Dennis' Panhead and Bardahl

I'm lucky to have the old Bardahl headquarters here in the neighborhood. The building is your standard industrial area wearhouse, but with a funky mid-century modern facade on the office portion of it, primary colors and all. The bike in the picture is Texas Dennis' Panhead - a true bits and pieces build. Although a neat machine, I wouldn't say Dennis has had the best of luck with it. A few weeks before snapping these images he laid 'er down. A few minutes after snapping the shots and having a beer he lost 1st and 2nd gear on the way home.

Fucking Panheads.

Wilson Machine Works

Wilson Machine Works is a Seattle-area business that has been around for five generations. Take a minute to think about that - five generations.



How many businesses do you know of that have not only existed for five generations but have also thrived? The shop holds a stack of patents that is nearly as thick as a city phone book. Their bread and butter over the years has been the maritime and aeronautical industries, hence the sheer size of the equipment the shop houses. They can fix your cycle and automotive fabrication "woops" without a second thought.



Three years ago I convinced the Wilson family to let me document a bit of what they do on a day-to-day basis. This was after they fixed the stem on my Vard forks and these are just a few of the pictures I shot. I hope to put them in a book someday.

There is definitely a feeling of comfort that comes from being around people who can fix anything the world breaks. I hope that people like that exist forever.

Amps and hot rods and fabrication and...

I enjoy meeting people with high attention to detail and uncompromising standards. I'm surely not one of them, but Mike Soldano, the gentleman who made nearly everything you see in these pictures is.

I'm fortunate to be able to call Mike a friend and have him as an invaluable resource for the times when my automotive or cycle projects go sideways, which is often.

What I like and respect most about the guy though is that he's nice. Small accomplishments often result in large heads, and that's just not the case with Mike. For every 100 guys who've done very little while playing it off as having done a lot, there's a guy like Mike whose done a lot and boasts very little. That's cool.

And yes, his amps really do go up to 11.

Nic, nic, nic...Indians.

Seattle is a good city. It's surrounded by water, has mountains looming in the distance and has great in-town riding. Depending on which way you point your machine, you can be on the coast (101), in the mountains (Olympics or Cascades), in the desert (Eastern Washington) or in a temperate rainforest (Northwest) within 1-3 hours.

In addition to the great scenery and riding, there are a surprising number of vintage cycle and auto collections up here. One of these collections belongs to a gentleman named Jerry Chinn. Jerry's an interesting fellow, having a past in the antique business, a present in the film industry, and an uncanny knack for finding crazy old Indians and Harleys with race pedigree. What sets Jerry apart from a lot of collectors though, is that he races the wheels off nearly everything he owns. This old privateer built Indian is no exception.

Of all of the bikes I've pointed a camera at, this is the one I lust after the most. Owning it would change the look of our living room. The family couch would be gone with a quickness.

Introduction - New Contributor

Hi, I am Anthony. Thanks to 'Poon and Grant for allowing me to share a little bit of what I am up to here in the Pacific Northwest with you good folks.

I am a 10 year resident of Seattle, a transplant from rural NY, a father of two, a husband of one, a supporter of small business, a slave to large business, an urbanite with a country boy's heart, and a guy who likes to fit alot into life. I am an inch deep and a mile wide.

I have owned quite a few motorcycles over the years and I have ridden since I was five years old. With the help of friends and family I have put together, made better, and made worse a handful of vintage bikes, cars and bicycles. In addition to a never-ending '63 Panhead project, I do battle with the masses on a Husqvarna 450 SMR Supermoto bike. It is THEE most fun road going motorcycle I have ever owned.

What else? I occasionally contribute photos and words to a handful of small to mid-sized custom car and cycle magazines, I walk my kids to school nearly every day, and I live by these words:

"Treat me good I'll treat you better. Treat me bad I'll treat you Worse."
-Ralph "Sonny" Barger



Here are a couple of the bikes I've cobbled together over the years. Version one of my '53.



Version two.



And version three. This is the one where I actually figured out how to make a Panhead run well. It now lives in Japan.



My little old pre-Unit. Wonderful neighborhood bike, now living in Southern California.



Four people I count on who count on me, and who I look up to a great deal: my son, my daughter, my wife and my friend Jake. You'll hear more about Jake as time goes on. He is talented, has consumate patience, is my older-wiser-adviser, and is the keeper of many a great project and the very well equipped shop that allows me to play the custom motorcycle game.

May your ears hang low, may they wobble to and fro.