Driven by Disability

Dave Barr wants to make one thing perfectly clear: He is not a motivational speaker.

When Barr steps to the podium today and Saturday at William S. Hart Park in Newhall, the audience can expect to hear tales of how he spent eight years in the armed forces of four separate governments before a land mine explosion changed his life. But instead of holding him back, the accident fueled his desire to journey around the world on a Harley-Davidson.

“I refer to myself as an inspirational speaker because motivation is just a spark to get you going, while inspiration is the fire that keeps us going,” said Barr, 48, who lives near Bakersfield with his wife, Susan.

After spending three years with the U.S. Marines, two years with the Israeli Parachute Regiment and one year with the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Barr was in the midst of a two-year tour of duty with the South African Defense Forces when he was injured in a land-mine explosion in Angola. He worked for the foreign services on military visas, he said.

He was hospitalized for nearly 10 months, undergoing partial amputations of both legs. His right leg was amputated above the knee and his left just below it.

“I was very fortunate because the level of care I received was second to none; it was top-notch,” Barr said about his 1981 stay at a small South African hospital.

With the aid of prosthetic legs, Barr was able to return to active duty to complete his tour. But he wondered if he would be able to ride a motorcycle again. A self-described motorcycle nut, Barr had been riding since he was a small boy.

“I’ve always had a passion for them,” Barr said. “It used to drive my mom crazy.”

Nearly two years after his amputation, the idea of riding a motorcycle around the world began to take shape.

“My wife and I are Christians, and we believe God gives us jobs,” Barr said.

His 3 1/2-year, 83,000-mile journey across six continents began Sept. 12, 1990, in Johannesburg, South Africa, he said. He traveled north through Africa to England, across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States and continued west before setting a northern course through Canada to Prudhoe Bay, which is on the Arctic Ocean about 300 miles from the Arctic Circle.

He moved south along the Pacific coast back through the United States and South America. He then traveled across the Pacific to China, continuing on to Russia and across Europe before touring Australia. He then flew back to Asia, where his journey ended May 5, 1994.

“I’m not one of those overly optimistic types,” Barr said in a recent interview. “I just hope everything works out and I do my best. This wasn’t just high adventure. It was a real grind, and you just plod along. You can’t even set time goals, especially in Africa where the clock is not their master.”

Janis Ashley, administrator at Hart Museum, believes Barr’s lectures will strongly affect his audience.

“People starting the new year will be inspired to reach some of their resolutions after hearing how [Barr] overcame insurmountable obstacles during his trips,” Ashley said.

“I have a message for people with disabilities,” Barr said. “You can if you want to. Life itself is a privilege.”

After completing his trip, Barr spent two years writing a 500-page self-published book about his adventure, titled “Riding the Edge,” and produced a video of the same name. Meanwhile, he got the urge to hit the open road again.

His second journey took him 13,000 miles in an unbroken line from the Atlantic to the Pacific, across Northern Europe, Russia and Siberia, he said. He began and completed the trip in the dead of winter, riding from Dec. 8, 1996, to March 24, 1997.

“Eastern Siberia is made up of a swampland that extends 600 miles across, so the only way I could do it was in the winter when the swamp was frozen,” Barr said. “It wasn’t as difficult as I thought.”

His adventure earned him the Guinness World Record for the first person to travel the route by motorcycle. He recently completed his second book, “Riding the Ice,” which details his coast-to-coast adventure.

Funding for both trips came from the owner of a road construction company in Germany, he said.

“The most interesting thing I took away from these journeys was that there is far more good in the world than bad,” Barr said.

BE THERE

Dave Barr will speak today at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. at Hart Hall, William S. Hart Park, 24151 N. San Fernando Road, Newhall. Seating is limited to 150 per lecture. For ticket prices and information, call (661) 254-4584 or (661) 254-6499.