Dan Schuler’s garage is akin to a museum, with old motorcycles, pictures, and trophies from his time as a competitive motorcyclist, plus his red pearl 2019 Polaris Slingshot SLR.
“When I saw one, I had to have it,” the North High School graduate says.
Schuler was born with a club foot. With financial assistance from the Hadi Shrine Temple in Evansville and treat- ment by doctors in Saint Louis, Missouri, he was able to walk. He started riding motorcycles at age 5 and competing nationally at 10.
In 1978, he competed with the U.S. internationally in Sweden for the International Six Day Trials and won a gold medal. In 1996 he started working with Hadi Shrine, driving children to and from hospitals, and served as the organization’s Potentate in 2016.
“I treat everyone the way I want to be treated,” he says.
Schuler retired as a union insulator with Local 37 by age 47 and stopped competing once he turned 55. In retirement, he lends his skills to any motor in need, including Polaris Slingshots. He also adds modifications to his own.
His Slingshot has a rearview mirror, a removable steering wheel, cupholders, fans behind the seats, a pulley attached to a lever moving the driver’s seat forward, and handles. On the exterior, he added plexiglass windows, spinners to the wheels, Velcro to hold the gas cap, and some extra red detailing. On the front of the car, he installed a second light and smaller LED lights surrounding the whole fixture. A saddlebag affixed to the back acts as storage.
“If I can, I make it or modify it myself. I’m always modifying something,” Schuler says.
One of his favorite activities is riding with friends to Louisville, Kentucky, or Daytona Beach, Florida, stopping to eat and sightsee. The motorcycle can hit around 130 mph, but when asked how fast he goes, Schuler says, with a wink, “I only drive the speed limit.”
