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BEFORE: July 5, 2007
She will
be christened the "Jasmine Wind": a pirate ship that sails at midnight,
the time when the intoxicating scent of the Night Jasmine lofts itself
on an ocean breeze toward the unsuspecting.
AFTER: April 6, 2008
THE PLAN
Changes/Additions
(crossed off items have been purchased or
completed): New
front fender tip, fab spacer for hiway pegs,
remove passenger pegs, tombstone taillight, teardrops turn
signalsmounted into saddlebags, illuminated plate
holder, solo luggage rack, bag luggage
racks, wide levers,
flag holder for my
skull and crossbones flag, ISO
grips, throttle rocker,new tires, headlight visor...someday I'll get that sterling mermaid bell that I wanted for Mermie
(Mom gave it to me for my birthday!
Thanks, Mom!!).
COMPANY/MANUFACTURER AND PART NUMBERS are located at the bottom of
the page!
Matsurika
= Jasmine (see kanji at left)
Paint (the ORIGINAL plan):
Dark base coat with a few flecks of cobalt flake, the
impression of a few stars in a sky. Front fender art: a romance novel portrait of John and I
as pirates. Tank top: full moon ocean scene, with a ship
and cliffs silhouetted by clouds, bordered with a few jasmine
flowers and leaves. The tank sides: "Jasmine Wind"
in gold leaf. Saddlebag sides will show underwater scenes: Atlantis ruins, dolphins, reef, sharks, and ?
OF COURSE, THIS IS ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
March Updated Plan: And of course, it HAS changed!!
After getting
the basic ideas for the art, it started to morph into all kinds of ocean
references to things that are significant to me. Although the test
panels with dark base and cobalt flake looked great, it just wasn't
right for this project. We are now doing a white base with Kustom Shop
Sapphire Blu Diamond Crystal Pearl - OMG, the test panels are
absolutely gorgeous!! Here's the final artwork plan...
Front of front fender: John and I in "olde time" photo (sepia tones) as
pirates with a gold frame, overlapping a "treasure map" of Key West with
an "X" where we got married. There are a few gold coins and jasmine
blossoms scattered on the map. Rear of front fender: a starfish just like the one's I've seen in FL
with my EDA text. Tank sides: gold pinstripe bordering black and blue insert with "Jasmine
Wind" lettering in gold, and a dolphin silhouetted by the moon. Tank top: porthole moonlight ocean scene, ship and cliffs in background,
and a mermaid in the foreground looking towards the ship - her tail
hangs OUT of the porthole onto the tank top! Sidecovers: left shows a dolphin Mom and baby, and the right has an
octopus. Saddlebags: left depicts a dolphin Mom and baby looking at Christ of the
Abyss (in the Keys), surrounded by reef edges and black to a gold
pinstripe. My spiritual side - I find God in many places.
Right bag shows a hammerhead shark overlooking the ruins of a theatre in
Sicily (I found photos of the theatre online and wanted to add the
Sicilian ruins because John is Sicilian). There are also 3 Queen
Triggerfish by the ruins - there are 3 kids in my family, 3 in John's, 3
in my Mom's, 3 in my Dad's, and I loved watching the incredibly
beautiful fish when I went snorkeling in Maui! Rear fender: between the luggage rack and the tail light: a pirate skull
with bandana and the words: "what happens on ship, stays on ship".
There will also be a few jasmine blossoms scattered here and there on
the bike.
7/5/07:
Let the mods begin! We had the bike home less than 45 minutes,
and we were already pulling the passenger seat, luggage rack,
and emblems off of her!
10/08:
Ordered the LED tombstone taillight, teardrop taillights to use
as turn signals, illuminated plate frame, 2 drybag saddlebag
liners, wide levers and the front fender tip.
Also ordered the cobalt flake for the paint.
10/08:
John fabbed some
spacer bars for my highway pegs...shiny and perfect! I used to have to
kick my legs straight out to reach the highway pegs, almost
hyper-extending my knee (NOT good), but now I can RELAX my legs!
Here's a quickie "mockup"
of the future base coat with just a bit of flake (pre-artwork) and the
rear lighting-to-be. I'll probably end up going
with a much deeper blue or black for the basecoat. I'll make a decision
after we do some test panels.
12-07 - 1/08: The rear lighting has been
removed from the fender, and the holes have been patched and welded. The
teardrop's installation holes have been cut into the bags - they look
SWEET! The tombstone light and luggage rack have been fitted to the
welded fender.
Picture on right: Bella, the
Quality Control Expert, is inspecting John's work.
2/16/08:
We spent the afternoon cutting down the windshield, as it was as tall as
a skyscraper and I couldn't see over it at all. That can be dangerous if
you ride through rain at night.
**DISCLAIMER: I do not
advocate or recommend cutting windshields. This demo was done on a
National Cycles Switchblade polycarbonate shield, which is highly
durable compared to other shields (just check out their video comparing
polycarb to other shields on their website!!). We are not liable for any
damages or injury to you, your bike or accessories if you decide to cut
your windshield. Any shield modifications will VOID your warranty.
March:
Reshaping the seat. Purchased gel insert, and vinyl to recover the seat.
Seat will be white with a blue insert, with dolphin graphic stitched
onto the insert. We're also adding a custom seat rail that a friend was
nice enough to create for me. We'll put together a seat video after the
seat is completed.
March:
After doing test panels, I decided to scrap the dark paint. I really
liked the blue flake on the black, but it's just not quite right for the
artwork that is going on this bike. The bike will now be painted white
with a blue pearl finish. FINALLY...I've started to
airbrush the artwork! :)
This is just a very rough mock up of the "bike-to-be" in white.
3/11/08
The bags! L: Christ of the Abyss with a dolphin Mom &
baby; R: Ruins of a theatre in Sicily with a hammerhead shark.
3/12/08 The side
covers:
3/13/08
Tank top (part of the mermaid tail is coming out of the porthole, but
it is masked off in this picture).
3/13/08
Tank sides done. The tank will be white - there is gold around the artwork
because there is a 1/4" gold pinstripe taped off around the art.
3/14
& 15: Front of
front fender, and an example of the many pieces of masking necessary to
create the details of this piece.
March 16:
Bags and tank are now white with pearl. We will just barely knock down the nibs of the intercoat with a white
scotch brite pad before taking the parts to the clearcoater. Rear of front fender (6"
starfish with Eclectic Dawn Arts lettering - only detail of starfish
shown), and rear fender (skull and lettering fits between the tail light
and the rack). Right
saddlebag with white, pearl and gold pinstripe. Tomorrow I'll be
finishing up a few jasmine flowers scattered on the bike parts, and then
off to the clearcoaters...
March 18th:I saw the first layer of clear on the fender...woohoo, the
pearl just SINGS!! And that was just in the paint booth. I can't wait to
see her in the sunlight. :) Everything but the helmet
and gas tank are in Freddy's hands now.
Oh man, now I need to paint my
HELMET!!!
March 21:The tank has been touched up, and my helmet is now painted. Both will
go to the clearcoater tomorrow.
The big news is that my custom seat rail is done! A friend created it
from 1/2" diameter stainless steel rod. The seat will be white
with a light blue inset. The inset will have a double dolphin graphic
stitched on it.
March 22:Well, the tank and my helmet are at the clearcoater's now. John
started detailing the frame and the chrome tidbits all over the bike
while the parts are still off. Here's a shot of the tank top porthole, and a preview of
the kanji and jasmine flowers on my helmet. We
also picked up the Kury ISO grips today. All that's left to purchase are
the new tires...yeeeaaaaahhhhh, right...I'm sure Matty has more farkle
in her future, after all, pirates are always looking for baubles and
booty!
March 28:
The seat is DONE, and it is beautiful. Mike did an incredible job
shaping the seat and sewing the cover. The dolphins stitched on the
inset are sort of "3D" which really adds something special to the seat. Check out the video
at left of the entire seat customization. Updated March 30th, 2008.
April 2:
Picked up the rear
fender, installed the tail light and illuminated plate. Fender
and seat are on. I will pick up the rest of the parts tomorrow.
With the white, the whole attitude of this bike has CHANGED.
I'm
so happy that I'll be riding soon. Perhaps this weekend!!
<<<<< Wow,
look at the sparkly pearl!
April 3:
Picked up the rest of the parts from X-clu'sive. Freddy is such
an awesome guy, he really goes the extra mile to make things
look perfect! Bags are wired, and all parts are on...we just
need to hook up the wiring and install the front fender and
windshield. Wow, this bugger looks HUGE now that she's white!
Check out the detail of the 3" ship on the gas tank...you can
see the crow's nest and climbing ropes.
4.6.2008:
IT LIVES!!! Watch the short video at left to see the maiden
voyage of the Jasmine Wind! What
an exciting day! I thought it
might take a while for me to get used to the big beast again,
but as soon as I cracked open the throttle on the first curve, I
was in love with the T all over again. *happy girl*
The full project
video is at the top of this page. View the entire project from
the day we brought her home, through the customization, to her
maiden voyage on 4/6/2008.
June 2008, Matty wins 2nd place at the
Crane Tire Bike and Car Show.
Thank you:Johnny V (fabrication, mechanical, and muscle, Mike Lyles(upholstery), Freddy and Jerry (clear
coat), Dean (seat rail), and everyone who kept
cheering us on throughout the project!!
All our bike and helmet projects are
clear coated to a perfect finish
with Glasurit products by the fine
folks at X-clu'sive Collision Center in Danville, Virginia.
Phone: 434-791-4288 (Tell Freddy and Jerry that Dawn sent you!)
PARTS INFO
(suppliers, part
names and numbers)
JP Cycle
2 Teardrop Taillights/340-123
illuminated License Plate Frame/340-460
LED Tombst. Taillight/3400521
Jet Logic Bag Liners/8400085
Wide Levers/ZZ51010
Fender Tip/ZZ71224
Jireh Luggage
Rack, 85-03XL/121-8, (I paid around $25 for the same rack that sells for
around $50 in other catalogs!)
Niagara Cycle Works Sunlite Cloud Nine Gel Bicycle Seat Cover (6325)
TCP Global
These guys are GREAT! Good
prices and VERY helpful on the phone!
Cobalt Med Flake/KUS
MSF14-2Z
Kustom Shop Sapphire Blu-Diamond Crystal Pearl KUS DCP72-1Z 17.95 This stuff is GORGEOUS!
House of Kolor: 2 oz. and 4 oz. ready-to-spray paint
10/08:
Ordered the LED tombstone taillight, teardrop taillights to use
as turn signals, illuminated plate frame, 2 drybag saddlebag
liners, wide levers and the front fender tip.
March:
After doing test panels, I decided to scrap the dark paint. I really
liked the blue flake on the black, but it's just not quite right for the
artwork that is going on this bike. The bike will now be painted white
with a blue pearl finish. FINALLY...I've started to
airbrush the artwork! :)
This is just a very rough mock up of the "bike-to-be" in white.
3/13/08
Tank top (part of the mermaid tail is coming out of the porthole, but
it is masked off in this picture).
March 22:
Well, the tank and my helmet are at the clearcoater's now. John
started detailing the frame and the chrome tidbits all over the bike
while the parts are still off. 
March 28:
The seat is DONE, and it is beautiful. Mike did an incredible job
shaping the seat and sewing the cover. The dolphins stitched on the
inset are sort of "3D" which really adds something special to the seat. Check out the video
at left of the entire seat customization. Updated March 30th, 2008.
April 3:
Picked up the rest of the parts from X-clu'sive. Freddy is such
an awesome guy, he really goes the extra mile to make things
look perfect! Bags are wired, and all parts are on...we just
need to hook up the wiring and install the front fender and
windshield. Wow, this bugger looks HUGE now that she's white!
4.6.2008:
IT LIVES!!! Watch the short video at left to see the maiden
voyage of the Jasmine Wind! What
an exciting day! I thought it
might take a while for me to get used to the big beast again,
but as soon as I cracked open the throttle on the first curve, I
was in love with the T all over again. *happy girl*