I had, if you recall, left you hanging last week with the image of a motorcycle with crutch-holders. I had been buying a lottery ticket in a small café on the N17 and was emerging from the dim interior when I noticed a motorbike with an unusual feature. That’s right! It had crutch-holders. I am normally quite sensitive and don’t get too nosy, but I needed to know more.
There were clearly two crutches, each firmly fixed into a sort of circular clamp, which was itself fastened to the bike’s frame just behind the seat. On the seat was a young man, sporting a tight red t-shirt, a large black crash-helmet and an impressive set of muscles in the upper chest and shoulder department. His legs, however, were obviously rather withered.
As I sauntered from the café, stuffing the lottery tickets into my wallet, I sidled over towards the bike, wondering how he was managing to sit astride the machine without having a foot on the ground to steady it. There was a sort of little metal stand poking out on each side with a small wheel, which supported the bike, it appeared. He pressed a button, the red, shiny beast roared and he gracefully moved off, with the little metal supports gently folding away. I was intrigued, I admit; I wondered what happened when he stopped at traffic lights. Did he just keel over gently, or did he need a lamp post to hang on to until the lights changed?
I determined to find out. I followed him. I motored along the road, hoping to catch up before I got to the next town. Within a couple of kilometres, I caught up with him, pottering along, looking for all the world like an ordinary motorbike with a couple of crutches poking out! I knew that there was a set of lights around the next bend and I hoped that they would be on red. They were and he began to slow down. I watched, with bated breath. Would he try to keep rolling to retain balance? Would he grab the nearest car’s roof? Would he fall over sideways? No. As he slowed down, the two little wheely things popped out, and supported the bike just like the outriders on a small child’s bike. My daughter and son had them when they were learning to ride. These were quite robust, though, now that I looked more carefully. He just sat there, perfectly balanced, waiting for the lights to change. So did I. When they did, he moved away and the little wheels just folded away. He had attracted a few glances, of course. It’s not every day that you see a motorbike with crutches.
I was impressed, I have to say. I have no idea who he was, or where and how he had modified his motorbike, but it was marvellous! He clearly was young and healthy, aside from his legs, and he was enjoying roaring around on a big, red, shiny motorbike, just as any other young man would.