Kenosha HOG Chapter Gives Nursing Home Patient a Ride to Remember

One woman’s dream to ride a motorcycle was fulfilled by members of her local HOG chapter.

We’ve said before that Harley-Davidson’s lineup of trikes is a great way to extend the riding careers of older and disabled motorcyclists. However, we could hardly imagine anything like this!

The Kenosha, Wisconsin HOG chapter has been hard at work this year. They’ve been making dreams come true and doing good in the world all summer long.

Earlier this year, they hosted an ice cream ride to raise money to benefit ALS research. ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a disease that gradually decreases muscle function. It’s a truly rotten illness, and their ride helped to raise money for a much-needed cure. Good on them!

That’s not why we’re here, though. More recently, they made a dream come true for a nursing home patient in Burlington, Wisconsin. Connie Rodriguez, 65, is a big time Harley-Davidson fan. When the club found out, they were determined to get her on a bike again. The story comes to us from Fox 6 Milwaukee.

According to Kevin Klee, director of the Kenosha HOG chapter, “Every time she would hear a Harley, she would light up and talk about the rides, so we made arrangements, and we made her dream come true.” On Monday, September 23, the club put their plan into action and rode to Burlington.

Picking up Rodriguez at the nursing home, a club member gave her a ride on the back of his Tri Glide. Thanks to the added stability of the three wheels, Rodriguez was safe without having to worry about holding on or leaning into the turns.

However, she still got to experience the joy of riding, and the sights and smells of nature whizzing by on a motorcycle. She still got to feel the wind and hear the rumble of a powerful V-twin engine. It certainly put a smile on her face. She was quoted in the story as saying that “It was the best thing I had!” That’s a ringing endorsement if we’ve ever heard one.

Photos: Fox 6 Milwaukee

Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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