Hitting an animal while driving can be quite dangerous, even more so if you’re riding a motorcycle. The nerve-wracking moment when a Yamaha motorcycle collided with a deer on a country road in the US was caught on camera. Thankfully the rider is safe, since the heavily damaged bike miraculously stayed on its wheels following the crash.
The video was uploaded on YouTube by MassRider. He was driving a 2014 Yamaha FJR 1300 on the 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway as part of a bike trip. During a long curve, a deer appeared running out of the woods to cross the road, leaving no room for the driver to react.
Watch: Herd Of Deer Try To Cross A Road, One Of Them Lands On A BMW
From the video it is evident that it was really hard to see the animal before it hit the front end of the motorcycle, smashing the fairing and the mirror. Slowing down the footage, we noticed that the deer appeared at 0.09 and the collision occurred at 0.10. Given that an average reaction time is three-quarters of a second, there was not much anyone could do to avoid the accident under these circumstances.
The severity of the crash caused a lot of damage to the front end of the bike but surprisingly it didn’t lead to a fall that could result in more serious injuries. The fact that the Yamaha FJR 1300 stayed on its wheels has to do with multiple factors. The weight and size of the sports touring model played its role, as did the comparably low cruising speed of 54 mph (87 km/h), and the angle of the collision. It is also important that the experienced driver kept his composure and slowed down in a controllable manner after he hit the animal.
While we are sorry for the unlucky deer, it is great that that the rider escaped with only minor scratches on his hand and an unbelievable story to tell. In the YouTube comments section, the rider said he “can’t wait to get another Yamaha FJR” showing his preference for this particular model which proved its safety credentials.
Photo MassRider YouTube