Thursday 18 July 2013

MAX WILLIAMS, NO RELATION BUT ONE ENORMOUS INSPIRATION, INFLUENCE AND A TRULY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING . . . . LOVING HUSBAND, FATHER, TEACHER, MUSICIAN, ENGINEER, PHILOSOPHER, STROKE SLAYER, MOTORCYCLE AND CAR BUILDER . . . . HE WAS A FRIEND, A MENTOR, A FELLOW BAND MEMBER FOR SIX EPIC YEARS . . . . AND SO MUCH MORE TO SO MANY PEOPLE . . . . A COLLECTION OF HIS HANDIWORK IN TWO AND FOUR WHEELED FORMS.

MY SINCERE AND HEARTFELT THANKS, APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO SCOTTY WILLIAMS FOR SO WILLINGLY AND HAPPILY PROVIDING THE PHOTOS . . . . LOVE YA MATE.

Max was one of those rare individuals who could not only turn his capable hand to anything he chose to but would excel in doing so, he taught many of my friends at the local Papist boys school and could teach anything from physics to Latin, he had a severe stroke around the same time my father did and managed to will himself back from being nearly written off by the doctors and went on to achieve so much more . . . . he had always been mad about all things mechanical and was well known and respected for his ability to rebuild and meticulously restore both cars and bikes to the highest level, his H1 triple was a wicked thing, I first met him in about '84 and immediately learned to shut the fuck up and listen when Herr Schmart was talking, then we end up playing music together in my first cover band for nearly six years from about '91, I was singing and Max was on sax as part of our three piece 'Jurassic Brass' section, he was such a funny bastard . . . . concurrently he built almost single handedly the most incredible Yammy XV1000 custom cafe racer jigger while I was a partner at Classic Bike Tune, and I mean all of it, plus a cracking SR500 in the same style, he put together a superb Cobra replica with a fuelie 302 with input from his 'apprentii' and son, Scotty, it was awesome as well, I could go on about this bloke for so much longer but typing through tears is a tad difficult . . . . he left behind his gorgeous wife, a beautiful daughter, two fine sons and a shitload of friends who will forever hold treasured memories of him as the gifted, generous and wonderful freak that he was . . . . enjoy the work and talents of Mr Max Williams, I'm just honoured to say he was my friend. RIP.

*** You'll notice his 'logo' on the tanks of his custom bikes . . . . he was forever being stopped by blokes saying they didn't know MV made such a bike, depending who it was or whether Max felt like taking the piss would determine his response . . . . 'dry' was an accurate character type descriptor.

6 comments:

  1. The best ones always go first.
    Sorry.
    That MW/XV is something else, looks like a "shop bought 'un"!

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    1. Yes mate you're right, he was a one in a million talented dude, seeing him put it together over the best part of a year was mindblowing, the pipes alone are a work of fucking art. Cheers buddy, stoked you dig, Max would be too.

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  2. Your friend built some nice mosheens as you say, may he rest in peace. I imagine that early Kawa with the chambers got with the program, reminds me of my brothers smokin; strokers.

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    1. I'm not totally sure Laz but I think it was the H1A, and yes, it had quite the desired noise from those Max fabbed chambers . . . cheers mate, muchly.

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  3. Thanks Mate...never forgotten & always missed.

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    1. My greatest, heartfelt pleasure and honour Scotty, never forgotten in my mind either.

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