A whole day with scissors. It is a tricky to get the same impression of both sides of the bike. The left side of the engine is far less decorated: no kick, no oilfilter and no exhaust system. The side panel will also be higher on the left side. The quickest way to compare is to make paper scetches, tape them on and walk around. When one is smiling for a whole lap the work is done.
Time to transfer the paper models to aluminum. I could have done this in my computer but I´ve learned that the curves chosen by computers are different to the ones made by hand. And I want the panels to have a home made feeling - something added to the bike by the owner.
The distance to the tank is dictated by the right hand side of the engine. The cam chain takes a lot of room, and that gives the feeling that the whole engine is mounted of center. I need a good air flow around the engine, so the right side distance to the tank is transfered to the left side. The room between the panel and cylinder will therefore be bigger on the left than on the right hand side.
The aluminum is new and shining. But I will work a lot with adding an ugly accent to the design (no problems with my limited metal skills). Some wear and tear to match the rest of the almost 30 year old bike. My friend, Mats, came up with the idea to make some extra holes, as if the panels were a part of a bigger fairing, or even dents and rips.
