Went on a nine day ride up to Southern Washington (family reunion) from SoCal, and hit a deer just north of Happy Camp above the Klamath river. I saw it crouching in the grass alongside the road as I approached at about 45 mph. At the last second it sprang directly into my path. I had a split second to try to avoid it from a direct hit by turning left away from it. Glad I didn’t have time to hit the foot brake, or it may have caused my leg a lot more damage if it didn’t freely swing off the peg from the impact. Its head caught my right fairing, and broke it. It then hit me in the shin. It knocked my foot off the peg so hard that I kicked the right side panel with my heel and broke the plastic insert that attaches the panel to the frame. I didn’t crash, but was kind of shocked that I had actually hit the deer. I have had a few close encounters but always had enough time to avoid them. I had gear on with shin padding or might have broken my leg. I think it saved the deer’s life as well, as he ran off back into the brush. It’s kind of funny, but as soon as the Deer leaped into my path I screamed at it “No you didn’t!”. Anyway, it had no impact on an otherwise beautiful ride and trip, except for the flat in the middle of the Redwoods, in the area where all the fossilized hippies go to fade away.
R