Description

Great story. Alfred Leroy lost both of his legs and half of one arm when he was hit by a train at age 15. After leaving the hospital he spent eight years saving his money to buy a motorcycle which was then outfitted for his special control needs. He went on to ride across the USA accompanied by his dog. He brings to mind a quote from Sir Winston Churchill "Never, never, never give up."

The bike was a 1916 Harley-Davidson J-series machine.

Several changes were made to his pride and joy twin-cylinder Harley. A left hand mounted sidecar was added because it allowed Alfred to use his “good arm” next to the bike. A straight rod was attached to the end of the bike’s left handlebar to help him steer. Alfred then used his “stump” to steer the machine. He operated the spark advance, throttle, clutch, shift lever, and brakes with his uninjured right arm. And, he used this arm to hand start the Harley.

The bike’s sidecar also had many improvements. Ultimately, Alfred was able to make it into an RV of sorts. Inside the nose of the sidecar, he kept an inflatable mattress, pillow, and bedding. With the seat removed, the “bedding” could be laid out in the sidecar to make a “comfortable” sleeping compartment. He used a rubberized canopy for bad weather that could be pulled over the top of the rig to keep the rain out when necessary.

Also mounted to the sidecar was a 2-gallon canteen in a metal container. When the canteen was removed, Alfred could use the container as a washbasin. When he finished bathing, the water could then be let out of the basin by removing a cork at its bottom. Alfred carried cooking utensils and other supplies in a trunk attached to the rear of the bike.

Not to be left behind, a “mini-sidecar” was mounted to the side of the Harley’s sidecar. And that’s where Alfred’s adopted stray dog rode during rides.

It has been said that he rode over 50,000 miles.