Motorcycles For Everyone

BROOKSVILLE - The owners of a local business are making sure everyone can ride a "hog" if they want to.

Against the Wind, a custom motorcycle shop on U.S. 19 in Spring Hill, is gaining a unique following among local motorcycle riders with disabilities or those who want a more stable ride.

A division of Golden Q Trikes and Motorcycles, owners Joseph Sauro, 52, and Nick DeBello, 58, both of Spring Hill, are particularly proud of their latest creation: An addition designed to make any motorcycle wheelchair-accessible.

When the pair first opened their local store three years ago - after numerous years in the motorcycle business in New York - a member of a local motorcycle group who had lost partial use of his legs asked that the store design a motorcycle that he could ride.

The duo saw the need to offer affordable motorcycles and accessories for people with disabilities, Sauro said.

"They have some (accessible bikes), but they're in the $60,000- to $70,000-range, and most are built overseas," he said. "People just can't afford them."

Through work with Spring Hill master fabricator Greg "G-Money" Ferrara, 39, the pair have designed a subframe that will carry a rider and his or her wheelchair on almost any kind of motorcycle.

"It's actually a motorcycle that you can ride without the use of your legs," Sauro said.

They have spent the past two years perfecting their design - which consists of an addition that can be retrofitted to motorcycles that residents already own - and expect to be finished soon.

Prices for the addition will range from $12,000 to $20,000, Sauro said.

Sauro said he feels inspired by several people in his life who have overcome disabilities, including his brother-in-law and DeBello, who has used a wheelchair since becoming paralyzed from the mid-chest down in Vietnam.

"If he can ride, anyone can," he said. "He's been riding for years."

Either way, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing the smile on peoples' faces when they buy a bike they're comfortable riding, Sauro said.

"Once you're a rider, you always want to ride," he said. "You never want to give it up, even if you lose a limb or the use of your legs. It's just a great thing to be able to see."

But with a clientele that includes numerous local Vietnam veterans and older residents, that's not the only service offered at the shop.

"We do a lot of different things. We're trying to set up our goals for people who have a hard time riding," Sauro said. "We've built quite a few bikes for people, especially custom-built (three-wheeled motorcycles) for older people who have trouble balancing on a motorcycle."

With the rising cost of gasoline, a lot of folks are seeing a scooter as a more economical transportation option - but are more comfortable with one that has assistance wheels, he said.

And they're not just for older people, Sauro added.

"We've got a custom-built chopper 'trike' that younger guys are dying to buy," he said.

Against the Wind is located at 3719 Commercial Way in Spring Hill. For more information, call 352-688-5816.