Flaming Far North Queensland Harley-Davidson Softail
Danny soon discovered that Cairns is God’s own country for riding motorbikes.
TIMES WERE tough in Melbourne and there wasn’t much work for a subcontract plasterer in Collingwood so Danny headed north. So far north he made his home in tropical Cairns where houses were sprouting up like mushrooms in a cow paddock after the rain. With a steady income Danny bought the Harley of his dreams. It’s not a $100,000 dollar rich boy’s toy but a daily rider. Danny dead-set rides his bike to and from work every day, rain, hail or shine. He doesn’t own a car, and at the time of shooting, he had more than 50,000 km on the clock.
Pete at Octane Art did the flame paintwork that sets this Harley apart from all the over-the-counter custom Harley paint jobs. It’s not an over-the-top candy flouro paint job, just tasteful orange flames blended in with black and purple.
The blokes from Harley Magic are responsible for the chrome and 103 ci engine with a SE255 Screamin’ Eagle cam. The heads are pretty well stock with a K&N air filter, race tuner and S&S pipes. It’s not a drag bike, just a stout street bike that runs pretty hard.
To get that classic stance, four-inch-over forks were fitted, the rear was lowered with long bolts, and the stock shocks and springs were wound up. A 210 Metzler was fitted to the back stock mag wheel. A Brawler seat and Kuryakyn indicators fitted and everything else came out of the Harley catalogue. Really there isn’t anything radical done to make the bike unreliable or impractical.
The Flaming Softail was built to be ridden and it’s no wonder given the location. There’re some magnificent rides around the Cairn’s region. The ride to Port Douglas is as good or if not better than the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Or maybe a day ride up around the Atherton tablelands to Paranella Park or the Barron Falls.
If you happen to be in the Cairns area and see Danny sitting on his bike, say G’day and tell him you saw his tasty Softail in Ozbike. And if you ever fly into the Cairns airport, you’ll know who plastered the walls.
Words & pics by SS
