SilverSurfer
RT-S PE#0391
I'm going to describe what happened to me last evening on the way home as a "deer-pedo," as contrasted with a "torpedo." So I'm cruisin down my favorite back road on my RT ... speed about 40, tunes carrying me along ... head -up ... eyes forward, scanning ... and then.
BAM! :yikes: Impacting then glancing off the the left side of my Spyder at just under a 90 degree angle is a tawny little doe. I mean ... she hit me broadside! Then she glances off my left thigh; knocks off my left hand mirror assembly and disappears. I'm swerving to get the bike under control and stopped ... The Spyder's VSC kicks in to keep my track straight. I even heard it retard a cylinder. The mirror goes clunkety off the bike and down onto the pavement and I hear bouncing plastic behind me down the road.
A friendly couple in a pick-up saw the whole thing and turned around to come check on me, while stopping to police up my mirror assembly. I told them, other than frayed nerves I was okay. They handed me my mirror assembly. The top and bottom cowls had come apart. I tried for a minute to put it back together at roadside, but it was turning dusk, so I just threw it in the front trunk and drove the Spyder the remaining mile or so home. No other damage. The deer's fur coated the rubber LH passenger grip, and some got stuck in the speaker grill, which I'm leaving there as a souvenir.
After I got home, I started working on the mirror assembly. I got the top of the cowl to snap together; but the bottom I'm having problems with. It looks like it wants to seat, but just keeps coming loose. At this point, the top holds the whole thing pretty well together; I secured the bottom with a half-width strand of duck tape (which one can't see). I plugged the cable back together, checked my signals and flashers and the light still works fine. There was some minor scuffing along the outer top edges of the assembly where it fell on the asphalt. Also, I think the impact might have stretched the mounting clips a little. It re-installed fine, but has a tiny bit more flop than the right side mirror.
Anyway, it's back together and will hold long enough while I order a replacement assembly ($159.95 from garganos.com).:gaah: Sure would like to know the secret of getting the housing/cowls to seat together firmly. The silver lining is that I'm now an expert on pulling off and re-installing the mirror assembly.
Anyone with a similar experience?
The other note I wished to make is how glad I was that I was on the Spyder and not two wheels. Had I been on my other bike, I would have been off the road, into a ditch and probably a tree. The Spyder's control systems kicked right in and kept me on the road, tracked me straight while I was disoriented from the impact and brought me to a stop. I'm also glad it was a doe and not a buck for obvious reasons.
Paul
BAM! :yikes: Impacting then glancing off the the left side of my Spyder at just under a 90 degree angle is a tawny little doe. I mean ... she hit me broadside! Then she glances off my left thigh; knocks off my left hand mirror assembly and disappears. I'm swerving to get the bike under control and stopped ... The Spyder's VSC kicks in to keep my track straight. I even heard it retard a cylinder. The mirror goes clunkety off the bike and down onto the pavement and I hear bouncing plastic behind me down the road.
A friendly couple in a pick-up saw the whole thing and turned around to come check on me, while stopping to police up my mirror assembly. I told them, other than frayed nerves I was okay. They handed me my mirror assembly. The top and bottom cowls had come apart. I tried for a minute to put it back together at roadside, but it was turning dusk, so I just threw it in the front trunk and drove the Spyder the remaining mile or so home. No other damage. The deer's fur coated the rubber LH passenger grip, and some got stuck in the speaker grill, which I'm leaving there as a souvenir.
After I got home, I started working on the mirror assembly. I got the top of the cowl to snap together; but the bottom I'm having problems with. It looks like it wants to seat, but just keeps coming loose. At this point, the top holds the whole thing pretty well together; I secured the bottom with a half-width strand of duck tape (which one can't see). I plugged the cable back together, checked my signals and flashers and the light still works fine. There was some minor scuffing along the outer top edges of the assembly where it fell on the asphalt. Also, I think the impact might have stretched the mounting clips a little. It re-installed fine, but has a tiny bit more flop than the right side mirror.
Anyway, it's back together and will hold long enough while I order a replacement assembly ($159.95 from garganos.com).:gaah: Sure would like to know the secret of getting the housing/cowls to seat together firmly. The silver lining is that I'm now an expert on pulling off and re-installing the mirror assembly.
Anyone with a similar experience?
The other note I wished to make is how glad I was that I was on the Spyder and not two wheels. Had I been on my other bike, I would have been off the road, into a ditch and probably a tree. The Spyder's control systems kicked right in and kept me on the road, tracked me straight while I was disoriented from the impact and brought me to a stop. I'm also glad it was a doe and not a buck for obvious reasons.
Paul
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... and I didn't have my leatherman with me to dress 'er out!
