PTATIONS BY RICK HULSE transmission as does the Honda DN01, the Honda CTX700 and the Honda VFR1200DCT. 1. Right hand twin levers 2. Automatic Clutch 3. Thumbrake & Clutch Right or Left Arm: With all adaptions to suit riders with a hand or arm disability we strongly recommend the fitting of a high quality steering damper. When necessary a Velcro glove to handlebar grip can be used to help keep the affected hand on the handlebar & in some cases for amputees, prosthetics can be specially adapted to enable some handlebar use. However we must stress the importance of never being too firmly connected to a solo motorcycle. If you do have a spill while riding you need to be able to separate from the machine very easily rather than be dragged along by it into what could prove to be a more
Kliktronic K-Lever2 Universal Twin-Lever (for operating two cable systems) www.klever2.com
Kliktronic K-Lever2 Universal Twin-Lever (for operating two hydraulic lines) www.klever2.com
dangerous situation.
Reverse Gear for bikers:
Both the twin levers and thumb brake are available in 1” or 7/8” bar sizes.
The vast majority of motorcycles do not feature a reversing facility. However, for many people with disabilities, a reversing facility is essential when a motorcycle has been converted to a trike. There are several methods of achieving this; perhaps the oldest method was to incorporate an electric reversing motor, but this has generally proven to be ineffecient and ofter a serious strain on the battery. More recently, purpose built reversing differentials and in-line reversing gearboxes have emerged onto th emarket from the motor racing scene. Companies like Quaife Engineering Ltd www.quaife.co.uk and Elite Racing Transmissions Ltd www.eliteracing transmissions.com produce in-line reversing boxes for shaft-driven vehicles and reversing differentials for chain, belt or shaft driven vehicles.
Wheelchair Users & Balance problems: (Bilateral amputation, paraplegia, MS, reduced mobility/strength in legs, balance problems, etc): With these types of disability one obvious issue is that of stability, which usually means the addition of a “third road wheel” whether this is in the form of a bike and sidecar combo or a trike. In the case of bike and sidecar combos sometimes it is possible to utilise standard outfits when the bike has been converted to “full hand controls”. But there are also some manufacturers who manufacture specialised or adapted sidecar outfits that are specifically designed to suit independent use by wheelchair users such as Motopodd Ltd www.motopodd.com and Unit Sidecars Ltd www.unitsidecars.co.uk In the case of trikes it is always preferable to have a trike fully manufactured specifically to suit the individual rider. Where this is not possible, some second hand machines can sometimes be modified to suit the needs of a disabled rider (i.e. full hand controls, stirrups, foot-plates, seating styles, back support, automatic transmission, wheelchair carriers, etc). www.trikeshop.co.uk and/or www.trikedesign.co.uk and/or www.boomtrikes.co.uk and/or www.rewacotrikes.co.uk
NB. This guide is not intended as an exhaustive catalogue of the adaptions available for bikes and trikes. It is meant as a brief guide featuring the most popular solutions to the most common problems faced by many riders with disabilities when considering adapting machines. There are always other options available and we at the NABD are constantly working with some highly skilled engineers to develop new alternatives and improvements to existing kits.
There are “drop down” stabiliser kits www.adaptivemotorcycles.com and www.koeltgen.de/kontakt.h tml for solo motorcycles on the market but as yet we have not been able to fully test their viability for disabled riders. 1. Bike and sidecar 2. Trike 3. Stabilisers (for solo bikes)
Kliktronic K-Lever2 Universal Twin-Lever (for operating one hydraulic line & one cable system) www.klever2.com
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NABD OPEN HOUSE
ISSUE 94
