It's a 2010 Iron. I originally bought it because
of the matt black stealth looks and the reliability of a brand new engine but
overall the affordable price tag. I decided I wanted to strip it back and try to
make the bike look more classic and over time I sourced bits and pieces from
ebay etc. and gradually my spare room filled with parts... spoked rims, tires,
headlight, tail light, new seat, shocks, speedo relocation, forward controls,
bars, risers, indicators, tank lift, coil relocation, air filter,
pipes, sprocket cover, points cover, pedals, grips, mirror and a few more odds
and sods.
I had all the parts but needed help in making it
happen, luck would have it I bumped into a top bloke called Kendall Madigan who
lived literally at the end of my street and who knows his shxt, been building
bikes for years and we came to a deal he'd help me fix my bike up in exchange
for a logo for his bike building biz . So he had himself a deal. I would like to
wrap the pipes, but we had such a bitch getting them on we don't really want to
take them off for a while. I've asked my bro who works at
Crumpler to make me a new
version of a blanket roll bag which will be handy.
Did you sketch, Photoshop, or just go
with the flow while building? Did you draw any inspiration from other bikes?
Mainly when it came down to choosing the colour
and tank design I made a couple of 10 minute photoshop mock ups, but really just
had it all in my head. I changed my mind so many times it was stupid only to
come back to my original idea of the scallops which I then gave to Marc over at
Sydney Custom. I think he did a great job and unfortunaly you can't really see
the flake in the paint in the pictures; it's best viewed in daylight - looks
awesome.
You entered the bike in the Deus Bike
Build-off. How was it?
Yeah I entered the bike just as something to do.
Think the idea was to build the best for less, not sure I fitted into that
category. Would have been a great day out apart from the fact that I got a flat
so spent most of the day pumping it up in ball-sweating heat to then end up
getting towed away from Deus and then to top it off I lost my house keys... all
that for a free T-shirt. (I'm starting to run out of bike pump jokes. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated - Andrew)
How have the mods you've made changed the
way the bike rides?
The suspension is way better and the risers don't
break my neck anymore, but now the seat breaks my ass and the tires are as scary
as hell in the rain.
Any words of wisdom from the build you'd
like to pass on?
Ebay takes over your life, but it's worth it.
If money was no object, what woud be your
ultimate Harley?
An old Shovelhead, Panhead or something old with
truck-loads of character.
What bikes have you owned before, and
what bike would you like to own next?
I've owned Scramblers, and vintage Vespas. I
think my wife would chop my nuts off if I bought another bike. If however she
wasn't to know then it would have to be as above...