dud roo whistle

[pault]

Some weeks ago I was travelling south of Coolah NSW, after dark. Doing about 80 k’s. On low beam with on coming traffic. A grey roo appeared on the left. Too close to do anything, just gunn it. The bike shook its head and kept going. I could just hear a hissing sound and the smell of coolant. So I pulled over no trouble. All the lights worked so I hoped to not get run over.
No injury to myself. Still don’t believe that.
With my torch I was able see that most of the left plastic was gone along with my UHF, music and phone. The radiator was bent. Damage to headlight.
So what to do now. The second  car along stopped, he had an empty trailer. Ok says he we will get you to your daughter’s near Dubbo.. Its look four of us to load the bike, so heavy. 

I still don’t believe all that happened. Hit a roo did not fall off. bit of a bruise on top of my left leg. Good samaritan appeared at right time. Yes I should have known better than to ride on that night. I was only 80k’s from daughter’s, figured I would be right, wrong. I have enough bits to get bike together. Part of plan A was to drive a truck back home. So getting bike home OK.
Family and friends, all riders, made the same comment.The shear weight of the ST saved me.
”You should be dead” I gather the whistle thing is a dud.

[StinkyPete]

Wow!   I'm pleased to hear that you are OK and that the bike didn't go down when you hit the roo.  Good Samaritins are everywhere, and most people will lend a hand when others are in trouble.

My take on the roo whistles are that they are a very clever marketing strategy.   They cost very little, so even if we think that they won't work we will still buy them on the off chance that they might do something.   I recall an OzSTOC member (who's name I do remember) describing how roos scatter before his Roo Whistles and went to show me how they were mounted on his bike, only to find that they had both broken off.

I've always taken shoo roos with a grain of salt.  As Stinky Pete once said, if you're going to get hit your going to get hit.

 I hit a roo in 2015 and didn't come off.  Radiator was damagaed and it was losing coolant but that was it.  Managed to get it to a bike shop after emergency repairs to coolant pipe and topping up the coolant as I was going.  This was at dusk.  I'm a lot more reluctant to ride in the dark these days and when I do it's usually a lot slower.

Edit:
Written at the same time as Pete's whilst unaware of what he wrote.

[Bodø]

Good Samaritins are everywhere, and most people will lend a hand when others are in trouble.

This is true.  I've had people offer me a hand or ask if I am okay when I've pulled over to take a photo of something (or sometimes nothing).

[richo]

Very lucky escape   I hope you got yourself a lotto ticket.

[Biggles]

I'll admit to being a believer in roo whistles. My understanding is they don't magically prevent collisions. From my experience they cause roos to stop and look at you, letting you get the brakes on and steer past, or they hop away from the road. The one roo strike I've had in many hours of night riding was a group of four converging on me at an angle from the left rear, with three effectively herding the fourth into the side of the bike, which continued straight ahead without a flinch. I'm also a fan of the reversing horn technology- worked for me in a really bad zone near Mt Isa around 10pm.

[Gadget]

:wow

Glad you're OK.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Shiney]

Good thing you were on an ST and not a little bike.
It's great to hear that you made it out with just a bruise and have enough bits to get bike together


As for the roo whistles, some people say that they have seen a marked change and others have said there is no difference.
Biggles said they work for him and he has clocked up an enormous amount of km's testing them.

From what I understand the whistles don't scare roos away they just draw their attention and may give them pause before approaching you
Then again it may just be like a placebo.

Either way they can't hurt but shouldn't be relied upon.

Cheers
Shiney