Disabled Rider Question By scooter12 (Read 730 times)

[scooter12]

I got a permit to ride in Missouri for the License Bureau.. The permit allows me to ride in daylight hours with no passengers. To get a full class M license, I have to pass a riding test. I have put 6200 miles on my 250 scooter since owning it new, but I have not taken the riden test due to suffering a severe stroke in 1981. The stroke is still noticable..but I give throttle fine with the right hand but the right hand sometimes gets difficult to open to grab the front brake. So I have been practicing, but practicing might not help. My other solution is to modify the brakes so the right brake pulls front and rear brakes.

I was reading up on disabled motorcycle riders. The motorcycle in general, is made for a normal person and therefore not many places make adaptive equipment for a disabled person. Most disabled people that want to ride a motorcycle have to modify it themselves or have someone mechanically inclined do it for them. Me working on my own scooter, well I know enough about mechanics and mechanical drawing to create a front braking system.

In a automobile, for instance, a disabled driver can use certain equipment that a normal person can not use. Like the steering knob that allows a person whom had a stroke or has one arm, to operate a vehicle with one arm. In most states, this is only legal if you need it. So in the same instance, it should be the same with a motorcycle. If a person needs certain equipment to operate a motorcycle safely, well the license bureau should accommodate the disable individual.

Now I have given considerable thought to this: I want to buy a $75 rear brake system. The rear brake lever would be on the bottom and the front lever and master cyllinder would be connected on top of the rear master cyllender. The front brake line is not long enough to reach the left side so I would take the new rear brake line and connect to front caliper. The new rear caliper I would switch out with old caliper. And finally, I would have to cut the new brake lever to be shorter then the old lever. This would allow 2 fingers to cover the rear lever and 2 fingers to cover the front lever. That would let me let up if given to much braking power to tires. Than practice riding and take the motorcycle riden test. Any thoughts would appreciated...

Attachments:

[mike6736]

Think about a foot break....Should be a little safer. I sometimes can not use the rear breaks or even blinkers if I do not open and move my left hand often on trips, it just goes numb and can not use. Knowing this I move it and open and close it and ride one handed to keep it awake

Magoo

[jct842]

Sounds like a helix or clone would be a better scooter to ride if your right hand is bad. Think you would have to swap front brake handle to left though. john


a valve to mix braking into one lever is not going to be a simple thing to do. As conditions change you would need different proportions to front/rear and the wrong mix could cause an accident.

[Alleyoop]

I agree with jphn and maggo, a foot brake for your bad hand would be the better solution and much easier to install.
Alleyoop

[scooter12]

Well, the right foot is bad too. I mean, after the stroke it is hard to tell if giving to much pressure also. That leave the left hand lever.. The left foot in stopping is there to hold up the scooter. So I can't brake with the left foot and hold up the scooter at the sametime. Combining brake levers is dangerous because if the master cylinder goes out, well I would have no back up system to stop me. The only way is to have two independent brakes on the scooter.

They make a two lever system that is bulky and would have to tear up the scooter to fit it to the scooter. It also cost $1900 for just the lever system. Not meaning to insult the creator of this braking system, but I am on SSDI, don't have that type of money, and this seems like highway robbery to me.. My Bali 250 only cost $1700 new..

Now changing the scooter brakes to work with one hand, is not really modifying the scooter, because it is still chinese parts used in doing this. The only thing being done, is moving them around.. The mirror would need cutting down too. About 3 inches. or the other side raised..

[Alleyoop]

What you really need is a TRIKE, that is why I have one I have a Fused Left Hip and the leg is 3" short I have a built up shoes on the Left. Should have Zigged instead of Zagged in NAM(hehe) With the Fused hip I cannot even get on a bicycle the fused hip will not allow me to open my legs apart. Even tried a MOPED and had a hell of a time getting over the hump to get on the seat also trying to balance when stopping I had to make sure I leaned it to the right on my good leg. So Sold that sucker within three months and Found the Trikes. Solved all of my problems.
Alleyoop

[jct842]

Yup the trike is the way to go. If you can't work a foot brake with the right that is the only option you have. There are trike kits made but by the time you go to all the work of installing one, you might find that for little more rapid jim could set you right up with a trike that fits your style. He did a whole lot of mods on alleyoop's trike and that is one happy camper. You could even ride one back from wisc. soon as the weather up there breaks.

I keep thinking about a trike too, it would allow me to ride for double or triple the distance and time. My hip has been replaced almost 20 years ago....20 in april! john

[scooter12]

I read a article online the said, it is against federal law, for the DMV to deny a license on the bases of disability. That under the Disability Act that the license bureau has to give reasonable accomodations to disabled individuals..

See I am not really modifying the scooter, but changing positions of the front brake to accommodate me so I can use both rear and front brake. Still a chinese 250 master cylinder and brake lever. Just attached in a different area.

[Alleyoop]

What happens is they see what is needed for you to handle the driving and then REQUIRE you to have special controls put on and then take the test. If you pass the drivers test with the special controls you get your license.
Alleyoop

[jct842]

could put a foot brake on left and when stopping you use the left handle bar brake to hold the front brake on while putting the foot down.

[amac1680]

Feb 4, 2013 22:09:29 GMT -6 scooter12 said:

I read a article online the said, it is against federal law, for the DMV to deny a license on the bases of disability. That under the Disability Act that the license bureau has to give reasonable accomodations to disabled individuals..

See I am not really modifying the scooter, but changing positions of the front brake to accommodate me so I can use both rear and front brake. Still a chinese 250 master cylinder and brake lever. Just attached in a different area.

Good morning.

As a matter of disclosure my name is Alan Maccini. I am a disabilities rights advocate and incomplete paraplegic. I am also a scooter enthusiast.

This thread brings up a few interesting questions but I would like to address the above first.There are no federal laws that would prevent the state DMV from denying a license to any person not qualified to operate a motor vehicle.

It is illegal however to deny any person who has successfully passed both a written and driving examination and meets the legal requirements a license to drive. That of course includes a person with a disability

When we get into a discussion of the Americans With Disabilities Act we start to see terms like "reasonable accommodation" used.To avoid a very complicated discussion of the legalese, "reasonable accommodations" is a concept and term only used in certain titles of the act. They have nothing to do with the topic at hand Although they do get used incorrectly often when disabilities rights are brought up.

So for the sake of this conversation we're going to use the term modified vehicle. In most states if the person can safely operate a motor vehicle that has been modified to accommodate their disability they may acquire a license. These modifications can include a variety of things. Hand controls, steering wheel knobs , moving controls et cetera. As you've already said controls to modify a motorcycle are virtually nonexistent so it will be up to the do-it-yourselfer.

The state nor the federal government is required to make these modifications for you. They are solely up to the operator.

It is important to remember that the Americans With Disabilities Act and other disability law provide equal access, not superior access . Allowing someone to drive that does not qualify solely because they're disabled would clearly be superior access.

Now onto a much more important topic, personal responsibility.

As a person whose life was fundamentally changed after a spinal cord injury I understand each person's quest to get back to the doing all that they once did. It is also important to remember that in our quest to seek normalcy we cannot infringe on the personal rights and safety of others. Even though we may be willing to take certain risks ourselves, let's face it we're already broken we have nothing to lose, it's not fair to take those risks with others. It wasn't a happy day for me when I had to sell the Harley and moved to a scooter, but the day came and I had to make that choice.

it's important for you to sit down look at this carefully. Can you safely operate the Scooter ? I'm not a doctor and I'm not about to play one on the Internet but based on your description you have a lot going on that impairs your ability to operate a bike safely. Just an opinion based on what was written

I wish you the best in your endeavor, and I hope you successfully make the modifications and pass your test.
Hope to see you scooting soon.

Be Big,
Alan Maccini
Vice President -Disability Rights Advocates for Technology/Segs4Vets
www.DRAFT.org