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Two For The Road,
All Triked Out
Story by Randy Twells - Photos by Ray Ambler
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When Bonnie Simonian rolled into Santa Maria Harley-Davidson on her
Softail Deluxe trike conversion by Motor Trike one day early this spring, she had
no idea what she was setting in motion.For Margot Bourget, a life-changing moment,
to be sure. The two would meet as if drawn together by a magnet. Margot running out
of the dealership where she worked, and exclaiming over Bonnie's ride, asking questions
and bubbling over with a newfound idea that she had never heard of before - a Harley
made into a trike. No, this was not your crazy uncle's VW engine and rear end welded
onto a bike front end. This looked good..
When Margot was growing up on a cattle ranch in Northern California,
near Chico - a town named Capay to be exact, her dad rode motorcycles all the time.
Taking off on a Honda 50, he would make a run out to a remote location to change sprinklers.
Along with her two brothers and six sisters, she rode tractors, horses, and yes, even
cows. Try bridling a cow and clucking giddyup, Margot did it. Or, riding a tractor
to get down the road to a neighbor's house. And in those days even on a motorcycle,
no one wore a helmet. In fact out on the ranch you were more likely to have a horse
step on and crush your foot than you were to get a head injury from dumping your bike.
When Margot was about 15 she started riding dirt bikes. Everyone did-again,
it was how you got around the ranch. Margot got used to doing things like jumping
over logs and other obstacles, since that's the terrain you ride in up there. But,
for all that background, she did not want to ride two wheels on the street with other
traffic.
Having graduated high school, off to college she went; after a year,
she
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got married, and did not return to Chico State. Ten years later, Margot found
herself on her own again, and working in sales. Strangely enough, just about
five years ago, she ended up selling motorcycles. For her position in bike sales
at Santa Maria Harley-Davidson, she did need to know how to move the bikes around,
even the biggest and heaviest. So it was decided she would take the motorcycle
basic riding course.
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Twice. Yes, failing the first time in January 2000, and told
she had "throttle control issues," she took it again a couple of months later, and
finally passed. Still not willing to ride two wheels on the street, although
capable of doing so, she treaded water as a non-street rider selling bikes.
Then in January of 2005, Bonnie rode in on three
wheels. All of a sudden, the answer was in front of her.
A conversion done by a Texas company called Motor Trike, Bonnie's Softail Deluxe was
the best of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with three wheels. Margot and Bonnie
instantly bonded. Bonnie shared with Margot the research that she had done on
the genre and whose trike conversion to go with. Within two months, Margot had
ordered her own Motor Trike, also a Softail Deluxe, but with slightly different cosmetics. And,
Margot elected the option of a reverse gear to facilitate backing up. Waiting
for her trike to arrive, she practiced on Bonnie's-just like the riding course, working
on first and second gear and riding it around the parking lot. She found it
to be stable, easy to maneuver, and very comfortable to ride. Excitement without
the stress she previously felt over riding on two wheels on the street.
When her own trike finally arrived, Margot got a phone call. It was the guys
at the shop. Service writer Steve Brankin, Technician Jeff Spangler, and Cliff
Blythe from the Parts Dept.; all wanted to see Margot's trike. Once they arrived,
they wouldn't take "no" for an answer-Margot was going to ride it to work, 20 miles
away. They assured her that no freeways would be involved. And so, Margot
got
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