On my way out to the Rattlesnake run in TN a bird ran right into the right side air scoop of my bike. Split the bird in half. Parts shoved through the rear jug and parts slimed up my leg and side of bike. Nasty. Anything happen to anyone else?
Without the scoop, the damage to his leg may have been worse! Ummmm, how fast were you going anyhow to splatter a bird?!?!? Around here we have some LARGE, slow moving wild turkeys!
I hit a seagull once on the expressway doing around 75 mph. I was very thankful for the full size windshield on the Vetter fairing I had on that bike. Splattered like a huge bug! Messed my shorts too!
On the bike, I hit a damn o-possum once on my way out of the subdivision one dark morning. Talk about a nasty ass mess too.
Smacked a turkey vulture in my truck a couple of years ago to the tune of a new grille and intercooler. Missed the ac condenser in favor of the more expensive intercooler (naturally).
I hit a deer once...actually the deer hit me. Ran right into the side of the bike. For the next mile you get this feeling like that didn't just happen did it? and then you realize HIT DID!
Saratoga: That's funny, because on the trip back I was behind a truck that hit a turkey vulture and it came up over the top of the truck and also almost hit me. Is it me or is there something Alfred Hitchcocky going on here?
The Fabio thing kills me! I was on my old sporty a couple years ago, and a bird flew into my front mag. That made a huge mess. I saw the bird fly into it,.......but not out. My scoot had slimy, feathery new farkles!.......................everywhere!
i just want to say thanks to everyone here who preaches ATGATT.
25 years of riding, 90% of it w/o gear, and i never hit a bird.
last summer, i bought the Ss, and hit FIVE by the time November rolled around.
the 1st one was the messiest, a red-wing blackbird hit my clutch lever at about 80mph, which was enough to slip the clutch and give the bars a good jerk. most of his brains ended up on the back of my hand, and i had to unwind it's wing from the clutch lever to release the carcass.
the scariest was when a bird ATTACKED me! i don't know what kind of bird it was, but it was no little song-bird! it came out of a barn, and went right for my head, talons first. i was going slow enough to see it coming, and tried to duck. no such luck.
only got one so far this year, right dead-center (forgive the pun!) of my BUELL mesh jacket. FYI, fresh bird wipes off easily, but don't let it dry out...
I almost got puked on by a buzzard last year. I had heard they do this- I rode up on a flock of them munching down on some roadkill off the right shoulder of the road, probably a deer. They all took flight when I got close. The nasty thing is buzzards will "dump excess weight" when they're startled like this to help them gain altitude.
I slowed WAY up to avoid the mess, but seeing it almost made me puke!