Dave Barr (veteran, motorcyclist)

Dave Barr (born April 12, 1952) is an American veteran of the Vietnam War and a motorcyclist best known for being the first double amputee to circumnavigate the globe. He lives in Bodfish, California where he runs a motorcycle tour company. He is also the author of several books and was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.

Military service

Barr joined the US Marine Corps when he was 17 and served in Vietnam on a helicopter gunship.Verify source|date=May 2008 After his discharge from the Marines in 1972 he lived in various locations around the world and served in the armed forces of several countries, including: two years with the Israeli Parachute Regiment and one year Rhodesian Light Infantry. He was in the middle of two years of service with the South African Defense Forces when he was injured in a land-mine explosion in Angola in 1981.Cite web|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/67339496.html?dids=67339496:67339496&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+26%2C+2001&author=SUZIE+ST.+JOHN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Valley+Life%3B+jaunts%3B+Driven+by+Disability%3B+Land-mine+victim+will+tell+of+circling+globe+by+motorcycle.&pqatl=google|title=Valley Life; Jaunts: Driven by Disability - Land-mine Victim will Tell of Circling Globe by Motorcycle|accessdate=2008-08-06|year=2001-01-26|author=Suzie St. John|work=The Los Angeles Times] In 1981 while riding in a military vehicle in southern Angola, his vehicle drove over a land mine and the resulting explosion cost him both of his legs,Cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF440381C4A283&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Disabled Biker to Cross Russia on Motorcycle|accessdate=2008-08-06|year=1997-01-15|author=Associated Press|work=The Kansas City Star] above the knee on the right and below the knee on the left. Prosthetic legs allowed him to complete his tour of duty.

Motorcyclist

In 1994 Barr set a world record for riding a Harley Davidson 83,000 miles around the world,cite book | title=Heroes of Harley-Davidson| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EsYzQ5W3d2sC&pg=PA63&dq=%22Dave+Barr%22+motorcyclist&ei=IciZSNPIApSSjgHL8em9Bw&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U3WQVswDsdm4psBYW2lcpN28IdJgg#PPA64,M1| last=Youngblood| first=Ed| date=2003| pages=64| publisher=MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company| id=0760315957] including a 13,000 mile Atlantic to Pacific segment across Northern Europe and Siberia.cite book | title=Riding the Ice| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=C0OLHAAACAAJ&dq=%22Dave+Barr%22+motorcyclist&ei=IciZSNPIApSSjgHL8em9Bw&client=firefox-a| last=Barr| first=Dave| coauthors=Susan Barr| date=1998] The bike that Barr used for the journey is currently on display in Delaware.cite book | title=Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=bm9u2YyrA4wC&pg=PA117&dq=%22Dave+Barr%22+motorcyclist&ei=IciZSNPIApSSjgHL8em9Bw&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0khQfUURaafWrVLADXaE-50mrYgQ| last=Posner| first=Stan| coauthors=Sandra Phillips-Posner| date=2007| pages=117| id=ISBN 1894979885]

Barr also set a second world record for riding the so-called Southern Cross. In just 45 days during 1996, he completed the first motorcycle journey ever between the four extreme geographical corners of the Australian continent. Barr was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000 not only for his world record setting exploits, but also for the charity work he has done for the disabled along the way.Cite web|url=http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=124|title=Dave Barr|accessdate=2008-08-06|publisher=The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum]

References

External links

* [http://www.davebarr.com davebarr.com]