Snoking1127
Well-known member
I would have had a dash cam video when I hit the German Shepherd; however, that morning my dash cam kept asking me to reformat the Micro SD card...
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Deer collision - safer on a Spyder? Thoughts? Or first-hand accounts?
- Thread starter Sundown
- Start date
Here in Wisconsin, if you drive outside the city limits, it’s not if you will, but when you will hit a deer. I’ve hit several with my car, and, knock on wood, none on two or three wheels. The last one I hit did relatively minor damage. The neighbor stated she hoped the deer was ok. To that I responded that I hoped it died a slow and painful death in the ditch!
I think there's too many factors involved to say for sure. Logic would predict one advantage is three wheels, as well as the Spyder's greater mass, but hit a deer one day, and survive, doesn't predict that if you hit a deer another day you will also survive. The size of the deer, where you hit it, and what it's doing will all have an effect. Catch a large deer mid leap dead center, and it could come through the windshield and into your upper body. I actually watched someone on a bike get killed years ago working a race track, because that's exactly what happened. His bike went under the deer and kept going, but he was killed by hitting the deer with nearly full force on his torso and head. I bet the outcome would have been the same had he hit it the same way while riding a Spyder.
It really doesn't matter if you stay on the Spyder (or on/in the motorbike, snowmobile, ski-doo, wing suit, para-glider, whatever) & you have one of those 'sudden stop' events, or if you do part company with whatever and then experience either a 'sudden stop' as you meet what is effectively (in the given circumstances) an immovable object (altho it's definitely gonna be worse for you if whatever you contact IS moving even a tiny little bit towards you at any relative speed!) or if you just part company and end up sliding/rolling along the ground &/or road surface!
Whenever you're on the outside of any vehicle that you're riding or piloting in any way, so that YOU are likely to be the very first living thing that comes into contact, suddenly or otherwise, with any other vehicle, building or fixtures, the scenery, the flora, or the fauna in the event of a mishap or miscalculation on anyone's behalf, you ARE gonna hurt if any of those things happen!!
How much you get hurt and how well you survive that hurt depends very much upon how well you choose to protect yourself, and whatever you choose to help keep all of your important appendages, lubricants, and components et al safely contained inside the still hopefully complete & un-ruptured skin bag that you wear all the time!
So be aware of the potential risks, and then make your choice as to how much/how well you want to protect that flimsy skin bag and all its contents in the event that anything meets or exceeds those risks. 
Just Sayin' - and ignore the risks at your own peril!
PURPLEON3
Member
LongIsland
Active member
On 9/11/2025, I was on a ride with my sweetheart. We were traveling on a road in an exclusive area that had recently installed speed bumps. I slowed for them so was traveling about 20 mph. A truck pulled out from a side street, and I could not see the speed bumps, so I slowed more. The truck made a left turn, and the deer came out from behind it. I was looking beyond the truck (for speed bumps) and noticed the deer in my peripheral vision, I slowed more. The deer struck the front of my Spyder and like Starsky from the mid-70's show Starsky and Hutch, it slid across my frunk. No damage to my ride nor the deer. I brushed a few pieces of fur from the front and continued on our way, while the deer scurried into the woods. Thank goodness for the speed bumps, a good wax job and God being our co-pilot. I have a short video on the event but am unable to upload it to the site.
Lots of deer around here.
I think if you hit one on a Spyder or Ryker there is a good chance it is going to land in your lap.
A girl I worked with hit one and totaled her Crown Vic.
Moose are ten times bigger and have long legs. Hit one with your car and he is coming in to visit you.
Right now the Rut is on and they're dumber than normal.
Remember, if you see one, there are others right behind it!
I think if you hit one on a Spyder or Ryker there is a good chance it is going to land in your lap.
A girl I worked with hit one and totaled her Crown Vic.
Moose are ten times bigger and have long legs. Hit one with your car and he is coming in to visit you.
Right now the Rut is on and they're dumber than normal.
Remember, if you see one, there are others right behind it!
AbNormy
Active member
It DID buff right out!
Way late, but there seems to be some active discussion, and with the deer rut in full swing, that seems timely. It depends on the strike and whether damage to the machine or person is the focus. A three-wheel machine will likely be more stable with less required expertise of the rider. However, if the rider takes a direct hit, especially at speed, the rider could suffer internal injury from the animal strike; or be knocked off of the machine, incurring further injury from a slide or impact on the fall. ATGATT, dressing for the impact or slide, is appropriate. That stated, a friend was struck from the side on a foggy morning. He was wearing a jacket and helmet. A seasoned paramedic came upon the scene moments after the accident. The friend lost his fight due to substantial internal injuries. The best defense is a good offense: be aware of your surroundings, always on the lookout for the forest creatures coming out to the ditch/grass/trees. They're frightened, operating on fight-or-flight instinct, and we happen to be in the way. In the end, being hit by a critter of any size can be catastrophic regardless of your ride.
I agree with others who have stated that the mass of the Spyder versus a typical two wheeler would be somewhat helpful in a deer/bike collision, but short of wearing an airbag jacket I doubt that there would be any way of avoiding likely injury. However, not riding at dusk, dawn or in the dark of night seems to work pretty well for me. I can't recall ever starting out so early in the morning that it is considered dawn, and I very rarely have not stopped by the time of dusk. For the most part I do not ride at night, and especially not outside urban environments. In my more than 40 years of riding, mostly in the Midwest, I have never hit a deer. My only animal strike was a dog that ran out and hit the front wheel hub on a cruiser that I was on. Fortunately I had both hands firmly on the handgrips and other than a wobble that I quickly corrected, no harm done to me or my bike. The dog did not do so well.
iSilentP
Active member
Wow! He was lucky. If I ever hit a deer, I would want it to be just like this.
Snoking1127
Well-known member
Yeah, my German Shepherd hit did $5525 damage to the trike. Lots of tupperware, right side fender, all that had to be painted to the Champagne color, and the right side radiator. Stop leak and I was able to finish the 1850 ride for Az to WA via the Northern Cal coast, Oregon coast and part of Washington coast. I was only 175 miles into this ride on the first day (350 mi) of a 6 day ride.
Last edited:
TheMariner
Well-known member
...and if your insurance company wants a sketch of the accident site, give them this:
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