CroCustoms 49 Panhead Comes To The East Coast

kevin Deschambeault from Maine had been searching for several years to find a simple, clean, no drama yet timeless styled bike; the kind of motorcycle that would begin a chapter in a book filled with many stories from its riding adventures. Kevin knew he wanted a mild custom vintage Harley-Davidson that had a modern chop but also knew it had to be rideable! Not wanting to settle on just anything, he spent years scouring and hunting until he came across a listing that Caleb at CroCustoms put out on the interweb. The motorbike listed for sale was named

Article And Photos By: Josh Elzey

‘FrankenPan.’ FrankenPan was originally built for Born Free 5 back in 2013.

After agreeing to a purchase, it was agreed that Caleb could display the bike at various shows until it reached the Brooklyn Invitational some months later. Fall finally came, and it was time to pick up FrankenPan. Kevin grabbed a buddy for the 5-hour drive to the Invitational. There, he finally saw the 1949 FL in person! It was gloss black with a distressed pinstripe from T. Markus. The frame and front end stayed true to the 1949 parts with use of OEM and reproduction parts and handmade risers. A 21” WMI rim with an early Halcraft mini brake hub and stainless Buchanan spokes wrapped in Avon Speedmaster MKII were used in conjunction with the 16” Harley rear wheel and sectioned radiused rear OEM fender. The stand out parts are the hand engraving on the early Morris Magneto, modified early Cycle Engineering Rocker Covers, Imperial Primary which is modified with a large center rib, handmade rear tank mount, and other parts that were all hand done by Mark Cooper. Tanks were narrowed in the rear while the dash was chopped to sit one inch lower than stock.

The footpegs are repurposed ‘50’s juicer handles, and the shift knob was handmade by Tyler from Dark and Dawn. An air cleaner was made from chopping up an Imperial Primary derby cover. The 1956 Harley Heads were polished to a shine while the horseshoe oil tank had Frankenstein painted on it (Caleb gave Kevin the original artwork), hence the nickname!

Caleb and Kevin shared some beers to seal the deal after the show. Caleb was digging that his bike would be munching slab in the Northeast. Once home, Kevin rode his new acquisition for a few weeks and snuck in a couple of hundred miles before Old Man Winter rolled into New England. It ran well and was a blast to ride! In December, Kevin decided to hand the FL over to Pudgy’s Cycle for fresh fluids and a general look over before putting it up for the season. Several weeks later Kevin realized just how much riding he was planning for next season, so it was decided to do a complete engine rebuild, that would include updating the S&S running gear to give better power and reliability, Andrews BH cam, a smoother oil pump and internals as well as rebuilding the transmission with modern parts. The bike spent the winter at Pudgy’s Cycle where it was meticulously cared for by the owner and his son Daryl who are lifelong experts on Harley Davidson, especially older models. They agreed that the originality of the bike was the most essential part of the build and didn’t want to sacrifice the original look. They put in a lot of blood and sweat to get the Pan ready by springtime. The bike was back in Kevin’s hands just in time for the salt to start clearing off the roads. The bike now starts and rides like a bullet! Since Kevin is in Maine, the motorcycle visits the coastline of Acadia National Park, Boothbay Harbor and Kevin’s personal favorite Pemaquid Point. Inland rides include the forever fun mountains of Rangeley, Sunday River, and

owner: Kevin Deschambeault City/State: Lewiston, ME Builder: CroCustoms year: 1949 Model: Harley-Davidson FL Value: $35,000 Time: ENGINE Year: 1949 Model: Panhead Builder: Pudgy’s Cycle Ignition: Early Morris Magneto Displacement: Pistons: Stock Replacement Heads: 1956 Harley-Davidson Carb: S&S Super B Cam: Andrews BH Cam Air Cleaner: Imperial Derby Cover, Chopped Exhaust: Primary: Imperial Primary, Modified TRANSMISSION Year: Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: 4 Speed Jockey

FRAME make: 1949 Model: Wishbone, Reproduction rake: stretch: Front end type: Springer builder: Harley-Davidson extension: triple trees: WHEELS Front: WMI, Buchanan Spoke Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster MKII front brake: Halcraft Mini Brake rear: Harely-Davidson, Stainless Size: 16” Tire: Shinko rear Brake: Stock Drum

PAINT Painter: Color: Gloss Black Type: graphics: T. Markus Engraving: Mark Cooper

ACCESSORIES Bars: Narrowed Apes risers: Cro’s Nest Springer Clamp hand controls: Original foot controls: Gas Tank(s): Stock, Narrowed Oil Tank: Horseshoe Front fender: None rear Fender: OEM, Sectioned/Radiused Seat: Shack Cycles Foot Pegs: 50’s Juicer Handles tail light: Monarch Bike Reflector Speedo: photographer: Josh Elzey

Sugarloaf ranges. Maine affords the luxury of riding your bike well over 100 miles before you ever need to put your feet down and this motorcycle munches it all up! I ran across the bike 7 hours south in Wildwood NJ at the Night of TROG. The “old” ‘49 cruises effortlessly at 70 and still has plenty more punch.

What Kevin loves most about the bike is that 99% of people walk past without noticing anything. The bike was built and still retains such subtleness that unless you slow down you will not hear the stories it holds. From the mild customization to the distressed pinstriping and all the engraving, there is much to soak in. Kevin’s personal favorite is “Cost Money To Live” engraved on the primary which is entirely hidden, and so spot on!

ast July, Chris and I had the pleasure of bringing a little taste of Cycle Source to Gettysburg Bike Week. For the 3rd year in a row we hosted two of our signature events, a free ride in bike show and the annual Run Through The Battlefields. Yeah, I know many of you are sitting there thinking... Gettysburg... really? Yep, and it’s awesome. It’s awesome because it combines a few things we love, motorcycles,

Lhistory, good riding and cool people and for the most part, no cry-babies...hahaha. For 16 years, Gettysburg bike week has been happening the weekend after 4th of July. Two years ago, it took over the grounds at the Allstar Event Complex for a weekend of battlefields, bikes, beers, babes and all that go along with it. With two hotels on site, plenty of parking, a natural amphitheater, the perfect location for the Wrangler Bike

Article And Photos By: Heather Callen

Rodeo games, ample vendors and an indoor swap meet area, the move was a good choice.

For the last two years, each Friday of the event, Cycle Source has organized what we like to call “Run Through The Battlefields.” Now, don’t let the name mislead you, it’s not a history lesson or anything, and we don’t give a guided tour through the historyladen lands that surround the complex, but we do open our arms to any rider that wants to

join us through a bitchin’ jaunt over the hills, through the woods and to wherever else we happen to lead you. I will say that we are fond of stopping at a neat little watering hole for a quick refreshment and grabbing a group photo at Highrock during the trip. We were blessed with crazy good weather during the ride, and a super cool group of enthusiasts joined us for the afternoon. Upon our reluctant return to the GBW venue, I say reluctant because the riding is just that good, and thanks to the event organizers we found a picnic lunch laid out for the Battlefield riders.

Selfishly, I hope they keep inviting us back to continue this annual tradition; I never tire of the unique feeling you get as you roll through so much rich history. Let me try to explain this a little further; there is something more significant about an experience like Gettysburg than merely passing a sign that says Welcome to Pennsylvania. As you ride on tree-lined roads or past open fields sprinkled with statues and historic markers you catch one that reads Maine, another Texas, Vermont, Virginia and on goes the list of states that all converged

on this spot to fight for what they believed in. For a brief moment, you are fully aware of how many lives were lost, battles won, and how steadfast American’s truly are. Like I said, it’s more than passing signs, and it’s worth the ride.

Saturday was a busy day for us and rally attendees alike. We started getting ready for our bike show bright and early that day, and thankfully Miss Judy was on hand to get organized and things running smoothly. It’s crazy how diverse the bikes are that graced the lot this year. We had a Rick Fairless bike, a custom sidehack that paid tribute to cancer survivors, a prototype swingarm Sportster®, original Shovelheads, Panheads, Boss Hoss, FXR’s and on and on. At the end of the day Best of Show went to a killer FLH that comes out of New Jersey.

While our show was going, our old pal Jack Schit was running a sold-out show for the Wrangler Bike Rodeo games. Now, we all know bike games are a hoot but dang do the folks at GBW love their games. The afternoon was a constant stream of contestants ready, willing and able to show off their riding abilities. I still haven’t decided if they lined up so eagerly to earn bragging rights, because the Cherry Bombs were the official starters or because Wrangler put up 50 pairs of jeans for the contestants!

Now, I wouldn’t even be the halfassed “journalist” I am, if I failed to tell you that the main stage not only hosted tattoo contests, wet t-shirt contests but also proudly played host to a plethora of fine musicians to entertain the masses. Blizzard of Ozzy, Big Jack, Josh Gallagher, Foghat, and Warrant all took to that stage and gave the crowds memories to last a lifetime.

For us, Gettysburg has become a second home of sorts and some of our best friendships have arisen from our time there. Annually seeing Rachel, Tim, Kuda, Koolaid and the rest of our crew from that area, makes this all the more to look forward to personally. I have to be honest, I’m not sure what the fine folks of GBW have in store for 2018, but I do know that Cycle Source will be there, and we sure hope to see some of ya there too.