Husband and wife Bruce and Jayne Moffatt built their red 1975 Super Glide Harley-Davidson together before selling it 12 years ago.
However, after missing their labour of love, they were able to purchase it back from the buyer.
The bikers met around 1985 when Mr Moffatt was buying motorcycles from Mrs Moffatt’s family shop in Herbert St.
The pair soon got together and began building the bike at the motorcycle shop, which was also Mrs Moffatt’s family home.
‘‘The motor sat on the kitchen table, we ate our meals around it,’’ Mrs Moffatt said.
‘‘The frame sat on the floor the cupboards were a parts department.’’
The business began to grow until the clan had to move their operation to a bigger space in Medway St where, one day, a young Mrs Moffatt decided to open the doors for the local Moonshine Rally riders to view some of their wares.
The doors stayed open, and the business became a successful retail store.
Love and petrol ran in the blood, as both Mrs Moffat’s parents were avid motorcyclists and her father, Gordon Marchant, rode with Invercargill’s Burt Munro, back in the day, Mrs Moffatt said.
The Moffatts had learned the hard lesson, to value their precious possessions, after their house burned down in 2010.
They said due to an electrical fault the couple lost everything, bar a few key keepsakes, such as old photos of them on their beloved motorcycle, which were left unscathed.
‘‘I guess once you’ve lost everything you all of a sudden realise just how special these things are,’’ Mrs Moffatt explained.
In their newly rebuilt home, the pair run a bed and breakfast, called The Reservation and hold a ‘‘classic rides breakfast’’ once a month where riders can bring their wheels and enjoy a buffet breakfast.
