When Harley and Javelina Collide

Ever wondered what you would do if confronted with a collision you couldn’t avoid?  I experienced this situation last Saturday at 2:30 in the afternoon approximately 3 miles east of Leakey, Texas on FM 337.  It was the biggest “Oh, Shit” moment I’ve had on my bike and I hope I never experience anything like it again.  The next time, I might not be so lucky.  Here’s what happened…

The Ride

On Friday afternoon, I rode to Garner State Park with four members of the Gruene HOG Chapter.  We were meeting several other members in the Park for the second annual men’s fellowship camp out and ride.  The Park is a great jumping off point to some of the best riding in the Texas Hill Country and on Saturday we’d be riding the best of the best, the world famous Twisted Sisters.  After an evening of sitting around a roaring campfire, roasting hot dogs, drinking adult beverages, and telling tall tales we turned in for the night. 

When the sun came up Saturday morning, the sky was clear and the air cool and crisp.  You could tell it was going to be a great day to ride.  By 7:30, everyone was awake.  Our host whipped-up a batch of scrambled eggs and venison sausage as we warmed tortillas over the fire.  We made breakfast tacos and discussed our ride plan for the day.  The plan was deliberately loose…we wanted to ride all three Sisters, eat at the Bent Rim Grill in Leakey, and get in as much riding as possible before the sun went down. We agreed on being flexible and focusing on riding and having fun.  It was a good plan.   By 10:30, we were ready to roll.

Riding the Twisted Sisters

Our group of ten bikes left the Park and headed North on U.S. Hwy 83.  We made a quick stop for gas in Leakey and picked-up the first Sister (FM336) just north of town.  She started throwing changes in elevation and twists at us immediately.  We varied from riding in staggered formation to single file and back as the road dictated.  The views were amazing when you could look, but most of the time was spent focusing on the road and the bike in front of you.  No one wanted to be surprised by a fallen rock in the road or loose gravel found on the outside edge of the curves.   We rode this Sister hard, covering her 26-mile length in about 35 minutes.

 

Heading West on TX-41, we laid on the throttle making a beeline to the second Sister (FM335).    When we first arrived, she seemed tame. But in the blink of an eye, she became a tiger, taking us on a seemingly never-ending undulating roller coaster of a ride.  She worked us hard for 29 miles, teasing us with beautiful panoramic vistas and then throwing us curve after deadly curve. It was awesome.  After 45 minutes of riding quite possibly the wildest of the three Sisters, we intersected TX-55 and made our way to Camp Wood where we picked-up our final Sister (FM337).

Turning east on FM337 we were excited to see what the last Sister had to offer.  She gave us exactly what we needed…a break.  We enjoyed the scenery as we pushed through several long straight stretches and sweeping curves with an occasional tight twisty thrown in to keep us on our toes.  The 20-miles back to Leakey went quickly.  Tired and hungry, we pulled into the Bent Rim Grill just after 1:00.  It was a welcome sight after having spent the last 2 ½ hours in the saddle on some of the most technically challenging roads Texas has to offer.  The food was good and the views from the Bent Rim’s patio were spectacular. Rested and ready to complete the last 37 miles of our final Sister we left the Bent Rim and made a quick pit stop to gas up.  We were back on the road by 2:20.

The Collision

It was an absolutely fantastic day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining bright.  We fell into a nicely spaced staggered formation and settled in for a great ride as we began our ascent out of Leakey.  My mind was clear and I was just enjoying the ride when I saw the rider in front of me pointing to the far side of the road.  In a split-second, I saw the beady-eyed bastard starting to make his way into my lane.  My first thought was, “Damn, I can’t hit that pig!”  I tried to adjust my speed, thinking I could avoid him.  Then the little shit changed direction and burst into a full-fledged sprint across the road.  Unsure of where he was going, I couldn’t swerve.  I hit the brakes hard while trying to keep the bike pointed straight ahead.  In another spit-second I thought, “Shit I’m going to hit it!”  I braced for the impact and then BAM!  In the blink of an eye the little monster made contact, hitting me on the left side just behind my front tire.   I immediately felt a burning pain in my left foot and ankle but maintained control of the bike.   I made my way to the shoulder and shut down the bike.

Beady-Eyed Javelina

The burning sensation in my foot and ankle was intense.  I wasn’t sure I could put any weight on it so I sat there trying to make sense of what had just happened.  I was still a little shell-shocked when the riders behind me ask me if I was okay.  They had immediately pulled over in front of and behind me.  They helped me off the bike and supported me as I put weight on my left foot.  I didn’t think anything was broken and with a little help took a few steps.  I knew I’d be okay and took a few more steps on my own.  It still hurt but the burning sensation had subsided and I could walk.  I said, “I’ve got to get a picture of that” and then limped over to the pig lying in the road and snapped a picture.  Looking back that must have seemed strange.

We checked the bike for damage and it looked okay.  The shifter and foot peg had been bent slightly out of place but we thought the bike would be okay.  Everyone got back on their bikes and I pulled back onto the road.  Within a second, I knew something was wrong.  The bike wouldn’t go into second gear.  I pulled over and the rest of the group pulled in around me.  Several folks looked at the bike and tried to manually work the shifter.  We made a few adjustments without opening the case up but nothing worked.  We decided it wasn’t something that couldn’t be fixed on the side of the road.  I rode the bike back into Leakey in first gear but not before stopping and taking another picture of the pig that tried to take me out.  Back in Leakey, I parked the bike at a gas station and then hopped on the back of another rider’s bike.  Yes, I rode bitch to complete the ride (despite the friendly ribbing about having a new cuddle-buddy).  When we got back to camp, we hooked-up a trailer and went to retrieve my bike. 

Later that evening as I iced my ankle, I reflected on the day’s events.  All-in-all, it had been a great day.  I had the opportunity to ride some of the best roads around with an outstanding group of men from the Gruene HOG Chapter.  I felt grateful for their friendship…they were there for me when I needed it and never asked for anything in return.  I also felt grateful to be alive.  I recognized that If I‘d hit the pig head-on; things could have turned out very differently.   When Harley and javelina collide bad things can happen.  I know was lucky, but most of all, I was blessed.

Epilogue

I may not have bought the farm (Thank God), but I guess I did buy the pig.  The damage to my bike was $967.97. Here’s the breakdown:

Replace Front brake Disc

Replace Front Brake Bolt

Replace Left front Fork Kit

Replace Fork Oil

Replace Left Outer Front Suspension Fork Tube

Replace Left Reflector

Replace Clutch Cover Gasket

Replace Cover Gasket

Replace Engine Cover Gasket

Replace Shift lever Shaft

And best of all

Remove Pig Blood From Motorcycle

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Safety Links

http://www.bikesafer.com/animals.html

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/preventing_fatal_deer_accidents/

http://www.motorcycleassistant.com/motorcycles-and-animals.html