D'OH!

Do you ever have one of those moments when you feel like Homer Simpson? Well, this was one of them. My last modification was painting, and adding new risers…sounds easy enough right? Every thing went as planned with one slight exception. When I installed the newly painted risers, I just couldn't help but put a little more torque on the cap than I should have. I was impatient, and didn't let the paint fully cure, and ended up with a slight blemish on the lower edge. It wasn't that bad, and hardly noticeable. However, every time I sat on the bike, I always caught myself looking right at it. The only thing to do was repaint it. No big deal! I pulled it off, wet sanded the entire cap, ensuring that it was smooth as silk, and started on with a new coat of paint. The temps were in the 70’s with relatively low humidity, and the paint went on perfectly. I let it sit for a couple of days just to be safe. I was pleased with the results, until I screwed the cap back on the riser, and then it hit me. The risers were painted “satin” black to match the bars, and looked great as far as I was concerned. The nice new paint on the riser cap also looked great, and was a fine coat of “gloss” black. I mention before about naming the bike “Bad Omen”? I think I’m helping it live up to the name. Looks like I’ll be getting those pictures of the newest addition to my V Star at a later date. Until next time, and after I re-paint the riser cap AGAIN, ride safe.

Faint of Heart Chrome Addicts...Look Away!

Once again, I have ruined perfectly good chrome. I found a deal on Ebay for a set of chrome risers that I couldn’t resist. Naturally, my slight aversion to chrome dictates that I had to paint them black. At first, I considered leaving them chrome and simply replace a few of the smaller accessories with chrome to accent the risers. I came to my senses though, and painted them black to go with the existing theme of the bike. When adding the apes last year I contemplated the idea of spiked risers versus the flat top design. I already had the spiked lower fork bullets, and previously trimmed the rock guards into spikes, so the idea for spiked risers made sense. However, I didn’t want to go overboard with that look on the front end, and have it stand out or look odd when compared to the rest of my VStar. Every time I walked by the bike though, the thought of spiked risers entered my mind. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet when I found a slightly used set from a seller EBay. When they arrived however, they were in much better shape than I presumed. As much as it pains me to say, I really hated sanding them down. Hence, the reason I almost left them chrome. Doing so however, I would have wanted to add in more chrome to go with them and I just didn’t see me going through with that idea. The dark theme has remained consistent through the years, and I wouldn’t want to change it now. I plan to get a picture of the bike with the new look as soon as the rain let's up. Well, that’s it for now. Until my next mod, or tid bit of news, ride safe.

Sanded Chrome