Muddy’s Harley-Davidson Destiny

MUDDY has finally got his dream bike after a long absence from the saddle. In the past he has owned all sorts of two-wheeled wonders: Nortons, Triumphs, Hondas, Yamahas, Kwakas and Ducatis were all in Muddy’s riding résumé from when he first through a leg over a bike in 1975. His last bike was a 1975 Kawasaki 900 Z1B which he fully customised and poured a lot of money and effort into. When it came time to register the bike he was delivered a solid kick in the teeth to discover that it had been stolen seven years earlier and the cops immediately confiscated the machine with all his handy work and accessories still attached. 

It was 1987 and Muddy decided that, after the incident with the stolen bike, his riding career would go on hold until he was able to afford the bike that he always wanted. A Harley-Davidson was firmly in his sights but the opportunity to own one seemed to elude him due to the usual distractions of day-to-day life: his service in the Australian Armed Forces, four years of driving interstate in a semi, owning a concrete business, and raising a family as well as incurring some injuries, left Muddy with very little time to think about fulfilling his dream of Harley-Davidson ownership.

Finally, both he and his wife decided that time was right to take the plunge and fork out the big ones for a Hog that would serve as a starting point for Muddy’s dream machine: a Street Bob was soon in his possession. It was the ideal bike for what he had in mind as this model reminded him of what the older styled Harley-Davidsons used to look like.

“The bike had some custom work done,” said Muddy, “but this was only the start to what I had in mind to what the finished product was going to be. It took another seven months before the bike was transformed to the state it is in now.”

The paint itself is the stand-out-feature on this bike. It is Electric Blue Pearl and was skilfully laid on by Mark Quince of Woodford, Queensland, and Muddy’s younger brother, Doug. The theme for the murals was Muddy’s vision as well and was designed and airbrushed by his cousin, Garry Eyre, who owns the Artist Cottage in Kingaroy, Queensland.

While the frame and other components remain fairly stock for better usability, the bike definitely stands out in a crowd due to some tasteful accessories such as the two-inch-over fork tubes and Works Performance rear shocks which deliver a better ride with more cornering clearance.

Custom Chrome items include the headlight, clutch, timing and horn covers.

In the motor department, the extra horses were added via a set of Vance & Hines Big Radius pipes, a ThunderMax auto tuner and Kuryakyn Hypercharger.

The seat is a custom unit as are those sharp looking wheels with matching rotors and belt pulley. 

Some Genuine H-D accessories got the nod including the battery cover, electrics cover, rear struts and the belt guard.

The list goes on: braided lines, custom foot pegs, forward controls, two-inch Burleigh Bars, grips, mirrors, and LED tail-light. Too many mods to mention here… but judge for yourself, a slick looking ride which you would proudly enter into any show, yet still use as an everyday rider. 

Twenty four years is a long time to wait in anyone’s language, sometimes it takes that long to plan, to dream, and to make those dreams come true. By the look of pride on Muddy’s face as we stood around checking out his bike on the day of the photo shoot, the wait was well worth it.

A big thanks has to go to Skye, our lovely model for the day.

Pics by Jo; words by Chuck U Farley