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Selling my SV 650.Is it just me?


pogo
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Having spent a few years commuting on a bike to London,and never riding for pleasure,I bought a bike,SV 650,last year and started to enjoy it on these lovely French roads.I have now realised that I have lost my nerve completely because of....DEER! I have had loads jump out in front of me in my car,including a  day when SIX did this to me,and my wife put her car in a ditch a little while ago because of a deer.I was driving my van the other day,and my mind was milling over this problem when,you guessed it,a deer ran out and made me slam the brakes on."That's it,the bikes going",I said to myself out loud.If this happened on a bike..........[:'(].I have even had cats make me slam the brakes on,and before anyone says 'run them over' ,I wouldn't WANT to,and mainly that instinct takes over.So I found myself riding along,looking in the fields for deer,and generally not enjoying myself.Am I just unlucky????.The bike is going to be sold,and a 2 seater convertable will probably take its place,although I think I may have to have a deer strength roll cage put in.Good luck to the rest of you.Hope your luck is better than mine.Pogo

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Happened to me just once. Citreon Saxo VTR, Ashdown forest. The park warden told me that deer see the headlights, and assume it's the reflection of light in the eyes of an animal, and charge! Result, £2000 rebuild, and an insurance company that wouldn't pay out (no third party to chase). The most worrying thing was at the time I worked with a Canadian guy who told me 75% of deaths in deer collisions were antlers coming troug the screen, as happened to me, but luckily on the passenger side.

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Last time I was in BC, Canada, I was told that they quite oftern run down deer. Some people are killed by the body of the big ones coming through the windscreen when the car takes the legs out. Others are killed because the put the "dead" body of the smaller deer onto the back seat to take it home, only to find that it is not dead. When the thing awakes from unconsiousness it kicks them to death when struggling to get up!

Steve, are you back? We were in Belves today and may be there tomorrow too.

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Funnilly enough when I worked in F1, we had several cases of Deer on the track (something that goes back to Nuvolari's day. This was Stefan Johansson... Sorry to all animal lovers,,

[IMG]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t215/f1steveuk/deadfawn6sc.jpg[/IMG]

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have done 15,000 km in a year riding mainly in Dordogne area with a couple of longer trips around France. So far not a single deer crossed my path. However, I do slow down when a traffic warning sign indicates deer next x kilometers. I think France is one of the best places to ride a bike. Mostly good, empty roads, well sign posted and you can ride almost all year. Keep the bike and be alert for deer...

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  • 3 weeks later...
You can buy a bit of kit from most car spares shops. It comes in two parts, one for each side of the vehicle. It's quite small and unobtrusive but at speeds over 50kph it gives out high pitch whistle that is supposed to frighten beasties off. After a few problems last year we bought some for both our bikes and car. So far so good. They cost about 10€ a set
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