The Monster Project: Phase 8

Last I posted, I was flimflamming about what kind of logo to put on the tank of the bike. The paint scheme was already all planned (thank you all for the suggestions, though) and I just needed to top it off with the right version of the Ducati logo for the mood of the bike.

At this point, I can finally show you guys something definitive… so you can see where I’m going with this whole project. (Full views and videos after the cut.)

I’m not sure if I’ve stated this or not, but I’m going for a retro stylized mean lookin’ moto. Put these in your brain and shake ‘em around: Classy, ivory, racing, glitter. What do you get? The best paint scheme ever.

From the get-go I wanted an Ivory bike. Why? Because I absolutely love white bikes. They look so classic and they really stand out. Later it occurred to me that my bike will be the absolute opposite of stealthy- but I concurred that with the noise level of the 750 Monster engine… stealth would have been a lost cause anyway.

Travel back in time and check out Phase 7 to see the paint stripping process, and check out the video below to watch it hatch!

Jeff of Saint Motor Company (website) sent me the following photo with the comment, ”twas a tad bit fucked up. :-)” Such a smug one, he is. He repaired the entire tank, inside and out. It was banged up, rusted, and just generally sad and depressed looking.

Shortly thereafter I got an email with a photo of it all smoothed out and primed. It was already looking peachy keen!

I didn’t expect to receive an email with photos of it already painted ivory with the black racing stripe the next morning! He worked all through the night, like a crazy person. Like a genius crazy person, that is.

Suddenly the fantastical image that had been floating around in my head had finally been given a face. I could actually look it in the eyes and see what my bike would look like when finished. Ivory, black and gold everything. My mind started racing with all the things I can do. Vinyl on the front forks to make them black, painting the wheels bright gold in the most exquisitely ridiculous way… the list goes on.

I thought that this ivory and black stripe was the stopping point before the gold pinstriping accents and logo were added, but I was wrong. Oh, was I wrong.

Jeff (master of Saint Motor Bikes) and Chris (epic pin-striper and painter pro) had apparently planned to add a little something special on top since we talked about my obsession with glitter flake. Jeff said, “In the clear are crystal flakes that are prism cut that refract the light and show different colors, like the glass prisms you hang in your window that are clear, but makes pretty colors on your walls. The flake on the tank over white acts differently then over black, so as a result walking around it you’ll see green, orange, blue, red, root beer… it’s pretty trippy.”

Bouncing off the walls full of vim and vigor, I couldn’t be more happy with the way this turned out. I am now awaiting the gold pin stripes and gold leaf Ducati logo, front fender (painted to match) and side panels (painted black).

In order to curb my prodding, Jeff sent me this short video of the tank in the sunlight. Watch the sparkles! They’re subtle enough to not look pompous, but colorful enough to make me want to yell, “IT’S A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR!”

I modified the old Ducati wing to give it a more streamlined feel and sent it off to Jeffy.