| Author | Message | ||
     Ulyranger |
Picked up my Uly from the dealers tonight after 1K service. After a watching my daughter's track meet I made my way home. It's about 20 minutes past sunset, going through a dark section of woods five miles from the house........ ......I see the first two deer stepping out of the woodline.....I'm on the brakes and flashing the lights.......number three comes out and clears me with about five feet to spare......my eyes are spinning looking for the next bogie......enter number four. Sumbitch jumps out in front of me, don't think it's hooves even hit the tarmac before it's head contacted my headlights/flyscreen, I brace, it's body wraps back into my knee and lower leg and somehow I miraculously keep the shiny side up.........coast down to a stop and notice I'm blind, no lights. Dammit! I climb off and survey the damage, headlights gone(bulbs/main assembly look OK, but the bottom mount is broke), both right signals are gone, just the stalks with the wires hanging out the ends. I go back to the deer/crash scene and bambi is in his death throws, which is a good thing because I don't have anything to do the dirty deed. I also find one of my signals, looks OK, just popped off the end of the stalk. It's really getting dark now so I decide to scoot. The only lighting I have left is my left signals which I keep flashing and my tail light. I went as fast as I dared in the fast fading light, five miles never felt longer. After getting back I check 'er out real close in the shop. Headlight assembly is trashed, grill guard saved the lenses and reflectors but the mount on the underside is completely broken. It all appears to be one unit, looks like I need the whole thing. Can't figure out why the lights out though. Both right signals popped off at the end of the stalks almost like they were designed to do that. If you look closely you can see the fur in base of the signal stalk.  | ||
| Ulyranger |
Close up shot. Gonna have to tear it apart and see why my lights are gone. Is it possible both bulbs are shot from the impact? Must be time for upgrade.  | ||
| Ulyranger |
Scorched fur on the header...........I think there's a song in there somewhere.....  | ||
| Buelltoys |
Good save on staying up. I had one get me already dead in the road. It's leg caught my engine and took me down. The turn signals always seem to break like that. They come as on whole piece. Ride safe | ||
| Smokescreen |
I had the same experience the day after I bought my 2001 996. Your bike faired a lot better cosmetically. I'll take some pics of the replaced bodywork. I thought for sure he was taking me out. The Duc twisted his head back exactly as you described. Even damaged my tail section slightly. Glad to hear your ok, and saved the bike from a nasty spill! Smokescreen | ||
| Dick_stilton |
 That was a close call you had there, about as close as you can get without being wiped out I recon. The old guardian angel was riding pillion that night. Here's to your luck.  | ||
| Ulyranger |
View of rear end, empty signal stalk. Mud on tail and light must have come from the sucker's hooves. It appears the sigals are supposed to pop off like that. They appear OK, even the wire connectors are OK. Just the smoked lenses are cracked where the screw attachment is.  Overall the Uly proves to be a stout beast, very light damage considering. I also couldn't believe the control I had during the "crash", no way I should have stayed up. Don't think I could have pulled that off on my Kawi. Of course it would have been much different if I caught bambi broadside I'm sure. | ||
| Dano_12s |
Looks like you came out ok.I live in the country also,seems the Drummer+PIAA sports horn help to keep/stop them D**M deer. | ||
| Maximum |
Wow, that was a close one! I wonder if it would have been better or worse with the side bags on. | ||
| Ulyranger |
Yeah, I don't think the deer were impressed with the Uly's lighting either. Definitely time to consider a lighting upgrade. I did see the first deer with plenty of warning, but the remainder of the herd completely disregarded me and the last one ambushed me........guerrilla technique. I didn't have time to find the horn either, but I've had less luck with sound warnings on deer anyways. Flashing/moving lights are usually better IME. | ||
| Ulyranger |
Sidebags better or worse.........can't quite decide that either. Would they have helped bounce 'im clear or another possibility for entanglement? | ||
| Pso |
Glad you made it out without personal damage. | ||
| Teeps |
Glad you're ok; but who gets the deer? http://www.snopes.com/critters/audio/deaddeer.ra | ||
| Ulyranger |
"Glad you're ok; but who gets the deer? " Whomever wants it.........with a possession tag. I called a local guy who had room in the freezer....I don't right now. But I did score the backstraps. I went through the recovered pieces. Both signals still work fine after re-installing. One still had the smoke lense cover though cracked, a little epoxy and I'll keep as a spare. I'll order two new covers. The headlight assembly is screwed, I don't see any way to fix that lower mount area with any kind of integrity. I'm pretty good with JB Weld, but I think it's beyond help. I imagine that little baby is going to set me back a bit. Both bulbs were blown from the impact. Another good reason to explore aux lighting I think, that ride in the dark really sucked. Luckily I live in the sticks so I didn't have to worry about cagers pulling out in front of me. | ||
| Hooper |
Yo man...A) glad you're OK! B) Jealous you came away with the damage you did! I had my first (and hopefully only) run-in with Bambi (more like Bambi's dad) in early February. 55mph, and the beast had slipped on the pavement and was on its stomach when I hit it straight-on. Needless to say, I left the Uly, slid a bit, got up, and strode over to the poor bike. I could just barely ride it home. I got the obvious stuff fixed (new front end, new pegs, new handlebars, left hard bag, etc.) but then I found a hairline crack in the frame that weeped gasoline if I filled the tank up above 3/4. So, I'm getting a new frame. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142838/335907.html Anyway, just count your lucky stars that the nature of the hit was what it was, and tuck it away in your book of experience for the "next time". You'll never ride through the woods the same way again. I've got a Stebel Nautilus horn waiting for install, and will likely add some PIAA lights. A different bike? No way. Oh, I didn't get asked if anyone wanted the deer (the Uly killed it just about instantly), but the officer on the scene made sure to give me a "souvenir". Anyone know how many points this buck was?  | ||
| Ulyranger |
You definitely have four points on that side antler half. If that second one from the tip measures over an inch from the beam it's a five. So IF the other half was the same you'd have either an eight, nine or ten pointer. They are seldom truly symetrical so w/o both halves it's hard to say for sure. Either way looks like it was way more deer than my little 80# button buck. I'm well versed in deer country traveling, but there are times when you're best reactions aren't quite enough. Had a buddy that was taken right off his bike when a drive by deer tried to jump over him on his bike. The deer didn't quite clear him, made contact with his head and shoulders taking right off the machine clothesline style. His bike stayed upright riderless for several hundred feet before running off the road. He didn't know what hit him till he discovered the deer fur in his helmet visor and marks in the opposite ditch where the deer crash landed before hightailing into the woods. We scouted the area the next day when looking for parts for his bike, the deer jumped off a side cut bank about five feet above the road in a brushy area. He never had a chance, perfect ambush. I used to ride that section of road all the time years ago and my eyes would always be drawn to that bank looking for next ambush.  } | ||
| Jackbequick |
Glad to hear that you're OK and the bike will get better. Up here in Maine, some people have been feeding the deer because of the bad winter we had. How would you like to be the guy that comes over the top of this hill a little too quickly?  Jack | ||
| Hooper |
Jackbequick, as far as I'm concerned, you live in paradise. I spend my summers in Center Lovell, Maine, over near the NH border. Nice Dyna! I've got an '07 Street Bob that I'm customizing (and it's my ride while the Uly is waiting for a new frame). Are you just surfing this Buell site? And my hunter friend would love to have his M4 if he came upon that row of deer. What is up with that?!?! | ||
| Jackbequick |
I'm a refugee from California but I think I'll be "from away in Maine" for the duration. I like it here. That photo came to me as taken on "..South Caribou Road in Fort Fairfield, Maine sometime this past winter." And it was because people were feeding the deer. It looks like maybe a snowmobile trailed a sack of feed down the road there. The coyotes were having a great winter here but deer were not. I'm not sure the deer are "threatened" but many people think that they need to take some measures to help protect them and also to cut the coyotes back a little. But feeding deer causes other problems for both deer and humands. The damn coyotes are huge up here, like healthy German Shepard sized. They are considering putting some bounties on them I think. I'm a regular here from when I had a M2 a few years ago, then I started acting my age and moved on to the Dyna which is the perfect bike for me as far as comfort and my riding style. This is such a great place that I didn't want to leave. My Dyna came to me pretty much as you see it there. My first H-D cruiser but I now have absolutely no regrets about it. It will be a long term keeper for me. My Dyna sheet metal is still out for fresh paint, I got a late start on that and am losing part of the riding season. Looking forward to getting it back in the next week or so and getting the bike back together. I also tweaked the forks with Gold Cup emulators and new springs this winter and have not tested those yet. Have you noticed the fairly new Critical Mass topic here? We have a regular cadre of H-D owners and riders here and are starting to exchange more info about the heavies. We all tend to be a little bit more into riding and the technical info about the bikes and a little less into the focus on black leather, chrome, and accessories. Great folks on great bikes, you just can't keep them down. Jack | ||
| Hooper |
I didn't notice the Critical Mass section - that's a good thing. I sometimes go over to the Cycle Chat "Dyna Spot", which is okay for some pictures and feedback on parts, but it really is a bit less about the roads, safety, touring, and technical improvements than what the bikes look and sound like. The posters here seem a little bit more...well, I better just leave it there. | ||
| 911_racer |
a new headlight costs about 135 bucks. and comes with new bulbs. not a bad price if you ask me. I installed one with HID mods on my ATK605 dirt bike. works very well.  | ||
| Alchemy |
I think the Uly dual headlight module is less than $90 bulbs included. At one time I thought I was going to need to buy one. I am going by memory but I think that was about it. Not a bad price agreed. | ||
| Ulyranger |
So....somewhere between $90-135 huh? + two signal lenses, that's not too bad. Still much less than my deductable and I don't have to worry about my ins. rates. What are the best conventional bulbs to put in the Uly? I'm going try fixing my broken headlight with a little JB tonight to get me through till parts arrive. I've got some rides planned for this week that I don't want to miss.........and I don't want to do them on my Kawi(it just doesn't have the same appeal anymore, poor thing). | ||
| Ulyranger |
I walked out the door yesterday with two new signal lense covers and an ordered headlight assembly(complete including bulbs, wiring pig tail and dust covers(supposedly the only way it comes)) for $135 and change. Lense covers around 10 bucks for the pair and the HL $115. Not too bad considering how bad damage could have been. I was impressed that they had two lense covers in stock out back. I will find another use for the JB'd light assembly, BTW the fix has held up for me to do several short rides so far. Gotta love JB Weld. |
