I built this bike a few years ago and, like most projects, I’m always tweaking the way it handles and runs.

It would pop/misfire from time to time. One brother told me those bird catchers can mess with airflow to the carb. I’ve always been a fan of running air cleaners—I’m cheap and want my bikes to last.

I ordered this air cleaner from Paughco and damn, it was beautiful… too beautiful for this funky Panhead. So, I kept hunting for something that matched the vibe. Someone suggested Bear Swamp Speed Shoppe (bearswampspeed.com). Hit the bullseye—simple, the right size, cast and bare. Perfect.

It comes with the filter element and stainless Phillips-head fasteners. I yanked the bird catcher from the Linkert, hit the bolts with a little blue Loctite, and bada-bing—done.

But wait… the Bear had a couple of wild license-plate decorations, including the devil and this pretty kitty (as he called it). The eyes actually shift side-to-side.

While warming the bike up after its first winter layup, I found another issue: it started running on one cylinder. I reached down and unplugged the rear plug wire. It smoothed right out. Looking closer, I saw the rear plug cap and wire arcing to the old ‘50s coil cover.

I ripped that bastard off immediately and started wondering how the hell I was going to dress up the coil sitting between the heads. Pretty Kitty did the trick—I just had to fab a small bracket off the existing coil bracket.

I found a slim piece of metal, drilled a couple holes, brazed on some Allen bolts to mount the bracket, and drilled two more for the kitty. She’s cool but made from very thin stock—way too easy to bend.

Still, it looks right, hides the coil, and hopefully keeps the spark from jumping. Fingers crossed the funky Pan now runs like a champ.

Road testing as soon as the weather clears.

--Weed