At the tender age of five, Brad Fletcher got his first earful of Harley-Davidson^®, and instantly he was hooked.

“I really liked the sound of them, and from that day I just wanted to hang around Harley motorcycles,” he recalls.

Brad, 37, was born with spina bifida meaning that he has no use of his legs and needs a wheelchair to get around. However, this has not prevented him from following his passion for the V-Twin rumble and all that goes with it. His dad says that growing up, whenever there was a Harley riding past or parked up, Brad would stare at the H-D^® craftsmanship in awe. 

Brad’s growing collection of memorabilia demonstrates his devotion. “My room is that packed with Harley-Davidson models you can hardly move in it,” he says proudly.

In 1994, he joined the Bellingen Valley H.O.G.™ Chapter, which would later amalgamate with Port Macquarie to become Mid North Coast NSW H.O.G. making the nine-year-old Brad a very young founding member. 

This was to be where he would get his first onboard experience courtesy of Bellingen’s founding director Bill Watts. 

“My first ride was on the back of an FXR Low Rider™. It was a ‘93 model and it was amazing!” says Brad. “When I first started out I was a little bit nervous, but eventually I got the hang of it and I’ve been doing it now for just about 28 years.” 

For many years to follow, Brad became the regular riding buddy of Col Roberts, Bellingen Valley’s second director. But the reality is that the popular pillion is never short of a ride.

“My bike choice depends on who’s got a spare back seat. They know that I’m really into it and really into Harley,” he says.

Brad’s first major ride was to attend his first H.O.G. rally at Lennox Head, NSW, in 1999. Given that Brad was only 14 years old his parents, Vicki and Gordon followed in the car. Neither of them rides but they are always on-hand as Brad’s personal support crew.

The longer rides don’t phase him at all and he really enjoys getting along to rallies. “The furthest I’ve ridden is from Macksville to Tamworth and back for the 2015 National H.O.G. Rally,” he says. 

The cancellation of this year’s event was a big disappointment. “I was really looking forward to going back out there and catching up with all the different chapters I met last time.” Brad loves to mingle. “I’m pretty much a talker, I can’t shut up!” he laughs.

Quite understandably he has a soft spot for the bigger tourers. “The Ultra and the Ultra Limited are like an armchair on wheels – very comfortable,” he says. The onboard sound systems mean that he can rock out as he cruises the highways. Linkin Park is particularly popular. If he had to pick a favourite model it would be the Road King^® but he’s just a big fan of the Bar & Shield.

“I reckon that Harley is the best brand of bike you can buy on the market. Especially when you’re in a big group of bikes and they all start up at once. That sound is amazing. When you’re in a big pack of them it’s such an awesome feeling.

“One day I would like to own my own Harley but they’re pretty expensive,” he muses. “I’ll also need to get it converted to have hand controls.”

The amazing H.O.G. community has always been there for Brad, and regular applications for funding from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have realised many dreams and memories.

“We contacted Brad’s disability support manager, Michelle Whiting, to obtain funding for new safety gear – Kevlar jeans, boots, gloves, jacket, and shirts,” explains Justin Owens, Activities Officer & Head Road Captain, MNCHOG. “Courtesy of some generous member donations along with the ever-supportive Ashley Beaton and the team at North Coast V-Twin Motorcycles, we recently presented Brad with a new Shark Evoline Flip Helmet with BlueTooth^™. His original was over 20 years old I’m not so sure if it was really kosher on the road anymore,” he adds. 

Brad fully embraces the camaraderie of H.O.G. and his enthusiasm is infectious. “I’ve been riding with the same people all my life. It’s awesome, I love it and I treat the club as my family because I’ve known them for so long.”

Like so many of us, a trip to the US is on his wish list. “I wouldn’t mind going to Sturgis one day if I can afford it. And I also wouldn’t mind going to the factory in Milwaukee and checking out the collection at the H-D Museum^®,” he ponders. Not so sure that NDIS will come to the party for that one but there’s no harm in dreaming big.