Unity Manufacturing is a motorcycle company that specializes in making USA made tools and parts that are purposeful, unique, and help get the job done right.
Hunter Kelly, founder of Unity MFG runs a small operation out of his backyard garage based in Columbus, Ohio.
He focuses on making high quality specialty tools that help with working on Harley-Davidson motors and transmissions. Hunter also has his finger on the pulse of the motorcycle scene and produces some pretty cool parts like his "TUFF Rotors" with he goal in mind to make everyone feel a little tougher when riding their bike.
HUNTER KELLY OF UNITY MFG'S 1953 HARLEY-DAVIDSON PANHEAD
Hunter Kelly from Unity Manufacturing with his 1953 Panhead Chopper.
The story of this bike really begins with the tank. I won it in a raffle in 2022 and was so blown away by it, I knew I had to build a special bike around it and it totally set the vibe for the rest of the bike. I started collecting parts for a couple years and by the time 2024 rolled around, I had a pretty good pile.
The tank that started it all.
With the encouragement of my friends, I decided to enter it into the Biltwell People’s champ. Once I found out I made the cut, I immediately jumped into high gear and started working on the bike non-stop. I had a ton of help from friends and strangers alike. I asked Skulltits to paint the rest of the bike and she did an incredible job, really exceeded my expectations.
Top 6 in 2025's Biltwell People's Champ Build off.
Getting the bike ready for Biltwell to come and take photos was one of the most stressful moments of my life. I basically had 72 hours for assembly and when I tried to put the motor in the frame, it wouldn’t fit due to paint, the tight tolerances on the cases, and the new rocker box covers. A frantic and stressful few hours with an angle grinder and the polishing wheel, along with some of my dudes cheering me on, and I managed to just be able to squeeze the motor in the frame. Those Delkron cases are nice and beefy, but maybe too beefy. Another huge issue I had was the front head leaking oil and smoking. After a ton of attempted remedies, I finally figured out that it was an oil feed line that was drilled just a little too close to the spark plug hole that was causing it.
1953 Panhead Chopper from Unity Manufacturing.
I tried hard to build a bike that looked good from afar as well as up close. I really pushed to have a lot of details, but not go overboard. It’s a lot harder to achieve that balance than I expected but I think I got pretty close.
In California, Hunter is out with transmission problems. (photo by Josh Scott)
There’s a million more stories and memories about the build, but I’ll skip to the end. Unfortunately, on the mandatory 50 mile ride for People’s champ, my transmission sprocket came loose and pushed the transmission countershaft into the case and locked up my transmission. Game over. I brought a lot of tools and spares to fix any roadside issues, but not an entire spare baker 6 in 4 transmission. So, I was ineligible to win the competition. It was a huge bummer.
On the Grass at Born Free (Photo by Josh Scott)
However, from when I first entered the competition my goal was to make the final six and have my bike on the grass at Born Free, and not only did I meet that goal, but I built a bike that far exceeded my expectations and I also was able to set up a booth at Born Free and sell my Unity Manufacturing parts and tools, and meet a ton of people in person that I had been internet friends with years.
Vending at Born Free (photo by Josh Scott)
The thank you list is a long one! My wife and son for putting up with the long hours in the garage and always being so supportive. The OG ARB crew, Dan, Nick, Mikey, Joe, Chris, and Craig, aka the #1 peoples champ cheerleader. Kerry for the laser fab. Alan for the wheel. Kyle for the motor deal. Zach for the welding and good ideas. Morris for the mag. LNSPTBLVD for the high-mids. Baker for the transmission help. Everyone who offered encouragement during the build. Jasmin for the incredible paint job and inspiring the build.
Words by: Hunter Kelly / Unity MFG
Photos by: Mikey Revolt
WHAT PARTS WERE USED TO BUILD THIS '53 PANHEAD CHOPPER?
Dig this bike, and want to know just what parts were used to build it? You are at the right place! To see some of the parts that Hunter used to build his chopper, click here.
Old timey film "is this a good spot to put it?"
General:
Owner: Unity Manufacturing
Year/Make/Model: 1953 Harley-Davidson Panhead
Fabrication: Unity Manufacturing
Build Time: September 2024-June 2025
1953 Panhead 93" Big Bore Stroker with Delkron Cases and STD Heads.
Engine:
Year/Type/Size: 93” big bore stroker Panhead, Delkron cases, S&S Cylinders flywheels and rods, STD heads, Lienweber cam, Sugarbaby pushrods, Pangea Speed rocker covers, basically the only stock internals are the rocker arms and blocks. G5 Magneto by Morris Magneto.
Carburetor: S&S super E jetted up a couple sizes. According to S&S 93” is right around the cross over point between a Super E and Super G. I stuck with the Super E for familiarity and ease of access of parts.
Custom Two sided High Shotgun pipes with Lowbrow Customs Smooth Heat Shields.
Exhaust: Custom built stainless dual high shotguns, inspired by Sonny Barger’s Sweet Cocaine bike.
Air Cleaner: Boyle Custom Moto that I had engraved. I wish BCM was still making stuff.
Ben Jefferies Motorshop Style Frame.
Frame: Ben Jefferies made this Motorshop style frame. I’ve loved Motorshop frames since I first found out about them and I bugged Ben for a while to make one for me. Right before he was about to get started making one for me, a previous Motorshop frame he built popped up for sale and he told me to buy that one instead, so I snatched it up.
Year/Type: 2023 Benjeff
Rake/Stretch: ask Ben
39mm - 4 over front end.
Front End: Stock 39 mm front end, with 4 over fork tubes. The Lowers I shaved and smoothed, polished, and then had engraved by Curt at 4th Floor Choppers. The Drum brake is an oem Sporster hamburger drum that has been heavily modified by Curt.
Type / Brand: OEM Harley
Front is a 21" custom high wall rim with Shinko Classic 270 3.00-21 tire.
Rear is a 18" Radir 12 Spoke Wheel with Dunlop K70 4.00-18 Tire.
Wheels: aluminum high wall rim laced to the hamburger drum. Curt scalloped the rim to match the scallops on the drum brake. The rear is an 18” Radir 12 spoke that is a copy of the old American racing wheels. My friend Alan did all the machining to turn it from a drag car spool to a dual flange Harley wheel. It was a ton of work and he said he will never do it again.
Paint by Skulltits
Finish/Paint:
Paint by: Skulltits
Plating/Polishing: R&V polishing did the chrome on the sissy bar and did an incredible rush job. Mikey Revolt polished the hell out of my transmission for me. I hand polished the rest.
Powdercoating: n/a
Old auto reverse Headlight.
Accessories:
Front Fender: Nope
Rear Fender: Lowbrow Custom Manta Ray 4 ¾ with some molding
Gas Tank: Lowbrow Customs Frisco Mount 2.5 Gallon Sportster Tank
Handlebars: OEM Panhead risers that were extended and smoothed and chromed by Vitzy Boys. Topped off with a real inexpensive set of low rise tracker bars.
Grips: Pangea Speed Carter grips
Mirrors: Pangea Speed 851 Mirror
Hand Controls: Repop blade style levers, Biltwell Whiskey Throttle Single Cable.
Foot Controls: LNSPLTBLVD high-mids. I stripped the coating off and polished them and used white Harley shifter pegs and machined adaptors to run my own foot pegs.
Headlight: I used an old aftermarket automobile reverse light that I retrofitted with a Sonora Light Co. headlight bulb. The glass has a slight purple tint because the chemical compound of the glass they used back then contained manganese dioxide that causes a chemical reaction when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Taillight: Juniors Handmade slim Lucas style taillight
Turn Signals: Hands
License Mount: Juniors Handmade
Seat: B&C spade seat
All the bugs worked out.
Custom & Special Details or Accessories:
There is a ton of engraving all over the bike, as well as some hearts hidden into the frame molding. Custom one off brake rotor and sprocket, with hearts and scallops to match the front wheel and brake. I made the sissy bar out of two tire irons from Harbor Freight. I built the oil bag from scratch using some parts sent to me by my homie Fred, some instruction for Jacob, and some finish welding by Zach.
MORE PHOTOS OF UNITY MFG'S 1953 HARLEY-DAVIDSON PANHEAD
In the competition.
B-side details.
Custom cap on the Morris Magneto.
Lowbrow Customs 39mm Premium Fork Seal Covers.
A mirror to check your good looks or other stuff.
Lowbrow Customs 4-3/4 Manta Ray with some molding. Beautiful Tail light and custom sissy bar.
The paint just shines in the light.
Unity Kicker Pedal.
Tons of details in the top tree.
Lowbrow Customs Smooth 6" Heat Shield.
BDL 1.5" Open Belt Drive.
1953 never looked so cool.
UNITED MFG. HARLEY PRODUCT VIDEOS
WATCH VIDEO: HOW TO ADJUST PUSHRODS USING UNITY MFG WRENCH SET
Learn how easy it is to adjust your pushrods with Unity MFG's Pushrod Wrench Set for Solid lifters and Hydraulic lifters. Hunter Kelly owner of Unity MFG, walks you through what comes with a wrench set and how to adjust the pushrods on his 1975 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead. With this wrench set you will never have to struggle trying to make normal wrenches work again.
WATCH VIDEO: INTAKE LEAK TESTERS FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSONS
In this video Hunter walks you through his manifold intake leak testers for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He makes two versions. A 2 bolt intake leak tester for Shovelheads / Ironheads and a 4 bolt Linkert leak tester for most Knuckleheads / Panheads.
Learn the importance of checking your manifold and have some fun while doing it. These made in Ohio tools will help keep your bike running smooth and far away from running like "DooDoo".
WATCH VIDEO: BRAKE ROTORS - TUFF & SOLID STYLES FOR CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES
In this video Hunter walks you through his Tuff and Solid Style brake rotors. Learn the differences between these US made 420 Stainless Steel rotors and what benefits they can bring to your ride. From 10" to 11.5" you can put these bad mofo's on the front or rear or your custom chop and look tougher then ever and stop on a dime. Even if you aren't tough, at least your bike can be.
WATCH VIDEO: HD 4 SPEED CLUTCH LOCK UP TOOL FOR BDL, PRO-CLUTCH, & STOCK
Installing a new 4 speed clutch basket on your Harley-Davidson or are you trying to replace your chain. Well fear not garage dwellers, Hunter from Unity MFG has a killer tool he wants to show you. The Unity Manufacturing 4 Speed Clutch Lock Up Tool for BDL / Pro Clutch and Stock.
While working on his own bike one day, he couldn't find anything to lock up his clutch hub to his basket so that he could remove his transmission main shaft nut. It got him thinking, "Well, If I need this, then other people will to." So he designed a tool that would work for BDL / Pro-Clutch and stock setups. Utilizing his lock up tool with some Lowbrow Customs primary drive block tool this US made stainless steel tool works like a dream.
WATCH VIDEO: DOGBONES - TORQUE WRENCH ADAPTER SET FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSONS
Ever try torquing down your cylinder bolts or head bolts? Its a real pain in the you know what. Well, Hunter has done it again for everyone. With his Dogbones - Torque Wrench Adapter Set you can torque down your cylinder and head bolts with ease and with precision accuracy.
In this video get a first hand look at his Dogbone torque wrench adapter set that works for Harley-Davidson motorcycles and learn how to use them properly. Another high quality US made product from Unity MFG.
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