Over the years Home of Metal has met some incredible Black Sabbath fans who have dedicated huge amounts of time and money to their fandom; some have collected hundreds of t-shirts, rare records or travelled thousands of miles to attend every show on a tour. All very impressive! This blog is about one fan’s very special project…
Ric Lovett, from Hampshire, UK, has combined his love for Black Sabbath and a passion for motorbikes in the most amazing way. During a period of recovery from illness, Ric used his time to custom build a new motorbike, one completely dedicated to Black Sabbath! Each part is unique, specially commissioned and adorned in some way and influenced by Black Sabbath lyrics and imagery.
Henry is on the fuel tank, there’s purple lighting on the dash, bronze hands throwing the devil horns stand proudly at the rear of the bike. Look around the bike and you’ll discover lots of subtle nods to Black Sabbath, engraved lyrics, crosses, custom leather work with song titles.
Ric’s favourite song is Symptom of the Universe so a very pertinent lyric from the track was incorporated; “A love that never dies.” And, for Ric, this line sums up his experience of being a Black Sabbath fan and biker. During a really difficult time in life music helped Ric through his recovery and the bike build gave him something to focus on. In an interview with 100% Biker magazine Ric said; “Building it breathed life back into me when I needed it the most. Biking and Sabbath are life!”
Ric’s Black Sabbath Harley Davidson has been on display this summer in our exhibition Black Sabbath – 50 Years at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The bike takes pride of place in the fan area of the exhibition and has been one of the most popular fan-owned items in the show. The exhibition, celebrating 50 years of Black Sabbath, the band’s legacy and their fans, is coming to a close on 29th September so if you want to see the bike up close, along with hundreds of other objects, make sure to book tickets soon.
Buy tickets for Black Sabbath – 50 Years here.
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