His brother died at a Myrtle Beach bike rally. He plans to return with a unique tribute
Because of a tragedy, North Carolina resident Thomas Lee Williams will never again be able to attend Myrtle Beach bike rallies with his brother Sidney Williams.
But thanks to a project in the works, Sidney’s presence could once again be felt here as early as the 2019 Myrtle Beach Bike Week Spring Rally.
Partnering with Raging Bull Harley-Davidson in Durham, North Carolina, Thomas Lee Williams is attempting to reconstruct the motorcycle his brother was riding when he was killed following a collision with a minivan during the 2017 Myrtle Beach rally. He purchased the frame from his brother’s estate and Raging Bull is putting in the manual labor needed to rebuild the 2006 Harley-Davidson Street Glide.
“I said ‘I’m gonna just rebuild it like what he wanted it to be,’” Thomas Lee Williams, better known as Lee, said.
Sidney Williams and some friends were heading from a restaurant to the motel where they were staying before the wreck occurred in Atlantic Beach on Oct. 7, 2017. He died at the hospital following the collision, which his family members believe was the result of texting while driving. Lee Williams said he and others were at the motel awaiting their return when they learned of the incident.
The day before, Lee Williams said, Sidney was browsing vendors in search of new rims and other upgrades in an attempt to spruce up his bike and make it one of a kind. Now, family and friends are attempting to complete the bike he envisioned.
“We’re doing the work that Sidney wanted to do to his bike,” Mark Meade, a friend of the Williams, said. “We’re trying to create that tribute to him.”
Oliver Romero, Director of Marketing for Raging Bull Harley-Davidson, said Williams approached them about rebuilding the bike and the dealership happily agreed to help one of their well-known customers.
“We said we’d love to help you get his bike back up and running and we know realistically it costs a lot of money,” he said. “We kind of said ‘Hey, we’ll donate the time and we’ll wrench on it for you and everything else if you can try to get the parts, and we’ll make it happen.’”
The bike is still a work in progress and the assembly of it is dependent on outside help, which Williams and Raging Bull are getting through donations of money and parts. Williams said his goal is to display it at the inaugural Bull City Bike Rally on April 13-14, but all parties have said they’re not sure how realistic that scenario is.
“I’m going to ride it and it will never be sold,” Williams said. “I’d like to show it at bike week and the shows and stuff.”
Sidney Williams was well-known in the community, his brother said. He worked for the City of Durham as the chief installer of equipment for police cars.
“From the police chief to the president of the Hell’s Angels, he just knew everybody,” Lee Williams, 52, said. “He, we, just knew everybody. He just never found an enemy.”
In fact, if people knew Sidney, they surely knew Lee as well, Meade said. The brothers were both born on April 26, one year apart, with Sidney a year older.
“When you mentioned Sidney or Lee in Durham it was always Sidney and Lee,” he said. “As brothers, they are about the closest two people I could imagine. Where one was the other was usually was not far behind.”
Lee Williams said he still attends Myrtle Beach rallies and has many friends here. He said he’ll be here this year when the spring rally takes place from May 10-19. If all works out, he’ll be riding a special bike around the Grand Strand.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be bringing it,” he said.
Those wishing to donate toward the cause, which is accompanied by an anti-texting-while-driving campaign, can contact Romero via email at marketing@ragingbullhd.com. The more help they get, the sooner Williams could be riding the bike in honor of his brother.
“Now there’s something tangible that just screams Sidney instead of just memories,” Meade said. “There’s actually stuff you can physically touch.”
Said Lee Williams of the project: “It’s an awesome feeling. It’s making his memory live on.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2019 at 4:09 PM.
