As of right now this is how the bike site 90% fabricated. Only have a few small things left like oil lines and making sure i dont need any additional mounts anywhere and pressure testing the tanks.

I have been working on this bike after my regular job everyday for 6 months to get to this point and will be rolling it off the bench for the first time to see it out in the sun soon.

Very Excited to move into to paint work.

Fully metal finished pipes for my panhead build. All the bends were provided by Bill @ Biltwell as a donation to the build and added a few of my own bends for what i need. Hand made the squish pipe from scratch so be able to suck in the exhaust as tight to the frame as possible to sneak past the brake. Next post will have some mounted photos.

Here is how the Panhead currently sits.

I still have a few big things to make like the exhaust and handlebars to finish off the profile and some small details but spent a good amount of time welding on the frame and finishing off parts i have already started to bring me closer to finishing up fab work. Everything is coming together exactly as planned.

Next ill make a high upswept exhaust system and the handlebars. For the bars i have tapered risers as pictured and need to machine top caps so when all together the bars will appear to have welded on riser looks.

One off manually machined headlight for the build. I liked the style of the old VW reverse light but wanted to use this cool glass lens and make the housing slimmer. I machined the body for the headlight and bezel from two pieces all based around this glass lens and a H8 car fog light bulb. all manually machined and hand finished to soften it up. All up the total thickness on the body is 1.25” and really compact.

Finished taillight that i machined from my new to me Diamond kneemill.

The taillight is machined in three pieces, the base plate out of steel which is welded to the fender, the middle plate that holds the LED and bezel that keeps the lens secured. All 3 pieces manually machined and hand finished together for a tight fit.

Full sheet metal seat molding to continue the flow from the the tank all the way down to the fender. This is pre planning for the paint scheme i have in mind which will continue the design continuously jumping piece to piece.

Moving forward with some extra details on my oil bag for the panhead.

Made two recessed pockets for the battery and coil to sit side by side underneath the seat.

The more ignition components i can fit in the oil tank the less wiring that is visible. To me removing the coil from view also really cleans up the lines of the bike.

Scratch made oil bag for the Panhead. Similar profile to a stock horseshoe bag but with alot more flow and fit up to make it look at home. Alot more work putting all the fittings bungs and fillers in place but needed the shape to continue making some pieces around it and ill come back to those details later once all the parts around it are finished so they can be located correctly.

Finished gas tank going on the Born Free panhead for my buddy Paul.

A style idea i wanted to do through out this build is a blend of flat into round all over. I cut the top out of the tank and made this raised section with a “flat” top that is crowned so its not totally flat. moved the petcock bung and removed the front tab so ad a hidden mount under the front of the tunnel. The rear tap will stay and will eventually get covered by the next piece.

Here is where i begin for my Born Free 12 build. Simple beginnings with a kit or parts that is fairly familiar to most. Looking forward to putting my personal touch on each part to make them unique to my style.

Very excited to be asked to build a new bike for the Born Free motorcycle show this year. As always i will be keeping in line with my style of work making every piece by hand, fully body work and and custom paint all done in house and full polish/chrome. This build will also have a couple piece that are going to be designed on a CAD program and machined for a few one off pieces including triple trees, rear backing plate and coming up with some other pieces to add.

Details on the build:

When asked to build this bike i didnt have a motor to use. Simultaneously was talking with my good friend Paul about giving his panhead a refresh and making some new parts for him. Paul offered up his panhead for me to use for the show and in turn i will build him out a full show bike. It really helps me out and im so excited to build one of my best friends a bike.

This bike will be focusing a little more on sheet metal then past builds, Something im not very familiar with. The tank will be cut up and modified, Making a custom oil bag and modifying the rear fender to match. Playing around with ideas to give the appearance of a one piece body look where each part flows into the next. As mentioned ill also be making the clutch/ brake pedal from scratch, hand shifter, bars, sissybar, seat all mounts and anything else you can think of.

Because my style is building is really only noticeable from being up close to see the detail im thinking i will be doing a little more catchy paint to draw you in close to take a look.

Really looking forward to getting started!