OOOFF!!…that bugger hurt !! Been to the gym this morning so I thought I’d have a quick blast over the Helmsley TT this afternoon, ..all going great on my lovely 899 until a pheasant flew out of the hedge across my path, it just clipped the wing mirror stalk and took the screen edge trim off , then I copped it!! Fully grown pheasant at 70+ mph straight into the chest, like being hit by a cannonball !! I honestly thought I was gonna pass out with the pain and it had totally knocked the wind out of me ! I managed to stop the bike on the road and got off and ended up on my hands and knees on the verge trying to breathe again, had to do short fast shallow breathing for a couple of minutes before I got back to normal, to add insult to injury, it had shat all over my leathers when I clobbered it ! Lucky to stay on the bike and I think I’ve got away with any broken ribs, but boy,..my chest hurts now, feels like I’ve been hit with a sledgehammer ! Big thank you to the lovely young blonde girl in the white Seat?? Who spotted me on my hands and knees and stopped to ask if I was ok Took my gear off once I got home and there’s a red impact mark on my chest where it struck, so, so lucky I managed to stay on the bike. , be careful out there peeps
Happened to me probably 4 years ago with a similar end result. I have worn a chest protector ever since. Andy
That’s the first thing I thought about once I got calmed down, I’m sure it would have lessened the impact greatly if I had a chest protector in, don’t think I’ve got enough room in my leathers for one though
Two piece Dainese Laguna Seca, about £800 quids worth, ….nope, not be getting burned any time soon , in fact will probably get buried in them when the time comes !
Occupational hazard of riding in the sticks but I once almost hit a fox on the S.Circular in Clapham at 0300...scary. Anyway, at least you stayed on...
You would be surprised how heavy a grown pheasant is, its a lot of inertia at 70 mph. It wasn't on the descent down Clay Bank towards Chop Gate was it? Well known as pheasant alley
I had an email from Motolegends this morning, singing the praises of the new Rukka vest with chest and back protection. I'll bet they threw the pheasant at you, the rascals.
A pheasant? That must hurt. I've had a bumble bee smack into my bicep at north of a ton and that bugger hurt.
Lucky escape. I hit a pigeon a few years back, middle of visor. Pigeon pie and feathers everywhere, nearly took my head off. Maybe about 40mph impact speed. A high speed impact would not be a good outcome.
No, I was traveling in the opposite direction from Stokesley to Helmsley, I’d just come out of Chop Gate, double apex right hander, then about two miles later into the whoop-de-do’s when it flew right to left across the road and I clobbered it, ..Christ it hurt, ..it was a bit like the testing they do on aircraft windows when they fire a dead bird out of a cannon to see if it’ll break the screen
Remember....shit on the outside of your leathers is usually preferable to shit on the inside of them....
Deader than a dead thing, spotted it by the side of the road on my way back, was in no mood to stop and take it home to cook as it had totally knocked the “stuffing” out of me if you’ll pardon the pun
