A brief History of Aiden and our Sidecar

In August 9, 2008 along with 7 other friends we started a chapter of Bikers for Christ .Aiden Plotner born 3-15-2009 to my then 15 year old daughter. In the fall of 2009 I was given the leadership of this chapter of BFC . Kristie and I took custody of Aiden in the fall of 2010 at that time I had already been looking for a sidecar since the spring of 2010 . being unsuccessful in finding a sidecar (every one I found was $2000 to $3000 , it needed restored and it was at least 600 miles away) and I was at a loss as to why the wife and I both had almost new motorcycles , leadership in a Motorcycle Ministry and now a grandson who was to small to ride living in our house under our care.I realized I had not prayed and asked God what his plan was for me , the BFC ministry I was a part of and how Aiden fit into all of this. I stopped all my searching a wondering and prayed and asked God to show me the direction he would have me go. Surprise --the next day my email had ONE Ebay notification , the sidecar I now own. The wife and I discussed how much we had to bid on this particular sidecar and I placed my maximum bid. It now made ONE automatic bid and the other 3 bidders stopped there. I won the sidecar with just that one bid 26 hours later. Now here's the story , One bid, drove 61.7 miles to pick it up , DID NOT paint it to match my bike. Better story is , after researching through the United Sidecar Association website I found out it is a1974-1980 Velorex 562 , the seat is about 5 inches taller than original( it matches the height of his car seat), there was a seat belt already installed(sidecars don't come with seat belts) , a roll bar behind the seat( I attach the upper tether on his car seat to it). So in all this it is like this sidecar was being built for Aiden to ride in and be attached to my Sportster since the '70s.
Now on July 16, 2011 Aiden took his first official ride in the sidecar. We left Inwood and went to Independent Bible Church's annual Car , Truck and Bike show in Martinsburg. On the way home that after noon he fell asleep in his car seat, at that time I had 15 inch by 2.5 inch slip on pipes with NO baffles. From July to November last year we rode 3 to 5 times a week and did several Saturday 100 to 250 mile rides to total about 2000 miles. His last ride of 2011 we went to Hagerstown MD for a "Picture with Santa on a Harley" in November and we had to take our own bike for that .Over the winter I had the sidecar frame powder coated and replaced all the bolts with stainless steel . I made a new windshield for him out of clear lexan and only 4inches tall which he likes much better than the old bronze tint 12 inch tall one.
This year started out pretty good. In April we set up our BFC tent at the Swap Meet at Grove's Harley Davidson and hung out all day with some really cool folks and Aiden rode his tricycle around all day wearing his "colors", leather jacket and skull cap. That day we bought a used Scala Rider communication device so he could talk to me while riding , now there is nothing better than a 3 year
old forgetting that I can hear him and he starts singing his ABC's or one of his new preschool Bible songs while riding through the back roads of West Virginia. On April 14th our chapter hosted the Martinsburg area participation in the Jericho Ride ( http://www.jerichoride.com/ ). Aiden and I led a small group of bikers around the Eastern Panhandle encircling our cities with prayer for healing and restoration, this ride goes on all across the United States led by different Motorcycle Ministries and clubs that set up their own route to encircle their community .
In May we set up our BFC tent at the 2nd Annual Thunder Roads West Virginia bike show at Grove's. I brought Aiden's tricycle again and this time he decided not to ride it but rather to enter it in the bike show as well as our sidecar rig. Since all the other guys were polishing their bikes Aiden got out one of his diaper wipes and began polishing his tricycle as well. That is when I told Aiden " It just ain't respectable to ride around a bike show all day on a stock tricycle" so we are in the process of building him his own "tricked out trike". We rode with the Alternative MC on a benefit ride to Capon Bridge for a pig roast and music , and along the way we followed the river and had an Eagle fly along side of us for about 2 miles . Our friends with 2nd Thief M/M hosted a biker blessing at Shenandoah H-D in Staunton VA so we rode down to hang with those guys for a few hours and Aiden got to watch the Riders Edge class out back of the dealer ship learning how to ride. We have gone to Hagerstown mall, Charles Town Home Depot , The Cone Zone Cruise In's many times this year . Met up with the United States Military Vets M/C for a few of their event this year , one ending at the American Legion in Winchester VA and one at Shipwrecked in Martinsburg . We got to do a benefit ride for breast cancer with the Down n' Dirty M/C in Charles Town. Now that ride was an eventful one . We rode over to Frederick H-D and then off to Hagerstown MD , now here is where it gets interesting, we were in Hagerstown near the park as we left our stop the group entered a roundabout and we were number 7 bike in the line as we were coming around the circle(we are already in the circle we have the right of way) a bus enters the circle without slowing cutting in front of me and Aiden. I was able to avoid the bus but the sudden maneuver caused me to twist my right side controls and pinch the ignition switch wires and shut down my engine . There were no collisions and the bus just drove on as if nothing happened. I on the other hand had to call for a trailer till I could diagnose the problem at home. Memorial weekend we rode to Gainsville VA to meet some other WV BFC chapters on their annual trip to Rolling Thunder and hung out at a campsite with them all day and of course we had to go for ice cream before we left for home(we like ice cream)
June started great with the annual Operation God Bless America ride .Aiden was amazed at the amount and variety of bikes at this event. Aiden myself , Tommy ,Brett and Bev (all BFC Swords of the Spirit chapter members) rode together on this ride and we met up with some members of Liferiders out of New Life Community church in Martinsburg. Later in the month the heat was almost unbearable so we didn't get any long rides in but we rode around the eastern panhandle when we could.
July got a little better with the heat and we made to Hagerstown Bike week for their Friday night events as well s stopping in to Williamsport HD. A lot of our rides this month just ended in ice cream runs to different places around the area. We really like Nutter's Ice Cream in Sharpsburg MD but we are always on the lookout for cool place to stop on a hot summers day.
August we made it to Grove's for their Police Honor ride . Aiden liked the Drill team (police officers motorcycle competition division) demonstration very much. We did go to DC on the ride and even got our picture, the two of us walking around the Fallen Police Officer's Memorial, in Fast Lane biker magazine . Donna was glad we had someone with us who knew their way around DC and my Bro Tommy led us out of downtown DC and back to Winchester VA safe and sound. Our home town Martinsburg bike night is always a good event , although we didn't do the ride this year we still had a great time. Aiden and I arrived downtown Martinsburg before the ride came into town . We were setting at the front window in Habanero's Grill eating dinner when the bikes rolled in and he was in AWE of all the bikes.The following weekend we rode to Canaan Valley for the 4th Annual Timberline Motorcycle rally , he loved the ride out Route 50(Ocean City MD to CA) and across the mountains . When he first caught a view of the wind electric generators on the mountain all he could get out was "WOW". We stopped to take some pictures there and at Mt Storm lake along the way. The day spent at Timberline was pretty good , he had to ride the ski lift (which he called "The carnival ride") to the top of the mountain. Now I don't like amusement park rides at all so ski lifts are not on my list of fun things to do and to make matters worse it rained on top of the mountain while we were riding .
September started out as an average month, me picking Aiden up form daycare with the sidecar and all of the kids hanging on the fence watching him leave. But God had a different plan for us. I knew about "The Tail of the Dragon" but had never actually thought about going there, especially with a sidecar. Now I had never had dreams that I remember until about a year ago and the first week of September I had several consecutive dreams about a ride that Aiden and I took. Each dream showed me specific places to stop and there would be some one to witness or minister to along the way. The end of each dream I had an image of a dragon, but I didn't realize that it was the Dragon shape they use at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort until I started to look for places to stay along the trip.I then planned this trip in less than a week and we took off. We took two days riding through Virginia and met two other chapters of Bikers for Christ ,Roanoke VA ,Wise VA and VA state Elder along the way. We had to stop at Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum since we were down that way. Dale (the owner) put Aiden on a 1937 H-D flat head and said "Here take a picture " and the three of us must have talked for an hour. The lady's working there had to take our picture and we were on their Facebook page before we left the building that day with a small description of our journey. From there we traveled through Cherokee and finally arrived at Deals Gap ,now after two days riding and sight seeing we arrive at The Dragon on a Sunday evening about 4:30 , get the bike unpacked and Aiden looks at me and says "Are we gonna ride?" . So we get him strapped in tight to the car seat and roll the rig up the hill and through the twistiest eleven mile stretch of road we have ever seen. Now we have our comdevice on and for the first five miles Aiden laughed and giggled non stop, he thought that was better than any carnival ride ever. I had to stop and take my jacket off because the road will give you a major work out with a sidecar rig, but it was super fun no matter what you ride. While there we rode the MoonShiner 28 and on the way home , The Cherohala Sky way. The return ride took two days again going up through Knoxville and back through Virginia again. I did take him to see Natural Bridge in Virginia on the way home and thought that was awesome also. Total for this one trip was 6 days 1350 miles and one day we couldn't ride because it rained all day. On the 30th we went to Grove's again , this time for a benefit ride for the family of 2 young boys lost in a house fire in Winchester. Got to meet the parents and family members along the ride through Virginia and West Virginia and ended at a spaghetti dinner with even more folks helping the family during this time of need. Oh and did I mention on this ride we, I mean I , got rained on three times. As long as we are moving Aiden doesn't get wet in the rain.
October was back to our normal riding several days a week and whenever we have time on the weekend . This also includes just riding to the grocery store 'cause we can. We stopped by Shipwrecked for the USMV M/C chapter party for a bit to visit with the 352 Crew. The following weekend Aiden and I rode to Capon Bridge for a biker wedding, Dan (chapter prez of the Alternative MC) and Kat. There were 4 bikes there, ours , the Grooms and two of his friends. and the last weekend in October we went to Connections Church in Inwood for their annual Plant day/tour and Car show.
From July of 2011 till October 2012 he has almost 6000 miles in the saddle of my sidecar and if you ask him it is "His sidecar"

Every where we go people like the sidecar and then they realize there is a car seat in there and the conversation starts. No matter where we are we can not put 2.5 gallons of fuel in the bike and leave in under 30 minutes. Aiden likes riding so much he asks to take the sidecar instead of the car or truck. He even asks to take it when it is raining.