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I am sure most of us riders have had insect encounters while riding! My latest was a honeybee flew up my right nostril and of course stung me way up in my sinus cavity. It took many "farmers blows" to dislodge it. Of course it brought a tear to my right eye (but not both) Ha Ha. Another time while on the interstate I had a wasp fly up my left sleeve of my T shirt and by the time I got stopped it stung me six times! Wasp can sting multiple times, honeybees only once thank God.
One memory I won't forget was a locust that went over the shield and hit me square in the nose. I was on a busy freeway on the overpass. Blessed for sure 'cause I didn't wreck. Found the locust dead between my legs when I stopped.
Mine is a little lame, but on my previous bike, something hit me in the chest area. Didn't think much of it. Went to a coffee shop near home, took a bathroom break, and when I took my jacket off, a momma bumble bee dropped to the floor. Never stung me, but it had to die. Mainly because I was scared shitless...no pun intended, considering I was in a men's room.
Hit by the usual Bees and bugs. But only once by a bird in the face shield of full helmet. Kinda freaked me out but Killed the bird.
Swarms of honey bees, locust and suicidal quail are the reason I always were a full face helmet and jacket.
I was coming back from Vermont one summer, just cruising down I89 at about 85 and wearing my 1/2 helmet. You know how your speed, your eyes and the trajectory of the bug is so matched up that you can see the bug clear as a bell, hovering right in front of your eyes. Just at that moment the damn thing hit my cheek and ended up in the leather ear flaps of the helmet. It didn't die and I couldn't get the helmet off fast enough. That bug was crawling around, I could feel it ever so gently crawling up my ear lope to find a home in my ear. The bug died a swift and glorious death soon there after. Still gives me the shivers every time I think about it.
Nailed a Bumblebee with my Adams Apple at 80 MPH. Felt like a rock hit me.
I've had two occasions when a bee got lodged in my helmet while riding. Unfortunately I'm allergic to yellow jackets. luckily I was not stung. I always carry epi-pens and benedryl with me when I ride. The one time I did get stung on the arm, I pulled over and talked with a sheriff's deputy that was parked nearby until I verified that I was not having an allergic reaction. My doc says that if I get stung from a yellow jacket I need to inject myself, take benedryl and get to the nearest ER. A little scary, but I'm not going to give up riding due to a damn bug.
I've had a bee get inside my helmet and sting me. But the worst I've heard of was at Sturgis around 2010. That year there were a lot of these really hard beetle-like bugs flying around. They sounded like rocks hitting your windshield or face shield. I read in the local paper that one rider, apparently wearing little or no eye protection, had one hit him in the eye. He was travelling fast enough that it actually entered his brain and killed him.
We get June bugs here the size of small birds (not quite, but feel like it when they hit you), they have given me cut lips, black eyes and once had to pull a leg out of my cheek.
Probably the worst thing I have ever been hit by was the time I took a sparrow to the chest at around 60mph.
Minnesota, coming back from Brookings on an Everclear run. 75-80, no helmet...Saw the bug coming, had the whole Olympic slow motion effect. Hit my cheek like a rock, thought I had broke something it hurt so bad.
Couple of years ago I was on my way home from a nice run out, I passed a dead deer at the side of the road. Something the size of a B52 took off and hit me right in the middle of my visor. It smeared all over my helmet and from what I could tell it had been eating the deer! I know this because it smelled like sh1t, and I had to ride for the next half hour with that smell in my helmet...Not one to forget.
I took a wayward golf ball in the chest last year. Hurt like hell.
Last fall, I was riding along at about 50 on a two lane road. A buzzard lifted off just ahead of me and crossed in front of my face. He tapped the top of my helmet with his wing.
My wife on her Spyder 50 feet behind almost wrecked seeing that.
Late 80s on my last crotch rocket. Going to work about midnight on back country road. Layed into the throttle to the tune of around 110mph. While coming up to one of the first street lights coming into town a shadow catches my eye right about the same time something slams into my helmet. Hit me so hard that i was nearly knocked off the back of the bike. I was hanging with my right hand because my left hand was over my shoulder and my head snapped back. Luckily got control and made to work about two miles away. Once I got parked and inside I saw that the whole left side of my helmet was covered in what's left of a bat. Part of its wing was lodged in the top of the visor. My neck hurt for weeks after that.
Almost the same thing happened to me. Buzzard took off and clipped the very top of the windshield on my brand new 12 Wing. Instinct made me duck which my wife, who was in the passenger seat was not thrilled with. The Buzzard barely touched the top of her full face helmet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Navvet
I was leading a group on the coast in April a few years back with my half helmet and no windshield on my Fatboy. I saw something in the air but I was sure it would be gone by the time I got there. It was not and I don't have a clue as to what it was, but the guys behind me said my head snapped around like a took a left hook from George Foreman. I thought it was going to knock me off the bike for a few seconds until I got my bearings again. It left a mark on my right cheek for days---still don't know what it was.
BTW---I have been hit twice by a golf ball. The man who stays on his bike after that wins hands down.
Many bugs have given their life so I may enjoy my rides, although I have had two (different occasions) that got me back by flying up my pant leg and stinging me in the calf.
I must have been a sight as I rode along at highway speeds smacking myself repeatedly in the leg trying to squash the little bugger.
And once many years ago when I rode without a windshield, I had a bee get caught in between my glasses and temple and sting me in the side of my head.... wow that hurt
The wife and I hit a pheasant last year saw it coming lucky we slowed down hit me in the top of the head and the wife in the side of hers. Hit a swallow one time right in the windpipe. Yellow jacket in the shirt pulled in the driveway felt something crawling swatted it and it started stinging must have set a record pulling my leather coat off running for the house.
Went to school with a guy who didn't show up for a few days. Comes in wearing a neck brace and all banged up. Here on the way to school he hit a flock of blackbirds knocked him right off the bike lucky he had his riding gear on and didn't slide into anything solid just whiplash and bruises
Bee swarms suck!
Fortunately the gf and I saw it coming and got our heads down (helmets on), so no stings. But dozens of bees received their kamikaze certifications that day! 😆