When Martin Calleja wrecked his motorcycle in a traffic accident three years ago, in which he lost his arm and had to be fitted with a prostheses, he feared that would be the end of his biking days.
Despite the severity of the accident, the passion for biking remained bubbling inside him and, aware of this, his biker friends started concocting a plan that would help him ride again.
The idea was to inject new life into Mr Calleja’s old bike by turning it into a three-wheeler he could steer with his mechanical arm.
Inspired by the brand of the bike, a Honda Blackbird, the trike was christened the Tri Bird and it is almost ready for its first flight.
“Biking is a passion you are born with... once the passion is inside you, you can’t remove it... After the accident I didn’t want to have to get rid of my bike,” Mr Calleja said.
His biker friend Spiru Spiteri added: “When Martin was in hospital the idea started brewing in my head to turn his wrecked bike into a three-wheeler he could drive, similar to the one I have.
“We wanted to first wait and see how things turned out for him. When Martin left hospital we told him: You can still remain a biker,” he said.
The retired engineer led the project, carried out with the help of other bikers and Mr Calleja’s 17-year-old son Luke. The plan was to build a reverse trike that has two wheels in the front, instead of the back, for easier steering.
They commissioned the building of the trike’s frame and built the rest themselves using the parts from the Honda.
With the help of fund-raising activities, like a recent bike ride organised by television programme On The Road, other parts they needed were either bought, donated or handmade by Luke.
The skilled teenager also built a mechanical arm for his father using scrap pieces of metal and a small motor from an old radio-controlled model. The arm, called the electric claw, opens and closes and allows his father to hold things – something his original prostheses did not do.
Almost two years after the Tri Bird project started, it is finally near completion. All it needs are the cosmetic body works, fine tuning and testing for roadworthiness.
“Apart from the fact that biking is my passion, this project is a form of mental therapy as it occupies many days and stops me worrying about my disability and constant phantom pains,” Mr Calleja said.
The accident happened in August 2008 when Mr Calleja was riding along the St Paul’s Bay bypass on his motorcycle. A four-wheel drive suddenly steered into him to avoid another car. The impact sent him hurling towards a crash barrier that sliced off his arm on impact.
After coming to the terms with the fact that his arm had been amputated above the elbow, Mr Calleja is now determined to ensure the accident does not rob him of his passion for biking. His friends are backing him on this.
Anyone who wishes to learn more about the Tri Bird project, or make a donation, can visit the Facebook page entitled Tri Bird Malta or access You Tube videos under the headings “electric claw” and “Tri Bird”.