My BMW R90S was fresh out of the shop after what turned out to be a 5 year restoration. The day was all sunshine and blue sky and there was a long strip of back country asphalt winding through a postcard picturesque landscape. It was clearly time to take my pride and joy for our first ride in a very long time.
The ride was as exhilarating as I expected, but, as the road passed between two fields grown high with corn a deer leapt from nowhere, like a starship that had just emerged from hyperspace right in front of me. It happened so suddenly that I couldn't react. No braking, not even enough time to squint my eyes before impact. The deer's trajectory carried it into my path at about headlight level. But at the very last moment the deer seemed to float barely past me. I had been riding on the right side of my lane, the deer landed on the left side of my lane, right next to me. My wife had been following me on her Harley and witnessed the whole thing. She said she thought I was a goner. She couldn't understand how I hadn't hit the deer. I can't figure it out either. Maybe it was St. Urgis.
CB
I had bought my first motorcycle and had been only riding a couple of weeks. It was a beautiful, warm spring day. I was about to make right turn at an intersection. There was a lady in car waiting at the crossroad stop sign on my left. Approaching the intersection, I slowed down to turn right, turn signal on. She then sped the car across my path, cutting in front of me. Shocked, she rocketed in front of me, I locked up my brakes and laid the bike down. The lady in the car sped away completely unaware of what she had just caused me to do. I got the bike stopped. Stood my body and bike back up. Luckily, I had been going slow enough, neither me nor my bike was hurt much. Saint Urgis was there for me because, it could have been much worse.
Ed Cole, Jasper, IN
Dodging Wildlife
In August, I was coming down a hill in Custer SD heading for the wildlife loop with my husband and a friend. Surprise! 2 deer ran out in front of me and I did my best to stop, or at least get my speed down to where neither the deer, nor I, would be too badly hurt when we collided. Unfortunately, my brakes locked up. I over corrected and high sided across the oncoming traffic lanes. Miraculously, the traffic had stopped to wait for the deer.
I like to think St. Urgis was with me as my engine guard kept my bike from touching the pavement and crushing my leg. I landed in the grass along the road next to my bike which finished the flip and landed wheels up.
All I suffered was a skinned knee and a few bruises. After we walked the bike to a level spot, it started right up despite a bent engine guard (really did its job), a broken turn signal light, broken windshield, wrecked bag and a few scratches. My husband taped the light up and we limped back to our campground. Any wreck you walk away from and ride the bike home is minor...
I can’t imagine how my friend and my husband felt following me down the road when it happened. They were a tad shaken, but I am thankful for whatever or whoever - St. Urgis or the big guy maybe - protected me that day.
Rosanna
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