Run over a squirrel or hit the side of the car?

[ColinJ]

Fossy beat me to it - I was going to mention the squirrel/forks picture - see this blog post. As you can see - a squirrel is big enough to trash your bike and have you off. The correct solution is probably to bunny er, squirrel hop it!

 

[gambatte]

I went over the handlebars and landed on the path, cutting my knee open (luckily, I had my helmet on)

You had your helmet on your knee?...
Someone post a picture to show where it should be...

 

[Davidsw8]

You had your helmet on your knee?...
Someone post a picture to show where it should be...

I wish I'd had a helmet on my knee!

 

[Teuchter]

I'd make sure I ran over the tree rat... keep it straight and level it would just be like riding over a small, squishy speed bump.

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Squirrel.

In fact any creature in that scenario, whatever colour (being sensible about size of said creaure of course....quite a few large Stags round these parts).

I had a friend killed on the road, due to a car swerving to miss a pheasant. The Police told us that there are many accidents, including a fair share of fatal ones, that are because drivers/motorcyclists/cyscilts swerve to miss animals.

 

[Davidc]

Fossy beat me to it - I was going to mention the squirrel/forks picture - see this blog post. As you can see - a squirrel is big enough to trash your bike and have you off. The correct solution is probably to bunny er, squirrel hop it!

That linked blog describes the difference between a clean running over and the animal mixed up in the bike, always a risk.

The OP asked about the choice between hitting a car and hitting a squirrel. That's different from asking whether it's a good idea to avoid hitting animals. The answer to that surely has to always be yes, avoid them if it's safe to. There's too much danger to rider and bike, and anything other than a clean kill will lead to a painful and possibly slow death for the animal, which I'd have thought can't be the wish of anyone here.

 

[palinurus]

Luckily the squirrel saw me in time and turned round and darted back just at the last second.

They generally always do that.

Best thing to do though is just keep to your course, it's only a squirrel- as long as you have plenty of spokes you should be fine. It's a trickier decision with a larger animal.

 

[gaz]

just bunny hop over it

 

[Hilldodger]

I'd have run over it and then reversed up to run over it again.

 

[Leaway2]

If only you could get the Squizzer running round inside the wheel as a form of propulsion.

 

[Hacienda71]

Don't ride bikes with silly spoke patterns

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

does not the highway code indicate that you should hit the squirrel rather than be in an accident?

anyhow - I usually yell at the squirrels - works here, does not help much with dead hedgehogs or live lemmings but that is another story.

 

[Melonfish]

klingon boots.
the ones with spikes on, thus you can skewer the little sods and get a free dinner.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

A possible solution is to get a front wheel with the flat aerodynamic spokes and run a knife sharpener over them until they have a lovely keen edge.
Slices any rodent that decides it likes the look of the giant hamster wheel coming its way.

 

[Cyclopathic]

I'd have run over it and then reversed up to run over it again.

"Reversed"? I didn't know you had a Honda Gold Wing as well.