Last lap for the day of me on my first ride of my on handicap-accessible motorcycle. What an amazing day!
My name is Kristofer Reckner, I am now 25 year old and paralyzed from my chest down. I was injured on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008 when a driver merged into me on my other motorcycle without looking on the highway, and slid headfirst into the guardrail. After 8 months in the hospital, 2 rods and 12 screws in my back and a plate with 2 screws in my arm, I vowed that I would someday ride again and never lost my focus. Living on disability and without the support of any family, even before buying a new vehicle, I saved the money to get a new motorcycle and found a machinist to modify it with a landing gear type setup that goes up and down at the push of a button, and has electronic shifter and rear thumb brake. Before they passed away, my parents were both trophy Trials riders back in the 70's and my father was a 1%er outlaw biker with the Grim Reapers back in his day. I put 20,000 miles on my bike in two and a half seasons, and after my father passed away I rode his Yamaha V-Star cruiser 2,600 miles from his house in Idaho to my house in upstate New York in 3 days. I feel like riding really has always been so much a part of my blood and my life that part of this whole project was for them. The other half was for all the haters that said I wouldn't. couldn't or shouldn't ride again. Thank you to my builder Byron Waterman and to Kyle for helping me tape and get used to the bike for the first time!
