A lesson learnt.

[Ixion]

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Still the other point here is we must ride to be able to stop within half our clear distance and ride staggered to give others clear space. This thread was started to make everyone think about the riding pattern not to point blame. After all we did stop in plenty of time ...

Exactly so. You stopped in time. Just a bit of a startle. No crash. Skilled and professional riding . Have a banana. You can't make assumptions about what's over the hill, so you must ride so as to be able to stop in the distance you *can* see. As you did, and all was well . And as you say, remember when riding in company to spread out a bit (though it does get a bit hard to do that in corners)

Then if you come over the hill and *anything* is there you will still be able to stop in time.

After all cows do escape and wander sometimes. As do children.Vehicles break down in the middle of the road. There is always the chance that over the hill, round the corner, is a cow, a child, a vehicle, a bathtub, a boat (all of which I have encountered on the roads !)

[Nana mod off]

[Beemer]

I'd certainly be wary if there was FRESH cow shit on the road for several kms, not only because it would indicate there were animals close by, but because it would be a bloody hazard in its own right!

I'm not sure what the regulations are regarding movement of stock but the fact is, NZ is a country where you could expect to find stock on the road just about anywhere. Around the corner from where we live are two cow crossings - where the farmer moves his stock from one side of the road to the other for milking. I didn't realise until last week that they just open the gates and let the cows wander through by themselves - so I had to sit there for ages behind a woman who wouldn't drive through them even when there was a gap - no room to overtake her or turn around either!

Whether or not the farmer was in the wrong, it wouldn't have made any difference if you crashed as you are responsible for ensuring you could stop in the length of road you can see. It wouldn't have made much difference if it had been a herd of cattle or a hawk rising from a dead possum.

Speaking of hawks, does anyone here know what to do when you come across one feeding in the middle of the road? I always give a long blast on the horn, which gives it a fright and it always lifts off immediately, but twice this week I have been following people (one male, one female!) who both suddenly slammed on the anchors when doing 100km and WAITED for the bird to move! DUH!!!

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Speaking of hawks, does anyone here know what to do when you come across one feeding in the middle of the road? I always give a long blast on the horn, which gives it a fright and it always lifts off immediately, but twice this week I have been following people (one male, one female!) who both suddenly slammed on the anchors when doing 100km and WAITED for the bird to move! DUH!!!

Sometimes they have their talons hooked in to the road kill and that is stuck to the road surface and they can not lift off. That's why they stay on the road. .