veteran

Veterans and Freedom

General Posts / By

We at the Motorcycle Riders Foundation wish all Veterans a Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service in defense of our freedoms and liberties. We, as motorcyclists, are fortunate that so many of our fellow riders are Veterans. You not only make our country but our motorcycling community stronger. “Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” – Abraham Lincoln http://mrf.org/

Veterans and Freedom Read More »

Totally amazing: Veteran, cancer survivor reunited with stolen motorcycle

General Posts / By

‘Totally amazing’: Vietnam veteran, cancer survivor reunited with stolen motorcycle after 3 years from https://www.cincinnati.com by Quinlan Bentley On Friday nights, the Lawrenceburg Motorcycle Speedway comes alive. The smell of exhaust fills the air and bleachers vibrate from the deafening roar of motors revving, as motorcyclists of all ages line up to compete in a high-adrenaline, high-risk race around a smooth dirt track. These are the nights that James Procopio lives for. The 74-year-old Vietnam War veteran started racing motorcycles in his 20s, but had to give it up after family and life got in the way. Procopio says he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011 and needed surgery to remove his intestines. He returned to the race track about four years ago after receiving his final chemotherapy treatment. “I came down here one night, said, ‘Man, I sure miss that,’ and from that night on I put a bike together and started racing,” Procopio told The Enquirer, sitting in the back of a pickup truck on a cold, dark November night, the orange glow of a portable heater at his feet, while waiting for his turn to race. Procopio worked for two years fixing up a red, white and blue 1980 Honda XR 500 to get it in racing form. But he was only able to race the bike once before it was stolen, along with his pickup truck, from his apartment in Mount Healthy. The truck was recovered not long after it was stolen but the bike was gone. “Every spare dime went into that bike,” he said. Working out of his garage on old and vintage motorbikes, Procopio is somewhat of a local legend. He got his first job when he was 13 working on bicycles and motorbikes at Bishop’s Bicycle Shop in Silverton, where he

Totally amazing: Veteran, cancer survivor reunited with stolen motorcycle Read More »

Riding a Harley-Davidson Can Help Fight PTSD, Veteran Group Ride Planned

General Posts / By

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com/ In the first month of of 2019, Harley-Davidson released the results of a research that showed just how beneficial riding a motorcycle can be for the mental well-being of humans. As it seems, motorcycling is even good to treat more serious conditions. Back in 2015, Harley started supporting the efforts of an organization called Wounded Warrior Project. The group provides services and programs for war veterans post-9/11, and among these programs there is an idea called Rolling Project Odyssey. This Odyssey is centered around bringing together soldiers and help them heal their mental scars through adventure-based learning. And that includes riding Harleys in groups, just as a Harley should be ridden. This type activity has been found to be beneficial in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), among other things. The Harley research we mentioned earlier, conducted by scientists at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, showed that riding a motorcycle for 20 minutes can increase the heart rate by 11 percent, reaching a level similar to that achieved while performing a light exercise. That in turn increases alertness, and helps decrease hormonal stress biomarkers by 28 percent. The study’s findings were based on data taken from 50 experienced motorcyclists that were made to ride their own bikes on a 22-minute route. “Rolling Project Odyssey was a life-changing experience for me,” said in a statement Jonathan Goolsby, an Army and Rolling Project Odyssey veteran. “The experience has taught me many things that I have been able to implement into my daily life, like finding my center and keeping my cool when things start to get tough.” This year’s Rolling Project Odyssey kicks off at the beginning of next week starting in Jacksonville, Florida, and going through Daytona, where

Riding a Harley-Davidson Can Help Fight PTSD, Veteran Group Ride Planned Read More »

Motorcycle clubs come together to offer Vietnam vet one last ride

General Posts / By

by Danielle Avitable from https://www.nbc4i.com COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A local Vietnam veteran had one last wish while in hospice care, and that was to ride a motorcycle one more time. On Sunday, a group of riders made his dream possible. Vietnam veteran Roger L. Smith was wheeled out of the house, surrounded by loved ones and riders. “I said I want to get on a bike at least one time before I die,” said Smith. And that’s what he got. “He requested a last ride and, for us, it’s veterans helping veterans,” said Steve Murray of Combat Veterans Motorcycle Club. In addition to Combat Veteran, other groups taking part in the ride included Ohio Patriot Bikers and Punishers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club. Smith’s health has been declining over the last three weeks. “He started having issues with Agent Orange affecting his lungs. His lungs are crystalizing. He can’t breathe that well,” said one friend. Prior to his health issues, friends said he used to solely drive a motorcycle to work, but before Sunday, he hasn’t been on a bike in two years. “I feel like I lost a part of myself,” Smith said. “I haven’t been on a bike in a couple years because of my lungs. I’m dying from inside out. I had to do this for me.” Before the group took off, everyone gathered around Smith for a prayer. “We give you thanks for these veterans as they make his wish come true.” More than two dozen rider then hopped on their bikes, and engines started roaring before they took off for one last ride. “I kept pulling up beside him and he kept putting his thumbs up,” said Murray. “He was so happy. He was so happy it made my day.” Murray added a ride like Smith’s

Motorcycle clubs come together to offer Vietnam vet one last ride Read More »

Motorcycle community helps Belen Veteran after fire

General Posts / By

by Stephanie Chavez from https://www.krqe.com BELEN, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s been a tough few months for a Vietnam Veteran who lost his home to a fire, but his luck is turning around. Saturday morning dozens of men and women from the motorcycle community stepped up to help him out. Daniel Romero has come a long way since he lost his home in a fire back in September. For months he and his dogs have been living in devastating conditions, with no heat, or water. Romero says he’s never felt more alone in his life. But now the motorcycle community is showing him he’s not alone. Saturday morning bikers from all around the metro, who heard about Romero’s situation, helped him clean up his property. Dozens of men and women, along with the Veterans Memorial are helping him get the property ready for a new trailer, that is being donated. Romero says he never expected the outpouring of support, but it’s nice to have the help – so he can get back on his feet again. To visit a GoFundMe to help pay for Romero’s expenses, visit this link.

Motorcycle community helps Belen Veteran after fire Read More »

Canton veteran who lost leg rides again thanks to customized motorcycle

General Posts / By

by Kelly Byer from https://www.cantonrep.com Challenge America: Makers For Veterans helped Charles Zollicoffer get back on the road. Challenge America: Makers For Veterans helped Charles Zollicoffer ride a motorcycle for the first time in eight years. More importantly, he said, the fall program renewed his faith in humanity. “I was left for dead on the side of the road,” he said. “So, during my time in this last seven or eight years, I have lost a lot of faith in people. A lot.” In 2011, a drunken driver pulled in front of Zollicoffer’s 1995 Kawasaki motorcycle on state Route 800. The now retired U.S. Marine Corps and Army National Guard veteran had completed three tours in Iraq and was scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan. Another person came across the early morning wreck and stopped to help. Zollicoffer, a 53-year-old Canton resident, spent months in a coma and had his left leg amputated at the hip. This past Veteran’s Day, he received a modified trike at the Makers For Veterans closing ceremony. His family’s safety concerns had kept Zollicoffer from pursuing a costly trike, but they talked and accepted what it meant to him beforehand. He’s taken a few rides. “I can’t even describe the feeling, when you get that wind blowing through your hair,” joked Zollicoffer, who has a shaved head. Makers for Veterans The Colorado-based nonprofit Challenge America began the Makers for Veterans program (CAMVETS) in 2019. It brought together volunteers with various expertise to solve challenges posed by veterans. Dallas Blaney, executive director of Challenge America, said the inspiration came from a similar initiative in Israel. Challenge America members participated in the international program and wanted to recreate the experience in the United States. Blaney described it as “human-centered design applied to the veterans space.” The process begins

Canton veteran who lost leg rides again thanks to customized motorcycle Read More »

Generous group helps make new prosthetic for local war vet and surprises him with new motorcycle

General Posts / By

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW ) — An innovative event is giving a local war veteran a big surprise and the chance to once again hit the open road. Sgt. Charles Zollicoffer served three tours of duty with the Marines, then joined the Army and was getting ready to re-deploy overseas when he was hit by a drunk driver on his motorcycle. “The morning I was set to fly off that’s when I had the accident,” said Sgt. Zollicoffer. “Boom, that was it.” The driver left him for dead on S.R. 800 in Stark County, but luckily another man on a motorcycle who was headed to work stopped and saved his life. “I didn’t think he was gonna make it,” said Dave Bowman. Twenty-seven surgeries and four months later, Zollicoffer woke up at Aultman Hospital with his left leg amputated at the hip joint. Doctors told him it was a difficult amputation and that he would never walk again. “I said, ‘I will walk again; I don’t care if I have to take a 2×4 and duct tape, I will walk,’” said Zollicoffer. The father of three has been walking using a prosthetic leg, but has not been able to ride a motorcycle again— something he truly loved to do. Then, a friend and former colleague told him the good news. De Ann Williams, executive director of the Stark County Veterans Service Commission, nominated him to be part of the “Challenge America’s Makers for Veterans Event.” The event, which kicked off Friday night at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, combines teams of students, engineers, designers and physicians who develop solutions for veterans. The plans are then developed into finished product using 3D printers, metal making, and circuit boards among other means. “An incredible, but sometimes intense experience,” said senior Coleman Isner.

Generous group helps make new prosthetic for local war vet and surprises him with new motorcycle Read More »

Radical Bikernet Weekly News for March 7, 2019

General Posts / By

Life is a Scramble then it Ends Weekly News By Bandit, Rogue, Bob T., Barry Green, Sam Burns, Laura, the Redhead, Paul Garson, Wayfarer and the rest of the crew Hey, I got to thinking the other day. Bikernet and being a member of Bandit’s Cantina makes you a member of a radical, freedom fighter group. I’ve often been pointed at by other agencies as a notorious helmet law fighter, a freedom fighter, a gun owner and supporter, a veteran, and a climate denier. That puts you in an elite group of people who don’t believe in doomsday because your wife drives an SUV. It places you squarely with folks who don’t want to torture the entire population with laws that might save one life or kill another. It puts you in a group who believes in the freedom to build whatever you want, to take risks with your life, to protect yourself and your family and to ride with the wind. Sounds good to me. Let’s hit the news. QUICK, CLICK TO READ THE NEWS THIS WEEK RIGHT HERE!!! The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Most recently the Smoke Out and Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.

Radical Bikernet Weekly News for March 7, 2019 Read More »

Threesome Report: Trikes News, Autocycle Adventures, Side-Car Views

General Posts / By

War Veteran Navy Seal’s custom Trike with a wheelchair in the back, New York delivery trike, Gas powered Dirt trike from Stanford University, Gotcha mobility e-trike, Australia Postmen get e-Trikes for their postage rounds. Wayfarer reports on the three-wheeled industry boom Incredible Custom Trike gets a War Veteran back on the road T3 – A Delivery Trike Is Coming Comanche gas / electric recumbent trike Gotcha Unveils Electric Trike for mobility Australian Postmen bikes to make way for e-trikes Send me your Trike News, Autocycle Adventures and Side-Car Views – photos most welcome – always at your service at wayfarer@bikernet.com get featured on Bikernet.com READ IT IN THE CANTINA – CLICK HERE www.Bikernet.com

Threesome Report: Trikes News, Autocycle Adventures, Side-Car Views Read More »

Scroll to Top