{"id":3610,"date":"2025-12-20T02:36:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/au\/?p=3610"},"modified":"2025-12-20T02:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:40:02","slug":"touring-to-the-extremes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/au\/touring-to-the-extremes\/","title":{"rendered":"Touring to the extremes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The tale of a five-month, 20,000-kilometre solo motorcycle journey across North America by Bob Rees, a paraplegic Harley nut who refuses to stop living<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words by Bob Rees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a crash in Central Africa six years ago, which took the life of my wife, Christine, and left me paralysed from the waist down, I had trouble accepting it and did everything to try to walk again. After 18 months of full-on exercise, my spinal physio said to me, “Bob, you need to cut your exercises back and enjoy yourself; you’re not going to walk again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With help from Brendon at BF Customs, we modified a BMW sidecar outfit and then a new 2020 Harley-Davidson\u00ae<\/sup> Sport Glide\u00ae<\/sup> from Great Southern Motorcycles in Albany. After a fantastic four-month ride around the UK and Europe, including the Isle of Man TT, I needed a new adventure. North America popped into my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unique challenges<\/strong>
I choose to ride completely solo \u2013 no helpers or carers \u2013 so I can go where I want, when I want. However, being paraplegic poses different logistics: for the first three to four weeks I packed 160 catheters at AU$10 each plus medical supplies to pick up across Canada and the USA. The cost of five months of catheters alone demonstrates that it’s not cheap being disabled!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting insurance for a foreign-registered bike in Canada was a nightmare, even with a Carnet de Passage (think bike passport). Luckily, a Vancouver contact helped me get ICBC fully comprehensive insurance \u2013 expensive, but necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let battle commence<\/strong>
My first major error was thinking that early May would only have light snow for my ride across the Rockies. After four glorious days, the weather turned. Heavy rain became a full-on blizzard. My visor turned white, and glasses fogged instantly, forcing me to complete the next 40 kilometres to Lake Louise at 20km\/h while hanging off the bike to see the road edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotel staff had to lift me off the bike, and once warmed up wearing dry clothes, I headed to the bar for a cold beer \u2013 ironic, ha ha. My electric wheelchair was playing up from the cold, but I could still get around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the weather improved, I took a fabulous ride through the Rockies to meet with Brittney, a fellow paraplegic friend, who had booked a couple of accessible cabins. On the way, I had to stop for three young black bears munching roadkill. Then their mother ambled over, and it was time to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was introduced to Barry, a fellow Harley-riding paraplegic, at a party organised by Brittney, and a few days later he joined me for the first 150 kilometres of my ride to Calgary. Riding side by side down the highway, we must have made an unusual sight, but man, it felt good. You can watch Brittney’s version of Bob’s visit below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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