Words: Geoff Baldwin Photography: Luke Ray.

What is it that defines something as being either trash or treasure? Perhaps it’s differences in perceived value, need vs want or maybe it just comes down to personal taste. In a world where throwaway technology and mass production is prolific it’s easy to see why there is so much being discarded that still holds some sort of value. In Australia local councils manage the accumulation of unwanted goods by conducting annual ‘hard rubbish’ collections. When I was a student this was the time to deck out your pad with furniture, electrical goods and whatever else you’d stumble across without costing you a cent. For some people though, hard rubbish presents an opportunity to find unique curios that can be used in ways they were never intended. One such person is ‘Diamond’, a tattoo artist from Thailand living in Australia and taking full advantage of our hard rubbish habits to build his ‘Dirty Rat’.

Words Geoff Baldwin Photography Luke Ray.

My buddy Kev has a knack for importing vehicles. Over the years he’s accumulated a killer collection of custom bikes and cars that are enough to turn any moto enthusiast green. But of all his trick rides it’s his 1951 Harley Davidson Panhead that really takes my fancy. I’ll be honest here and say that Harleys have never really been my thing, but the first time I saw Kev’s Pan all that changed. There’s no denying that the era this bike’s from was one of the most visually spectacular automotive design periods in history, but Kev’s Pan is the perfect balance of classic '50s cool and tidy custom work. Everything from the chunky tyres to the wheel covers and cocktail shaker mufflers balances perfectly with its fifties styling. Like all of Kev’s bikes there’s a cool story behind how it ended up in his hands, but this one brings a whole new meaning to “sight unseen”.