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“Dead Pan” 1951 Panhead Chopper

Articles & Pictures by Revolution Motorcycle Marketing

First, the 2017 the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin again did not disappoint. In part because there was a wide variety of early-era to modern motorcycles.

Next, one of the impressive bikes was the custom “Dead Pan.” This chopper was made with a 1951 Panhead by The Forge out of Loveland, Colorado.

Then to get more details we got in touch with the shop. And Josh (fabricator) and Mike (owner) are the two builders.

Some of the details on the Dead Pan include 21 inch front rim, 16 inch back rim, back drum brake, no front brake, and slap shift foot clutch. And this makes for a good start for a classic looking chopper. But this isn’t “just another” chopper. There was a lot of thought put into building the bike. And of course it took a lot of skill to design and fabricate so many one-off parts.

And the first part of the build was the Springer front end. This was something that Josh had envisioned for a long time. Then the brass that was added to the front end was a starting point for part of the overall look of the bike. Next, the Harley FL motor and 4-speed tranny were rebuilt by Carl’s Cycle Supply. As you can see, the motor, tranny, and frame all match.

In addition the majority of the Panhead Chopper was handmade: gas tank, rear fender, seat, oil tank, bars, foot pegs, controls, rear brass cover plates, kicker petal, and high chopper exhaust were all built by Josh. Other details include the headlight from Panic Cycles, rear taillight After Hours Choppers, and a BDL belt drive system. Although the hidden gas cap came about by accident, Josh went with it this way and it looks good.

Then Josh used a hand copper plating technique. And as you can see, all of the work really paid off.

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