AAMC Reporter: October 2009
Revving Back to Life
If Jim Downey, Ph.D., is not finding solutions in a laboratory,
he can often be found solving a completely different set of problems
in his backyard shop. Downey, a physiology professor at the University
of South Alabama College of Medicine, began restoring motorcycles
in 1987 after he visited a motorcycle shop where he had spent his
college summers working as a mechanic. He discovered a museum adjacent
to the shop showcasing antique motorcycles. Downey was fascinated
and has since been heavily involved in motorcycle restoration.
"To me they're works of art and so it's like collecting paintings
or sculptures, but these are sculptures you can actually get on
and ride," Downey says.
Downey loves the challenge of diagnosing and fixing a broken motorcycle.
"I use the same thought process in diagnosing a malfunctioning motor
as I do for understanding cardiac pathology," Downey says. "If I
can't fix a simple motorcycle, how could I ever fix a heart?"
Downey currently owns 14 motorcycles but estimates that he has
owned 100 in his lifetime. His favorite, a 1957 Triumph Thunderbird,
is on display at a motorcycle shop in Pensacola, Fla., along with
his 1966 Triumph T90.
Downey rides his modern motorcycle, a Honda Valkyrie, to work when
the weather is nice, but does not ride extensively. However, he
always tries to make time for a motorcycle trip when he travels
for scientific meetings.
"I've rented motorcycles in India, Africa, and Australia, as well
as America," Downey says.
According to Downey, travelling on a motorcycle is the "only way"
to truly experience a new area.
"It's a great way to see a country because when you're on a motorcycle,
you're actually in it. You're not just looking at it through glass.
You can smell the cows and feel the warmth," Downey says.
—By Sarah Mann
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