It’s a little embarrassing to realize that we have not featured the work of Scott Jones before. Scott is the man behind California-based Noise Cycles, and he’s one of the most talented custom builders in the USA—if not the world.
This 1952 Harley Panhead won ‘Best in Show’ at Born Free 5, the top custom bike event in the States. And it’s not hard to see why. The stance, craftsmanship and aesthetic vision are off the scale.
Like most overnight successes, Jones’ has been a little while coming. His CV is impeccable: After 18 months honing his craft for Jesse James, he was snapped up by Ian Barry to work on the much-lauded Falcon Ten project. Jones spent two years remodeling classic British iron, and then set up his own shop on January 1, 2012.
The images tell the story, but here are a few details about the bike: the 88ci 1952 EL Panhead motor is sitting in a late Panhead swingarm frame. It’s fed by an S&S dual throat carb, and the power is harnessed by a Barnetts high performance clutch.
The handcrafted aluminum fuel tank is a quick-release fitment—as are the fuel lines—and the exhaust system is fabricated from stainless steel. There are too many one-off pieces to list, but the narrow 41mm trees are particularly notable.
Stopping power comes from a Yamaha Racing TD3 270mm four-leading shoe front drum brake, and the tires are Excelsior 400-19 at the front, Firestone 550-16 at the back. A touch of subtle, understated color was applied by L.A.-based Sonny Boy Paint.
The next stop for this Panhead will be the Mooneyes Show in Japan. Expect it to cause a stir, and keep an eye out for the Noise Cycles name. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more about Scott Jones in the years to come.
Thanks to Jose Gallina for the images. Head over to the excellent Mighty Motor for an in-depth profile of Scott Jones, and even more images of this Panhead.
