Custom trike puts veteran back on the road
In 2001, after Jim Schombs had a stroke, the Navy Seal veteran thought his motorcycle riding days were over.
But he talked to some older veterans he knew with disabilities and they told him a trike, a motorcycle with one front wheel and two rear wheels, was safer.
And thanks to Haus of Trikes & Bikes in Fort Myers, Schombs can once again do one of the things he loves the most: Ride a motorcycle.
Last March, Schombs met sales consultant, Mike Tinneny.
He knew Schombs’ disabilities would be a huge obstacle if he was ever going to be able to ride again.
But Tinneny knew they could make something work.
On Jan. 21, Schombs received his new customized 2009 Harley Davidson Heritage trike.
“It gave me a good piece of life back and quality of life back that I thought I wouldn’t find again,” he said.
If it weren’t for Haus of Trikes & Bikes, one of the largest combined trike and bike dealers in Florida, Schombs may not have been able to reclaim his passion.
“Once you ride a motorcycle, you will never get that out of your blood,” Tinneny said. “It’s a true addiction. Motorcycle enthusiasts will always have that itch, even if they don’t ride for years.”
Tinneny knew that was a huge problem for Schombs.
“I’ve never seen someone so excited to get on his motorcycle,” he said.
When Scombs had the stroke and lost control over most of the left side of his body, including his leg and hand, it made it nearly impossible for him to shift gears on a motorcycle or trike.
On a regular motorcycle, the clutch and shifter are on the left side of the bike, the side of Schombs’ body that was affected by the stroke.
“We had to use a centrifugal clutch so he didn’t have to use his hand for shifting gears,” Tinneny said. “Furthermore we added a drag racing shifter, which just uses finger buttons to shift up or down without using your left foot.”
The hardest obstacle to overcome was finding a clean looking way to get into neutral gear, he said, since the shifter is made to race and not fall into neutral.
“To make it work, we changed the barrel in the transmission,” Tinneny said, explaining that, “A normal transmission is set to first gear, neutral, second, third, etc. “We customized it so it starts at neutral then first, second, third, etc.”
To accommodate the wheelchair in the back, the trike is made by Motor Trike. It has an air ride suspension to make up for the additional weight.
Tinneny says he’s done plenty of bikes for veterans in the past, but Schombs’ was one-of-a-kind, “since his needs were very specific.”
He said everything just had to be changed, adding, “It’s a complete custom.”
“We nailed it on the first shot, too,” Tinneny said.
“When you walk up to it you think, ‘Oh, it’s just a Harley trike,’ but the more you look it at it you notice it’s a completely customized trike.”
Manfred Glanzner, owner of Haus of Trikes & Bikes, said in a news release, “I am very proud of our team. We were able to think out of the box and provide a trike, which I believe, will make Jim very happy. Giving back to a veteran who served our country for over 20 years, is the least we can do.”
And it meant a lot to Schombs, too.
Tinneny said he would call every few days to check on his trike.
“When he came in,” he said, “Forget it, he was super excited.”
“When he saw it put together, he was on it. He didn’t want to get off it.”
And he still doesn’t.
After Schombs got his new trike, he started out riding in his neighborhood, a two-mile loop.
Then he began riding short distances to the store or to see friends.
Then he did what he called “further outs” around Cape Coral.
So far, his longest ride has been 25 miles, but Schombs tries to build up his endurance and ride every day.
“Once you ride,” he said. “It’s really special. Like having a really nice car you love that you lost in an accident or something, and you just can’t find the same car again.”