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DISABLED BIKER
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This is the story behind Lisa Aylward and her trike that won 1st Place for Best 3 Wheel Custom at the Sacramento Easyriders Show, 2015.
Lisa is a proud military brat who grew up in Afghanistan and has great respect for service personnel. Her mother
and stepfather are both Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army. Lisa says that "living there makes you really
appreciate living here [in the United States]."
Lisa joined a team of "rampers" (baggage handlers) at Southwest Airlines in 1994. The
team worked hard, placing bags carefully on conveyances and transports (but, when a bag weighed 200 pounds it was hard to place it gently). They supported each
other and were like a family. One day, while loading a flight, she hurt her back - A DISK POPPED OUT!!! She
said it felt like she had been shot in the back. Lisa also says "when you are injured and the dollars stop it's hard
to take care of family and bills - it's a real shocker - feels like a life ender."
Lisa underwent surgery in 2007 to have her disc replaced; this got her on her legs again but did nothing for
the pain. Although she went back to work for a year after the surgery, doing her part on the team was just more
than she could handle - she just could not do it. And, you see, it was not just a job, it became a way of life and Lisa says that is what was hardest about leaving.
Lisa has always been active, has a house full of skate boards, and began riding while in junior high school on boyfriends and
ex-boyfriends bikes. Lisa's friend Leslie bought the 883 Sportster for her in 2009 because she knew Lisa did NOT want to give up riding and hoped it would help
inspire her to make the effort necessary to a better recovery. It hurt Lisa's stomach to see it in the garage just sitting,
waiting; she even slept on a cot in the garage to be next to the bike. Lisa only rode at night when
there was less traffic to deal with and less of a need to come to a complete stop; she could not put her feet down and hold the
bike up, and therefore could not stop... well... she could stop... and fall over.
Lisa finally decided that the best solution for her to be able to ride was to convert the 883 into a trike. She went to
several shops to discuss that idea. Enter Bruce, Robert and Bryan, the boys from Mid-Cal Cycle of West Sacramento. She had
a few ideas about what she wanted, like flat army green (no glossy paint), a passenger seat (which she didn't have before)
with diamond stitching so she could take her mom for rides, a tall back rest for her mom, a larger gas tank and higher handle bars. After
talking over these ideas she decided to leave it in their hands. The Mid-Cal Cycle team ordered a trike kit, made rear fenders from scratch,
made mounts for floor boards, made a rear bumper with flag pole mounts, and, continuing the military theme, made a scabbard
to carry her crutches, mounted two ammo boxes for saddle bags, installed bullet valve stem covers, painted a star on both
sides of the gas tank and on the front fender tip, painted 3-up-2-down
Sergeant First Class stripes on the back of the rear fenders in honor of her mother and her adopted father,
and stenciled lettering, e.g., "TP40" on the rear fenders, standard
military vehicle marking for maintenance (Tire Pressure 40 psi), etc. The result was that Mid-Cal Cycle found their way into Lisa's head and built exactly what she wanted.
Right now the bike is still freshly completed, and although painted in a flat color, i.e., it's not shiny,
Lisa will be happier when it is dirty and not so clean.
Lisa wants the people stuck in their house to be OUT and when others see her out riding and accepting life
the way it is because it is the way it is, she hopes they will be inspired to get out because they will be
more able to accept life the way it is because it is the way it is and they can be free just as this bike
helps her to be free.
Lastly, Lisa hopes that while she is out riding, everyone who sees the military themed bike will think about the service
military personnel provide for a flash second; this is her way to honor those personnel.
If you are interested in contacting Lisa to bring herself and/or her bike to help inspire someone or some group then you can contact her through Thunder Roads Magazine NorCal.
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RIDE IN THE WIND......FREE
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... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
Would you like to see more?
View the bike in the Easyriders Show: click here
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