Three New Paintings in the "Colors" Series

Here are three new paintings in the "Colors" series. Each one is 12" x 18" on watercolor paper, done in watercolor and ink (and colored pencil on the Deer Skull piece). Visit the link to see which ones are still available on Etsy :)

Two New Paintings. Starting the "Colors" Series

These paintings are new as of this week and are the second and third paintings in a series called "Colors". The first was "Retro Joe", which has already sold. These two paintings are now up for sale on Etsy :)

Butterfly Eyes

12" x 18"

Watercolor, Pencil, and Ink

on Watercolor Paper

"People are naturally organic just like Butterflies. We are all essentially the same at birth, but throughout our lives we develop our own personal tastes and characteristics, like butterfly wings."

Self Portrait 

12" x 18"

Watercolor, Pencil, and Ink

on Watercolor Paper

"It's imperative, every so often, to create something completely out of spontaneity. This piece had no plan except that it should be a portrait. Only through experimentation and quick thinking were the fundamentals of art considered and implemented."

Retro Joe

New Painting! Woo-Hoo!!

I'm calling it "Retro Joe" because I based this off of a photo of a man who's identity is still unknown to me.
The painting is watercolor and ink on paper, which measures 12 inches x 18 inches. I really like the look of the motorcycle racers from the early 1900s through the early 1950s. The clothes and gear were typically handmade, and not many racers were sponsored by high-dollar companies, most did the prep work themselves in barns or sheds with their friends. If a bike broke down on the side of the road during a race, then the rider would pull out his tool kit and try to fix the bike before the other racers could pass (it was okay if they did, because chances are they would break down at some point too).

It's because of men like the one in this picture, and the work of himself and others like him, that modern motorcycles are more powerful and efficient than they have ever been, and that we as riders have better protective and safety equipment than ever.

Brake Line Kit

Got a Galfer Superbike brake line kit in the mail the other day. They lines are easy enough to install on the bottom side where they meet the calipers. I still don't have a master cylinder or bars yet, so I'll have to get back to that before I can say it's easy or hard. (Looking at the instructions though, it seems pretty straightforward).

Painting the Fender - Part 2

After spraying a clear coat over the fender I had to start over. The clear paint I was using was incompatible with the black paint, so once it dried it turned white and looked really cloudy. I ran my finger across it and in came off like dust in some spots. So I sanded it off and began again.

Here's the cloudy fender after the clear coat had dried...

I sanded the fender, cleaned it off with mild detergent and rinsed it with water. I started spraying it again with a semi-flat black (just a hair less glossy than the satin I started with) and eventually after a few coats it came out looking like this...

And here it is mounted on the front end that will eventually go on the SV...

I'm happy with the end result. This was the first time that I had painted anything larger than a small piece of metal, and the texture is relatively smooth and pretty uniform throughout. All in all I'll call that a win, and a small step forward towards making my little Suzuki a bit more attractive :)

Painting my Fender - Part 1

So today I got a little bored and with the lack of finances to go buy every cool motorcycle part under the sun, I decided instead to paint my GSXR fender, which has been in need of some refreshing since I rescued it from Ebay.

I forgot to snap a photo of the fender before I started, but here it is after a light scuff.

Satin Black is a nice color. It also just so happens to be one of the fullest cans in the garage, so it works out nicely :) Krylon is awesome, and this paint is specifically for plastics which helps in the adhesion process and will hopefully wear a bit more gracefully over time. (Yes the picture is upside-down... I know... just turn your head to read the can, or pick up a small child by their ankles and have them read it to you)

One thing about the Krylon Fusion paint I really like is that you can do dust coats and it dries in just a few minutes. So after three dust coats with about 15 minutes of dry in between each one, I finally sprayed on one thicker coat (really it's a light or light-medium thick coat) and it's currently drying in the sun.

So now I'm going to check it again and if it's dry then it's getting wet sanded. Be back in a bit with more of that.

TESLA - 1972 Triumph Tiger OIF by Saint Motor Company - FOR SALE!

The bike project known simply as "Tesla" is now for sale here on the Ebaysss.

Here's a few photos to pique your interests. Keep scrolling past the photos as well. There's a lot to learn about this little gem....

The video below was a special shoot with Jeff Yarrington (the builder), his son Kyle (lifter of all things great and heavy), and the MotoLady aka Alicia Elfving. Alicia is one of those people that has energy for days and days, so during her time here in Maryland there was a lot of shenanigans mixed with work. Here is her website, The MotoLady. She's a professional photographer/designer with a huge love for bikes and is super fun to work with (as if being an avid motorcyclist wasn't enough) :) 

The body is probably the most unique piece of metal work to come from Saint Motor Company. Originally the idea for the entire bike came from learning of the experiments and theories of Nikola Tesla (thus the moniker) and the appearance was loosely inspired by the 1990s Disney film, "The Rocketeer". To build a body that would fit the bill, Jeff started with a "wire frame" using steel rod that was bent by hand and spot-welded together.

After the completion of the wire frame, the bike needed to be skinned in metal. Using basic tools, mostly hammers, dollys, and sandbags, Jeff began hammering out the body into the appropriate shapes and enclosing the creation.

Pictured below is the bike with a 90% completed body and the custom made exhaust for the bike. With other projects and builds coming and going, Tesla remained this way for some time. While working and tinkering in the garage, Jeff would take breaks from time to time just to stare at the bike. He never looked at it to admire his work, but rather to check the body lines, ask himself what to do about wiring, to figure out what else could it use... The man's mind is a labyrinth.

Skipping ahead to now, the bike's body has been finished with a translucent brass powdercoat, giving the metal it's think "epoxy-clear-over-gold" appearance. The frame was also treated with powdercoat in the smoother ivory color. Pictures below are courtesy of The MotoLady, Alicia Elfving.

The bike as a whole is a work of art, but the smaller, less noticeable details took patience and even more creativity to really go the extra mile. Pictured below is the handmade chain tensioner. It utilizes a standard sized chain-gear, along with a fabricated steel armature and a small coil spring to take up the extra slack in the drivechain. 

Another wonderful touch is the "GPS" that was placed just behind the handmade quarter fairing/headlight. The GPS is a real, somewhat working antique compass.

The exhaust guards/heat shields are cast steel pieces with mounting brackets in the shape of the Fleur-de-Lis. When Tesla was still in the metal stages, the back of the gas tank had a small guitar jack for a key, the original keyhole has since been covered by another matching Fleur and the key removed.

Even the smallest bolts have been given the victorian treatment with accented washers, which were then painted black and scuffed to create a more aged look, which would match the rest of the bikes powdercoated brass finish.

The rear end may be familiar to some people who loved the 60s and 70s hardtail chopper scene. The back half of the frame is an Amen Savior, with steel spring boxes allowing the rear wheel roughly and inch-and-a-half of suspension travel under heavy forces.

Other small things that may be difficult to see in these pictures include:

A brass air screen on the carburetor made from repurposed lighting parts

The kicker has a very nice sleeve over the peg as opposed to the standard rubber pedal

The exhaust runs 2-into-1-into-2 (the muffler is under the seat and was handmade for this bike, the exhaust exits from just under the tail)

The electrics for the bike are not complicated at all, which makes owning and possibly maintaining a custom bike of this quality much simpler. Note the "ignition on" switch and indicator light just behind the kicker.

This particular project has also garnered some attention from other sites, blogs, and motorcycle enthusiasts as well. Read more about the Tesla build here:

The MotoLady Maryland Meet up and Tesla

PipeBurn Saint's '72 Triumph Tiger

Return of the Cafe Racers Tesla 

AutoEvolution Photo Gallery and Video

Triumph North America Short, but sweet photo w/ text

Moto Triumph Hellas More photos

Rusty Knuckles Repost from the PipeBurn article

The MotArt Pictures and a special message from Jeff

The Washington Post Closer Inspection by Kris Cornado

And another interesting article, also from Return of the Cafe Racers, showing some of the trial-and-error in getting the bike just right (many things were changed, I just thought the pictures were funny)

In the past three years that Jeff has worked on this project, there have been more friendships created, partnerships started, and art inspired than any of his other previous works. To everyone involved in this weird thing we call Saint Motor Company, Thank You. Work feels more like play every time you're all around :)

*That's right, I went all touchy-feely. Bringing out the big guns haha :-P