As is befitting the Thai Buddha-like motifs that adorn its lustrous paintwork, this is the third incarnation of the bike. 

Its first ‘life’ was that of a 2008 FXSTB Night Train - but now, apart from the general attractiveness of its rakish line, not much evidence of the original remans. 

Its second incarnation transformed the stock bike into a custom machine, but as owner Trevor said, ‘it wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t enjoying riding it much. That’s where the guys at Heavy Duty came in. ‘ 

‘Yes, it wasn’t set up well.’ Simon explained.

‘Trevor came in and spoke to us about the Custom Harley that he had had built. The work was done by another shop that has since closed its doors and Trevor wasn’t happy with the overall result. The ergonomics were wrong and he wasn’t comfortable riding. To make matters worse, the overall look was not right.’

Trevor spoke to both Shane and Simon at Heavy Duty. A plan was formulated and implemented and the result is now a stunning Custom that Trevor ‘can’t keep off’.

‘We (Heavy Duty Motorcycles) started by realigning the rear wheel and changed the tyre to a more rider-friendly 260 Metzler. The seat was made by MC Roadrunner to move the rider 1 ½” forward and the PM Controls were modified to move them 1” back. We also adjusted the rake and trail. The Exhaust was altered and a PM Fast Air Hi-Flow was added - along with some S&S 583 Gear Drive Cams to give some extra Torque and Attitude.’ Simon continued.

‘The front guard was modified slightly to solve clearance issues and PM Brakes were fitted all round. The trick Custom Cycle Mirrors were re-wired and a digital fuel gauge was added.’

 

‘Lucky Caleb did the paintwork and the result is stunning - and sure to turn heads. The overall result was a huge change in the looks that made the Custom Lines Flow and a position that was comfortable to ride for Trevor. The mechanical work and fabrication was by our senior technician ‘Doc’ Hilber. ‘

‘Mission Accomplished’ everyone agreed.

‘That paint has a story? I asked. Simon already had painter Lucky Caleb’s take on the story prepared.

‘Trevor (Tricky) had specific ideas about what he wanted for his paint. 

It already had been painted a year earlier and there were things he wanted kept, and things he wanted changed. 

The base colour was a custom Candy Apple Red over a pearl base with Ice Pearl mini flakes – he liked this and wanted it matched as the base colour for the new paint job, so the original paint was stripped, and re-painted in a matching colour. 

All of the images that are airbrushed on are based on Trevor’s (Tricky) tattoos. 

He had specific ideas about what he wanted where, and knew that he wanted a high impact look to the artwork so I did a test panel that included a variety of styles, colours and options for him to choose from and sign off on. 

Next we made sure he would be happy with the layout and sizing of the images on the tank and fenders, letting him have total control of that too. After that, the hard work began! Many hours were put into airbrushing the artwork, which blends a tattoo-style of shading with some true fire to flow the artwork over the bike and complement it’s curves. 

The end result is pretty stunning, and most importantly – just what Trevor asked for!’

Nice. Standing there outside Heavy Duty, gleaming in the sun, it seemed like the third incarnation was worth every bit of the effort. 

Now it’s a reworked custom that has been made good, very good, Tricky/Trevor agrees.

Riding Nirvana.