After waiting all through 2012 for the rumored liquid-cooled 2013 Harley baggers to hit showroom floors, Robby Wilcox couldn’t take it anymore. When those rumors bore about as much fruit as that bacon tree I planted in my backyard, he took matters into his own hands and bought Rommel Harley-Davidson’s air-cooled 2013 Chrome Yellow Pearl Street Glide in Annapolis, Maryland.

When custom fever took over, Robby drew inspiration from several aspects of his life. Born in the year of the Dragon under the Zodiac sign Cancer, both of those traits dictated the design direction this bike was to take: “These things being close to my heart, I decided to do a Mid-Evil Dragon Theme.”

Any dragon worthy of the name is a badass combination of curves and points. Wilcox translated that into tribal blades throughout, starting with the wheels. Wicked Image’s Nemesis hoops were precisely what he wanted. He’d tapped C&C Cycle for the heavy lifting on his Mid-Evil Dragon, and it was on their advice that he kept the stock chassis, rake, and stretch. Robby loves himself some showy iron, but he also loves to ride it all day. Having a show bike was the goal. He just wanted it to be a show bike wherever he went, be it the convenience store, gas station, or cruising on a long trip somewhere. I mean, the more time you log in the saddle, the more eyes you catch, am I right?

C&C’s guiding eye kept Robby Wilcox on course as he hunted catalogs and magazines alike for just the right parts to make it all work in one unified package. “My focus was to find parts that would be coordinated and matched to tie the whole bike together,” Robby says. “I found the Aces Wild Collection from Precision Billet and matched it up with the Tribal foot controls from Accutronix and Meat Hook crashbars from BR Custom Bars, all of which complemented the Tribal Blades of the wheel design.”

Parts lines are a major part of the custom industry, but they’re no match for a good fabricator when it comes to truly customizing your ride to your individual tastes. C&C’s Roy Chamberlin gave Robby’s ride that personalized touch on the bodywork. Starting with a Klock Werks front tire skin, he cleaned, trimmed, and fit the sheet metal to really clean up the dragon’s hide. Roy also frenched the license plate frame into the stock rear fender. It was a bit of a chore; the new center brake light’s bezel was flat. The rear fender? Not so much. Roy mediated the dispute by rolling the bezel to match the curvature of the fender. A little re-chroming is all it took to make the two look great together.

Like many riders, Robby could totally see the bike in his mind’s eye but lacked the ability to bring it to life. Barry Gibson didn’t, though. Robby gave him a fair amount of leeway to do just that courtesy of the painter’s art. The graphic detail Barry accomplished on the images captured the visions straight out of Robby’s noggin: “The flare of the Tribal Blades in the paint fell right in line with the flowing tribal blades from the wheels and various covers, tying everything together,” Robby elaborates. “Barry was key in finding the right colors (Root Beer) to complement Harley’s Chrome Yellow Pearl and the H-D 110th Anniversary winged tank emblems without being overbearing. And for those who question the “69” logos created by Barry on the front and rear fender for me, it’s not that 69.” Robby says it’s the Zodiac symbol for Cancer.

Overall, Robby’s Mid-Evil Dragon is an exercise in coordinating the various parts of a bike. From the Nemesis wheels to the Aces Wild covers, it’s all united with sweeping blades. Sometimes that’s how inspiration works, though—one day you’re waiting patiently for something, and the next there’s a wild bug prodding you in the butt to get cracking. Harley might have waited too long for Robby to get a liquid-cooled bagger, but we’re glad he didn’t wait to bring this golden dragon to glorious life.