BEING DISABLED MEANS DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
BEING DISABLED MEANS DOING THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
My name is John Cappadonia, I am a C-6 incomplete quadriplegic, I broke my neck in an auto accident in October of 1995, I don't have the use of my fingers in my right hand, no trunk muscles, my legs don't work, I don't have the strength in my left hand and fingers that I used to but they work. I do have biceps and triceps. I thought I would never ride a motorcycle again. I can feel pressure touch from the nipple line down but no hot or cold. Doing my rehab at Craig Hospital taught me that anything is possible, just different than you used to do it. It took some time and seeing others riding that were disabled and I knew I was going to figure it out. So here I am, riding and am here to help others that want to ride. I am going to share my experiences, the do's and don'ts that I have learned. I tend to push things to the limit, learning things the hard way, tends to make the memories stick, not to mention it's a little more costly, well, at times a lot more costly but you get the idea, it's all in here, so you don't make the same mistakes. I have tried to write to make the reading enjoyable and humorous, even though it really wasn't funny at the time so come back often as I am constantly adding as I remember and putting in new experiences.
The first thing to remember when modifying a motorcycle is whatever you do to it make sure it will be safe for you as well as others.
Always do a pre-ride inspection, check your tires, the tread depth and pressure. Check the fluids, do a brake check, make sure there is nothing loose, check your lights, brake light and signal lights and make sure your mirrors are adjusted before taking off.
One thing I should mention here is motorcycle tires are made for leaning and wear more even, with a sidecar the bike doesn't lean. I go through a lot more rear tires. Just a note.
Helmets- Helmets are a matter of choice, what you are comfortable with. There are half helmets to full face helmets. Myself, I don't wear a helmet on short rides, or riding at the rallies, I do wear a full face helmet on long road trips. After getting sunburned, rain torture, wind burn and the worst part, locusts or June bugs and the occasional stone thrown up from a car tire hitting you in the face at 80 miles an hour gets old, not to mention it hurts like hell.
Sturgis 2022-
Friday, August 5th 2022 through Sunday, August 14 2022.
This site is for everyone interested in the biker lifestyle, the brotherhood and sisterhood of all that ride, regardless of the type of bike you ride. Those interested in helping people with disabilities, to show them what can be done. We are here to help if you want to set up a bike for yourself or someone you know with a disability that wants to ride again, surprise them!
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