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Stories From The Road
Foiling Mr. Murphy
Story From: Don C
It's a late spring morning, and my RC 51 is wearing new Michelins just installed at Stamford Motorsports. I'm on a back road headed toward New Canaan. Trees and undergrowth, all fully leafed, hem the pavement, but it's a straight stretch and absent other traffic of apparent hazards, 35 MPH seems sedate.
I'm enjoying the ride when no more that one hundred fifty feet ahead, out of the verdure erupts a large doe, airborne, eye height. She looks my way, sees her mistake, tries to reverse in mid air, and lands on her side thrashing in the road.
I'm on the front brake quick but hard. The new unscrubbed rubber skids. I release and reapply, shed speed. But by this time the deer, still down, is no more than twenty feet ahead. Momentarily I visualize a low speed pile up, the bike clearly unable to transcend the obstacle. Then I'm off the brake and pressing left. The bike leans left, but it's going to be a squeaker. Whack! My right toe jabs something heavy, yielding; haunch? Flank? Not clear what.
Press right. Back on track, coasting at 10 MPH. In my right mirror I see the deer regain footing and bound off the road and nothing but the sensation in my toe remains to evidence the encounter.
Phew! Next to vehicular traffic, deer are my worst nightmare. They are everywhere nowadays, move in groups, behave erratically, and are big enough to take me down with prejudice. Also, as this incident shows, their hooves have virtually no purchase on asphalt.
Other than that reflection, what do I take away? I will remember reduced traction before tires are scrubbed in. I will remember smooth progressive braking action. I will expect the unexpected and in limited sight areas I will travel at speeds that make evasive action possible if needed.
Murphy's Law says that "Anything which can go wrong will go wrong." This time I foiled Mr. Murphy – by less than a hair.
