|
I am a right arm (above elbow) and right leg (below knee) amputee following a head on RTA in 1986 whilst riding my bike (Honda CD200) home from work.
I returned to driving a car as soon as possible after leaving hospital, my thoughts of ever riding a motorbike again were that it was impossible. As my son, Robert, got older and became interested in all things on two wheels, we decided to visit the Bike Show at the NEC a few years ago. Whilst there, I came across a group of blokes on a stand called the NABD and I got chatting to them and explained what had happened to me. To my surprise they told me that I could ride again.
In January this year, Robert turned 17 years old and bought a Suzuki GS55. As he needed to get to work, he decided to take a block lesson and test at the end, which he duly passed with flying colours. Seeing him ride away on his proper motorbike (not some 50cc stink wheel) got me thinking about the blokes at the bike show and what they told me. A quick scroll through the internet and there I found the NABD’s website. Several e-mails to Rick and Billy later and a letter to the DVLA asking for my motorbike license category back, I bought a three year old Suzuki GS55. Thanks to a very generous grant from the NABD, I’m now back on the road, albeit slowly at first, but today I broke the 50 mph barrier. Heck, it felt like I was doing a ton at the time!
I am reliant on other people (mainly my wife, Sue) for assistance with most everyday activities, getting dressed, washing, cooking meals, etc. I use a power chair for mobility purposes and use it to take my dog, Jasper, out for walks. However, driving my car, and now riding my motorbike, gives me the independence and freedom that I require. The feeling that I experienced the first time I took the bike out was first apprehensive (giving what happened to me the last time I was on a bike). Once I had mastered the controls, and I was back like a normal biker, all the frustrations were at least for a while gone.
The adaption work (Left hand throttle, Left thumb front brake, Left hand side heel rear brake)was done by Chris Sadd of C S Engineering in Norwich (tel; 01603 666683) and I must say the completed job looks very smart and blends in with the rest of the machine. No original parts were altered and a few extra lengths of brake pipe and new brackets were made to allow for the repositioning of the brakes reservoirs, allowing me to ride the bike without much extra effort. The only non-original part being the left hand thumbrake. So when I decide to upgrade to something bigger, everything can be transferred back to its original position.
Without organisations such as NABD, I would never have thought that I could have ever got back on two wheels again. You have given me the confidence to achieve what I considered to be the impossible. Keep up the good work.
Steve Hopwood
This NABD grant of £525.00 was sponsored by donations in memory of Andy (Daggers) Dargavel
|
