Good news / bad news

[old smokey]

Hi all,
This could be for the 350 column, but has broader implications so here it is.
Tuesday night I patched a leaky carb float with JB weld.
Wednesday night I installed the float, took it for a test ride and the GTR ran better and stronger through 7000 rpm than had since I parked it in the late 80's, but the idle was too low.
Thursday night I adjusted the throttle cable and had a nice idle at 1800 rpm. Decided to take another road test which by now was about 15-20 minutes after sunset.
I went about 6-7 miles and couldn't believe how great it was running. I had it in fifth with the light on and high beam going. Then all I saw on a 2 lane county road was a large doe coming from my left just in front of me. The headlight side coverage gave me no time to do anything except close my eyes as impact happened.
I hit a doe in the mid section at 55 mph last night!
Thankfully I had my full face helmet on, a neck wrap for cool temps, a pair of old insulated coveralls, and a 4 month old motorcycle riding coat (Cortech brand) with elbow, shoulder and back protectors installed, and a pair of thin leather (cheap) riding gloves.
In my pocket was my cell phone.
The next time I opened my eyes I was bouncing\sliding on the pavement facedown wondering how long this was going to last.
I came to rest in the grass next to the road and started to move realizing I didn't think I had anything broken. I wasn't pain free, but not broken.
The GTR was on the grass on it's left side a few feet farther back from me.
I decided I could stand it upright to reach the fuel selector. As I stood it up it turned out the center stand had ended up in the down position when it came to rest - so that was solved.
Then I turned on the cell phone which was unharmed and getting a signal so I called my wife to tell her what happened and where I was.
Next was to dial 911 and wait for the sheriff to find me. He missed on the first trip down the road. His second pass was still the first car to stop. One other car went by and didn't see me or decided he didn't want to stop. I wasn't waving for help as I was on the ditch side of the bike leaning against it for support.
The ambulance arrived and they said I should go to the hospital to be checked out, but I could ride with them or let my wife drive me. I didn't see much blood so I opted to let my wife drive me and save the insurance company some money.
Conclusion - they think I might have a hairline fracture in the left hand which doesn't hurt, a puncture wound near that same spot, some sore muscles on the left side from impact and sliding, and I would say a very mild concussion as I had slightly blurry vision for about 3 hours and a poor feeling of stability as I turn my head for most of the day.
My helmet saved my life!! It has a 3-4" crack on the back starting at the neck. The front has some sliding damage which saved my left side of my face.
The Cortech coat saved me from more severe pains to my upper body, elbows and shoulders.
A few pics attached. I will try to post the helmet and coat shots tomorrow.
I am a lucky man who will not ride in WI after sunset anymore!

[old smokey]

see images

[old smokey]

The garage owner said the crud you can see by the gas cap filler is from the stomach of the deer. It's the grass that was in its stomach.

[old smokey]

Here is where it happened.
The darker crud splatter on the road is what I believe to be the stomach contents of the deer from where the handle bar punctured it's side. If you look at the grass near the telephone pole you can see where the GTR slid into the grass.

[old smokey]

And here is the animal that ruined my night and didn't do too well itself.
I heard some light rustling in the grass before anyone arrived but I didn't care what it was, but assumed it was the deer. The sheriff asked me, but didn't look for it, at least not while I was still there last night.

[BS Mechanic]

Wow!  Relieved to hear you escaped serious injury!  Deer are really a danger.  Sounds like you were wearing all the right gear. 

[old smokey]

If it had to happen, I got a very good outcome. The sheriff said he isn't used to arriving at a motorcycle vs deer scene and finding the rider can get up and walk. WI is a state that does not require a helmet for motorcycle riders. I realized that it is me in the first photo kneeling behind the bike noticing the rear wheel is not in line with the frame. If so, that is not much of an issue compared to the twisted front forks.
I had the carb covers off for the test run. The bike was not running by the time I stopped sliding, so I don't think any dirt got ingested by a running engine.
Not sure about the long term fate right now, it will spend the winter in the back corner of the garage.

[Sno Jet]

Thank heavens your Ok.  You are a lucky man!!  You will never forget that experience.  Harry

[coxy]

very lucky indeed and very scary to i imagine i hope your frame is ok .i can send you a set of carbs if yours are buggered   

[ztnoo]

Glad to hear you escaped more serious injury.
You were very fortunate....a rider and a bike vs a deer is usually a very bad scene.
We all love our vintage machines, but in the end that's all they are.....machines.
Machines can be fixed, repaired, replaced, etc., but demise for a human being is a one time only event.
Get healed up and consider yourself one very, very lucky rider.
Regards,
Steve

[reed]

old smokey
I am glad that you are OK if you need any help with your GTR give me a call.
Thanks.
Steve.

[Sno Jet]

How is the front end of the bike?  What exactly do you need.  Harry

[old smokey]

Hi all,
Thanks. I am lucky for the outcome.
I'm feeling a little more muscle tenderness today, so the choice of pain meds is being upped beyond that of ibuprofen.
The GTR is still at the tow shop. It will probably get dropped off here Monday afternoon. The owner was very accommodating after hearing I only had liability for it and won't charge for weekend storage. He says he drives past my neighborhood going home everyday so I think we can work something cheap for him to load it in his pickup.
The front fork seals are popped. I'm not sure if the front frame tube is bent also.
As it sits on the center stand the rear wheel is also touching the ground. It felt like I was able to pop it in neutral but I couldn't see if the rear wheel was free to turn.
I will see about getting my helmet and jacket photos posted.
Thank goodness my wife convinced me to get a decent riding jacket this summer!

[old smokey]

see image showing the healthy crack in the outer shell

[old smokey]

Cortech jacket left elbow

[old smokey]

Cortech jacket right arm

[bsforever]

I keep imagining myself to be you, i just need to say miracales do happen. Could have happened without the helmet, thank god you had it on and the jacket. I am sure i will be wearing my helmet when i have my gtr going on the road next year. Just repeating what the other responses are, but will say it as well  "Very very lucky man you are"

[old smokey]

Sunday update - Still very lucky and happy to be here with the "family" of BS owners and admirers.
No new aches or pains today so hopefully just recovery from here on out. I see the orthopedics on Tuesday so I can see if anything needs to be done for my left hand. It has a little swelling as of yesterday. After seeing the photos of how the handle bars got bent back to the left I imagine my hand took a pretty strong jolt on impact.
Looks like a beautiful day for the la-z-boy recliner and the NFL.

[old smokey]

The orthopedic verified the 5th metatarsal in my left hand is broken.
It is staying in position so he told me to wear a splint for 3 weeks and come back for a follow-up xray to verify it's building bone over the break.
I can't really stand the splint so it sees little use.
Tonight I turned the ignition switch to off (the tow shop had turned it to the accessory position).
I pulled the battery and it was showing 80% charge on the battery tender within 30 seconds so it seems to be fine.
Maybe this weekend I can get the crud out of the left carb and get the slide to move freely. If so I'll probably try kicking it over to hear it run.

[old smokey]

Usually I don't care about Halloween, but this time it meant some doctors appointments.
I had a CT scan of my head today. It's improving, but I still get a little vertigo when I lay down or get up or turn my head quickly. The scan results were normal, doc just said to keep taking it easy and rest.

The orthopedic said my hand is healing well and I can leave the splint off for periods of time during the day to exercise the muscles. That will feel nice.

As the first doctor was getting the CT results, the radiologist told him his father-in-law rides his Harley with a group that rides up to Ely, MN every year. This year on the way home one of the guys was hit and killed by a deer during the daytime.

Geez, I'm starting to wonder if I should upsize, downsize, or sell and start another hobby!