harley davidson

Some guys have all the luck

So, somebody told me this story today and I decided I had to pass it on.

The story comes from a Radio 2 DJ who apparently told it on air this morning. It is 100% true.

There’s this dude, OK, who’s really into Harley Davidsons. He’s a fanatic. He’s owned a particularly beautiful Harley most of his life and has kept it in mint condition. He loves this machine.

One day he decides to expand and get a side-car. ‘Course, he doesn’t want any old side-car – he wants a Harley side-car, the real deal. After weeks of phoning around dealers in the UK he discovers that the only place he’ll find what he wants is America. Cue another lengthy process of calling around dealers in the States. Eventually he finds a company who have what he’s looking for. A genuine HD side-car, ready for exporting.

The American chap on the other end of the phone asks the guy a few questions about his bike, including the chassis number. He says he needs to go away and make a few enquiries and then, mysteriously, proceeds to call back every twenty minutes or so with more questions – “What colour is it?”, “When did you buy it?”, “How much did it cost?”, “Who sold it to you?” and so on. Our protagonist is nonplussed. Did they really need to know all this stuff just to sell him a side-car?

A couple of hours later he receives his final call from the American dealer.

“Go and look underneath the seat on your bike sir. There’s something there I think you’re gonna want to see.” 

Still none the wiser, the Harley enthusiast goes outside to where his bike is waiting on the drive and lifts up the seat. Underneath a message is inscribed into the metal: “To Elvis, from Johnny Cash.”

A week later he sells the bike for three and a half million quid.

Yikes.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to lift up the bonnet of my Peugeot 106 to look for the following inscription: “To Celine Dion, all my love forever, Rick Astley”.