At last my custom painted tank is here...

Don from Boyz Toyz has done a stunning job. As ever it is difficult to capture the colours as they appear to the naked eye. However the white is just right, not at all fridge like but not at all cream. The metallic red is rich and not orangey and the metallic green is very dark looking almost black until the light hits it. Tricolore a la hot rod, not a pizza box in sight! To my mind at least, it has the retro motorsport look I wanted and I am stoked. No more words needed:

This is all the inspiration I need to solve the remaining pieces of the puzzle. All thanks be to The Force : )

Manifold Blessings

Before (well actually after first pass abrasion with scotchbrite disk and some chemical cleaning):

 After (The PJ1, yet to be heat cured...)

The nasty collars, bottom right in the paving stone pic above, are being replaced with these (an ebay find):

 So one more day at work and then I have a week off dedicated to 'shack life! Hallelujah, a chance to make some real progress, and children, believe me the to-do list is long.

However, there will be no pressure. This is also a chance to take the tank to the painters in deepest Essex to have the hinge plate re-welded where it rusts, a dent filled and my paint scheme applied! So a little sketching has been required.




Colours are not indicative of the final shades, but it's all about red and green on a white background. It's just how dark the colours should be and how white the white. I really don't want that thing where the red ends up looking orange. Plus, I do like a bit of US auto badge cool, if you know what I mean....

......so, the the red and green will be much darker than is typical and may well be kandy. This has to end up looking motorsport clean, rally retro, hot-rod, and Italian all at once. Well it will in MY head and that's all that counts. The idea is to have tricolore without looking like ice cream van and bunting. To look a bit traditional without copying an existing scheme. The two stripes on white background give me tricolore without three stripes.

Is to top-stripe (offset) to over stripe? That is the question....

I am very, very excited about getting the tank painted - it's going to be highly motivational when it comes back. I am going to see a gentleman at a company called Boyz Toyz. The guv'nor is an aircooled Ducati fan and builder himself,. I have seen his work in the flesh on a customised Sports Classic, it's proper as Guy Martin would say. Full report when I get the tank back. This weekend I need to get the petrol and the fumes out prior to transportation.

I also hope to talk to some seat makers. Still wondering whether to re-profile the shape to something more "two-four" cafe, and whether to go for a tan leather. Brown is always tricky. Here's a rough idea of the over-all scheme.

BTW I have my 'storm back with a younger engine in it. Having my daily ride back where it should be makes me whole again.

More reports during or after  'shack week....

The Colour Angst Thing

So this week is panning out as a low productivity one as a load of social stuff has formed a gang and beat the crap out of my weekday evening shed time. In consequence dear readers, this is a good time to ponder on colour angst. I am the first to admit that I am more of an arty farty type than an engineering type. I'm not talking about appreciation here - I'm full of appreciation for trick engineering - just lacking capability. I need something visually great as a goal to drive me on, and in terms of making something different and tasty, a good paint scheme is a quick easy win.

So colour angst is my constant companion as  I think about the bike every day. I always admire paint jobs that reference, quote, or (kill me now) "channel" other appropriate stuff. What do I mean by that? Well I am not going to paint a Ducati in Kawasaki green, it just isn't right. Now every rule exists to be broken so hypothetically I might break the rule for something obscure like Moriwaki flat blue and yellow, but that would be because those colours look retro and retro can work nicely with a Monster.  I might reference something totally separate like that bluey turqouise (with black and dull gold detailing) that Bianchi use on their bicycle frames. It's Italian and it's retro.

But referencing Ducati history, what about the Mike Hailwood Replica colours? Don't see them on a Monster very often. NCR (see the links list) have built a MHR special where they made the green darker and metallic, the shapes simpler, and the borders between green and red bolder. They also have "New Blue" a tribute to  Cook Neilson's 1977 Daytona victory on a Ducati 750SS, known as OLD BLUE, tuned by Phil Schilling. This mates an electric blue frame with silver metallic bodywork. Nice.


What are the other obvious applicable schemes? White with a red frame, red with a red frame or a black frame, black all over, black with gold stripes like an old school original 900ss, Red with white stripe. I like the red body work with red frame and black engine and wheels, with the modern Ducati logo in white. Very 90's Ferrari F1. However Mrs Cutter's 695 comes like that as standard so why would I do that?

I thought about all those recent choppers and cafe customs that are using old-fashioned muted colours like primer greys, creme, etc. An off-white with a muted red muscle car stripe is nice...Or I could put a spin on the dull bronze of the original frame colour and go for a rich gold. That way the red bodywork would look fine as it is, and it would be a subtle twist with a touch of early John Player Special Lotus (before they went to black and gold)  if I then added white elements with gold pinstripe outlining.

I could go on for ever. Trouble is I can't go on for ever. I am going to drop the engine so I can get the frame powder-coated. That is pretty much next on the list as the frame is in a bit of a tatty state. I may or may not get the wheels done at the same time, (there is a question mark over the health of the rear wheel, The bearing is not as tight an interference fit as it should be.)

Hmmm, dark blue frame and darkish silver bodywork is winning it at the moment. Timeless, quotes from past glories, tasteful. Will I feel the same when I wake up tomorrow, shit will I feel the same in 15 minutes time....