A Victorian father of two has been reunited with his late father's cherished Harley Davidson after more than a decade. Brady Morton was just 18 when his dad, Gavin, passed away from cancer 12 years ago at the age of 50. To cover Gavin's funeral expenses, the 1998 Harley was sold, a decision Brady had regretted ever since.
"I've been kicking myself ever since over why I let it go," Morton said. He had always hoped to buy a Harley Davidson in honor of his father, but his wife and sister had a better plan. Morton's sister, Ashlee, began searching for their dad's old bike last August, with the help of Brady's wife, Alisha.
"It meant a lot to me because I just knew how much it would mean to him to have a piece of his dad back," Alisha Morton said. It took the pair 10 months to track down the bike's current owner.
"I think it went through four owners, but I had to go through five to six contacts," Ashlee said. Eventually, they located the bike's most recent owner, Dean Briggs, who felt honored to help and sell the bike back to the family.
"I did tell them the bike hadn't started for a while," Briggs said. "But once they turned the key, it started straight away, so I think it was meant to be - this bike was meant to be with them."
Brady received the beloved bike as a 30th birthday gift and described it as "massive." He has no plans to ever sell the Harley, intending instead for it to become a family heirloom.
"So although I get to ride it, it's a good gift for everyone," Morton said.