I put two on my bike and one on the wifes, she seldom rides other than in broad daylight. Now if I could just convince her to step up to an F6B....Originally Posted by 1951vbs
I put two on my bike and one on the wifes, she seldom rides other than in broad daylight. Now if I could just convince her to step up to an F6B....
jkelley, deer have been known to run around in broad daylight too. That is when I hit my first deer, was about 11:00 am. So be aware that they do not only come out to play at night.
Yup, seen em, and been fairly close in the past, but I DID SEE THEM. At night is when I get the short "oh shit" notice. They are starting to populate like rats here.
Deer are like pigeons around here. I live in town and have just over 2 acres with a lagoon abutting the back of my property. Recently, during the afternoon there were at least 15 deer down by the lagoon. When I walk back there the deer scatter in every direction. Needless to say we are all very leery of deer and as Miles stated deer can move at anytime, not just at dusk, dawn or at night.
A few years back, rode out to Rapid City, SD and back to Charlotte, NC and during that trip, deer seemed to be everywhere. In fact 7 deaths out at Sturgis that year, 4 from hitting deer in the area. In any event, thankful that I did not hit any deer during my trip, I decided to rev up my Electra glide coming up my driveway to let the wife know I was back home. My driveway is long, wooded and twisty, halfway up the drive, going way faster than I should, stood a deer in the middle of the drive just looking at me. I hit the brakes, braced for impact, and somehow just missed hitting the damn thing. Can't imagine having a 10 day trip, not hitting any deer when they seem to be everywhere and hit one in my driveway coming home. I am one lucky guy cause I did not have to explain my stupidity of speeding up the driveway and crashing into a deer to the little woman.
I have two installed on top of the fog lights plastic area, that seemed to be the best area to me.
Last year we went to Sturgis and boy, they was everywhere, two of my friends had an accident one night with one of them, thank Good bikes and them ended been OK, just few scratches on them.
Then, few nights later (Near Deadwood), we encounter about 6-7 of them.......I was in front.
I think the whistles worked because the one closets to the highway, all of the sudden jump back like it was hit by something....I'm assuming it was the whistle....So, as soon as I came back I installed 2 of them on my other bike....Better safe than sorry....To me they do work.....
Now, I have seen ones that have to be connected to the battery....I do not know if those will be a better or not, does any have that kind and care to share?
I live out near Valley Forge Pennsylvania by the Brandywine River. Out here I pretty much see deer every time I go riding. Everybody I know has hit a deer in their car - including me. The main thing you need to be aware of is that if you see a deer running towards the road they will usually continue running in that direction without stopping = they never look both ways when crossing the road. Also, if you see one, there are usually more.
My closest call came in a suburban setting around high noon. Huge buck came breaking out between two houses and I slammed on both brakes. I got lucky when he heard the tires screeching because he put on his own brakes. I could actually hear his hooves sliding on the pavement. Fortunately, I was only traveling about 35 mph but he appeared so quickly the brakes did not really do anything. I got so close to him that I could see the whites of his eyes appear as fear overtook him. As I prepared to strike him; I instinctively lifted my left foot to boot him away. By the Grace of God the deer's own panic saved us both. My younger brother was right behind me and couldn't believe the deer tried to stop. It took us both about 15 minutes to start breathing normally.
My advice to all riders is stay alert. Always assume that the deer, and the other cars, can see you and they are hoping to catch you not paying attention.
I lived in Minnesota for several years and had two extremely close calls there...you never know when or where they'll come from...
Sure would be great if the various deer whistles out there actually worked, but the evidence and studies all say they don't. Still, there is always the chance that nobody told the deer that (even though they can't hear anything in the most common frequencies used by the whistles). Deer whistles (ultra-sonic) operate at 16 - 20 kHz, but deer can't hear much above 12 kHz, just like us. Even the lower frequency ones don't seem to elicit any "flight" response by the deer, and in some cases rutting bucks actually attacked the whistle. Lots of studies on the web, easy to look up. So discretion remains the better part of valor - slow down, pay all your attention to the road, cover the brakes, and avoid riding as the sun is going down or coming up if you can. Maybe not for everyone, but as I get older, by the end of the day I just want to be at the hotel or home with some good bourbon or single malt. Ride safe.
Same here Traveler. We have BIG deer in Wisconsin. I have hit them with a car and a truck, so far, been lucky on the bikes! Like you, I seldom ride into the eve. Much nicer when I can see. Plus, headlights attract BUGS! A couple hour ride after sundown here, means scrubbing smashed bugs off, before you can ride again. I can get several hundred miles of riding during the daylight, and I too, enjoy some cold drinks in the evening.
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