Big Brother’s Krystal & The Medieval Chopper

I BOUGHT this bike from a mate of mine, Steve from LTC Choppers, as a going concern about a year and a half ago. It was completely different. It had a springer front-end, spoked wheels, standard paintwork. I rode it for six months and then decided to strip it and repaint it where the paint was peeling off and so, yeah, I ended up re-doing it all.

There was a lot of extra work—running all the internal wiring, internal brake lines, internal throttle, hydraulic clutch, making up spaces for the wheels, a new seat pan, etc—and Ken at Cobracraft helped me finish it off.

The theme of the bike is based on a 1958 Harley so the paintwork is taken straight from a 1958 non-fictional book. Look closely and you can see the medieval story: you have the castle right up top, a dragon coming away from the castle chasing and blowing flames at the warriors coming off the rear guard.

It’s got a 127 cubic inch Ultima, diamond cut motor and six-speed gearbox.

The new front-end is 18-inches-over with a rake of seven degrees at the triple trees. The wheels are RC Components; the front is 21 inch.

The actual painter was Vince, one of my cousin’s friends, and Milo at Toxic Airbrush did the actual airbrushing.

Jem is my wife and we have three kids. She helps me with the business— Mick and Jem’s Detailing Service. Our business started off polishing aluminium on trucks—bullbars, tanks, wheels—but we now actually detail the complete trucks. Business is good; never been better.

Krystal and I have a good friend in common. My friend was dating one of Krystal’s friends. I put it to him to ask Krystal if she would do a photo shoot on my bike and she said she’d do it and here we are.

Photos by Walter Wall; words by Mick

Krystal—Big Brother Playmate

I WAS BORN in Bega and I sort of grew up all over the South Coast so I guess you could say I am a country girl at heart. I ride horses. I lived in a caravan for two-and-a-half years and lived off the land, and it was, yeah, an experience. We had a pit dunny and all that sort of stuff so I am a girl who can do it rough—but I like living the high life too. I like luxury things like motorbikes.

With Big Brother I had to audition in the flesh, and then it was a series of IQ tests and all these different quirky tests to get in. It was a long process. I don’t know how many other people auditioned, at a guess, maybe 50,000. Initially, they picked 12 people to go into the house, and then there are a few other people who were sent in throughout that process to basically stir the pot in the house.

The duration of the show was 14 weeks and 5 days, and I was in there for 14 weeks, so you can imagine it was pretty tortuous. It was pretty boring—there is no TV, no contact with the outside world, you have no concept of the time. It’s just you making conversation with other people, and you get to know people very well, good sides and bad. You come face to face with people that you probably in the outside world wouldn’t associate with and wouldn’t see yourself befriending. I am still friends with a couple of people that I was in the house with so if all I got out of it was those friendships then that’s enough; I am pretty stoked with that.

Before Big Brother I was an Assistant Manager of a jewellery store in Bateman’s Bay. I kind of miss having a day job would you believe. It would be nice to have that routine again.

Lately I have just been doing photo shoots in men’s magazines which are a lot of fun. Actually, I have done another shoot with a bike but not one like this; it’s my first time with a Harley.

I have also been studying acting for the past year; doing film and TV courses and a bit of theatre work. I did a guest appearance on Packed to the Rafters and, yeah, just trying to earn my acting stripes which is a lot harder than modelling because you just don’t stand there and smile; but I like the challenge.

I am planning on heading to America soon. I have a modelling agency and a three-year visa organised so I can actually be a resident. My plans include doing some modelling, studying, working in bars, you know, meet some new people. I guess I will be able to work a 9—5 job because nobody will know who I am.