Friday 9-28-18, I took my DR650 for a ride in the mountains on some forest service roads when I put all my gear to a severe test. While running about 35mph an unseen deer jumped out of the arroyo right in front of me and I punched her in the chest with my right hand still on the throttle. The impact was hard enough to twist the bars in the riser and brake the ball of the brake lever. Both the deer and I went down (me highside), but the deer got up and ran off much quicker than I did. I ended up in a berm of fist sized rocks on the edge of the road, thanks to my gear after about half an hour of sorting myself out I was able to right the bike and ride home.

Damage to my gear was:

Jeans shredded.

Danner Lookout boots, a few deep scrapes in the left toe leather. Still usable.

Sedici Lucca gloves, scuffed but intact. the left one did come partly off in the slide.

Tourmaster Transition 4 Jacket (pads removed), popped about 3 inches of one line of seam stitching on the left arm above the cuff. some abrasion evident on the front and left side of the jacket. No tears in the fabric and will see further use.

Bohn Body Armor shirt and pants, dusty, otherwise no visible damage. Will be worn again every ride and HIGHLY recommended.

LS2 Strobe Helmet, Took a chunk out of and a crack in the shell just above my right eye. The plastic liner in the chin bar split in two places. the foam liner is noticeably compressed in the forehead area. Time for a new helmet. Another Strobe is already on its way.

Damage to my body:

A nasty bruise on the back of my left calf where the passenger peg tried to take a bite out of it.

A few hunks of skin missing from the back back of my left hand due to the glove sliding down to my fingers.

Some light rug burn from the pads on my left knee and elbows.

The only injury requiring medical care is a broken (2 places) right thumb from direct impact with the deer's chest. If I had been on the B the fairing would have taken the hit and I'd probably be fine, but the B isn't much fun in the dirt.

The comparatively trivial amount spent on proper gear compared to all the other motorcycle related expenses, was probably the best money I've ever spent. Thanks to Sedici, Tourmaster, and especially LS2 helmets and Bohn Body Armor, I was able to right the bike and ride the 35 miles home before spending a larger amount,I'm sure, at the ER getting the thumb X-rayed and Splinted. I should be back on two wheels in about 6-8 weeks.