Low & Lean Custom Bike

Inconspicuousness is not a characteristic that you'd usually associate with any Harley-Davidson motorcycle. But when an owner is passionate and committed enough to create something as stunning as Gary France's custom bike, it becomes impossible not to stare 

H-D enthusiasts are turned on to the bikes by many things. Driving down London's Kings Road, Gary decided on a whim to drop into Warr's. He immediately fell for a Road King, and before long was riding out with the Chelsea and Fulham Chapter. By the time the 2007 season came around, Gary was totally immersed in his passion for riding, and that April toured France on his bike, before taking his first long trip and riding over the Alps to Faaker See. In that first year, Gary covered 8,000 miles and had customised his Road King to make it his own. However, not only had Faaker See been his first long trip, it was also his first rally, and his first close contact with radical custom bikes. Now he wanted his own. An avid reader of Hog Tales, Gary was drawn to a bike created by the team at Waterford H-D, and knew that Lenny Burns and his team were the crew to help him create his own dream ride. Immediately, Gary began researching. "This gave me lots of ideas about the frame, forks, tank, bars, pipes, wheels and everything else," he remembers. "Of course, I wanted the engine to be a Harley and chose a Screamin Eagle 110 cubic inch/1800cc." Over in Waterford , Lenny Burns and his team began to pull the parts together. A Paul Yaffe frame was ordered to give the bike the sleek, undulating silhouette that his bikes are famous for. Shipping from Phoenix, Arizona , the frame took its time in arriving but before long, it too had arrived. The summer of 2007 saw the bike really start to come together, and Gary making more and more frequent flights between Luton and Waterford. "I made quite a few trips to look at progress and to help make decisions along the way - I was quite hands-on in the decision-making process," Gary explained. "Lucky I live near to Luton airport and Waterford has its own airport so in spite of it being by plane, the travelling was quite easy." The engine was powder coated, which took more time to strip down but the effort paid off. As autumn approached, the agony of waiting worsened, but eventually the call came in - the bike was finished. The team at Waterford had created a stunning finished product. Sean Egan's paintwork gleams in the sun. Gary had help from Mark Battistini to get the necessary SVA tests to get the bike licensed, while Peter Saunders did the majority of the build work. Now it was time to get the bike out of the garage and out on the road. Although Gary admits his first encounter with a roundabout on the custom was 'interesting', before long he'd discovered that the handling was superb and the bike was comfortable. However, in spite of its jaw-dropping looks, Gary was adamant that this bike was going to be very much a practical investment. "What is important to me is that the motorbike is definitely not just for looking at," he insists. "I have already done 1500 miles on the bike and I will certainly do a great deal more before the year is out." The first big trip for the bike was down to St Tropez for the H.O.G. Euro Festival. Gary entered the custom bike show and was stunned to be awarded Best in Class. Since then, the bike has been making waves at other bike shows throughout the season - he was awarded both Best Radical Custom and Best in Show at this year's South of England Rally. It's a stunning bike, and one that's here as the result of a great deal of hard work and passion from many people, not least Gary himself. He admits: "I guess I am very lucky to have been able to achieve my dream bike. I am certainly very grateful to the many people who helped me achieve it." So keep an eye out for this sleek, low, growling custom bike. It's hard to say what you'll spot first - the flawless paint job or the enormous, beaming grin of the man riding it.