One Cool Hand-Me-Down
When you think of hand-me-downs, the first things that come to mind are old shirts, pants, or shoes. If you have an older brother or sister, this happens all the time when you are growing up. Your sibling just happens to outgrow something, and if you are the lucky one (or unlucky one) to get the goods, then you know what it feels like to get that holey, worn-out pair of shoes; it can suck. However, what if you were the last in the line of kids and the last to leave the house when dad decided to pass on a few hand-me-downs, and this was no box of old shirts and shoes? It was a motorcycle-a 1959 Panhead, to be exact. How would you feel about the hand-me-downs at that point?
Well, for one lucky-ass guy, this was just how it all started. Nathan Wilson, Slow Laner of Glendora, CA, and son of Richard Wilson, OG Slow Laner (I'm trying to make it sound like some long bloodline of kings) was the kind of kid that spent all of his time in the garage with his dad working on anything with a motor. The garage was always full of old hot rods, Harleys, and a toolbox filled to the top-just the way any gearhead kid would want it. Richard always told Nathan, "You break it, you fix it," so that's just what he did. He got tons of hands-on time working on all kinds of cars and bikes, so that by the time Nathan got his own bike he was ready to tear into it and fix it up his way.
The good thing was that Richard was always there to help, and seeing how well Nathan took care of his things like the bike, he told Nathan, "When the day comes that I cannot kick-start the old Panhead, it will have to be handed down." Well, years later that day came after Richard got hurt at work. He was a roofer for years and unfortunately had an accident, and he messed up his back so badly that he had a hard time just lifting his leg, let alone kick-start a bike. So after a long time of trying, fighting it, and not giving up on the hope that he could still ride, he came to the realization that it would be better to pass the Panhead on to his son than let it sit.
So a deal was made with Nathan to sell his old Sportster and take over the family Panhead. This Panhead had been the family so long that his mom and dad had even gotten married on this bike. So Richard had some terms before he handed the bike over. One: Nathan could never sell the bike-never. When the time came, it would be passed on to the next Wilson boy. Last, ride the piss out of it, and never let it sit. Even if Nathan was to get a new bike (like an Evo) he still had to ride the ol' Pan. Well, for Nathan that was easy. Ever since he could remember, all Nathan wanted was that bike.
Just like anyone with the drive to "make it my way," Nathan wasted no time stripping the bike down for some fresh paint-not too different, just a new coat. Richard felt this was the best way for him to learn the ins and outs of this bike and make a few changes to fit Nathan, and this kept Richard involved even though he wasn't riding it. It was not long after the fresh paint was back on the bike that a name was chosen: "The Raped Grape." The colors were bold and strong, and Nathan and his dad knew it was going to get ridden hard and abused, so it fit. A 20-over Wide Glide frontend and handlebars found their way to this bike for a while. The Pan has gone through a lot of changes over the years, way too many to fit into this story. But the changes still stay true to how Richard wanted to see the bike.