Some bikes are built to impress people. Others are built because you’ve got a mate that is selling a cheap dry build with your dream motor, and a good mate down the road.
Paul’s 1949 Panhead is the latter.
Starting life as a pile of parts, the ’49 came together with a Shovelhead frame, a bit of fabrication from his mate Lloyd (LWOJ) and a paint job applied with a brush using paint from B&Q, before a coat of Ankor Wax changed the colour anyway.
But that’s exactly why we love it.
This isn’t a cheque-book chopper. It’s a bike with Paul all over it, built between mates, worked on in a wooden shed that holds “a lot of his soul”, and finished with little pieces from the people closest to him. There’s even a 1949 silver dollar tucked into the build.
And it doesn’t just sit looking pretty. Paul’s already had it blasting down the sand at the Normandy Beach Races.
We caught up with Paul @paul_rigids to find out where his obsession with bikes started, how the Pan came together and why, given all the money and parts in the world, he still wouldn’t build anything else.
Tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you from, and how did you get into motorcycles?
I’m Paul @paul_rigids from Doncaster. I first got into bikes as we lived on a corner and a guy crashed into our garden and my mum kept his bike in our garage while he recovered. I sat on that bike every day. My older sister’s boyfriend also had a bike, had Barry Sheene. He was massive in the 70s.
What are we looking at here? Tell us about your bike, what made you choose this particular build, and if you didn’t build it yourself, who did?
This is my 1949 Panhead. It’s a Shovelhead frame that I bought in parts from you. I painted the frame Iand Tins n stuff with a brush and paint I bought from B&Q. I had it mixed but then ankor waxed it, so the colour totally changed.
Once loosely thrown together, I took it to Lloyd’s and the magic started. Sissy bar, all brackets, exhausts etc. All done by Lloyd.
Did you have a clear vision from the start, or did the bike evolve into what it is today?
Lloyd loves this style of bike, so we knew how it was gonna pan out from the start.
What’s your favourite part of the bike, and is there a story behind it?
Favourite part is it’s a 1949 Pan!
What was the biggest headache during the build? The bit that nearly made you throw up in your mouth?
Biggest headache was the bike wouldn’t run straight. It took me ages to work it out and the gearbox mounting plate holes were not straight. Once that was changed, it’s been perfect.
How much of the work did you do yourself, and who else deserves a bit of credit for helping bring it together?
Lloyd deserves all the credit. We are very good friends and always enjoy working on my stuff together. I’m very lucky we live close and favour each other’s company.
What’s your garage or workshop like? Is it a proper setup or a case of making things work with whatever space you’ve got?
It’s a wooden shed, but it’s MY wooden shed. It does have a lot of my soul in it.
What’s the best memory you’ve made on this bike so far?
Riding down the beach in France at the Normandy Beach Races.
If money, time and parts were no object, what would your ultimate dream build be?
My ’49 Panhead.
What’s next for you? Another build, more miles on this one, or something completely different?
I’ve recently become a grandad, so may be busy.
Is there anything else about your bike that we haven’t covered? Any little details, personal touches or stories worth sharing?
My bike has a 1949 silver dollar that’s recessed into a bell that Deb got for me.
There’s also lots of little trinkets that Deb has made or had around the bike.
Paul’s Panhead is proof that the best bikes aren’t always born in fancy workshops or built with bottomless budgets. Sometimes it’s a wooden shed, a good mate, a few headaches and a bike that becomes part of your story. From the little pieces added by Deb to the work shared with Lloyd and the memories made riding it, the ’49 is more than just a Panhead. It’s personal. And when your dream build is already sitting in your shed, you’re probably doing something right.