If you believe in motorcycle Kismet, you’re going to love this one.

“I went to Pig Trail Harley-Davidson,” he recalled, “and there was the bike.” It was the exact same one he’d seen in the garage, two years earlier. “They told me the woman’s name who’d owned it, and it was her — the lady whose grass I mowed.” The only difference was that now it was for sale. It was a sacred moment. It was meant to be. A choir of angels joined the sound of those heavenly harps as Bryan Carr purchased his very first H-D. The bike was a ’07, and it had an air of mystery about it. Bryan named it Bond, after the 007 agent.

Being a designer, and having somewhat of an artistic sensibility, Bryan had plans for his bike. He’d become a fan of Roland Sands, and gained inspiration from him. He also spent hours on the XL forums, gaining knowledge and looking for modification ideas. He already had mechanical knowhow, having worked on custom Mustangs as a hobby for several years. With the help of his stepfather, Tommy Lawson, he immediately began modifying his new Nightster. “I started off by taking the front fender off, adding 12 inch Z-bars and a 21 inch front tire.” He thought that would be the end of it, but then he got an FSD 2-into-1 pipe. “It was so badass that the bike didn’t do it justice. I cut the frame and added a 200mm fat tire kit, strutting the custom fender to the swingarm.” Centering that rear tire was the most challenging part of the project. “It’s really tight in there,” he said. He’s pleased that he made the change though. “The bike handles better with the 200mm tire on the rear. The pipe being center of the motor helps a lot too,” he said. “I’m no longer dragging stock pipes in corners.”

D&D Cycle in Rogers, Arkansas, helped with the motor set-up, and Happy Trails Motorcycle Connection in Bryan’s hometown of Fayetteville did the dyno work. Bryan’s tinkered a little with the bike here and there ever since he got it. Last winter, he ported and polished the heads and the Andrews N6 cams. He says he’s through tweaking, but a few days ago, he wet sanded all the numbers and letters off of his hand controls, adding to the Old School look that he loves. “People are surprised when I tell them that it’s a ’07, and a lot of them can’t believe that it’s a Sportster,” he said.

An official Harley addict now, Bryan’s already got plans to build a Sportster café racer. For now, he’s happy with his Nightster and the results of the customization. He likes the way it sounds, the way it rides and the way it looks. In a way, he and his bike have become one, as so often happens with diehard Harley aficionados. You could say Bryan’s formed a bond with Bond.