Motorhead Tribute Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide

STEVE IS a third generation fisherman so hard work and fishing is in his blood. He operates a prawn trawler on the Gold Coast working most nights and looks forward to some rough seas now again so he can moor his boat and jump on his Harley-Davidson for a good unwind.

Steve’s bike is a 1993 Anniversary model, first of the Dyna Wide Glides. Steve bought it off one of his mates back in 2000, and five years ago, snapped the crank in it. I might add here, he does ride fairly hard.

Shifter from Anderson’s Custom Cycles pulled the engine out and sent it to Ollie Logan who is a brilliant engine rebuilder and machinist. Ollie used a 1941-up Knucklehead big-end bearing and cage assembly matched to a race series crank-pin (Ollie says this is the strongest set-up you can use in these engines). The heads were ported and flow tested, then the engine blue-printed and balanced by Ollie.

Roscoe from RPM did the start-up and initial tuning on the new engine and also blacked and wrapped the pipes.

Steve from Powerhouse Dynotuning is the man you need when it comes to getting the maximum power out of any brand of motorcycle, and that’s where Steve took his Dyna. The bike is pulling a healthy 95 hp which the guys are very happy with.

Steve is a huge Motorhead fan and has seen the band no less then six times. The first time he saw the band was back in 1983 at Bombay Rock. Steve thought he would get there early to beat the rush of the crowd. When he arrived and had a look around, he couldn’t believe he was the only one waiting. As the night went on, the crowd grew, and there was Steve… plus 19 punters. He said the guys in Motorhead played just as hard as if there were 20,000 in the crowd! After the gig, the boys in the band came out and had a drink with the guys who turned up for their show.

The next night INXS played at the same venue and the line of people waiting to get into the gig did the full circle of the block; it was huge. As Steve said with a laugh, “That’s the day I realised I was different to most people.”

Last year in April, Steve’s girlfriend Viv got him a ticket to Motorhead’s concert at the Convention Centre on the Gold Coast. They only had 20 Meet & Greet tickets for after the concert and Steve missed out on them because he found out too late. Viv sent an email to the guys in charge of the Motorhead tour and told them what a big fan Steve was and he had been to five of their concerts; they said there are now 21 Meet & Greet tickets. Steve was stoked to say the least. He was thinking about what to take to the gig to get signed by the guys from Motorhead when he had a brain wave — the tank off his Dyna Wide Glide!

Then, a month out from the concert, he got the idea to have the band’s logo on the tank. Stuart Vimpani from Artistic Creations got the job of doing the artwork which looks a treat and works in well with the matt black finish. Stuart clear-lacquered over the signatures as well to protect them.

The Fat Boy rear wheel also works in well with the theme of the bike; it looks tough!

After the concert, Steve was the last one to meet the band carrying his tank under his arm wrapped in a blanket. When Lemmy (the lead singer and bass player) saw the tank, he was pumped in being able to sign his name on it along with the rest of the band. Lemmy ended up having a drink with Steve after that. What a way to end a great night!

Plus having that memory with you every time you ride is a bonus! Motorhead forever, as Steve would say.

Words & pics by Rod Cole