ayrton Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Yesterday - I was taking my usual 50 minute ride in the farmland and horse country west of Valley Forge, PA. And I notice a bug on my face shield. I swiped it with my glove but it did not move. It's hard when riding to focus at 1-2 inches but then I see the bug is on the inside! Looks like a small fly or wasp. I'm thinking - if I raise the shield it will blow right into my face. What to do? So I tried to stay calm. I figured that I have to raise the shield when I am stopped. I made a right into a parking lot, stopped, got to neutral, feet down. It seemed like 10 minutes to do all of this. Then I slowly raised my hands and whipped the shield open fast. I never saw what happened to him. but it was scary and gross having that thing 1/2 inch from my nose just sitting there. Glad he's gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted July 16, 2018 Supporting Member Share Posted July 16, 2018 I have never had a large bug inside my helmet, but frequently get small ones, I simply raise my shield, turn my head and the wind blast blows them away. Glad it wasn't a wasp. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerdawg Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I'm from PA too, closer to the water gap side. One morning on my way to work, just as I was merging on route 33, I see a decent sized wood spider walking around my visor, on the INSIDE! Talk about a moment of what the heck do I do now. I merged as safely as possible, tilted my head back, opened the visor and prayed. No idea where he went but hopefully I evicted him into the car behind me, good riddance. I'm convinced there are no perfect protocols for this type of event based on situation. Glad to see you made it out without incident. 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickest85 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I had a swarm of bees come at me and my visor was open. I pulled over a ripped my helmet off so fast, I was amazed I didn't get stung. definitely sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I’ve had a large fly come in through my open visor and get jammed between my cheek and the padding. Damn thing squirmed like mad until I could stop and get my helmet off. Another example where it was good news not to be a wasp. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowlin01 Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 I've had a wasp inside my helmet (Yellowjacket for our American members), pulled over really quickly and tore the helmet off. Scared the Wife to death as She was on her first ride as a pillion at the time Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member sirepair Posted July 16, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted July 16, 2018 While in a group ride in Cherokee, NC, riding 2-up with the wife on back of my ST1100 I had a nasty experience with a bee. While waiting for a traffic light to change I opened my visor 1 click. Light changed and we started to roll. Went about 20 feet when said bee went over the top edge of my windshield, through the gap of my visor and proceeded to sting me between my eye brows! Of course I'm cursing the @#$%& thing, wife is asking "what's wrong?!?" and I'm trying to not hit the school bus in front of us, or the other rider beside us, or crash along the road! Once the situation was somewhat controlled, told the other riders what happened and stopped to take some benadry. Honey bee stings aren't a big deal for me, but yellow jacket stings leave me feeling pretty poorly. Didn't want to be scooting along the Blue Ridge Parkway and get ill. Wife and I did a bit of shopping while waiting to see if I would have a reaction (didn't) the finished our ride back to our campgrounds, me with an astounding welt between my eyes! Moral: Bugs can (and will) find their way into the smallest openings! Keep benadryl (and a first aid kit) handy, and if allergic, your epi-pen. Better to have and not need than to need and not have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrton Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 Many times I've been happy to have the full helmet on - some of the bugs I hit feel like rocks - those carpenter bees are huge. They hit the faceshield with a loud bang. One hit my shoulder once and left a small welt through my jacket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal616 Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 fire flys are fun at night... 2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group 2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp 2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member upshift Posted July 17, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted July 17, 2018 Many times I've been happy to have the full helmet on - some of the bugs I hit feel like rocks - those carpenter bees are huge. They hit the faceshield with a loud bang. One hit my shoulder once and left a small welt through my jacket. Was riding recently with a buddy and connected on Senas and at one point he says "Did you just hit a giant bug?". The contact was loud enough to be heard through my microphone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member rustyshackles Posted July 18, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted July 18, 2018 I see maybe one firefly per year here in N. TX. When I was kid in NJ they were plentiful on summer nights. I don’t know if the climate here doesn’t suit them or if the population has declined. IBA Member #59800 3 Nations Brewing Mug Club #100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YamaGeezer Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 So - - - I hate being stung but living in Georgia, bees are a normal part of life. I'm grateful I'm not allergic. I've been hit on the knuckles a few times and it hurts, even with gloves on. It makes me grateful for the hand guards on the FJ. It's worth being able to ride year-round even with the bugs (and the occasional suicidal possum). About 30 years ago I was riding with a friend in the Georgia mountains. He was in front and I was trailing on my '78 Yamaha XS Special. I was in the right side of our lane. As my buddy drove past some bushes I discovered they had been full of black birds (starlings). As the flock of a million or so birds took flight, one particularly plump guy turned left and we briefly locked eyes. I'm sure he was trying his version of reverse but it didn't matter. At 70 miles an hour, a bird --- well, think about what a bee feels like. Mr. Bird met my helmet (anyone else ever have a Nava 3) just above my right eye. Sounded somewhat like a cannon, but louder. I stayed up but decided to stop when I found my helmet was not completely water tight (it wasn't water). If anyone is curious - blackbirds are NAAAASSSSSTY on the inside. This one had apparently just had a large cup of soup, mixed with glue. On the up side - I may have been the first guy ever to have a feather mohawk on his helmet. My buddy eventually missed me and turned around to see where I went. He was not kind when he found me rubbing my helmet in the grass. I can laugh now, too. So - that's my bee story. All things considered, I don't mind hitting an occasional bee, just keep the birds away - - - and possums, and deer, - - - - Ride Safe - and watch out for birds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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