Disability. 7/8/2008
How many of your senses do you use when you ride? Sight? Most definitely. Touch? Yes, when you feel the vibration of the engine, the movement of the suspension on the road, the scrape of your kneeslider as you lean your bike over. Taste? Well, not really, unless you accidentally swallow a bug.
What about hearing? Very important this one. The ability to hear is something many riders take for granted, but how many times do we realise we use it as part of our arsenal of riding survival tools? I know I use my hearing as an early warning system for traffic approaching from behind, or as a monitoring system for how the bike is performing and the engine is behaving.
And although some of my senses are gradually deteriorating with age, my eyesight for one thing. My arms are no longer long enough to allow me to focus properly. My hearing, after half a lifetime spent around things that make very loud noises, no longer registers anything above 16,000 Hertz. But I still have possession of them. Just don’t mention anything about my mental faculties, that’s another issue for another time. Motorcycling is dangerous enough as it is, and having your senses working overtime is a necessary survival tactic.
So, here I am, standing up, having my senses fully functional. And today I was eternally grateful I could do so, because I met a man who could not hear, and could not speak.
No biggie, says you. You can still see and smell and taste. I have friends with disabilities too. Well, this guy is a little different. Actually, very different.
You see, Vladimir, with his disability, is riding around the world on his motorcycle.