The bike itself regardless of the engraving is a fine piece of custom fettle that would be just peachy without any additional metal carving, but it sure doesn’t hurt it a bit that it underwent cosmetic surgery. When you start with a great formula like a Harley-Davidson Panhead to start building around, you’re pretty ahead of the game. With the frame featuring basically pro-street dimensions it’s gonna handle pretty decent too even if it’s a rigid rear with a wide-ass rear wheel and tire combo. Also working with a frame that has its tubing just attractively slithering around going where it needs to be with no hard spots or right angles makes for a speeding-at-rest look. Like any good custom, it’s all about the mythical flow and this baby’s got it. 

  Hanging off that front end’s mile rake is a set of telescopics that are quite unlike the usual even super fancy bread-and-butter custom forks. There are a lot of different shapes and surfaces that somehow work together in all their complicatedness. Although they must, I’m not even sure how they work as they look like one big metal bit made out of smaller ones with no apparent means for fork travel. I know what should move, but I just can’t see how the aluminum fork boots move. 

   The ten spoke billet wheels front and rear tend to favor the popular sizing of a ten-year-old pro street that a ton of people still lust after something like this today. I haven’t seen anyone combine a 330mm or 360mm rear tire with a 30-inch or larger front wheel, but I’m sure it’s either out there or somebody’s working on it. Either way, this is a tried and true custom pro street-style that fits the long and low with a dose of power and practicality pro street freaks love. 

  Smack dab in the middle of all this custom motorcycle zaniness is the object of many a Harley-Davidson freak fantasies, the iconic Panhead engine. Although this one still wears it Panhead design proudly, it’s been metal tattooed to within an inch of its life by persons unknown. And, it’s not just some light surface etching, but serious 3D engraving involving the removal of a good bit of metal. Frankly, I’m always amazed at what a good engraver can do with a piece of metal, but when you take in the huge amount of work spread throughout the bike it boggles my tiny mind. 

  Old Frankenstein himself appears to be the theme of this frankenbike and he looks mighty good on those engraved dollar bills. That floating bit of frippery over the split of the tank over the top tube is engraved with a quote from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel “Beware for I am fearless and therefore powerful.” Yeah, Mary’s original version of old Frankie had him quite a bit more articulate than Boris Karloff’s version that’s for sure. One thing I do really like are those engraved heat shields and the battery box for reasons only my brain knows but is not sharing. Not necessary in any way, but very pleasing that someone took the time to make common things just a bit more special. 

   Bodywork is about as simple and smooth as can be with a fat ribbed rear fender and another ribbed piece up front. That almost-split-in-two fuel tank is as smooth and swoopy as can be and its inner architecture is way more complex, but no less beautiful. I’d have to count those stunning swan-like clip-ons as a major bit of design too along with the hand-fabbed wooden foot pegs, control pegs and grips with their brass accoutrements as a serious part of the overall design more than just an add-on. The wood and brass go really well together as well they should bringing a bit of warmth to contrast to the cold metal finish of the aluminum. 

   If I’ve got a style compliant at all about this build other than the choice of superstitious-on-a-motorcycle green paint, it’s the kinda lame white flame graphics. Man, that’s about the last thing this bike needs is competing embellishment with all the engraving and, frankly, the white just doesn’t cut it. Hey, it’s just a personal opinion and the owner/builder is more than able to do whatever they want, but I’ll call a rear foul on the lame flames even if the match the flame engraving. Sometimes too much is just too much especially since they’re not really attractive to me in the first place. 

  So what we’ve got here was a wild build with lots of the owner/builder’s personality discretely showing even when it’s in your face. Whoever engraved this did a fine job to say the least and if it wasn’t the builder, they shouldn’t be unhappy as the rest of this build is a looker. Just can the white flame graphics and we’re good.