Article By: Milwaukee Mike
Photos By: Chris Callen
Originally Published In The April 2012 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
When Chris and I got to Boston for the Northeast Bike Show in January, one of the best bikes that we saw at the show was already familiar to us; it was named “Slinky.” When I asked Jamie Dykeman, owner of Black Frame Cycle Projects, why it was named that his response was, “Because the stance is long and low, and if your brain is drug addled and alcohol fueled, you will understand.” According to Jamie, it is one of his favorite types of builds. “I like the look of a stock geometry frame and proper tanks so you can carry enough fuel to go more than 50 miles without searching for gas,” he said. When Jamie’s buddy, Roger Chouinard, went looking for a Panhead, he knew once he found it, it was going directly to Jamie for the Black Frame treatment. You see this was not the first dance for this duo. Acquiring the Panhead took a turn towards the strange when Roger found this bike on Craigslist. It was owned by… well let’s just say a real “character.” When the boys showed up to look at the bike, they were greeted by two gorgeous ladies of Russian descent that were getting ready for a day of “work,” if ya know what I mean. When they went to check out the bike, the seller said they were not allowed to ride it but he would drive it up and down the street for them so they could see that it worked. After 20 minutes, the deal was struck and the Pan was on its way home with Roger and then on to Black Frame for a much needed facelift.
Seems the last time the bike had any work done to it was in the ‘90s and it was made to fit the style of the times but not fabricated very well. As it stood, it had the frontend of a ‘90s Springer Softail, tall ape hangers, a huge sissy bar, a non radiused long trailer fender and what looked like 3 trailer wiring kits scabbed together to juice the bike, with lots of repairs and bad wires everywhere. The good part was that it was a proper Panhead that ran well and was in a very straight and unmolested ‘53 frame, so the foundation was solid. Now it was time to de-f**ker the rest of the bike. Jamie started his Black Frame magic by stripping the bike down to the frame. He checked to make sure it was all straight, and took all the weird and goofy parts that were all over it and sold them off or traded them away. This was the case of the frontend. The Springer was out of place and too long so they traded it off and got a nice Wide Glide with a couple hundred bucks to boot. Next, Jamie took the leaky primary apart and put a 1 ½” BDL belt drive enclosed in a stock tin primary (which I personally love) to clean up the left side of the bike. Well, as much as possible as the motor still leaks a little as old Pans do, but oil is cheap and this bike is a rider not a trailer queen. Then Jamie cleaned up the stock rear wheel and got it working correctly. It was now time to turn his attention to the frontend and getting the 21 inch wheel to look right, work, a n d have some real brakes on it as well. I really believe he accomplished this very well. However, this turned out to be a bit of a struggle as a local shop had all the parts, but could never get them all together at the same time. Jamie finally just got what they had and after the third try, he made it all work.
Now it was time for the pretty stuff. A coat of maroon sparkle flake was laid over a foundation of satin black to get the desired fade in the paint and it looks simple and brilliant. “I like the solid colors that are from that era. The colors are subdued but classic and always look good,” Jamie told me. “We also chose to go with the combination of a straight up clutch cable and foot shift so it is easy to ride and to keep with the “less is more” philosophy on this bike. And you can never go wrong with a LePera bare bones gel seat; they look great and are dead comfortable,” Jamie explained. He also told me that all the work was done with the idea that it was built to be ridden. Roger holds that end of the deal up very well and can’t wait to just keep pounding out the miles this year! So if you like what you see here, head on over to Black Frame Cycle Projects and checkout what they are doing these days, it will be well worth your time. And watch in a future issue of Cycle Source as we will have a beautiful Evo Sporty chop that Jamie built for his wife, coming your way soon!
A Pan Called Slinky Tech Sheet
Owner: Roger Chouinard
City: Wareham, MA
Fabrication By: Jamie Dykeman/Black Frame
Cycle Projects
Year: 1953
Model: FL
Time: 6 Weeks
ENGINE
Year: 1953
Model: Panhead
Builder: HD
Ignition: Mallory Electronic
Displacement: 1200cc / 74”
Pistons:
Heads: Font ‘57 – Rear ‘53
Cam(s):
Carb: S&S E
Air Cleaner: Drag Specialties Retro
Primary: BDL 1 1/2” Belt
TRANSMISSION
Year: 1953
Make: H-D
Shifting: Foot
FRAME
Year: 1953
Make: H-D
Rake: Stock
Stretch: Stock
FRONT END
Type: FXST 41mm
Builder: H-D
Extension: Stock
Triple Trees: H-D Wide Glide
WHEELS
Front Wheel: FXST
Size: 21”
Tire: Avon Speedmaster
Brakes: OEM Style
Rear Wheel: ‘53 H-D
Size: 16”
Tire: Firestone Deluxe Champion
Brakes: Drum
PAINT
Painter: Mike Mahoney/Mike’s Restorations
Type: PPG
Color: Satin Black
Molding:
Graphics:
Powdercoating:
ACCESSORIES
Bars: 2” Rise Superbar
Risers: Harley-Davidson
Hand Controls: Harley-Davidson
Gas Tank(s): Harley-Davidson Peanut
Front Fender: None
Rear Fender: 6” Chrome Trailer
Seat: LePera Bare Bones
Foot Controls: Harley-Davidson w/ Floorboards
Oil Tank: 1953 Harley-Davidson
Taillight: Mini Lucas Replica
Headlight: Harley-Davidson 5 3/4 “ Black
Speedo: No
Photographer: Chris Callen