Some people are born just knowing what they want to do in life. They feel as if they are destined to follow a certain path and, no matter what happens, they find their path and take it. Wil Thomas is one of these people. Ever since he was a little kid growing up in Chicago, Wil knew that someday he would ride. It just took him a while to get started.
Before he started riding, Wil found himself in the Marines. Even in a distant land, Wil found a friend who believed that he too would some day be on that same path. While defending our country they spent every waking hour talking about bikes and about one day riding together. They knew they were both born to ride.
It wasn't until Wil was 32 years young that he started riding. A '52 Harley-Davidson FL Panhead was his first. Since then Wil knew he would never ride a stock bike.
In the bowels of the Flat Iron Building in Chicago on a hot and humid day in August of '04, Wil got to work on his '52 FL masterpiece. It was his first build and his first time trying to buy his own parts. Wil wasn't too sure how things were going to turn out. "I didn't even know what a five star hub was," Wil admits. But destiny gave him a little push and now Wil can look back and realize that he was somehow getting some of the best parts around. One of the best parts he got, at a good price, was the Frisco'd Sporty tank, which he got from a friend for a six-pack of beer.
He also got some assistance from his friends at Fear City Choppers. British Billy Favata helped him with the paintjob. It was help he really needed. As Wil puts it, "I hadn't painted anything since kindergarten." Still the paintjob came out with a unique quality all its own.
Yet sometimes destiny doesn't work out. Wil's goal was to have the bike finished in time to take it to the Smoke Out East. Finishing the bike with just about 20 minutes to spare, Wil made the hard decision to leave it at home.
When the bike was finished Wil felt that he put a bit of his soul into it. "When you build bikes a part of your soul translates into it. It's part of the process and that part of your soul comes through. That bike is all about you."
Wil didn't just build the bike to look pretty. He built the bike to ride. He rode it so much that it broke down more than a few times. That's okay though, because Wil feels that when you build a bike you should put it to good use. It was meant to be ridden, and Wil has ridden this '52 Panhead all around the country.
Today Wil lives in Long Beach, California. Although he had always lived in the Chicago area, his employer, a shoe company that will remain anonymous, told him to, "Just Do It." That's okay though because he has found that Long Beach swap meets are great places to find parts, and every day in sunny California is a perfect day to ride. SC