If you've ever come to where your motorcycle was supposed to be, only to find a naked piece of concrete, you know the sudden devastation that comes next. But that can't compare to what Brady Morton went through.
Brady's father, Gavin, owned a 1998 Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic, but after Gavin died of cancer 12 years ago, Brady had to sell it to help pay for the funeral. So, not only did Brady have to deal with the grief of his father's death and the struggle of organizing his funeral, but now he knew he'd never get to ride his dad's pride and joy.
Thankfully, Brady has the people around him who'd ensure that wouldn't be the last time he saw the bike. But it wasn't an easy task.
12-Year Ache
Although Brady wasn't old enough to ride his father's bike at the time of his death, it was still something he wanted and thought about even after selling it. According to Brady, "For the past 12 years, I've said I would love to buy it back and return it to the family. But then I had a family and two kids. Things got busy."
Things were too busy for Brady, but his sister Ashlee, his wife Alisha, and a family friend put in the work—of which there was a lot—to track down his father's Harley.
Hunting a Harley
When you sell a bike, it kind of gets lost in the ether, almost like an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. Sometimes something will remind you of them, and you'll wonder if they're still in the area, if they've been doing better or worse since you parted ways, and maybe even what it'd be like to have them back in your life again. But, generally speaking, it's a helluva lot easier to track down an ex than a 12-year-old bike to find your answers.
But it turns out Brady's sister Ashlee is a bit of a Sherlock Holmes when it comes to hunting Harleys.
After finding the number plate details, Ashlee checked VicRoads to see if the bike was still registered, which it was. But this presented the first hurdle, as the owner wouldn't return her calls. Not to be deterred, Ashlee found the owner on FaceBook, only to find out they sold the bike. Thankfully, the previous owner had the number of the person they sold it to. Ashlee's search could continue.
Ashlee tracked down the person, which led to another semi-dead end, as they had sold the bike to a dealership. Thankfully, the Peter Stevens dealership said they'd help Ashlee and Alishia track down the bike, before letting them know someone called Dean would contact them.
It turns out the bike had been sitting in Dean's garage and hadn't been ridden in a few years. According to Ashlee, when Dean heard the story behind the Harley, "He teared up and said, "I'm happy to sell it back to you; it's going to bring you a lot more happiness than it does me,"
And, after months of searching, Brady was reunited with his dad's Harley on his 30th birthday. I'm not crying, you are.
Let us know the bike you regret parting with the most in the comments.
