Little Wing, Mike McAlexander’s new Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute bike, is a work of art and a rolling reminder of Mike’s adventures in Austin. A lover of music, Mike is partial to blues in general and Stevie Ray Vaughan in particular. “Stevie was from, and playing around, Austin, Texas when I first moved there in 1980, back in the days of the Austin Music scene.” Mike said. He describes it as a time “…when Austin’s artists were producing extraordinary sounds.” It’s also where he met his wife, Nancy, which makes the memories even sweeter.

Mike, a resident of Camden, Arkansas, customized his Road King with Austin on his mind. He knew he wanted to memorialize Stevie Ray and the Austin music scene, but he also knew that he didn’t want something that screamed “TRIBUTE BIKE!” when he rode by. He wanted, he said, “a whisper.”

This is Mike’s first street bike. “I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it, since all of my previous riding was on dirt and hills,” he said. But after the first 5000 miles on a stock H-D, “I found a spiritual comfort that I couldn’t get enough of. I started making the bike mine at that point,” Mike said.

He assembled a team of pros from a place he calls “LA” (Lower Arkansas) to make his Vaughan vision a reality. Robbie and Drew Duncan, owners of Hogskin Cycle in Hampton, mechanic Kelly Saunders of Texarkana, and artist Chuck Hanson of Hanson’s Custom Painting in Waldo all contributed their skills to the project.

Mike’s initial challenge was to relay his ideas for a tribute bike that whispered instead of screamed. “I would get the strangest looks from Chuck, Robbie, Drew and Kelly. But once they started working on it, they became fans quickly, taking the extra time, working the small details and putting their passion into it also,” Mike said.

The project was eight months in the making, and represents collaboration at its finest. Robbie and Drew redesigned the wheels, tires, front end, fairing and they placed the skins. Kelly installed the 104 horsepower, 103-cubic-inch Dyno engine. Chuck Hanson, owner of Hanson’s Custom Painting, painstakingly added his unique artistry.

Mike likes his bike. He’s partial to the big, touring, low-slung bagger frame. And he couldn’t be happier with Chuck Hanson’s paint job. “Free-hand custom airbrush work takes time to be right, unless you’re using templates. When all you have is a handful of pictures and a notion that you are communicating without command of the lingo, it leads to lots of conversation,” Mike said.

“Chuck is an artist. His work has been recognized in the past, both in shows and magazines. He did a great job, listening to me babble about a whisper– a concept of low-keyed graphics that can move you the closer you approach it,” said Mike. Not only is Little Wing a beautiful bike, but it rides well, too. Mike describes it as having “a very unique, low end sound from the 103 kit and the D & D Fat Cat Exhaust that really adds to sweet ride. She has lots of torque and holds well to the road.”

Mike has plans for further customization. “I have a Klockwerks 8.5″ flare windshield coming for the Hoppe 5566 Batwing,” he said. He’s also looking for someone who can laser cut an image of Stevie Ray Vaughan into the chrome, so that it can be placed into the black inlay of the console. He has several more design ideas, and, at some point, will add a Headwinds custom headlight, spotlights and turn signals.

Mike has nothing but praise for the people who helped turn his ideas into reality. “I am pleased that I found local talent that could take a notion and bring life to it…each player was given creative freedom to bring their touch–their idea– and the result is a great looking bike of my design that rides really well.” He said he couldn’t be more pleased.

Before the rebuild, Mike typically rode locally and on short, two to five hour trips. Now he and Nancy have plans to travel west, as well as to Tampa, Memphis, and of course, to the place where it all began, Austin.

Mike’s next bike is going to be a Softail Heritage, which will be a tribute of a different sort. “Lost a friend this year that always rode a Heritage. Looked damn good doing it too,” he said.

For now, though, Little Wing truly is Mike McAlexander’s pride and joy.