The Mistress Motorbike
Sometimes a bike can become an obsession. This is the case with Brett’s Fat Boy which he jokingly refers to as The Mistress.
LIKE A LOT of people, when Brett got a glimpse of Arnie Schwarzenegger’s antics aboard his Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in Terminator 2 he had to have one of these iconic H-D models — and that’s what he set his sights on. He bought this ’97 Fat Boy in 2004. It was his first Harley after a succession of dirt bikes and a Husky 570 SMR Supamotard. The Fat Boy had been slightly modified and resembled as a Heritage Softail with black with gold pin-striping. He was happy to punt around on the bike as it was for a short time before the custom bike bug bit big time.
After a couple of major hiccups and some very poor dealings with some so called ‘reputable’ custom builders, Brett finally hooked up with the right people with the right talents and The Mistress has finally reached the standard that you see in these pics. Brett couldn’t be happier.
The heart of the beast got a transplant in the form of a 107 cube S&S which supplies the extra power that the stock motor was lacking. The power is transferred via a beefed-up gearbox to the rear, 250, diamond-cut spoked wheel which sits formidably in a Heartland rear-end.
Up front, a Mean Street Avalon front-end runs a five-degree rake and keeps that 23-inch front wheel aimed in the right direction which also got the diamond-cut spoke treatment.
Extensive powder-coating is employed on the headlight, primary cover, pipes, air cleaner, struts and belt guard. The lack of shiny parts helps to accentuate the killer paint job on the guards and the custom tank that was fabricated at Choppazilla.
Brett can’t speak highly enough about the quality of the airbrush work that adorns his bike. An oriental theme is blended into the top side of the fuel tank with the theme continuing on to the front and rear guards.
“A huge thanks goes to Damo, from Zealous Air Brushing, for his work and vision with the paint and airbrush work,” Brett says. “We took a massive gamble with matte black worked in with the burgundy/red candy.”
The proof is in the pudding and the matte black inserts are a real stand out feature of the bike’s appearance.
The Mistress runs Air Ride suspension, some tough looking forward controls, ultra tidy Custom Cycle switch blocks on the bars, and a Dakota digital dash. All up, a real head-turner where ever she goes.
Brett plans to just ride the bike as is when time permits and maybe enter it in a few shows. He would like to thank Joe from KPR Industries for all the parts and accessories, Andrew from Choppazilla for the custom tank, and Dan also from Choppazilla for all the re-wiring; and last but not least, “My wife for putting up with all the mood swings when shit wasn’t going right.”
Nice work, Brett! If I were to tell my missus I was leaving her at home while I hit the town with my mistress, I’d end up in a body cast being fed through a tube.
Pics by Jo; words by Chuck U Farley
