Bird strike.

[Smithers]

A sad report in the press today about a motorcyclist losing his life after being hit by a pheasant. How many of us have had 'bird strikes' and what were your experiences? Personally it's a big fear of mine after being struck on the arm by a very young pheasant that looked as though it weighed next to nothing, yet the impact very nearly made me lose control of the bike. I was shocked at how heavy the impact felt yet was literally only doing probably about 30mph at the time. Had I been hacking along this road and a full grown bird was to do the same, it would probably have put me and the bike into the hedge, or worse into the oncoming traffic.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6938025/Old-school-copper-52-died-motorbike-crash-hitting-pheasant.html

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

A son of some of my parents' friends was killed when a pheasant hit him on the helmet whilst riding a motorbike. Having moved to a rural area I am rather aware of how many of them there are around.

 

 

Our back garden this morning for example.

They are heavy birds and fly up when startled. A friend hit one on the motorway in his car and the damage it did to the front end of the car was horrendous. It stoved the whole front in taking out the radiator, grill and upper crossmember.

With regard to the article which is very sad - I'm not fully persuaded that speed didn't have some factor to play in the tragic outcome. Hitting one at 60mph would take you off the bike but the forces involved and the distance travelled after impact increase exponentially with speed so I don't entirely buy the conclusion that the speed had nothing to do with it.

[Mr Fro]

I head butted a pigeon on my way to picking up a Chinese takeaway (so going pretty quick). It was a glancing blow which left a nasty, greasy smear on my brand new lid.

We've got plenty of pheasants round here which I'm not concerned about. It's the deer that I lookout for!

[Gerontious]

There have been multiple instances of bikers being killed or seriously injured after hitting a large bird. one of the emergency services TV programmes of about 7-8 years ago had one of these instances as a major part of the episode. That guy survived but was badly beaten up by the birds impact (to his face - visor was destroyed) and then coming off. I worry somewhat about birds.. But, I worry about badgers more. Ive had 2 near missed where a badger was crossing the road. both times I 'just' about managed to avoid hitting it. A great many years ago I hit a cat and came very close to coming off. Not because of the impact itself, it was the 'shock'. I think hitting anything can have you off due to the sheer 'fright' of it happening. though perhaps that risk has reduced somewhat now.. where 'panic' braking isn't as risky as it once was.

I do slow down when I see signs warning about deer. those signs are nearly always put up due to the high numbers of impacts. down round cannock chase they add 'impact counts' just to reinforce how risky some of those roads are.

[Troy]

https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64844&p=1009655#p1009655

[Guest Richzx6r]

I had a pigeon hit the side of the bike once on the north circular, and a couple of close encounters on the motorway with a few low fliers, biggest one was a massive barn owl in thetford forest, was riding down the road at around 35mph and this owl came out of nowhere and flew overhead at no more than 4 or 5 foot

[NeilM]

Had a couple as I recall.

One little thing glanced off the bike local to me.

The other being a helmet strike at speed. That shook us up a bit to be honest. Didn't see it till the last second and just managed to duck my head slightly so the impact was mainly top of head.

[Bender]

I had a head on with a pigeon, luckily the screen took the brunt and deflected the rest off the top of my lid, it was a very hard hit, there is some force involved with birds when your traveling at speed.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Bender

[Magpie84]

I've had a close call with a pheasant and thankfully ducked at the right moment so she just missed smacking into the side of my helmet. That was scary enough.

I have to agree with [mention]Mississippi Bullfrog[/mention] about the speed however with it being the chaps commute home that probably made him more blasé about doing the speed limit

[fastbob]

I was riding in the area of the Packington estate near Atherstone the other day and I must have seen around twenty pheasants . They were all brightly coloured males just standing at the roadside but oddly not one of them seemed worried when I passed by . They just stayed put despite my rather loud exhaust. I did have a bat hit my helmet once.

[Bender]

Pheasants are thick as a plank.

[Bender]

Dbl post

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Pheasants are thick as a plank.

 

The ones in our garden must be the exception then. They wait until the squirrel is around then head for the bird table knowing the squirrel will scatter seed on the ground. I'd clobber the squirrel if it wasn't doing the pheasants a favour so between them they've got a good deal going.

[Bender]

The one that met with the front of my landrover was definitely thick and very dead, there are always exceptions though.

[geofferz]

I head butted a pigeon on my way to picking up a Chinese takeaway

 

I wonder if anyone has ever said that before. I don't think so.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

The one that met with the front of my landrover was definitely thick and very dead, there are always exceptions though.

 

Thick and dead....but was it tasty?

[Bender]

It half hit the screen and half hit the vent under the screen, it exploded on impact, I put the wipers on and bits of bone and goo scraped back and forth till it fell off, didn't really look like it was in any condition to pick up and cook.

[Noble Dave]

Even big bugs dont half make a knock and bang on ye chest so wouldnt like to be hit by a bird tbh.

[Bender]

Even big bugs dont half make a knock and bang on ye chest so wouldnt like to be hit by a bird tbh.

 

I hate the big Green and yellow bugs that splat right in the middle of your visor, I now avoid being near a river in the summer if I can help it as I find the bug count goes through the roof.

[Mickly]

Mate of mine told his missus that he binned his bike coz he hit a pigeon....... I was there when he actually high sided it doing a rolling burnout - Vmax & lack of finesse = a big bill.

Still she was never the wiser and the Vmax got fixed.

[Guest Richzx6r]

Mate of mine told his missus that he binned his bike coz he hit a pigeon....... I was there when he actually high sided it doing a rolling burnout - Vmax & lack of finesse = a big bill.

Still she was never the wiser and the Vmax got fixed.

 

Cant beat a nice highside

[Phill]

I nearly hit a pheasant last year while riding down a country lane, had to swerve at 50 mph to avoid him. His wings have brushed my lid. Thick buggers.

[learningtofly]

Somewhat coincidentally, this happened to me today. Gave me a right fright - I think it was a buzzard.

http://youtu.be/1Y5PycwwDfo

[BIKERDAD]

Don't know what a bird strike is like but today the bugs was all wearing crash helmets as they didn't have make a bloody bang and on both accounts bloody/yellow shite and bang ..

Why do they all ways aim for the dead centre of your visor ..

[Smithers]

Why do they all ways aim for the dead centre of your visor ..

 

I think they look upon you as a giant bug, sometimes a split millisecond before they hit, you can hear a tiny scream... "mamma"!