Impatience

March 14, 2008 - Friday

This post is in the "Automotive" section. I was going to make my next blog post a commentary on Krakauer’s Into the Wild, which I read through in a couple hours this week. But its novelty wore off and now I’m more interested in my Beastie again. It’s been five weeks since I ordered those parts. I went back through my MySpace blogs and found I ordered the things February 5th. (Journals are a wonderful thing.) Monday I called the garage and asked how things were coming. Evidently the seat cowl and the flyscreen (I found the British Trojan Horse tuners and learned a lot of Anglosaxon names for parts) are on their way, but nothing’s happened yet about the Interceptor airbox cover. On Wednesday I told them to cancel the airbox order, because I’ve found a tuner in Interlaken who advertises as having the thing available. With an effort I’ve held off from ordering the airbox cover, a new chin spoiler, undertray and air scoops. I want to be sure I actually get the two things from my mech first - and that I don’t get the airbox cover. I don’t want to end up with two of them. In the mean time I’ve figured out how to spend even more money on the Beastie. I guess the airbrushing bill won’t fit in the SFr. 2,500.- parameter I set. I found a different Buell airbrushed with the lightning design I wanted for mine, and scratched that idea. I thought about putting on blue tiger stripes instead and did some sketches, but the effect just doesn’t convince me. Besides, tigers are a common bike theme, even if I haven’t seen a blue one yet. Also, Florian objected that the Buell looks more like a bear than a tiger. From there, I considered having the Beastie painted with blue tiger stripe camo, but I’ve scratched that idea too. I would have to adjust existing camo colorations to be bluer, which would make them look fake and fashionable, and besides, camo is a really standard decorating idea. (Idea - so far I’ve only found one Buell painted in camo, and that patterning was gray and orange. Yech.) Also, as Cinzia pointed out, I need to paint the Beastie something I’ll still like one, two and five years from now. Mom and I looked at my ideas a couple evenings ago, and I finally settled on a pattern. For good. It’ll make for a pretty bike, a cheerful bike, definitely a woman’s bike, instead of something badass. (Some words are a disgrace to the English language and nonsynonymiable at the same time. Either that, or my grammar is lacking.) But I think that the following color concept is one I’ll be happy to walk to every morning for the next five years. Disclaimer: I put it together in MS Paint, since I can’t install GIMP on my work computer. So it’s rough, but you get the idea. Feedback is appreciated! I got feedback. Women loved it. The guys didn't. Guess what - the Beastie didn't end up looking like it's at the bottom of a pool.