Dang Birds!

[dsan1964_imp]

Wow that would have shook me up...glad you rode away from it.


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[riceburner_imp]

Birds feeding along the road react in much the same way as deer,unpredictable as to which way they will go and how long they wait before making a choice,avoidance is the same,brake hard when you see them,10 or 15 mph off your speed gives both them and you a little more time to avoid disaster.My experience has been they more often than not fly directly into my path of travel instead of away from it,expect it and ride accordingly.Glad you're unhurt but sorry for the raptor as it probably died.

[Haystack_imp]

I'm glad to hear that you're OK and that the bike is undamaged!

Pheasants are the worst around here in the central plains. They have a habit of jumping out in front of your machine from the roadside at the last moment. Very difficult to react other than to duck-and-dodge while sitting.

I've hit several in the past ten years or so. Each time was with a bike with a windshield. The collision was so violent that I was sure that there was damage to the bike, but there must've been enough flexion in the fairing/windshield that it only left a mark on the bike and feathers floating over the carcass laying in the road.

I once hit a dove while wearing my helmet at highway speed on my BMW R80 sans windshield...you're correct, it feels like getting hit in the head with a baseball. I can't imagine that happening without wearing a helmet and no windscreen. That taught me to always wear a full-face helmet while riding a bike without a shield.