Via Dennis Douda Reporting

(WCCO) Maybe it is the brotherhood of wheels that has brought a couple of guys with a love for flashy rides together, in spite of their obvious differences. One is the tattooed owner of motorcycle  customizing shop. The other is a 12-year-old boy in a wheelchair that is tricked-out with hubcap spinners and custom trim.

Robert Michael Brown, 12, may have been born with cerebral palsy, but he dreams of being a doctor or a police officer when he grows up. In the meantime, the usual boyhood interests in shiny chrome, rumbling engines and thrilling motorcycle rides captivate him. His bright wit and shiny personality have, in turn, captivated the guys who run Extreme Custom Choppers in Lake Saint Croix Beach on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.

“He’s got a heart of gold and knows motorcycles  inside and out,” said shop owner Ron Sullivan. “Robert is one of my dearest, closest friends since the day that I met him. He touched my heart in a way no one has ever done before.”

Robert is now a regular around the cycle shop, adopted as one of the guys. He and Sullivan even came up with a scheme to work together, designing a motorcycle from the ground up to raise money to help other kids with special needs.

Sullivan may be the expert, but young biker is more than just a fan of motorcycle muscle.

“His knowledge of bikes pretty much blew me away,” Sullivan said.

Their final work of chopper  art, a $30,000 candy-apple red masterpiece, will be raffled off for charity. The charity of choice is a place Robert knows pretty well, Gillette Children’s Hospital.

Robert has endured more than 30 surgeries, many of them at Gillette. He says he wants to help other kids to feel as good about life’s possibilities as he does.
“Happy. I mean everybody’s got to feel that way, right?” Robert asked aloud.

So, maybe it is the wheels, but maybe it is just brotherhood that steers people on radically different journeys down the same road together.

Five-thousand $10 raffle tickets are being sold for a chance to win Robert and Sullivan’s chopper. The drawing will take place this fall at the [1] Flood Run, a fund-raiser that draws 20,000 or more motorcycle enthusiasts together to help children with special needs like Robert. There is also a Spring Flood Run.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)