Tell us about your ride: The thunderbird

LACONIA — “It’s a 2018 Street Glide Special, limited edition paint set, 56 out of 150,” said rider Frank Rector after he parked his bright blue bike on Lakeside Avenue at Weirs Beach. “It’s called the Grabber Blue Boss paint set, after the 1970 Boss Mustang.”

The eye-catching blue isn’t the only distinguishing feature on the bike. A pair of hand-beaded Native American medallions rest on the left and right ends of the control consoles. Each medallion was split into red, black, white and yellow quadrants. 

“That’s the colors of the four directions, basically Native American spirituality,” Rector said. “Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”

Although Rector didn’t claim any Native ancestry himself, he said he’s worked with them in the past. 

“I studied with a lot of Native American elders, and taught it [Native spirituality], in Universalism, Unitarian Sunday school when my daughter was little.”

On the rear of the bike is a third medallion depicting the legendary Thunderbird, a mythic figure found in multiple Native cultures. According to Rector, the thunderbird is known for  “rising out of the ashes,” similar to the phoenix of ancient Greece and Egyptian folklore. 

The bird stands as a symbol, and a reminder of personal resolve for Rector. 

“I got hit from behind in 2019, on a Road King I had in Virginia,” Rector recalled. “Guy hit from behind going 100 miles an hour. I flew, totaled my bike. Got helicoptered to UV medical center.”

Rector’s Road King was totaled, but his body wasn’t.

“Got a little banged up. 116 stitches in my face, a few broken bones, ” Rector chuckled, pointing to a few scars on his nose. “But my wife and daughter came down to pick me up and they wanted me to ride again. I didn’t ride for three months, got depressed and said ‘I got to ride.’ It’s the thunderbird coming out of the ashes. I bought my new bike.”