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HORRIS

A BIKE BUILT ON FANTASY

photographed by HERBERT FERNANDES

“I tend to make big bikes look small�/p>

ROAR

Turning SUVs into jelly

The Harley-Davidson workshop erupted as the chopper spluttered to life, with a roar from its two-litre S and S engine that would shame most cars into submission. Every inch of its custom-built black and chrome frame oozes personality, and you can either love it or hate it. There is no in-between. This is as extreme as it gets in Muscat, an in-your-face blast of power that would, if life were as surreal as this bike, turn SUVs into jelly.

So what on earth is it and what does it do? This is a motorcycle you don’t find in shops �you have it made for you. Start with a Big Dog �a monstrous Harley-Davidson line that sells for about RO14,000 in Muscat �and then chop it up, tearing out its innards. Get rid of the engine, the suspension (without which the bike now sports a clean-lined underside) and slap on the S and S Cycle motor, expose the ‘primary�(which means you have the belt whipping around in the open �good thing your foot is stretched out over the custom-made foot pegs, way up ahead) and add the finishing touc-hes: the minute, bat-like mirrors, the magnificent chrome horn that is the air intake, the massive rear wheel (300mm wide �looks so broad you could ride a very Big Dog on one wheel), the tubing (like worms with muscles) and the forks (chrome, and extended far, far out).

SIZE

Men and big things

John Thornton has been selling Harleys in Oman since 1998, but he’s never had anything quite like this. “I tend to make big bikes look small,�he says, explaining why he must have this unearthly motorcycle. The size fits, and it makes entire highway’s worth of commuters turn their heads, which doesn’t feel too bad either.
The sheer size of something like this means it is a completely different ballgame when it comes to riding, especially when you have to wrangle its tangle of metal into corners �an exercise for a very seasoned rider. As one biker famously said of the choppers making their presence felt in post-WWII America, "You couldn't turn very good but you sure looked good doing it.�br>
Such hormone-laden creations were first thought of by servicemen returning to the USA after the Second World War, bursting with the thrill of victory, military training and a bright future. They’d take a traditional cruiser and chop it up, getting rid of everything deemed unnecessary, lightening their machines for drag racing and joyrides. Over generations, choppers almost became mainstream �and you can buy kits to soup up your factory-spec bike today, or, if you have USD52,000 to burn on two wheels, have one like John’s created for you. It’s that simple.

As for John’s, it was created by a chap in New York called Horris, who’d trailer it to shows but then ride it into them, clocking 22 miles in the process, yet another number to add to a remarkable machine seemingly built with complete disregard to convention and physics. Indeed, even compared to other Harleys, which don’t have a particularly prim reputation, this bike is almost rude.