Modern Vespa

Vespa vs Deer -

Yeah, I hit a deer today. No winner in that confrontation. The deer ran out, I slammed on the brakes (LOVE the ABS brakes - saved my hide), I zigged, Bambi zagged, I braced for impact when it made a last second decision to throw itself in front of me, plastic parts went flying, there was the first thump at impact, then a thud-thud as the Vespa went over the top of Bambi. I kept the bike upright and stopped. I heard Joan holler in my helmet communicator - I replied: "Yes, I'm fine," and got off the bike to see how much damage there is.

https://captnjim.blogspot.com/2021/07/vespa-vs-deer.html

My pretty Vespa looks a bit wounded...





The good news: just plastic parts that need to be replaced. I didn't go down, so no human was injured in the impact.

From the scream I heard in my helmet communicator, it may have been more traumatic for Joan to watch than me to experience. We had been having a great ride up to that point. She was impressed that I "took it so well." Coulda been a lot worse. It's just stuff and stuff can be replaced. I've called the dealer to get the parts ordered and started an insurance claim.

The bad news: the parts have to come from Italy, so "6 to 8 weeks" is the best guess. Joan thinks she saw Bambi run off into the woods - I felt the initial impact, then went over the top of it... I would be surprised if Bambi makes it.

I was shooting video on parts of the ride, but the camera was off when the Vespa and deer made contact. The Vespa is rideable - just looks a bit odd without that big ol' fender up front to balance out those sexy lines.

Video of the ride when I get the chance.

So glad you weren't hurt. I would say the vespa fared pretty well to have only broken plastic. Congrats on being able to keep the bike up. 👍

Glad to hear you came through it fine. Is the problem getting the plastic fender already painted to match? If so, you might have your dealer search to see if an unpainted fender (or another color) is available in stateside inventory or at another dealer. At least that would let you ride for the rest of the summer.

Glad you're okay!

A deer took out both itself and a Vespa rider here in Northern California a few weeks back.

Good job on keeping the bike upright. That’s a win right there.

Wow, so glad you survived such a scary ordeal. Good on you for not choking under pressure.

Ouch!

I'm really glad you are ok!!

Glad you are ok, and came through it with minimal damage to you and the Vespa.

I had a deer scare the crap out of me a couple of weeks ago while riding bicycle. He came out of the woods and ran across the road in front of me. I was going slow so it wasn't too bad for me. The couple on the Honda Goldwing coming toward me got the bigger surprise. The deer jumped at the last moment, and it's hooves brushed the helmet of the passenger on the Goldwing as it arced over them.

Thanks for the kind words, folks. I give a lot of credit to the ABS brakes on the Vespa - if the deer hadn't leapt right in front of me at the last second, I would have made it around. Those great brakes played a big part in keeping things upright at impact.

I have somewhere on the far side of 250,000 miles on two wheels, but only one other "deer experience" and that impact wasn't as full on as this one. Skill... luck... good clean living? Yeah, probably luck. Back in my working days, I was occasionally credited with staying focused and calm under pressure... I'd just as soon avoid situations where that needs to come into play. I heard my wife scream through our helmet communicators, but didn't have time to answer her until I had the bike stopped: "Yeah, I'm fine."

I saw the pieces fly at impact. I picked up what was left of the fender while Joan looked alongside the road to see if Bambi ran off, like she thought (hoped?). She didn't find the deer, so I'm going to let her think it ran back to its family.

The Vespa is still rideable, but I will be venturing out only when I know I'm not going to get caught in rain - with no front fender, it would be an awful mess. I asked John from parts about getting an unpainted fender, but he didn't offer much hope on that. If it does take 6 to 8 weeks to get the fender and other parts in, it will be around the time we're headed for home, so I can leave the scoot with AF1 on my way through. IF. In the meantime, I plan to be riding it, unless I find something else that didn't come up on my first inspection.

I was shooting some 360 video during this ride, but didn't have the camera on when this occurred. No, I was not "riding distracted"... the deer came out of the ditch when I was already close... suicidal or a psychopath? I know it could have ended much worse, so it was easy to be chill about the busted up scoot. It is stuff - I'll get it pretty again and continue to enjoy riding.

Again, thanks.

Jim

Way to keep your head. Obviously your miles of experience played a part. Glad you weren't hurt. Bambi may be doing fine as well.

Congratulations on staying upright and surviving your wife's scream! THAT might have given me a heart attack.

Deer are becoming a constant urban/suburban threat to two wheelers.

Years ago, I drove from San Angelo to Del Rio at night. Once I was into the hills, every time I rounded a curve or crested a hill, my headlights caught hundreds of eyes just off the edges of the road. Scary.

Just glad you're OK! Also great Jon on keeping it upright and you best be sticking around posting with us for a long time. We've been through enough and you certainly don't need to go through this again. Deer are easily one of the biggest dangers to us in some parts.

Wow, scary pictures but great story! I was up on Angeles Crest Hwy 20 years ago and booking along nicely, shooting out of a tunnel and had to get my senses in check real fast as a sub compact car 75 yards in front of me swerved and a large buck jumped down onto the lane and over the top of the car! I was hauling but now spacing was getting tight as I was reducing speed and looking for options as I closed in on the buck, now standing in the center of my only lane looking at me and then jumped off the side of the road as I filled the space he was occupying! By then I had scrubbed off a ton of speed but I was still going 30 mph or so as I passed through his space and those antlers were face high a second and a half ago!

Holy Crap Cap’n. I follow your blog vids and have enjoyed your rides out there. Serious deer country, could have been so much worse.
You’ve come through a lot - you and that beautiful Vespa will be back together. Rufus will have some really interesting scents to explore when you get it home!

Well done on not dropping it!

Hell yes to ABS. Last week I was doing about 65-70kmh / 40-45mph and an idiot pulled out approx 30m/100ft in front of me. ABS did it's job well. ABS is one of the reasons I sold my 2009 GTS and bout a 2019 Supertech. (Also am pondering some Brembos or at least better pads)

I've twice had deer jump onto the road in front of me but both times have been gravel roads where I wasn't going to fast and they were far enough away that it was fun not scary

Lastly, you might want to consider replacing the front fork as it maybe slightly out of align after such an impact. While the front is apart for the new fender would be a great time to do this ...

I would make sure the steering column isn't bent.

That beats waiting until next Wednesday to get one. What's the color code under your seat bucket?

Deer -- my biggest concern here in central Pennsylvania. Especially when riding through Venison Valley. And few options for managing that risk other than avoiding riding at dusk and dawn and just slowing down. So far only close calls and no direct contact.

Glad you were able to stay upright and not have any serious injuries. Maybe the whole thing has a message for you, God is suggesting you get a back up scooter maybe??

Glad to hear you're okay!

Ruddy strong those Bambis!

If my body had done that to the fender before being run over by GTS + rider, I doubt I'd be running off into the woods!!

I had a close encounter with a Deer a few weeks ago. I did not hit it but it was very close. I am still a little nervous on that road and it is the road I live on! Just happy you are okay!

I have kicked around the idea of getting another motorcycle... but, realistically, where to put it is an issue. While we're out and about in the motorhome, the cargo trailer is our "portable garage"... the two scoots just fit, with room in the V-front for riding gear and tools.

When we got into a pull out after the deer incident, Joan said to me, "I thought we were going to have to get you another bike - are you sure this one is safe?"

I rode it an hour back to the motorhome, twisties all the way. Yeah, it's good. I just checked on it in the cargo trailer this morning: nothing leaking, the tire is still full inflated, no sign of damage underneat, not even tufts of fur.

Happy outcome, CJ !

I would think that the cost of stripping the front end in order to put on any another colour mudguard in the interim is not economical.

Amazing you managed to keep it upright - well done!

For what it's worth, Bambi may be ok too. If it was able to bolt to the woods

Just got off the phone, speaking with a Progressive agent who called. It was clear she was reading from a script and had no understanding of what a Vespa might be. I recorded my statement, then she asked some questions. One of which was "Did you get a photo of the deer?"

It took great self-restraint to NOT say, "Yeah, we took a couple selfies before Bambi bounded off into the woods." Instead, I said, "I was more concerned with getting myself off a narrow two lane road before I got run down, but my wife said she saw the deer run off."

When asking about the photos I took, she asked, "Did you take pacific photos?"

"Pacific?" I asked.

"Yes, from pacific angles?"

Again, great restraint to keep from saying, "Well, we are 1,500 miles from the ocean..." I took a breath and asked, "Did you mean photos from specific angles?"

"Yes, from pacific angles."

My wife reminded me that finding good staff is tough these days. I assume they will reimburse me if I have to ride this scoot to the West Coast to get photos?

But in the woods there is the big bad wolf who will eat Bambi ...

ouch, glad you are ok. saw the thread headline and feared the worst based on photos of deer going through car windshields.

think someone else mentioned checking out the if the steering column is straight - you have to take the whole front end apart to replace the fender anyhow.

Here's the video from the ride where the Vespa and the deer got up close and personal (no impact footage - just about the ride)...

That was fun, minus the deer, that is. I haven't been there since the late '90s and it is just as beautiful as I remember it.

Thanks for sharing!

Yes the results could have been tragic but the combination of your riding experience and the abs system probably saved your life. I also live in a heavily deer populated area and am always scanning the sides of the road.

Do some searching for a fender on Ebay. My original front fender had a small crack in the front edge. The previous owner didn't mind it, but on a 1yr old scooter I was not happy with leaving it that way. I went on Ebay and found a brand new front fender painted in black. As my scooter was white I thought it was worth a shot. After installing it I prefer it to the original white one. I paid about 100 bucks for it. Not difficult to swap out at all.

I do appreciate the suggestions offered. Not sure if it is the same with the BV, but on the GTS the steering mechanism has to come off to replace the front fender; about a 4 hour job. I'll just patiently wait for the fender and accessories to arrive and let the dealer handle the disassembly. In the meantime, I'll be riding my GTS "bobber."