Marvin Estes has been riding motorcycles since he was four years old. He’s 49 now, so when he offered to let me ride on the back of his beautiful ’96 Dyna Wide Glide, I felt that he’d probably had enough experience for me to agree. I knew he was responsible. He’d told me about how, for years, he made his monthly child support payments without fail, and when his son turned eighteen, he decided to use the money he’d been setting aside to start supporting a new Harley instead.
Marvin’s new baby is called Purple Passion, and it’s a beauty. He bought the bike from Jimmy Conner, who took the entire thing apart and had it rebuilt from the ground up. Ulys Youngblood of Youngblood’s Motorcycles in Harrison, Arkansas, rebuilt the 1480cc Harley engine, added the many extras, and did the chroming. “Everything that can be chromed has been chromed,” Marvin said. Nathan Chaney of Alpena, Arkansas, provided the incredible purple paint job, using Saran Wrap for a marbleized look. The build took two years, and was well worth the wait.
As a hobby, Marvin and sons Dalton and Logan restore ’67-’72 Chevy pickup trucks. They’re great at what they do, and travel around to car and truck shows, winning awards in the process. Marvin’s owned Harleys before, but this time, he wanted a good-looking bike that he could ride alongside his sons to truck shows and rallies. There’s usually a cycle division at these events as well, so while the sons are busy winning trophies for their antique Chevy pickups, Marvin rolls his Dyna into the cycle division and picks one up as well. He’s won a lot of them, including three in Best of Show.
Weather permitting, Marvin rides his Purple Passion everywhere. In two years, he’s put 11,000 miles on it in, commuting to work every day, traveling to shows and weekend fun runs, and just hitting the winding mountain roads near his home. “I live in the Ozarks. Most people would love to ride the roads we take for granted,” Marvin said.
The bike has two seats, one for competition, and one that Marvin uses for regular riding. “It’s big and ugly, but oh so comfortable,” he laughed. The Co2 canister, the 89 LED lights in the front and back, the groovy retro Harley-Davidson logo painted on the tank—all of these nice little details make up for the ugliness of that seat.
Marvin’s happy with the unique look of his bike, the way people flock around and admire it wherever he goes. When asked how it rides and handles, he simply says, “Awesome.” He described it as big and comfortable with “plenty of power.”
I’d have to agree with all of the above. As Marvin’s passenger, I loved the way the Dyna turned and took curves, the way that people smiled and waved and stared, and although I felt that my eyeballs might vibrate out of my head, I loved the power of bike as we made our way up and around the mountains and hills of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was a great ride, and a great bike.
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