Turning the key over at 4:20am, it was already 28° and forecast to scorch on up to 36°, so some high altitude, cool mountain river valleys and forested freshness was the plan.

Rolled into the local expressway, engaged cruise control and kicked back for a 175km jaunt down the expressways to the Minami Alps under an ominously heavy dawn sky that  brightened as the Shin Tomei swung from southwest to westbound north of Numazu and Mt. Fuji slid out from under the cloudy blanket spreading eastward over the Kanto plain. The blue streaky sky a little further down the road foretold a nice change and a few dozen kilometres later, the air rushing through the mesh got noticeably cooler and more importantly, drier. Ah—

Having wasted a lot of time on that last series of poorly chosen roads and feeling the heat, decided to take the Expressway from Chino back down to the Fuji area as the Mountain Day short course calls for. Unfortunately, the expressway was closed at Futaba and had another slug like stretch on rt.20 as light faded. Got back on the expressway at Zaiketsuka IC and trotted down to Rokugo IC. Then snaked and twisted up The 300 to Motosuko in time for…

As it crawled higher, it paled and shrunk but shone brighter and began to illuminate the fields and white buildings. The moonlight didn’t penetrate the tall wooded forests or the roads not running eastish-westish through them. And coming down into Susono, 80 of the 90km in the MT10’s wake, the road peeled out of some hairpins into a southward straight, slightly downhill. Lights on high beam, the white lines were easy to follow.

Then it happened.

From the right a big deer leapt right in front of me at head height. There was no time to react but there was to think.

Thought: ‘Far ahead lucky. But…’

I was beginning to think to myself, ..But they are never alone.  When a head charged into the headlight beam on the tail of the other but too close. Unavoidably close. Instantaneous inevitability is an odd sensation.

Thought: ‘Again? Gonna hurt. Brace.’

The again was because I’ve crashed before and wrecked bikes and body and worried loved ones. The gonna hurt was because it always hurt before. The brace was instinctive and I lent into it instinctively as it impacted.

That plastic impact sound, the collision of momentums shunting and shaking the bike as the deer’s shoulder plowed into the frame and radiator then engine and my lower leg as it’s forebody was dragged forward by the bike and its rear came around to slap into the muffler, rear wheel and bend up the number plate. Then gone in the MT10’s wake spinning off to the side of the road.

On impact, the lights flickered then all went black, the headlights were out. Remember the moonlight?… There was none here on this tall forest road running almost north-south. The speedometer was out too. The engine had stopped, I can’t tell you when. From LED white brightness to pitch black, I was blinded and the only thing I can remember was hearing the sound of the chain. 

Thought: Get on the brakes, but gently it may be busted up. Can’t see, losing balance, vertigo..oh yuck.. brake, just brake. ..get those feet out to feel the road..where’s the road…keep it straight…are we stopped…touch feet down.. definitely not stopped…we are slowing…sense of momentum returning from dragging the boots on the road…almost stopped. Is that a white line?…stopped!

Involuntary, the side stand is deployed and I swing a leg off the bike and stagger as the vertigo isn’t completely gone. Close my eyes to get night vision going. Open my right eye and start looking around. One tiny LED or the dying ember of one in the front somewhere is dimly glowing onto the deformed radiator. Bad for night vision, look into the woods…Ha! Take out your phone. Use the torchlight. Hands shaking, it’s difficult but I get it and light up the ground then bike.

We’ve come to a stop right on the white line on the left side of the road as good a parking as I could have managed by the light of day stopping to take a picture of some picture perfect vista!

Thought: Lucky boy. Bloody lucky.

Next thought: Where’s that deer?

———————-

Thanks to good gear, I wasn’t injured. The right lower leg, my right hand and my neck hurt but nothing major. Just some bruising and maybe a touch of whiplash.

The deer. I walked back to check and it seemed dead. An hour or  so later when I returned with the police, it was gone. Godspeed and sorry wild one.

The MT10. I remember going strait to the bunji net and occy straps on the backseat and repacking my toolroll, sandals and hat to fit under the occy straps. Then, wrapped up the front end remnants in the bunji net and hooked it to the top triple tree. Starter button didn’t work but after fumbling around with the keys, the broken meter may have bashed the key and switched the ignition off, and trying the starter again, it fired to life. The low beam headlight worked but was askew. It sufficed.

Not game to push my luck or blow the bike up, that radiator had lost water, I tested steering and brakes then got some speed up and shifted into neutral, switched off the engine and coasted several kilometres downhill to a familiar convenience store.

A truck arrived an hour or so later to haul the mighty MT home. Yes, having delivered me safely from disaster in conquering a fearsome adversary, it deserves the Mighty MT title now.  It left with Ohira san, after he’d updated me on the results of the Suzuka 8hr.

The police came to get the lowdown and revisit the site and miss Constable Suzuki, a Triumph Speed Twin rider, was terrific.

Then I was alone in the convenience store, air-conditioned and safe. Reflection and decompression time…

My loving Yuko arrived with a hug an hour later to deliver me home. I’m safe, uninjured and grateful.

Sorry to those I’ve worried. Thank you to all those who reached out.

Thank you Road Gods and those on my shoulders for keeping the Mighty MT and I upright.

See you on the road…