Motoring with the high beam on at night

[websterize]

I motor after dusk through a deer-infested national park. Last week, after a close call with one of the hooved rodents, I rode the rest of the way with the high-beams on — granted, I've only done this once, but none of a dozen or so on-coming vehicles flashed me.

Before the close call I only motored with the high beams constantly on during daylight, hoping to increase conspicuity in city traffic. Should I continue with the high beams constantly on at night, or am I that guy?

[deilenberger]

You're probably "that guy.." - but the choice isn't simple. Not blind oncoming motorists, or not see the deer. My choice is - avoid riding at night in deer infested country (which is almost everywhere in the US..) When Larry Grodsky can be killed by a deer (Larry was the long time safe riding guru who taught "Ridin'Safe" courses, which were excellent) - no one is safe from the vermin.

You might consider auxiliary lights that can be aimed to the puckerbushes and low enough not to blind the oncoming traffic. I can't suggest Hella FF50's for this 'cause they are WAY too bright..

Or stay out of the woods at night. And encourage hunters (we used to have a group on the IBMWR called "Bullets for Bambi" - we helped hunters out, bought them ammo, would pay for their hunting licenses.. Never got it to take off in a big way, something about deer-huggers becoming overly wrought with even the thought. The only upside in NJ - cayotes are making a come-back in a big way in NJ, and there have been wolves spotted also - apparently the deer make for tasty eating for them..)

(I used to figure NYC was safe from deer, and my local suburb in NJ was safe.. then a deer got hit on the WestSide Highway in NYC, and the cops had to shoot a deer that was swimming/drowning in the ocean near my house. Ain't no place in the US safe from the damn things. And I regularly look out my den window - at ground level - to see a deer looking in about 6" away, munching on SWMBO's salad bar of flowers she plants for them.)

[sjbmw]

"Bullets for Bambi"... I spit coffee all over my keyboard again. too much...

[ContraMoto]

The forest rats...err, I mean deer...are the principal reason I don't ride at night around our town. A friend of mine who's a longtime rider says, "At night, don't ride any faster than you're willing to hit the ground after you hit the deer."

We also have a problem with wild turkeys, but that's during the day. They do not even pretend to get out of the road. If a big Tom is escorting his harem across the street when you drive up, he'll stop and strike the pose right on the yellow line and stand there till you go around. One actually pecked at my leg as I drove around him.

[Lost Rider]

We also have a problem with wild turkeys, but that's during the day. They do not even pretend to get out of the road. If a big Tom is escorting his harem across the street when you drive up, he'll stop and strike the pose right on the yellow line and stand there till you go around. One actually pecked at my leg as I drove around him.

Turkey Polo?....

mmmm fresh, wild turkey.... might even fit in a pannier.

[mogu83]

wild turkey.... might even fit in a pannier.

I'm an Irish single malt guy but one of my buddies carries his Wild Turkey in his tank bag.

[Lost Rider]

I'm an Irish single malt guy

I knew there was a reason why I like you.

[websterize]

Thanks for the tip, Don, and for the heads up about Larry Grodsky. From his Post-Gazette obituary:

"Just a few weeks ago he said to me, 'That's how I'm going to go, it's going to be a deer.' He could deal with all the idiot drivers, but at night when a deer jumps in your path, that's it and he knew that."

Really interesting discussion — and a disturbing video of an accident — on motorcycling and deer on this list.

… We're programmed to react to exceptions, and for most of us the pre-eminent threat is a motor vehicle. Sometimes I think motorcyclists don't "see" deer for the same reason that drivers don't "see" motorcyclists; their brains just aren't programmed to flag their presence.

[michael Tobias]

at least we have good lights and auxillary light possibilities....in the old days when Lucas aka the Prince of Darkness was making electrics for Brit bikes we had the Lucas 3 position switch...off, flicker and dim (not a law firm) and the apparent mission statement

Lucas Electrics....because a gentleman should not motor about after dark....

[Waratah]

"Bullets for Bambi"... I spit coffee all over my keyboard again. too much...

Same here. Hahahahaha. I've just passed the idea on to a colleague in Sydney who would appreciate the humour.

[ka5ysy]

The forest rats...err, I mean deer...are the principal reason I don't ride at night around our town. A friend of mine who's a longtime rider says, "At night, don't ride any faster than you're willing to hit the ground after you hit the deer."

We also have a problem with wild turkeys, but that's during the day. They do not even pretend to get out of the road. If a big Tom is escorting his harem across the street when you drive up, he'll stop and strike the pose right on the yellow line and stand there till you go around. One actually pecked at my leg as I drove around him.

We south Louisiana folks have the same problem with Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, Nutria, Duck, Geese, etc. The good news is that we make gumbo out of all of them, and we will pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat us first.


I would definitely not recommend kicking at alligators. Talk about bad attitudes !

[angellr]

The forest rats...err, I mean deer...are the principal reason I don't ride at night around our town. A friend of mine who's a longtime rider says, "At night, don't ride any faster than you're willing to hit the ground after you hit the deer."

We also have a problem with wild turkeys, but that's during the day. They do not even pretend to get out of the road. If a big Tom is escorting his harem across the street when you drive up, he'll stop and strike the pose right on the yellow line and stand there till you go around. One actually pecked at my leg as I drove around him.

We south Louisiana folks have the same problem with Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, Nutria, Duck, Geese, etc. The good news is that we make gumbo out of all of them, and we will pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat us first.


I would definitely not recommend kicking at alligators. Talk about bad attitudes !

Now, thats pretty funny!! However, if you happen to get the better of the alligator, they make great boots or shoes!

[mogu83]

We south Louisiana folks have the same problem with Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, Nutria, Duck, Geese, etc. The good news is that we make gumbo out of all of them, and we will pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat us first.

ka5ysy
Thing is up here in the NorthEast we're a kinder and gentler people. We don't believe we should kill Gods creatures for any reason (meat comes from somewhere, in a styrofoam and saran wrap package in the food store). Up here we protect the peaceful creatures, make sure their healthy and capable of reproduction, feed them and make it almost impossible to hunt them.
It's OK to abort a baby in the third trimester, but don't try to kill a deer or a bear in my state.

[angellr]

We south Louisiana folks have the same problem with Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, Nutria, Duck, Geese, etc. The good news is that we make gumbo out of all of them, and we will pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat us first.

ka5ysy
Thing is up here in the NorthEast we're a kinder and gentler people. We don't believe we should kill Gods creatures for any reason (meat comes from somewhere, in a styrofoam and saran wrap package in the food store). Up here we protect the peaceful creatures, make sure their healthy and capable of reproduction, feed them and make it almost impossible to hunt them.
It's OK to abort a baby in the third trimester, but don't try to kill a deer or a bear in my state.

Harry, AMEN!! Look on the bright side, you still have your veggies until the FDA steps in and says you can no longer have your gardens (believe this one actually passed legislation recently). Go figure.

[rockbottom]

We south Louisiana folks have the same problem with Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, Nutria, Duck, Geese, etc. The good news is that we make gumbo out of all of them, and we will pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat us first.

ka5ysy
Thing is up here in the NorthEast we're a kinder and gentler people. We don't believe we should kill Gods creatures for any reason (meat comes from somewhere, in a styrofoam and saran wrap package in the food store). Up here we protect the peaceful creatures, make sure their healthy and capable of reproduction, feed them and make it almost impossible to hunt them.
It's OK to abort a baby in the third trimester, but don't try to kill a deer or a bear in my state.

Don't overgeneralize on the Northeast. Last year's Pennsylvania deer harvest was 308,920 (a 23 year low) and the bear harvest was 3,512.

[mogu83]

Don't overgeneralize on the Northeast. Last year's Pennsylvania deer harvest was 308,920 (a 23 year low) and the bear harvest was 3,512.

I should know better than to generalize on the NEW R1200R list. For the record, I can't include Pennsylvania, Western New York or Maine. Even the President noted people from Pa. were different "And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them "
Just kidding (maybe), I have a lot of friends in Pa. in fact I've been a member of WestPenn BMW, a Beemer club out of Pittsburgh, for almost 30 years and those boys do hunt.
Rockbottom (no name listed) do you belong to a local BMW club?

[Caroanbill]

Poor us, we've just got skippy ... oh, and emus (like an ostrich only brown, fast and funnier), cassowary (ditto but these will attack a bike going past .. yes, I know from experience), wombats (think of a solid mass of gristle, size of a mid-size dog, in the shape of a bear), the odd goanna (big lizard) ... plus farm and feral animals.

I've hit skippy (buig and little) a few times in cars, dodged a lot on a bike - but there are places we simlpy would not ride at night because there are just too many.

I now have "fill in" lights more of less between my bike and low beam and spreading outwards at low beam level - don't blind oncoming cars but do seem to have the combined effect of helping me see critters and keeping critters back from the road. It also means I can "peer" and "scan" a little less intensely since I can see more, so I can have a wider field of view - and I'm less tired.

In some places we have scatter reflectors on roadside posts that throw healight glare outwards - there were creidtied with some effect during a drough-induce roo concertration in Canberra a few years ago (no water in the hills, so the roos come to towns and farms to find water)

[Tarmac]

Back when I was racing, I called Summit Point my home track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAUdYMaFauw