From a new angle

No, it's not gonna be another speech and long winded repartee on the state of my life and emotional security... though I'll probably have another rant or two on that other site for that stuff. Thank Gawd, whoever he is. But still, I did want to see exactly how I felt about this tank idea in the flesh.

Or in the metal, as this case may be.

I know I'm moving at a snail's pace with this build, and the last couple weeks have had little progress of note, so I'm sorry for that. Both for you, Dear Reader and for me and my schedule and progress meter, which seems to have been stuck on 'get off your lazy ass and finish it' for a few too many weeks now. Yes, part of it is money, and yes part of it is other stuff going on and life and all that.

Still, I am feeling close and that's cool. Working on the tank was a great next thing to tackle, despite my previous arguments with myself as to why I should leave it for last. So I'm glad I didn't, and getting it this far has given me a lil bit of a reinvigoration if you will.

Not that you can tell from all the progress, since it's still sort of looking the same...

Small tweaks. But it was nice to try and work out that bottom line, painting that rounded curving of the bottom of the tank so that it's a clean straight line, from the rear of the seat all the way forward. One can Photoshop something to death and get a sense of this or that, but there's little that can match seeing it in person, in this light and that light and this angle and that one, too. Proof is in the pudding, and when the pudding taste good, you can feel good about that.

This bike has been done and done and done over some more with other builders, in various degrees of 'cafe' style or 'standard' style or 'custom' style even. I see a lot of tank swapping, which again I may have initially preferred. Regardless, one of the things I hear and read a lot more of, is this "here's another XV750 build that looks just like all the others". And yeah, probably 80% of this is going to seem and look familiar to those who have seen other builds and that' OK with me. I've got one thing that I've not seen from the other ones so I'm down with that fact. Using color and shades to manipulate a shape isn't a new concept certainly, but it's one that, for this build and my XV750, I'll be proud of and hang my hat onto.

So, although the weather was unusual yesterday- thunderstorms and humidity- and didn't make for the best painting condition, I was undeterred. Wanting to see how this bottom line was going to work and try it in the flesh. And yes, I only did the one side, so if I didn't like I would have to sand off both and redo. So that means now that I like it and still have to do it again. A little bit like convincing yourself that you like those vegetables on the plate mom put in front of you, but now you still have to take another bite before you can leave the table.

So, next up is to repeat for the opposite side, then once that's all cured proper like, I can get some wet sanding done and prepare for some  clear coats. I'm thinking I'd like to go for a more satin finish vs. the super glossy look. One reason is it might look a little more 'period', and secondly it'll hide a few more imperfections this way. Two birds; one can of clear.

Then it's back to figuring out the emblem attachment and curving those metal bits, but that's usually a fun part to do. And then once that's done, the tank's done. And although it'll be removed and reinstalled many times between now and the finish line, having it done makes me wanna get the rest done.

It's time for me to make some noise, people.