Thursday, April 23, 2009

A Ride with a Heart

On a recent visit to the Arizona Heart Institute, I spotted this rather unusual motorcycle on display in the waiting room. According to the small sign posted next to the motorcycle, it was custom-made for Dr. Dietrich to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his annual medical conference on Endovascular Intervention.

It was built by Paul Yaffe of Yaffe Design and it took almost 2 years from concept to completion to build. The motor is a Twin Cam 88 Harley Davidson, diamond cut, mounted on a specially built frame. The gas tank is steel, and is an anatomically correct view of the heart. The motorcycle was built as an eye-catching tool to show at schools. A nurse accompanies the motorcycle, and it is used to educate and inform children and young adults about how the heart works and the importance of exercise and good diet.



What an interesting teaching tool!

The Arizona Heart Institute was founded in 1971 by Dr. Edward Dietrich and it is well known around the world for giving the very best care to heart and blood vessel patients.

8 comments:

Mo said...

Very unique

Unknown said...

I don't know if I like it, but it's truly amazing!

Trojan Gordon said...

I popped over from Scotsdale pictures and think that your collection of pictures are pretty cool. will be coming back for another dose soon!

Judy said...

Oh my gosh! That is the strangest looking motorcycle I have ever seen! I think it would get a second look going down the road. So glad we got to see this!

Pat said...

Great shot. If the gas tank looks like a heart, I wonder what the tail pipe looks like?

Jackie said...

What a brilliant idea!

Susie of Arabia said...

I think it's very cool!

Lisa Wilson said...

Definitely the most unusual motorcycle I've ever seen!