New Paint Ideas of El Burro

"I like it red," Amy says and I let that be the last word on a debate going on in my mind.

The inspiration for El Burro?

With the rust and the dents in the tank, the Burro is going to need a paint job, and that's the fun of buying an old bike -- making it my own.  For a few hundred more, I could have had a garage queen, but chose the donkey that had been ridden 25,000 miles instead.

My V-star 650 classic will need a paint job, and like my last build, I want to do it myself. So what color?   Blue or Red Motorcycle? A question as old as time. 


It is red over purple now. I thought a dark matte blue would be cool and even painted the side covers that color, but I also return to my first impressions. When I was driving bike home in the back of the truck I saw it as a crimson and gray tribute to my alma matter - Washington State University. 

I don't want to do a traditional chromed out custom, or a matte black monster. Custom means you take other people's ideas and let the source material speak to you, tell you what it wants to be. My crimson and gray paint scheme will take it's cue form the current Cougar uniforms which are bad ass.  I especially like the gloss gray over matte gray of the alternate helmets - would like to incorporate that somehow.  I even found a website that has the hex numbers for the branded colors, so I can get a pretty good match.

So, now that I've decided on Crimson and Gray - what style? Well, here are some inspirations. This is the bike The New Blood from Deus Ex Machina. I love the matte red and pearl and think my bike would look great with the same style in Crimson and Gray. Deus did an earlier Harley custom with an all gray finish, which is my other main inspiration - Their 1200 V-Twin Cafe Racer.

I also like some of the designs from Shaw Speed - especially the Flatliner and other more retro builds.

Shaw uses bullet lights mounted under the mirrors and I like that look. It cleans up the front end and gets rid of the lollipops.

Brighter LED turn indicators should help make me more visible to a texting driver getting ready to make a turn. The Deus boys tend to hide their indicators, which is fine when you are not battling fog on a "summer" day like today. One the handle bars, they integrate better. Smaller but brighter is what is in my mind for both the front and the rear of the bike.  I can run the electrics from the signals down into the handlebars along with the other wires when I cover the loom. Should look pretty cool, but the test will be when I look at how much work it will be do get rid of the old indicators up front.

Moreover, I have a nice set of passing lamps I purchased from down under. Should I put them on - using the existing light bar, or should I keep the front end clean? Decisions - decisions. That's why I'm happy to let Amy make at least on key choice for me.

Paint Ideas

Not my bike, but I do like green. (Blue Collar Bobbers)

As you can see from the previous post, there is a rust on the tank and a few other places on this bike which I'll have to clean up. The tank itself has a bunch of little dents all over and one big one. As I repair, I am going to need to repaint as well and high gloss paint is not going to be my friend. Instead, I've been looking at some of the alternatives popping up in recent bobber customs. I like bobbers to some extent, the lack of chrome and utilitarian nature in particular. However, every trend in motorcycle building leads to excess.

Blue Collar Bobbers features some nice designs to showcase their kits. I particularly like the paint job on this bike, perhaps because it is so different from anything else I've come across. And, I like green.

My last bike came out blue and gold ... two colors I like and the school colors of Naselle. "Comet colors" my girls say. When I first bought this bike, they both insisted I paint it blue and gold. Here's another from the Blue Collar website that I like.

 From Blue Collar Bobbers.

Of course, getting the white tires might be tricky.  1912 Harley From Vintagebike.co.uk

Of course, my bike is maroon and purple (although it is so dirty it looks black.) Got me thinking early on about going with crimson and gray of my alma mater Washington State University. I think a gray enamel frame and paint scheme would also hark back to the Silent Gray Fellows of the earlier years ... or not.

The folks down at Deus Ex Machina recently brought back the Harley gray with their wonderful V Twin Cafe Racer custom. I love the muscular nature of this concept, but it is really the gray paint that stands out. Looks almost like a powder coat and I think it would look amazing on the Vstar. Be sure to click the image for closer up views.

Big engine, light weight, no chrome. That's how I like my motorcycles.a powder coat.