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Like all us geezas, I had a normal start. I got my first bike at 13. My friend and I spent £5.00 each and bought a good ‘ole “crunch box”. (Yes!! We’ve all had one.) We spent that summer holiday hurting ourselves and dodging police, as you could in them days.
(Note to youngsters: Please don’t do as I did in 1978, wait until you are old enough to get some proper training..... the roads are full now).
Then came the natural progression of borrowing friends bikes, buying rusty wrecks... Thomas step-through... YB-120, got my first real bike in 1982. A Fize, still had pedals mind you...
Then I started earning money and came the BSA Brigand (Anyone?). My father in his wisdom thought he would get me to pass a car test, to get this mad notion that bikes are better out of my head. So he paid for a string of lessons, and the test which I passed first (cheers Dad), he even bought me my first vehicle, Bless! In them days, when you passed your car test, you could ride a 125 with L-plates. Guess what I did? I got a CB 125 twin, this was on the original X plate, unrestricted. It went like poo off a shovel.
Well, after a year of that and borrowing mates’ bikes, I had to go bigger, passed my test and went up (anyone remember The Wet Dream?) Sadly so do I. Went to the USA for a year and rode a 250 Rebel for the time I was living there. On return to the UK, I had to go back to four wheels, being a carpenter with heavy tools and all. Another year passed quickly, and then I found myself teaching in West Africa. Because of the remote location, I was given a XL 125 to ride, ideal for the bush, no roads, street lights, streets even. Travelling to the nearest town from my bush village, I had to negotiate 59 log bridges, 6 rivers, rocks, mud and God knows what! The topless women made asking directions more fun, strange how the prettier the women the more lost I became, anyway that’s another story. Riding a dirt bike everyday I became very good, also very complacent.
One fine day, wearing only shorts and trainers, I took a jump for the millionth time, only this time my foot slipped off the peg and struck a log. The weight of me and the bike hit my ankle with the peg. I didn’t fall off, looked down to where the pain was (and I mean ‘Pain’) and saw jets of blood spurting two feet from a considerable hole! Bush doctoring stopped the bleeding, two weeks later I was back in the UK. Three months later I threw away the walking stick. Twelve months later, I found myself in Jamaica. One night, whilst limbo dancing, my weakened leg gave way. I popped my knee joint 45 degrees from normal. This splintered the inside of the kneecap. Now my right leg is considerably reduced in strength and will only get weaker.
Still, soldiering on, I continued with my trade until a fall of about 20 feet, crushed three lower vertebrae, now this really jarred me off because I was only 5’ 2” to start with and I hated being a short arse and now I’m only 5’ tall and shrinking. At this point I guess you are thinking “aahh, this is why he joined NABD” (sorry to disappoint you). Walking is now a problem (laughing isn’t). Holding a bike up is however impossible, so four wheels is my only choice or so I thought.
It was not until 1999, after a very long battle with Consultants over balance and other things, I was diagnosed with having a rare neurological disorder which, even without all the broken bones, would have left me no use of my legs and in a wheelchair anyway.
So, after a time of getting over this shocking news, I had to rebuild my life again. This is when I decided to build a trike around my physical problems. Now living on benefits, finding money to fund such a project was very difficult.
£1300 got me a Goldwing GL1100 with 150,000 miles on the clock. Having to rebuild the engine gave a year to find an engineer to build the back end.
People being as they are nowadays, wasted my time and said yes to things they couldn’t do. To cut a long story short, two chaps, both with the name Steve, came to my rescue. Capable and willing, we planned the build. Money was still hard to find, I was still looking at two more years to pay for it.
Now for the NABD bit. Visiting various people and workshops, I got to hear of NABD. I got in contact and joined, only thinking this would be a good source of information for special equipment, like Kliktronic gear changers, as I’ve had to put all the controls on the bars. When I spoke to Billy on the phone, he said, “Why don’t you apply for a grant?” which I did. Within no time at all, a grant of £900 and a Kliktronic gear changer dropped on my mat.
This has brought forward my fun and mobility by two years.
To all at NABD - I can’t thank you enough. Cheers! I’ll shake hands at Astle Park.
The Trike:
Needing a reliable heavyweight, I chose the Goldwing and ended up with a 1982 US import, well looked after by two previous owners. 1100 GL Interstate, fully loaded, heated cockpit, stereo, cigarette lighter, auto this and that ... Yank tank woops! (being PC) American bulk mover, far too big as a bike, but I think perfect to trike, buckets of torque and horse power.
As I am losing the use of my legs, everything had to be put on the bars. All things do-able in the 21st century. Gear change? Easy-peasy, Kliktronic sorted that, the heavy clutch? No problem... Easyclutch ... info and parts courtesy of NABD; rear brakes? Drop a servo from a Nissan Micra under seat, Now Brakes (all) work off hand lever; dual front discs, rear drums balance out nicely.
Thank you to all involved and special thanks to Steve Earnest of Trike Craft (Tel; 01255 830238).
Ian Holt
This NABDGrant of £1,200.00 was sponsored by donations from
Walkers Snack Foods
and The International Laverda Club
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