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hen I was a kid, every pirate in every movie had an eye patch. I always wondered what was under that eye patch. Was the pirate missing an eye? How did he lose it? Was it in battle? My imagination ran wild with the possibilities. A couple years ago, well into my forties, I learned that pirates would wear an eye patch [not because he lost it in an epic battle] but out of necessity. You see, if one eye is always in the dark, it is easier to acclimate your vision more quickly when you go below deck to get more rum. Oh well…it was fun having an imagination while it lasted! Xavier Muriel lives in the Austin, Texas area and has for most of his life. He’s left a time or
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June - July ‘21 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
two to take a stab at a career in rock n roll, and unlike many others before him, and it actually worked! After more than a decade of keeping time for one of the biggest touring acts on the globe, “X,” as we call him, found a calling greater than the original one, this time, building custom motorcycles. His first ground-up build was purchased almost immediately upon its completion by someone that had no clue “who” Xavier was. To the new owner, the motorcycle had earned a spot in the parking lot of Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California. Something notable for sure. Since there was space for another build in the one-car Burbank garage behind X’s house, it only seemed natural that another build would commence almost immediately.