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"Midnight Thunder" started life as a Yamaha Wild Star XV1600A that I bought in March 1999.
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I first became aware of the model when I attended the National Motorcycle Exhibition at the Birmingham NEC in 1998. I was struggling to decide whether I should go for this, the Harley Davidson Fatboy or the new Kawasaki VN1500 Nomad. No contest really...I hate radiators on bikes and Harleys cost too darned much!
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So, in December '98 I pop off to my local dealer (Arnolds in Leicester) and lay a nice deposit on a brand new, Black (the only colour available in the UK), Wild Star. On March 23rd 1999, I took delivery of my first brand new bike for nearly 19 years! What a rush to ride off into the sun on the best bike in town...YEEHAA!!
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Three days later, some stupid runs into the back of me at a junction and causes £2000 damage. Four weeks afterwards and with lots of insurance damaged spares under my arm, I embarked on the search for louder exhausts, as the idiot driver said "I thought you had gone!" (Oh yeah - not heard that before, eh?).
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DG Performance Hard Krome 2.5" Twin Wall slash cuts were fitted up and what a difference!
"Now you know I'm here!"
But I wasn't satisfied - I'd got the bug - need... more... chrome... need... more... fun! Only trouble was, I didn't know where to go to buy parts for this model.
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 The 1999 NEC Bike Show soon stopped my lack of knowledge. Over on the Yamaha stand was a gorgeous, customised Wild Star, that had probably been imported from the States, just for the show. Nobody on the stand would give any information, but a couple of people gathered round said that "Barons in the States" did "that sort of thing".
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Aren't search engines on the internet a wonderful thing? After a few attempts I discovered www.baronscustom.com. All of my dreams would start to come true (and a few more!). On these hallowed pages, of true Star Lovers, were so many ideas, and great products.
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I chose carefully, then not so carefully ('cos you do this when you're enjoying yourself), on various parts from companies all over the States and Europe.
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