Rebuilt motorcycle to be named ‘Mosaic’

Talk about it

The beat-up 2006 Electra Glide had seen better days. But when it arrived at the Abbott House, the bike’s days started getting better almost immediately.

This message resonates with girls living at the Abbott House in Mitchell; the worn-down Harley-Davidson represents a challenge they can relate to in their own lives — and they are making changes — to the bike and in their lives.

Forty Abbott House girls ages 7 to 17 from across South Dakota have been working on the damaged motorcycle. In the first six hours of class, the girls had almost all of the damaged parts removed from the motorcycle — gas tank, fairing, saddlebags, fenders, even the front tire. Then J&L Harley-Davidson in Sioux Falls “checked out the inside,” replacing worn out gaskets and freshening up the engine. Then the bike received the name “Mosaic,” and the rebuilding began.

“The Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild program demonstrates to these girls that damage can be undone,” said program founder Laura Klock, of Mitchell. “While the Abbott House girls work to remove the damage from their motorcycle project, they are working to repair the damage to their lives while they are in the care of the Abbott House.”

Set up as a 20-week classroom project in which participating girls will get the practical, hands-on experience of repairing and customizing a motorcycle, the program also helps with developing life skills they can take with them. The Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild program is in its second year at the Abbott House.

The project, a partnership between Helping with Horsepower, Abbott House and several sponsors, will be complete in late June.

Laura Klock, vice president of Klock Werks Kustom Cycles and creator of the Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild program, is on hand every week to assist the girls with the project.

Tags: abbott house, life, updates, bicycle, local