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i'm crusin along a city street with a wide median splitting the road which was covered with grass and trees. There was another biker behind me in the right lane as I was crusing in the left lane closest to the median when I spotted a white cat pop out of no where. I swerved to the right a little bit once I caught sight of him but he almost darted out in front of me right before I rode past! As soon as I passed the little guy he ran across the street and probably was in the other biker's way. I'm glad I, nor the other rider hit this scared feline but even the chance of it sure got the blood pumping. I think I could take out a rabbit if I were forced to, but a cat would definitely cause a wipe out...

I figure close calls are really good for me because I will allways learn from them, but this one was a little too close!

You could easily take out a cat and even a small dog. Now if you hit it during the swerve you're doomed. Screw the cat/dog/squirrel/rabbit/whatever, just take it straight on like any other obsticle (if you do not have appropriate time to brake/swerve).

dzervit wrote:You could easily take out a cat and even a small dog. Now if you hit it during the swerve you're doomed. Screw the cat/dog/squirrel/rabbit/whatever, just take it straight on like any other obsticle (if you do not have appropriate time to brake/swerve).

Agreed. No way I'm swerving out of the way. I don't care if it's 'poopy the $5000 poodle' it's getting mowed down.

My instructor on the MSF course said he would run over anything up to and including the size of a muffler. However, a big labrador would be make me nervous.

matthew5656 wrote:... I think I could take out a rabbit if I were forced to, but a cat would definitely cause a wipe out...

Hmmm not too sure about that... some of those wabbits around here are bigger than the cats...

bigger than fido too!

pigsbladder wrote: Agreed. No way I'm swerving out of the way. I don't care if it's 'poopy the $5000 poodle' it's getting mowed down.

My instructor on the MSF course said he would run over anything up to and including the size of a muffler. However, a big labrador would be make me nervous.

I hope it is a toy poodle. A regular size poodle would probably wipe you out.

I like pets too much to bring myself to do this.

Maybe a squirrel or a wild animal I would do it. But I just couldn't imagine running over the family cat. The guilt would eat me up

I'd rather be eaten by guilt than by pavement.

Septimus wrote:I'd rather be eaten by guilt than by pavement.

QFT.

I'd plow right over a cat rather than swerve and risk hitting it while leaned over. Cats and squirrels are generally smart enough to get out of the way, though.

As for something larger, like a dog, it would depend on how big it is. If it were a 4 year old black Lab, I'd hit the brakes and/or try to go around it. If it were a Chihuahua, I'd plow right over that too.

Remember to blip the throttle just before your front tire hits Fluffy's neck.

...and if it were Paris Hilton's chihuahua and back up and run over it again.

tropicalhotdog wrote:...and if it were Paris Hilton's chihuahua and back up and run over it again.