James Powell – Quad Adventurer - AdventureRiderMagazine

This entry is part 20 of 320 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #1

James Powell A man on a mission

At 26, North-Brisbane Aircraft Reliability Officer James Powell is a bloke who doesn’t mind a challenge.

Q: Hi James. What’s your injury?
A: I am classified as a T10 Paraplegic, meaning I’m paralysed from the belly button down due to severe spinal chord damage sustained in a road bike accident four years ago.

Q: What made you choose to ride a quad? Why not drive speedway cars or maybe karts?
A: I’ve only ever known and ridden motorcycles my whole life. A quad bike seemed the only logical alternative to give me the same freedom and experience, still allowing me to be part of the biker community. After having my accident on the road, I felt returning to the dirt was the best and safest option.

Q: What obstacles did you find when you decided to ride the quad?
A: I did a lot of research into what type of quad would suit my mobility issues. I needed something that could handle all types of terrain: dirt, mud, roads and sand. It’s not like I can get off and walk if I get into trouble.
As the quad bike doesn’t have ADR-compliance, special registration is required. Due to the registration guidelines I require landowner and police permits for every ride. This makes going for a ride a mission in itself.

Q: Tell us about the Can-Am. What mods have you done to it? That motor purrs like a kitten – a tiger kitten, maybe, because it sounds awesome?
A: I’d say the majority of the bike is stock. I’ve built a rear rack for my wheelchair, and mounts to hold my feet on. I’ve also widened the wheelbase by about 50mm to increase stability. Also, as the CVT had a low outlet for cooling, I built a snorkel kit so deep-water crossings would never be an issue. Then I dressed it up with a decal kit to give it a great look

Q: We watched you put the Can-Am on the trailer yourself and get on and off unassisted, and you sure didn’t need any help with opening the throttle. Are you self-sufficient on the quad?
A: It’s taken a long time, with a bit of trial and error, to get to the point I’m at now. I’d say I’m very self sufficient, with my upper body strength from bodybuilding making things easier. The only time my mobility really stops me is when I hit a steep hill. It’s just because I can’t stand up to lean my weight over the front. But (laughs) I normally just throw someone on the front to keep the front down, and everything’s okay then. For anyone that knows me, I’m very stubborn and like to be completely independent. So I’ve built the quad with that in mind.

Q: What riding have you done so far?
A: I’ve done everything from suburban towns through to highways and rural areas. Basically everything you’ve done on a motorbike, I’ve done on the quad…except the Bruce Highway, I guess.
I did a Spinal Injuries charity ride the other week. It was all road from Helensvale to Mount Tamborine. That was great. It was really good for the cause.

Q: What’s been your favourite ride so far?
A: They’re all so different.Every time I get out on the bike is great. I wouldn’t say I have a favourite ride; it’s just being able to get out and be free, because it’s so hard for me to do that.

Q: What’s your next big goal?
A: I’m in the process of speaking to my local member. He’s just sent away information to the Commissioner Of Police for community safety. I’d like to get the quad registered so I could have more freedom. I don’t know how they’d do that, but I’d just like to be able to go out and ride my bike without organising it a month in advance.

Q: What about a long-term goal? Are there any rides or events you’d particularly like to tackle?
A: I would say maybe the Finke Desert Race or the APC Rally. I believe these are a lot further down the track, as I’m still having trouble riding locally. I believe being one of the very few people to perform an achievement like this would be great. These test even the greatest of able-bodied riders.

Q: Who’s been really helpful so far, getting you on the quad and getting you riding?
A: I found my Dad, Andrew, and wife Megan, have been the greatest support for me. With the battles I’ve had to face I’ve simply wanted to give up sometimes. It’s been a huge effort to get as far as I have, and they’ve been awesome.
Quad bikes don’t have a great reputation due to farms overloading and people not wearing the correct protective gear, and I’ve found it very hard to find helpful people when asking for permission for a permit. This has required me to fight to be heard on many levels. Due to my disability too, I find people don’t like accepting liability.
Even though there are a lot of unhelpful people, I’ve met some very great authoritative personnel, which has made my life, and being able to ride, easy..

You’re obviously getting through to some people, James, and that’s great to see.

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