Charcoal Harley-Davidson Low Rider & Bianca
Daryl is a whiz kid when it comes to doing modifications to other people’s Harleys. This is his own bike…
IT ALL STARTED when I was doing tool-making and a lot of the guys that I had grown up with had Harleys. I found myself turning up little bits and pieces and then started doing modifications to frames for them. I left it for a while because there was no money in it, continuing to just do stuff for myself. Finally I started doing it again full time.
I do the custom work fabrications for the dealerships around town—Blacktown Harley, Fraser Motorcycles—as well as Mild and Wild and Sydney Engineering. Pretty much all of the little shops in Sydney, I do all their modifications.
I’ve had a lot of Harleys over the years. I normally change them every six months so I’ve got a little collection—two early Shovels, and two early Twin Cams which I’m doing at the moment.
This one is sort of old school. I did have plans to change it but I thought this was a good way of advertising and showing the public what they could get out of a standard bike. It’s still a standard tank, widened spring-arm, a little bit wider tyre, but there are still other modifications that can be done if anyone wants to do it.
I would say a lot of people are spending a lot of money on their bikes, two and three times more than they need to, because they are not getting what they want done the first time. If I can build bikes like this, they can see what they can get done and I can save them money.
The spring-arm is widened to accept that tyre. The back tyre is a 230 with a 15 inch rim which is old style. The front is standard 21 inch. The springer front-end’s been raked out six degrees to get the seat level.
I make the seat base then Dave from Bad Arse Trim Co (0402-698-955) did a top job of covering it. He makes all his seats different.
The handlebars are turned upside down. I was trying to keep them different. They look uncomfortable but I feel comfortable riding bikes like that.
The charcoal paint work was done by myself and my bother-in-law, Joe Foyer.
The exhaust system is unusual. It’s from Miami Pipes. It copies the hotrod style.
The guards I buy are blanks. I used to make my own but it just took too much time and you’re not getting paid to do that. Unfortunately, that’s the way the market is. I buy blanks and then I shape them to the way the customer wants them.
I will soon be doing everything—electrical, painting, assembly—in-house, and if I continue to keep on working at a good standard, I will continue to get the work.
Dave from Mild and Wild has always been there if I am stuck so I would like to thank him. I would like to thank Dave from Bad Arse Trim Co.
Photos by Wall 2 Wall; words by Daryl
Bianca
THIS IS the first time I’ve been on a bike although my dad’s in a club so I have been around them since I was a baby. I love Harley-Davidsons.
I’m a city girl; just moved down from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. I was there since I was four so it was time for a change.
I have been modelling for a few years now. Last week I was feature girl in People magazine.
I’m a Beauty Therapist by trade so I like anything to do with beauty.
I like listening to music and I’ve played drums since I was eight.
I used to want to become an actor but then I got all my tattoos so I think that’s done for. I got my first tattoo when I was 16. I wasn’t living with mum at the time and I went out and had a coffee with her and I had a T-shirt on, I bent down to pick something up and she could see down and, yeah, she wasn’t crazy about them.
I got my first tattoo in Queensland. Paul Booth is definitely my favourite tattooist. He is overseas but he specialises in demonic grey wash tattoos. I don’t want any on my arms but I am having colour legs and that’s cool. My dad is a tattoo artist which probably inspired my attraction to them.
