A South Hams man is overjoyed that the custom motorcycle he created for a Black Sabbath superfan has been displayed at an exhibition celebrating the band.

Roy Mottram, from Ivybridge, spent years working on the Harley-Davidson for heavy metal enthusiast Ric Lovett, from Winchester, Hampshire.

It is now on display at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in a show honouring the history of Heavy Metal.

The bike got the thumbs up from Black Sabbath’s bassist Geezer Butler and lead guitarist Tony Iommi.

Roy also received a video message from legendary designer Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule, who created album artwork for Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne, praising his craftmanship.

“To say I’m chuffed would be an understatement,” he said.

“I never ever thought any of my work would end up in a museum to celebrate one of the biggest bands on the planet.

“And then to get the band members to see it – I’m over the moon.

“I’m completely self-taught so it’s absolutely fantastic to have achieved something like this.”

The custom motorcycle is one of a number of pieces on display at the exhibition, which runs from June 26, 2019, to September 29, 2019.

Roy said superfan Ric got in touch after spotting his custom work on Facebook.

“Every inch of the bike is dedicated to Black Sabbath,” Roy said. “Ric has been a fan of the band since he was a teenager.

“The whole thing has meaning, from the lyrics that are engraved into it to the sculpting and the colour.

“There’s so much detail in this - it really is a moving piece of art.”

Roy said it took about four years and around 300 hours to create the custom motorbike.

Owner Ric said he first became a fan at the age of 11 when a friend repaid a debt to him with a Black Sabbath album.

He told the BBC: “I listened to it and it sounded so different to everything I had ever heard, as a child I thought ‘I don’t know if I am supposed to be listening to this’.

“And it has always stayed like that, it is never out of style because it was never in style.”

Black Sabbath was founded by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward in Aston, Birmingham, in 1968.

They are credited with inventing the distinctive riffs that characterised the Heavy Metal sound.

This year the band is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.