To hear Andy Carter tell it, Pangea Speed’s Future Man chopper is a brainchild with many parents: “This bike has been a collection of parts that I have been planning for about four years. Some of the parts were gifts, some have some heartache attached to them, some are jokes, and others were last-minute additions.”

The main idea here was to make something that represents who Andy is and his relationships to his good friends. That’s a much better goal going into a custom bike project than, “Meh, just doing something different.” You wouldn’t know the theme to look at this UL chopper; you’d only see the cool motorcycle that’s the sum of its parts, and that’s fine. But if you’re one of Andy’s close compadres, you may get something more out of it by recognizing the intent in the parts. I’ve seen old motorcycles as rolling time capsules, inside jokes, and symbols of personal tragedy, but this is the first time I’ve seen those all in one custom bike at the same time.

Andy’s Flathead here isn’t all about its looks, however. “The bike runs well and stops well,” he says. “It is something to actually ride.” He’d like to extend his heartfelt thanks to Logan Bradshaw, Danny Payne, Brook Lund, Dave Polgreen, Jeff Leighton, and Katie Mae for who they are and what they’ve done.