Copper Top Garage's 59 Panhead

many of us can look back to the “good old days” of high school and remember that one person or friend who was special. Someone who had that “something,” and we all knew they’d grow up to become overwhelmingly successful or even famous. Be it a star athlete in basketball or football, or even a dancer who went on to become part of the Rockettes. Motorcycle builder Ray Llanes was fortunate enough to go to Southwest High School in Miami where he had a couple friends there by the names of Billy and Warren Lane and Caleb Owens of Crow Customs. I guess it’s pretty easy to understand who the people are in his life that motivate him to do what he does today.

Though Ray has ridden, built, and wrenched on his own rides with his buddies his entire life, it wasn’t until he made the move to Ormond Beach, Florida, five years ago that he decided to start building custom builds for clients. Though many builds are the combination of brainstorming with a client on every detail from the ground up, this bike didn’t get its start that way. In 2020, Ray was introduced to a gentleman who had just proudly purchased a “freshly rebuilt” 1959 Panhead and asked Ray to give it a quick once over to make sure all was well and in good working order. He also mentioned that he had problems getting it started. Being proficient in Panheads, Ray was sure he’d get the bike up and running in no time. The motorcycle was on his lift for

only a short time before it became pretty evident that this particular Panhead was far from being a freshly built machine.

Besides a couple small things like oil in the heads and the frame being compromised, there were so many things wrong with it that this basic “check-up” turned into a groundup rebuild. As Ray explained it, everything was wrong with it. He kept the stock motor, frame, drivetrain, and front end, but everything else needed to be scrapped and replaced. Since the bike was being blown apart, a complete makeover was also in the works.

In the decision making process, the bike’s owner asked Ray to design and rebuild the Panhead as if it were his own. For a boy who grew up in Miami, a city known worldwide for its elegant oceaninspired design and art deco style, it was pretty easy for Ray to draw inspiration from his surroundings. This super clean build has an Art Deco style of its own, from the derby cover to other details. The paint and pinstriping were meticulously laid down by Mo’s Image Custom in Tampa, Fl. To most of us, it is a simple seafoam green in color,

but Ray explained that he was so locked in on a particular shade of green that it took many, many samples before they came up with the perfect combination of green and gold pearl that upon first glance has an old porcelain enamel feel to it.

This beautifully done bike may not have a lot of bling to it at first glance, and that was a conscious style design of choice. His goal was for the quality of the work put into the bike to speak for itself. Meaning he didn’t want to go with a crazy “bass boat flake” and lots of chrome to distract from the time he spent literally going over every nut, bolt, and valve cap from the ground

OOwner: J.R. Crawford City/State:Miami Builder: Ray Llanes Copper Top Garage Year: 1959 Model:FL Value: Time: 6 Months ENGINE Year:1959 Model: Panhead Builder: Copper Top Garage Ignition: Points Displacement: 74Ci Pistons: HD Heads: HD Carb: S&S Super B Cam: Stock Air Cleaner: Moon Eyes Exhaust: Stock Primary: Stock Chain Drive TRANSMISSION Year: 1959 Make: HD Shifting: Jockey FRAME Year: 1954 Model: HD Wishbone Rake: 30 Deg Stretch: None FORKS Builder: HD/Replica Type: Springer Triple Trees: Extension: WHEELS Front Wheel: Stainless Spoke Size: 19” Tire: Firestone Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Stainless Spoke Size: 16” Tire: Firestone Rear Brake: 67-72 HD Juice Drum PAINT Painter: Mo Diaz (Mo’s Image Customs) Color:Sage Green w/ Gold Pearl & Black Type: Tropical Glitz Graphics: Mo’s Image Customs Chroming: Hialeah Platers ACCESSORIES Bars: Cro Customs Mini Speedway Bars Risers: Hand Controls: Exile Cycles Internal Throttle Foot Controls: Stock HD (Modified) Gas Tank(s): Modified Cole Foster Tank Oil Tank: Modified Oil Tank Front Fender: Rear Fender: Ribbed for her Pleasure Seat: Adam Croft Headlight: 3.5 Bates style Taillight: Motone Speedo: Photographer: Erick Runyon up. His goal was for other builders and bike enthusiasts to really notice and appreciate the hard work, details, and craftsmanship that went into finishing this beautiful machine. Judging from these images, it’s pretty easy to see that he superseded that goal. Ray built an art deco style work of art on two wheels that will be appreciated by many for years to come.