Whats the strangest thing you have 'hit' with the ST?

[Sim]

Just came back from a ride to the VIC and NSW Alps with Carsten and Graham Harris (FarRider's) but one minor incident along the way - I Hit a Wombat(!!!). Not good, but i came out of it better than the wombat, ...ST was a little worse for wear! (fairing damage, and brake pedal bent).

Got me thinking.... what is/are the strangest 'thing' you have 'hit' on the ST (and lived to tell the tale)?

Sim

[Biggles]

You were lucky.  Wombats have been know to take out cars!

I had a Rosella (parrot) fly straight across my path and smack my helmet at Canungra recently.

Helmet 1
Bird     0

Relatively heavy bird, too.  Wouldn't have been much fun for me without the helmet.

[Kev Murphy]

Late last year, a suicidal murray magpie came at me head on, and split my visor. (Old Shoei helmet, replacement visor unobtainable.)
Remains of avian landed in my lap, I picked it up and threw it over my shoulder. Car following me (too closely, I might add) wore it as a windscreen ornament. They didn't see me jettison the bird, as their screen was pretty messy anyway, and driving into late afternoon sun.

[Tipsy]

  pw
 me ...........not called Tipsy for nothing 

[saaz]

Touch wood, but so far I have missed a few by small margins. A wedge tail scrapping the helmet was scary enough!

[Brock]

Even trucks dodge wombats, wheels have been known to fall off after hitting one.  I have bounced a bird off the top of my helmet, (Owl I think) if I hadnt ducked it would have hit the visor.

Had a mate (Harley rider) get hit by a Magpie, got him in the shoulder. He rode to the emergency dept, to have it looked at, the beak was still in the wound.

[alans1100]

Sometime around 1984 (where have I heard that before) I was returning from The Barossa Valley to Geelong where I was staying at the time. I decided to go the more scenic route back via Mildura and down the Sunraysia Hwy and the time of day was "dark o'clock"  My little Suzi GSX 250 didn't have a screen and I felt a thump right in the centre of the rib cage.

I have no idea what it was but at night it could have been an owl or a fruit bat or similar.

On the ST I've had a close call with a wedgie when up around Karratha and Port Hedland. On this instance I could see this large lump in the middle of the lane (normal for up there) and the closer I got the more the lump moved. By this time I was on the centreline ready to go around and next thing I see is a wedgie staring me down with wings fully spread (a lane width span or so it seemed) out ( this is mine...bugger off) I still kept going but slowing down as I was clueless as to its intentions. Then it took flight and I could almost feel the down draught from its wings as it flew with feet inches above my helmet. I was used to the smaller wedgies feeding on road kill and they general flew off but this one was prepared to stand it's ground.

A pigeon committed suicide when it hit the ST but that's non event compared to an eagle.

[Brock]

I did hit a dead roo in the middle of the lane that I didnt see until I hit it, it was very dead and left a mess on the wheels

[Kev Murphy]

Early 70's, I had a phone call regarding a Harley riding friend who was hospitalised in Brisbane after an accident.
When I visited him, I asked what he hit.
"A dog!" was his reply.
"Must have been a big dog, to drop you from the Harley?"
"yep!" he said... "A greyhound....
... had about 50 people on board!"

[pault]

In the 80’s we pulled up for a smoke.Just past the bends on the putty.  “where’s frank?”
He arrived a bit later going on about stuck behind the car with the young girls in. When a bird hit his helmet and got stuck to it, flapping about and causing all sorts of antics as he tried to get rid of it. Of course the girls were interested..
No one believed him till we looked at his helmet. Blood splatters and there the ultimate proof. the claw stuck between the visor and shell. That was our frank, everything happened to him. If he was along for the ride everyone else was safe.

[Carsten]

Why did the chicken cross the road?  So he could run into me and in a "poof" of feathers be turned into "ready to go KFC".  Yesterday riding through Derby for Tas FarRide.

[Piet]

Not on the ST ... but in '77 I hit a Roo while riding a CB400F Super Sports.  It was between Camooweal and Mt Isa.  It was early in the night, using a Cibe spot light on a long straight stretch of road.  A vehicle coming in the other direction was a long distance away and our lights were troubling to us both.  So we both dipped the lights, so off went the spotty.  Man what a difference in light.  I was thinking  ... since I was doing around 120 kph and slowing, if a roo came out now I would not see him until its too late.  Sure enough ... out he came and instantly I knew we were going to meet.  I braked hard both front & rear but the instant before impact I let go of the front brake and braced the handle bars.  Impact was savage, right of centre.  The handle bars went full lock right and I summersaulted off left into the dirt on the LH side of the road.  Rolling up in a ball with my hands pulling my full face helmet down ... chin to chest, I was winded but perfectly fine.  Wore my gloves through in a few spots, split a thumb nail a bit, some scrathes where my jacket came up above the belt on my back near the kidneys and a small scratch above my boot on one leg.  Scratched the Bell full face pretty bad on the back and side.
The bike was not too bad.  Had a dent in the tank,  scratched the crash bars up and sent a highway peg mounted on the crash bar through the side cover on the alternator.  This actually locked up the motor.  It was easy fixed in daylight but sure was worried when it was totally seized in the night.
A friendly guy came along with a panel van about half an hour later and we loaded her into the van.  He kindly gave me a lift into the Isa.
The mid sized roo died in the altercation.  To this day I feel very lucky at the outcome, both for Bike & Rider.

[ST2UP]

Rode through a swarm of bees.......took out about 60 between the bike and I.....


 

[tj189]

a quote from my ride around Oz

"It was along this next stretch of road, minding my own business, when out of the blue this great, no gigantic demon bird attacked my bike and ate, well swallowed whole, my right side HID driving light, damn demon bird!!"

[Kev Murphy]

Way back in 1974 I hit 315kph in outback NT on the modified K2 honda turbo 900....

[Bluey]

Way back in 1977 (about then, I think) I hit a hare riding a CB350 with crash bars. Curled the crash bars around the motor, but no other damage to the bike or me thankfully. Hare was killed by the bike, then hung and cooked - became a stew! Mmmmm yum!

[Phil.S]

Some years back in the days when I rode a kawa GPz 1100 , I was on the way home from work after night shift on a dark section of road when I spotted a potoroo on the edge of the asphalt , it decided to take a run at the bike heading for the front wheel but went though the gap between the front wheel and the engine, my heart was definitely in my mouth.   

[ST2UP]

I've seen a white 1300 hit the ground in my backyard 

[Biggles]

I've seen a white 1300 hit the ground in my backyard 

But you don't own a white ST13!            

[dougcthr]

I hit a killed a rabbit that ran out whilst I was negotiating one of Canberras infamous roundabouts... Stayed upright, just... I think the fact that it was early morning, empty roads and I was 'enjoying' the ride helped. (read I was riding flat out, scraping pegs!!!)

[Pezzz]

Hit a magpie on Saturday with toe of left boot and highway blade. In March I hit some other bird that went through my screen and took out my GPS. Not sure what that was except it looked grey.

[Couch]

Been there and done that as well.....hit them at speed and have no idea how many I took out, but there were many!!  Spent some hours getting the bits and pieces out of the radiator as well as numerous other parts of the bike, including helmet, jacket, etc......I'd have hated to have hit them with an open face helmet. I felt sorry for the little bees though, they were only trying to cross the road. It was a huge swarm and my two riding buddies suffered it as well.

Rode through a swarm of bees.......took out about 60 between the bike and I.....