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ife has a way of leading us to where we never knew we needed to be. Things happen, directing us in a different route in life. Sometimes when we arrive at where life pointed us, we just say, “huh, I never knew.” The tough side of it is sometimes life gives us some pretty harsh, in your face, directions. Let’s take Joe Norkin, for instance. At 60 years old, Joe was still a competitive Motocross racer, then he broke his back in a racing crash. After going
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October - November ‘21 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
through therapy and putting in the work, Joe was back on his feet. Joe was now ready for some motorcycles back in his life. Looking for something that would get him involved with two wheels and hands-on outside of racing, Joe looked to build a custom motorcycle. Now guess what? Life decided to reroute Joe in a big way. Sadly, Joe lost his home in the Paradise Camp fire in California. The Camp fire was the largest and most destructive in California’s history. With an event of this magnitude, many
groups stepped in to help people deal with the mental stress. When Joe was asked if he would like any therapy to help deal, he told them he had his own therapy planned. Norkin met up with Will Freeman of Freeman Choppers. After the two talked and Joe told him his therapy plan, Will jumped in to help. An aftermarket Pan frame was ordered, and Will made a deal on a fresh STD Pan engine sitting in his showroom. Over the next few months, the bike traveled back and forth
