Alright, let’s talk about this motorcycle with a body project I took on. It started kinda randomly, you know? I was just tired of getting soaked every time it drizzled and freezing my butt off on chilly mornings. Plus, honestly, I saw some of those wild-looking streamlined bikes online and thought, “Hey, I could probably cobble something together.” Didn’t need perfection, just something… different. And maybe a bit drier.
Getting Started – The Messy Beginning
So, first thing, I dragged out my old reliable workhorse bike from the back of the garage. It wasn’t pretty, but it ran. That was step one. Then I just kinda sat there, staring at it for a good long while. How the heck do you even attach a ‘body’ to this thing? I’m no engineer, mind you. I grabbed some cardboard boxes, tape, and started cutting out shapes, trying to imagine how panels might fit around the frame, the engine, me.
My early attempts looked ridiculous. Seriously, like a cardboard box trying to swallow a motorcycle. My neighbor peeked over the fence, raised an eyebrow, and just slowly backed away. Can’t blame him.
Finding the Junk… I Mean, Materials
Cardboard wasn’t gonna cut it for the real deal, obviously. I needed something tougher but light enough. Fiberglass seemed like the way to go, but man, that stuff looked complicated and messy. I thought about sheet metal first. Went down to a local scrapyard, rummaged around for ages. Found some thin aluminum sheets, maybe from an old truck panel? Dunno. Paid next to nothing for them.
- Grabbed the metal sheets.
- Got some basic tools: snips, rivets, a drill.
- Figured I’d just bend and rivet things into place. How hard could it be? (Spoiler: Harder than I thought).
The Actual Build – Sweat and Swearing
Okay, cutting and bending that aluminum wasn’t fun. My hands got chewed up pretty bad. I tried making a simple frame out of some square tubing I had lying around, bolting it carefully to the bike’s main frame. Then, I started trying to attach the aluminum panels to this skeleton.
Nothing lined up right. The curves of the bike fought me every step of the way. Things looked wonky. I spent hours drilling holes, riveting panels, taking them off, cursing, trimming bits off, and trying again. It was slow going. Days turned into weeks. The garage looked like a bomb hit it – metal scraps, stray rivets, dust everywhere.
At one point, I seriously considered just giving up. I’d bolted on a side panel, stood back, and it just looked… awful. Heavy, clunky, and ugly. And I hadn’t even figured out the front fairing or how to make it look even slightly aerodynamic.
Switching Gears – Fiberglass Fun
I finally admitted the all-metal plan wasn’t working for the complex curves. So, I bit the bullet and decided to try fiberglass for the front and maybe some other bits. Watched a bunch of videos, bought the resin, the hardener, the matting. Wow, talk about messy. And itchy! That glass fiber gets everywhere.
I made molds out of foam insulation boards, carving them into shape, then laid the fiberglass over them. It was a sticky, smelly process. Sanding it smooth afterwards? Even worse. Dust everywhere. Had to wear a mask and goggles constantly. But, slowly, shapes started to emerge that actually looked like they belonged on a motorcycle.
Putting It All Together (Again)
So now I had this hybrid thing – some aluminum panels on the sides and back, and fiberglass for the front fairing and tail section. Getting the fiberglass parts attached to the metal frame and the aluminum bits took more drilling, more brackets, more head-scratching. I painted everything a simple grey primer first, just to make it look uniform.
The first time I rolled it out, fully assembled… well, it wasn’t beautiful. It looked homemade, for sure. Kinda bulky. But it was done. It had a body!
The Ride and Final Thoughts
Taking it for the first ride was nerve-wracking. Would it wobble? Would bits fall off? It felt heavier, definitely. The steering was a bit different. But hey, the wind protection was noticeable! Even at low speeds, it was way less breezy. Didn’t get a chance to test it in the rain right away, but it felt more substantial, more enclosed.
Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It was a massive learning curve. I learned I hate sanding fiberglass but can actually build something halfway decent if I stick with it. It’s not gonna win any beauty contests, my ‘motorcycle with body’. People stare sometimes. But it keeps my legs dry-ish, and I made it myself, from scraps and sheer stubbornness. That feels pretty good. It’s my unique, slightly weird, functional ride. And I know every single rivet and itchy fiberglass strand that went into it.