AUSTRALIAN folklore tends to be rooted in the convict origins of the country; a land where people were sent as punishment by the Monarchy, for the most inane crimes, many of which were actions of desperation purely for survival. The simple stealing of a loaf of bread could see you deported for life to the penal colony of Australia. Incarcerated, enslaved and regularly punished with floggings in a land with a climate, polar opposites to the Mother country; the new surrounds of Australia were initially a living hell.

Out of this oppression grew the occasional folk hero — Ned Kelly — a rebel who had had enough of being treated poorly and decided to take a stand. This bike pays homage to the recognition of ol’ Ned and his middle finger salute to those who choose to oppress those of us who just want to bask in the sunshine of our penal colony even today.

I spoke to Ian Peacock about his choice of ride and he said, “I’ve always wanted a bobber style bike and was interested in the 883 Harley-Davidson at first, but when I saw the Yamaha Bolt, I thought that’s cool.” Further investigation revealed that the Yamaha was a fair bit cheaper than the 883. As a bona fide competitor to Harley-Davidson, “The Bolt also has an extensive catalogue of custom parts as well,” Ian continued.

Owned since new, this 2014 950 cc V-twin has travelled about 44,000 km so it’s no trailer queen, with much of the riding being done with the Sons Of Anzac crew. Ian likes the camaraderie and family friendly atmosphere of the club.

An OEM two-inch lowering kit gives the bike a nice stance, and apart from scraping a bit of brass from the custom foot pegs due to vigorous cornering, it has plenty of ground clearance and enough suspension travel to keep it comfy on long rides. 

All chrome on the bike has been removed and the bling is now brass. Most prominent are the bullet casings as bolt covers. 

“I stopped counting at 954,258 because there are some you can’t even see,” 

Ian tells me that some were bought from the States and some were locally sourced and cut down to suit with different calibers used depending on the size of the bolt head.

“There are 30/30’s, .44’s and a few .50 cal as well,” said Ian. 

The bullet theme extends to the airbrushing on the rocker covers and the lower edges of the fuel tank. The fuel cap is also painted to look like the detonator end of a .50 cal shell! 

Ned Kelly, in his famous handmade armour, pointing his hand canon at the authorities, which is mirror-imaged on both sides of the tank, caps off the bushranger theme. The design is the idea of the owner while the layout and colour choice was that of airbrush artist Mel Carrall.

Other brass details include the gauge mounts, swing-arm pivot cover, hand grip and foot peg detail, indicator and rear lamp bezels, air filter inlay, battery hold-down strap, a flexible braid covering the cables, stitching on the seat, and the Southern Cross on the pillion pad neatly embroidered by Tidy Trim in Newcastle. 

It sounds excessive, but as you can see in the pics, along with the Mel Carral artwork, it makes for a nice custom and rarely seen look.

The engine remains stock, but with the easier breathing courtesy of the Cobra ‘Air Throat’ air cleaner and the wrapped Vance & Hines short staggered pipes, there is plenty of mumbo from the 950 donk with bags of torque and a nice note to boot! 

A set of OEM eight-inch ape-hangers finishes off the style of the bike with all the cables and brake lines extended to suit.

Although Australians tend to favour the underdog and will staunchly support the less favoured over the favourite, it’s obvious that we live in the Lucky Country. We can ride year-round, we can travel in any direction and see something new every day, and there’s a great motorcycling culture. And we were sent here as punishment! Jokes on the Poms, I think. Ahh, Such Is Life!

Words: JT of Crotch Rocket Motorcycles; photos: iShootPix