Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Modification
Reader's Digest India|May 2024
A Queensland mechanic customizes bikes so veterans can get riding again
Claire Sibonney
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Modification

HOLDING A FLASHLIGHT between her teeth, Sharine 'Spanner' Milne adjusts the shock of a Harley Davidson Sportster at the motorcycle repair shop she owns in Townsville, Queensland, in northeastern Australia. Her fingers-long nails painted in flaming orange-work the pocket-sized wrench near the bike's brakes.

Over the past three years, the 46-year-old mechanic, and owner of R.H.D. Classic Supplies & Services, has made several modifications to this bike, which belongs to a customer named Stewart, a 72-year-old orchid farmer. Stewart's right leg was amputated so he wears a prosthetic, and he recently broke his left ankle. To make the motorcycle work for him, Milne adjusted the seat and handlebars to help with his back pain and, most recently, installed an electronic gear shift for him to use while his ankle heals. Giving up riding was never an option for Stewart.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2024 de Reader's Digest India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición May 2024 de Reader's Digest India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE READER'S DIGEST INDIAVer todo
Calendar Girls
Reader's Digest India

Calendar Girls

After Molly Baker’s husband died suddenly, her friends organized a year’s worth of support

time-read
5 minutos  |
February 2025
THE GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION
Reader's Digest India

THE GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION

It's a spectacular sight when countless ruminants cross the Serengeti in search of greener pastures

time-read
7 minutos  |
February 2025
Soumitra Chatterjee's Tryst with Destiny
Reader's Digest India

Soumitra Chatterjee's Tryst with Destiny

The encounter that led a budding actor to a legendary filmmaker, and sparked an iconic creative partnership during the golden age of Bengali cinema

time-read
3 minutos  |
February 2025
Frozen in Time
Reader's Digest India

Frozen in Time

The life and work of Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of early mountain photography and the man behind some of the very first images of the Himalayas

time-read
5 minutos  |
February 2025
HALLUCINATIONS
Reader's Digest India

HALLUCINATIONS

There was a monkey perched on the IV drip stand to the right of my hospital bed. It scowled at me, but I wasn’t afraid: A brief simian visit was part of my daily routine. I never questioned why there was a monkey in the hospital. I wasn’t lucid enough to recognize that my mind was playing tricks on me.

time-read
3 minutos  |
February 2025
Music in the Air
Reader's Digest India

Music in the Air

Cuba is bursting with sound, and each region moves to its own defining rhythm

time-read
8 minutos  |
February 2025
SHOULD YOU TRY A DETOX TREATMENT?
Reader's Digest India

SHOULD YOU TRY A DETOX TREATMENT?

It's a popular new-year health habit. But science doesn't support it

time-read
5 minutos  |
February 2025
Ringing True
Reader's Digest India

Ringing True

He thought his late parents' wedding bands were gone forever

time-read
2 minutos  |
February 2025
14,000-FOOT MIRACLE
Reader's Digest India

14,000-FOOT MIRACLE

The skydiver fully expected to die when her parachute failed to open. Instead, she's writing the next chapter of her life

time-read
10+ minutos  |
February 2025
I SURVIVED!
Reader's Digest India

I SURVIVED!

THREE UNUSUAL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AS TOLD BY THE PEOPLE WHO NEARLY DIED FROM THEM

time-read
5 minutos  |
February 2025