This will be our new weekly “How To” post.  These post will be written by local mechanics that specialize in customizing motorcycles and will cover all sorts of things.  Be sure to keep an eye on this post as we are sure you will find something that will be helpful.

Happy 36th Anniversary to the Motorcycle Clinic

Join us in wishing the Motorcycle Clinic a happy 36th Anniversary/Birthday.  They are the states oldest independent motorcycle shop and are located in Kissimmee Florida.

To celebrate they are offering many speical deals and sales through out the month, so be sure to stop by and congratulate them.

Also mention Biker Fury and receive 10% off.

www.motorcycle-clinic.com

My story is a crazy journey but it has a happy ending. I started off living in Mass. That is where I dropped out of school in the 9^th grade. I had a problem breaking into houses, stealing cars, robbing people, doing drugs (daily), drinking way too much and just about anything I could do to get in trouble. I was in & out of jail and my life was going down the toilet fast. I was a (street) gang leader for over 2 years and that only lead me to do LSD daily so I could stay violent. I tried joining the Army but that did not work. I finally moved to Florida to try to get away from all of the trouble. That was a joke. My problem was not the place I lived,  it was inside of me all the time. I thought that all I needed is to join a Motorcycle Club and I would be set. I started to work out and gain muscle mass and I learned martial arts and started to tattoo myself.  I was getting myself ready to leave society. My main ambition in life was to be in a motorcycle club. When I moved to Florida from Mass. In 1973 the first group of bikers I met was the AOA, we hit it off  and I have had the upmost respect for them ever since.

In 1985 I found myself married for 11 years, a son, and a daughter and addicted to drugs and alcohol for 16 years. Man, what a life. Not only was I dragging myself down but also my family. I was raised French Canadian and I knew better than to do that to a decent family that God trusted me with. But I did not have the answer. I always knew about God, but I did not know Him personally.  I did not have control of my life.  I started to train to fight in the Badman Contest. That is where 50 guys fight in the boxing ring 2 at a time.  I trained from April till July and on July 8^th I fought a full contact karate dude that was tough and mean. He had just beaten the Hawaiian champ 2 months prior to our fight. I put up a good fight but he kicked me more times than I punched. He won on points but I put a good knot on his head. I lost that night and I wish I could say it changed my life that night but I went right back to getting high & drinking.

Then one night a friend that had been talking to me about God explained the gospel like I never heard it before. I did not change that night but something did change in me overnight. It was so real that I did not even know that Jesus came into my life.   The next day I woke up and had a bad pain in my heart & I really believe that God ripped Satan out of my heart which was my desire to get high. I went to work and could not cuss, did not feel like getting high and did not get drunk that night for the first time in 16 years.  My life was not just changed it was new!!!

I played with my kids and they now had a daddy that they never had. I was a mechanic at the time and I started to go to church and got involved in the Kairos Prison Ministry for the next 10 years. God was real and I believed that He did have a plan for my life. I just had to stay focused on Him.  For the first time in my life I was in control of my life and I could now be the husband that I never was and the father that my kids never had. The more I read the bible the more I realize that God loved me just the way I was. He says the He chose me I did not choose Him.  The best part was that I could be a Christian & still be a biker.

I always take everything to the extreme. When I ran the street I wanted to be the best at everything. I wanted to be the best fighter, best drugger, best drunk and best gangster. Now that I was a Christian I wanted to be the best there was. I wanted to see just how far God could take this old scooter tramp. Well I was in for the ride of my life.   In 1991 I was out of school for 20 years with a 9^th grade education but God called me to go to school so I got my GED and enrolled in 2 colleges. I was working 50 hours a week, teaching automotive 2 nights a week, going to a community college 2 nights a week, preaching at the jail twice a month, doing my seminary college at home and doing motorcycle ministry on the weekends. I was busy!!!  But I knew that God called me to do this for a reason. I got my 2 year degree in 4 years and my 4 year degree in 15 but I got it. I now have a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and I have been ordained since 1997. I just don’t look like it. God is good. I was able to retire as a mechanic in 2000 and I now have my own ministry and get to travel all over the USA. I visit Puerto Rico & the Dominican Republic every year for the last 7 years. I love Caribbean islands.  It reminds me of Canada and the people are just the same, they have integrity and that is what it is all about.  I have been clean & sober for 23 years & still married to Sharon for 34 years.  I want to encourage you to continue to press on for your cause. They may take away your freedom but they cannot take away your integrity.

I know that you have heard it before but I am here to tell you that God has a very special plan for your life and He wants to start right now, right where you are. When I gave my life to the Lord I thought I was the only Christian Biker out here. God is still in the business of beating the odds and He wants to use you.  I started to read about other bikers that had gotten their lives right through a relationship with Jesus Christ and I always thought that it was ok with them but not for me until I tried it. It is awesome.   I now get to travel all over the country and encourage folks like us and help them in their daily sobriety. Where I was once part of the problem, now God has made me part of the solution. I hope that my story has encouraged you and I will continue to answer any questions that you may have.

In the last 36 years I have owned 19 Harley’s and in 2005 I built from the ground up a custom chopper, called DOIN TIME, that has been in 51 prisons so far.  She is dedicated to all the men doin time in the world. I have also been the Chaplain for the North Florida Confederation of Clubs for the last 6 years. I get to represent them at the N.C.O.M. convention every year.