hey thanks for all the kind words guys. I am learning how to walk with one crutch now and cant stand too long in one place. I think you guys are right. I think I will ride again if I can recover enough to use this right leg. So I pulled all the tins off the bike and most all of the body work is done.
One thing I noticed today is it looks like the front forks got bent from the impact of hitting the deer. When I look down the forks from above the handle bars it looks kinda funky. Is there a way I can tell if my forks are bent ? I just installed a new front rotor and brake pads and there is no rubbing from the rotor. I can post some pics. I hope I can afford to fix this. I have been with out a job since last winter. I was supposed to start this interior project painting and hit that deer. If you can walk me through this I would be grateful. This is a 2008 Harley Sportser 1200C. It has the stock front end and a 19 inch tire. The front end is a Showa 39MM. Thanks again for the replies and encouragement. I am still in a lot of pain but will do a custom pearl and flake finish with 3 coats of clear on crutches.

[ATC King]

I have been with out a job since last winter.

Hang in there.

I've been unemployed since last year, but not for a lack of trying. Earlier this year I had a day-long job tryout, very competitive, and I didn't get one of the open positions. I really wanted it too. A crapload of applications since, but nada. Got a letter from one of them last week that I didn't get it. Many I never hear from one way or the other. Filling out so many applications is actually depressing.

Stay busy doing something you like, work on the bike, and be happy with every vertical day. :beer

[knappyfeet]

When I look down the forks from above the handle bars it looks kinda funky. Is there a way I can tell if my forks are bent ?


I'm going to asume that with al the damage to yourself and your bike your forks may be toast.

However thinking optimistic.........sometimes on a fall the forks can get moved up in the triple making it look crooked or out a wack. The simplest way to clear that up if there's no fork damage is to remove the wheel and loosen the pinch bolts up in the triple. For lack of a better term sometimes once loosened it pops staight or a fork tube pops up a little.....just adjust and re-tighten. Of course going through all that it just takes a little more time to remove a tube and put a straight edge to it or a dial indicator to check runout and see if it's actually bent. A slightly bent tube off road is not the end of the world but on road it can be unsafe.

A lot of used forks complete are on ebay......not horribly expensive if you need it.

Good luck

[ATC King]

Hey man, just checking in. How are you doing?

[ATC King]

How are you doing?

Winter is setting in and motorcycle riding may be done for you, regardless, I'm genuinely concerned about your mental health. Being a motorcycle rider and not able to ride because of injury can be difficult to deal with.

Are you occupying your time with repairs?

[ATC King]

C'mon man.

Seriously, are you making it OK? As a motorcycle rider, I know what that means in person's life.

[ATC King]

Does anyone know sweetip2000 and how he's doing?

[ATC King]

I'd like to know something sweetip2000.

There was a US KLR rider that made a South American trip, and everything didn't work out OK. That's what's worrying me.

[wild200x]

I'd like to know something sweetip2000.

There was a US KLR rider that made a South American trip, and everything didn't work out OK. That's what's worrying me.

just read this. missed it in the past as I was not here. Now all the sudden I am worried about a fellow triker. even tough we are talking street bikes here. Praying to hear from this guy!! Anyone??

[sweetip2000]

Hey man I am sorry I did not reply. Please don't take it personally. I have been on some really heavy pain meds. I am having a difficult recovery. I am able to walk for a short time then have to sit down. The doc said I will most likely always be this way and my leg is mostly all titanium. It is really heavy and I will most likely be in pain all the time however I have decided to ride again but only with a trike not a motorcycle. I really apologize for not getting back to you so soon but I have been pretty doped up so please excuse me. I did a custom pearl flake job on the harley and there was a lot of body work but it is done. Thank you for your concern and I hope you get this message. Thanks.

[sweetip2000]

I'm going to asume that with al the damage to yourself and your bike your forks may be toast.

However thinking optimistic.........sometimes on a fall the forks can get moved up in the triple making it look crooked or out a wack. The simplest way to clear that up if there's no fork damage is to remove the wheel and loosen the pinch bolts up in the triple. For lack of a better term sometimes once loosened it pops staight or a fork tube pops up a little.....just adjust and re-tighten. Of course going through all that it just takes a little more time to remove a tube and put a straight edge to it or a dial indicator to check runout and see if it's actually bent. A slightly bent tube off road is not the end of the world but on road it can be unsafe.

A lot of used forks complete are on ebay......not horribly expensive if you need it.

Good luck

Thanks for the advice. Both the stops on the lower tree got snapped off on impact. Those forks went right into the side of the deer. It was the biggest female I have ever seen. It smelled like a horsey on impact then everything went black.

[ATC King]

I totally understand. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I was genuinely concerned and am glad you are soldiering through.

If those meds become too much of a crutch, please seek help. It's extremely exhausting when someone can't get sleep because of pain, but the meds can be very dangerous if someone has an addictive personality or doesn't have the proper moral support during their healing.

[sweetip2000]

I totally understand. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I was genuinely concerned and am glad you are soldiering through.

If those meds become too much of a crutch, please seek help. It's extremely exhausting when someone can't get sleep because of pain, but the meds can be very dangerous if someone has an addictive personality or doesn't have the proper moral support during their healing.


Hi the meds are not a crutch and very necessary. The pain is pretty bad. I have about 31 years sober. I used to be addicted to alcohol weed and cocaine so I am know what can happen. I really appreciate the concern and thank you for that.

[ATC King]

You're no stranger to those things then. That's good, in the way that you got a handle on it.

[sweetip2000]

Hey guys I need your help. I gotta replace some parts on the front end of this 2008 Harley Sportster 1200. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow. I can tell by looking at some of the damage that it needs to be replaced but want to make sure I do not have to buy more than what I need. One of the questions I have already is how do I know if the axle of the front wheel is bent ? The front end hit the side of a huge deer at 50 MPH. I was ejected from the bike and flew through a really nice memphis shades windshield. The handle bars slammed to the right at super high impact and my shin (tibia) got wedged between the gas tank and right side of handle bars which snapped the bone in my leg like a toothpick into multiple pieces. because my leg was no longer rigid i was catapulted from what the NY State Police said about 25 feet in the air and landed on my head on the highway. I did not know what happened. I woke up in a helicopter on my way to trauma center at hospital. I broke 3 ribs and a clavicle that never healed correctly. I will post the pics of the bike tomorrow and your feedback on what needs to be replaced will be helpful. I am not getting very good customer relations with my local harley dealer and need help. I will be converting this into a trike using the frankenstein trike kit.

[sweetip2000]

So here are some pictures of the damage. If you stand in front of the bike it is the right lower that took a hit and it bent the fork back toward the tank. IDK if the other one is straight but it looks ok. Should I replace both lower and upper on one side or do the entire front end ? Also the lower tree both stops broke off on impact. It rolls and stops ok but I cant ride it like this. I will be converting this into a trike. I will continue with further damage pics. I did all the body work and painting and replaced the from turn signal and rear turn signals and re wired them into the harness. The gas tank I just put back on yesterday and reconnected the fuel line fuel overflow line and harness for fuel injection. The original tail light and rear brake pedal saved the entire side of the bike from being shredded. Looks like I will have to reduce file size in pictures.

[sweetip2000]

pics of damage should I replace both forks if only one is bent ?2679532679692679682679672679662679652679642679632 67962267961

[sweetip2000]

i dont see all the pics i had 18 of them2679742679752679722679712679732679742679752679 72267971267973



The tins were painted black then mid coated with flake then mid coated with pearls then cleared. I do not have the patience for candy finishes even though they look awesome. PITA to work with and $$ expensive.

[El Camexican]

The axle is easy. Put it on a flat surface and roll it. Anything other than perfect and it’s junk.

The triple tree is probably bent. I test them by putting them vertical on a flat surface and trying to rock them. Providing the surfaces that make contact are machine there should be no rock at all. Even .020”
And you’ll feel it in the bars. Even if they are good you need steering stops, so not sure what your plan is there.

You check your fork tube like the axle, roll it on a flat surface. If you get lucky enough that you only need to change one of them you need to be sure that the one you replaced has the same spring, valving and oil weight and level as the one that you’re keeping.

Take a really good look around the frame where the steering head bearings are seated. If you see any cracking in the paint or something even more obvious, that frame it’s probably junk.

That brings up the really big question here, are you sure your frame isn’t bent? Would hate to see you go through all this work only to find out you’ve got a tweaked the frame.

Good to see you getting back on the horse that threw you :beer

[sweetip2000]

I will take another really close look around the area where the steering head bearings are and look for any signs of cracking. I think the deer took most of the impact. It was like hitting a wall of meat at 50 MPH. There was a loud thud and It smelled just like a horse. That's all I remember before I blacked out. The State trooper told me they shot the deer as it was struggling. Like you said both the stops busted off the tree on impact. I will take another close look later today. Thanks for the reply and I will take some more pics and upload what I see.

BTW when I turn the bars they feel good. Nice and smooth.

[El Camexican]

I will take another really close look around the area where the steering head bearings are and look for any signs of cracking. I think the deer took most of the impact. It was like hitting a wall of meat at 50 MPH. There was a loud thud and It smelled just like a horse. That's all I remember before I blacked out. The State trooper told me they shot the deer as it was struggling. Like you said both the stops busted off the tree on impact. I will take another close look later today. Thanks for the reply and I will take some more pics and upload what I see.

BTW when I turn the bars they feel good. Nice and smooth.

Off the topic of your bike, that smell part is wild.

In 2014 I pulled in front of a fully loaded sand truck that was going 75 mph and realized what was happening about .05 of a second before the impact. My windows were closed and aside from bending the truck up the cab wasn’t breached, yet somehow one of my memories is the smell of the coolant that came out of his rad upon impact.

Most people will attest to having a heightened sense of awareness in a crash, but smell isn’t usually one of the senses you hear them mention.

I buddy once said to me that if there was someway to simulate the sensation that occurs as adrenaline shoots into you body at the moment of impact without causing you any damage it would probably be the most addictive thing on Earth. I’ve never skydived, but I’ll bet the first time is as close one could get to that sensation.

[sweetip2000]

75 MPH T Bone into your pick up. Amazing your alive and not a vegetable hooked up to a life support machine. What is the most terrifying moment is knowing what will happen in less than one second and what races through your mind. You smelled the antifreeze and still remember that. I still smell that deer and remember the smell of the deer like it was burnt into my head. What i experienced may be similar to others. When your body shuts down upon impact you do not know or feel the damage so I guess what I am getting at is when you die you don't know that you are dead upon heavy impact. You would think you can feel your body being crushed but you don't. I have some experiences that happened in Trauma 1 in the hospital that were completely crazy. Anyway I went out to the garage with a powerful LED flashlight my glasses and a magnifying glass. I wiped away surface dust and looked around the areas you mention 3 or 4 times very slowly and felt the area with my hands. I even looked underneath the fork tree and saw no cracks at all. So I guess I got lucky with the frame ? The frame that goes down in the front of the frame looks even and all welds solid. Cant wait to get the trike kit on this as I really love the sportster and have been riding them since 1998.

BTW that truck you were in was that a Toyota Tacoma ?

[El Camexican]

Good news on the frame

I posted about my wreck when it happened, but left a lot of details out because the insurance companies were still doing what they do and I wasn’t looking to post something that would be used against me. It was 100% my fault, something I’ve never denied, but it was a struggle to get the truck paid out through my Mexican insurance as it happened in TX.

After cartwheeling through the air and having parts from the truck scattered as much as 50 yards in any direction I ended up with a small bruise the size of a nickel in my left bicep.

Once again riding a bike saved my azz. With that split second warning I managed to accelerate enough to avoing contact with the cab by an inch and hold the steering wheel so tight that it bent. Seat ended up twisted as well as it bent the floor panel. Seatbelt was another thing. Never wore them in Mexico, but I slapped it on a few minutes before the crash because I didn’t want a ticket.

I had a Ford ashtray from my wife’s old car that I kept to store change as it fit perfectly in the console cup holder of my Avalanche. The impact was so hard that it cracked the ashtray and unseated all the tires off the rims.

The wreck still has me waking up in a sweat once in a while and destroyed my self confidence behind the wheel completely. I couldn’t even park a car properly for a month afterwards. I’m maybe up to 80% of what I was before, but I don’t thing it will ever improve beyond that. .

[sweetip2000]

I cant believe you walked away from that kind of damage. What a mess. The impact was intense and all you got was a small bruise. I was lucky no drivers were behind me. From what the Trooper told me it is usually a very busy road with traffic. It was a time last spring when the c0vid scare was really bad and most people were locked down or lost their jobs or worked remotely from home. I was on my way to do a painting job inside a summer home in Woodstock NY. Anyway here is a link to my cloud. It is the gas tank refinished. I felt really bad going over that stock red candy finish on it but had to fix the damage and did not want to do another candy finish. You can watch the video from the cloud or download to your hard drive.

https://mega.nz/file/6WxUGZjJ#h-l38f1HPBkrUDBU1TTqUWzW0DVrSsC9r9EoMOjIgBI


https://mega.nz/file/WKwSjTiL#WgfFGg3St8-9v_-kWl7eMrvuMkhfmhCpE3IKyHBEy7c

https://mega.nz/file/LChSHZDa#6YWEBhs9npttL_3Egdbn2QyzniDVLCUno_cikl0V3 aE

https://mega.nz/file/3Whg0JYK#DRu6Gjtz8wxUvcFS-Oxmd0vaBsPiheNO05Lih59-1O4

https://mega.nz/file/qbxAkBbA#2AZ8-VRoTP1kJ2KGlGfov-kxVazNE-OhD195KiWOBNM

https://mega.nz/file/qCpSRRKD#lcgCMp2lASwCx_Ay0O4mtDYtIEoYGuUx0QWMa-pda2c

[sweetip2000]

Shot into the air 20 feet and landed on my head. The crash helmet took a wicked blow. If I was not wearing the helmet my brains would have spilled out on the highway. IDK what happened when I landed. The State police said the hog skid about 150 feet on its side and the rear brake pedal on the forward control and the turn signal on the rear fender prevented the rest of the bike from being shredded. Harley's are not the best motorcycles but they sure are built like a tank. I give em credit for that.

2 more parts refinished. The oil tank cover and the crash helmet from 1998 which EMT cut off my head. The numbers under the clear were done freehand with a permanent magic marker.

https://mega.nz/file/LOhWmazL#aWas2XcN62Lu_LijMTPvcYBpirgoGw9_gaZgYFyYM wk

https://mega.nz/file/vPxwRQYJ#fnRz5Xyz1QeC6szAshGbanMQAO92kavDIttOXiKv4 6s

[ATC King]

I'm glad to see you're getting the bike sorted back out. That first ride after it's ready is going to be memorable.