About two months after my accident Brother Dale, a good personel friend of mine went down on his bike in another not at fault accident, by a 80 something year old blind woman. She didn't even know she hit him a half hour later.
I was home from rehab about two weeks when this happened. I was called by my wife to tell me of his accident. I was 18 miles away, visiting my buddy's shop to drink some coffee.
I got up and left to go to the site of the accident. By the time I got there the Heli had already taken him to the hospital. That ride was the longest ride I could ever imagine. The whole time I am pictureing him in the shape I was in, which really, really sucks. It was breaking my heart.
I got there and saw his wife Robin, my wife Joanne and the 80 something year old woman, that no longer has a license due to 3 other incidents since she hit him. I had to drive 80 miles to take his wife to Tampa General Trauma unit. There I am, still badly disfigured from my accident. Scars and, still at that time, caved in face, one leg, and other problems that I don't want to share. Driving the wife of a Fallen Biker Dale that far in heavy traffic, trying to convince her that he'll be alright. She sees me and I can only imagine how painful it was for her to look at me. All she could picture is Dale being that way too. Imagine the pain she was going through.
Much to our relief, when we got there, he was sore, swollen, but Okay. He missed 8 months work, almost lost his job and his home. But amazingly Robin was able to keep shuffling crap around to keep them from losing it.
The insurance company wanted to total the bike. Dale knew that he could not replace it with the money they offered so he decided to take the smaller check, keep the bike, and rebuild it. For over a year he has been buying parts off of Ebay and Harley to put it back together with some improvements. We were gonna do it ourselves. I was scared to death of doing this, building a bike with someone who knew as little about it as I did.
One morning I remembered seeing a new Chopper Shop in Dunnellon. Backyard choppers. I called them and explained that they didn't know me or Dale and that they didn't owe us crap. But that I was stressed about putting this bike together with Dale, having him going down the road and having something go wrong. Hurting him again or perhaps even worse. I couldn't live through that.
They told me INSTANTLY, that they couldn't let me have that stress and that they could help remove it. They said to bring his bike and parts in after the Nature Coast run, that they would put it together for him . Paint it, go to a wide tire kit, change fenders and the tank. Put a Big Jug kit on it, new brakes, lines all the crap you could imagine. This is gonna be a new bike.
There was a cost for them doing this though. They told me, someone that they never met, that I would have to stop by and say Hi, drink a cup of coffee with them, when I was in the area. Never asked for promotion, money, favors or payback in any way shape or form.
They are amazing people that really care about Bikers. I have seen their work. It is amazing, they have Choppers in progress that have to be finished to put out front. They put one of them aside to work on one for free. They are a new company. They need their stuff done. They are putting Dales and my needs, before their own. I am truely amazed by the character of these people.

I have pics of us dropping his bike off at the shop in my pic section. Check them out.

Take a minute and give them a call, 352-522-0401 and tell them you heard what they are doing for a Fellow Brother, that you appreciate them.

They are a reminder of old time Bikers that were there when needed. It is refreshing to see people like them. It gives you a little hope, knowing that there are still good people out there. Please, please, please, show them your appreciatioin. Give them a call, let them know that their deeds are not unnoticed.