Personally, I think this all can be attributed to the owner of this bike, John Savage of Raleigh, North Carolina, and what he does for a living. Surprise, surprise ─ John’s a master tattoo artist at Savage Tattoos & Art in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also is known for his air brushing and paintwork that he does on the side. When you look at both his tattoo work and paint jobs, you can see and feel how they both have something in common. I’d just have to say that it’s probably the fresh feeling of free hand and his love of vibrant colors.

    John pulls no punches on colors especially on the Pan’s paintjob of eye-popping primary colors on a gloss black base. What keeps it from being another perfectly air- brushed graphics-laden paintjob is the brush work that gives John’s Day of the Dead-style graphics a look of authenticity like the artists of Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos. All the brush strokes add some artistic beef to the scheme and even a feel of depth by their small human hand differences. You can see where John laid down his brush to accent each rose petal on the tank and he envisioned where the “light” was coming from. It’s an endearing look that keeps you walking around this bike and bending up and down to not miss any little bit.

    And then there’s the rest of the bike built from a 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead that for those who might not know was the first year of Panhead production. Man, if that Panhead was a person it would have been collecting full-benefit Social Security for three years already. Lucky for them they can be re-built over and over again into any configuration you could imagine. Hopped-up, blinged-up, restored to perfection and installed in one of many, many different types of motorcycles. In this case, it’s a traditional style ‘60s/’70s Panhead chopper that might have the spirit of another artist who’s since passed, the late David Mann.

    Personally, I think the engine was very thoughtfully and tastefully restored. It’s a look of class that no huge amount of chrome or show polishing could improve upon. Maybe it’s just how I like my Harleys, clean and real. A nod to modern technology, an S&S Super E carb with a machined velocity stack, sits over the vintage-traditional 2-into1 fishtail exhaust. Fishtails and Panheads go together like peanut butter and jelly. Way over on the left side, an open as an open belt drive can be delivers power to the tranny that’s shifted by an assortment of chromed hand and arm bones and a skull perched high on the hand shifter. This is a nod to Old School where mechanical bits became arty through repurposed bits used intelligently and imaginatively. You gotta love the way the shift knob sticks way up over the tank in all its tooth-bearing skullness.

    John’s choice of reasonably-sized spoked wheels wearing a set of modern tread Shinko tires shows this bike was meant for street use even though it was photographed at the Ray Price Motorsports Expo. The same could be said for the front and rear disc brakes instead of the expected spool hub front wheel you see on a lot of show bikes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this bike parked out front of John’s tattoo shop often. It’s got the look and the equipment of a nice bopping-around rider and there’s nothing wrong with that when you ride it and not just look at it. I got a feeling this is a good head clearer after you’ve been staring into the pores of customers’ skin all day. As far as the chromed springer goes, I mean who doesn’t like a springer on a chopper?

    A little bit of a fatty Sportster tank sits high, but not on top of the frame’s top tube. I’m not sure if it’s the paint or the tank’s shape, but it sure blends in nicely with those towering apes. A horseshoe oil tank offers no surprises once you get past the paint which does, but it fits this retro-style of build almost too well. You might not love a horseshoe oil tank, but you can’t hate ‘em either. With no need to reinvent a rear fender, a tidy rounded unit does its best to cover up the tire, but can’t quite do it. I’d say this is totally intentional as it beefs up the look without having to go silly on tire sizing.

    The leatherwork on the seat really pops with the bright colors on the brown base. As it says on the seat, “Savage Life”, could be a direct byproduct of not much padding on a solidly mounted seat. That kinda savage life is a little too savage for me as I don’t mind rigids as long as the seat is sprung by a suspension shock and there’s a little more padding too. It looks cool, but again, a little too savage life for me. I’m sure John would think I was just a wuss and he’d be right. Now that I’m on high critical alert, there is one thing and only one thing I don’t understand about this bike. And, ladies and gentlemen, that would be the foot controls. A rather unusual setup where the footpegs are forward of the pedals. Does John work them just holding his foot up in the air and toeing the pad at the same time? I’m missing something here, but I’m sure there’s an explanation. Everything has one I’m told.

   So what we’ve got here is a very nice looking, extremely individual, but to good taste style, and a classic of an engine that tries its best to make any bike it’s in look good, a Panhead. Tattoos, custom paint and Harley-Davidsons were made for each other. This is one retro-mod custom that is not only cool, but an extremely fun calling card for John’s businesses. The best part of this whole build just might be that with a creative accountant, John should be able to write this whole thing off over time and eventually end up with a free custom Panhead. Hey, that bunch of numbers on the fender stay is John’s shop number and I’d call that advertising. Hopefully the IRS would too.