Alright, let me tell you about this black gold motorcycle project I got myself into. It started pretty simply, actually. I kept seeing bikes with cool color schemes, but nothing really hit that specific look I had in my head – you know, that deep black with sharp gold accents. Not too much gold, just enough to make it pop. Classy, but mean.
Getting Started
First thing, I needed a base. Didn’t want to mess up my daily rider, so I went hunting for something with good bones but maybe looked a bit tired. Found this older bike, decent engine, solid frame, but the paint was rough, perfect candidate. Dragged it into my garage. It wasn’t pretty at that stage, let me tell you.
Next step was tearing it down. This is always kinda fun and kinda daunting. You start unscrewing things, bagging and tagging bolts so you don’t forget where they go – learned that lesson the hard way before. Took off the tank, seat, fenders, wheels, lights… basically stripped it down almost to the bare frame. Lots of grease, lots of scraped knuckles. Standard stuff.
The Black and Gold Part
This was the core of the whole idea. The frame, engine cases, swingarm, wheels – they were all getting the black treatment. Spent ages prepping everything. Sanding, cleaning, priming. You can’t skimp on prep, otherwise the paint just looks awful or flakes off later. I decided to go with a mix of finishes – some satin black for the frame, some gloss for the tank and fenders to contrast.
- Frame and swingarm: Sandblasted then powder coated satin black. Tough stuff.
- Engine cases: Cleaned them up like crazy, then used a high-temp engine enamel in black.
- Wheels: Powder coated gloss black.
- Tank and Fenders: This took the most work. Body filler for tiny dings, hours of sanding smooth, then primer, then layers of deep gloss black paint. Let it cure properly.
Now for the gold. This had to be just right. Didn’t want gaudy yellow gold. Found a nice, deep gold tone. I decided to use it for specific bits:
- Forks: Got the fork tubes coated. Looks amazing against the black.
- Chain: Found a gold O-ring chain.
- Bolts & Hardware: Swapped out a bunch of visible bolts for gold ones – engine covers, triple clamps, axle bolts. It’s the little things.
- Accents: Added some subtle gold pinstriping by hand on the tank and fenders, just to tie it together. Also got some gold badges.
- Levers & Pegs: Found some nice aftermarket ones in black with gold adjusters or highlights.
Putting It Back Together
Reassembly time. This is where you see it finally coming together. Carefully putting the engine back in the freshly coated frame. Installing the forks, swingarm, shocks. Running the wiring harness was a bit of a pain, making sure everything was tidy and connected right. Bolted the wheels back on. Mounted the tank and fenders – super careful not to scratch that new paint!
Installed the gold chain, connected the controls, bled the brakes. Little details like new black grips, maybe a custom seat with some gold stitching (still thinking about that part). Every piece going back on felt like a small victory.
The Result
Stepped back and looked at it. Yeah, that was it. That was the image I had in my head. The deep black makes it look serious, and those gold hits just catch the light perfectly. It’s not over the top, just looks… right. Fired it up, sounded good. Took it for a quick spin down the road – felt tight, looked sharp. Totally worth all the busted knuckles and hours in the garage. Just feels good riding something you put together yourself, exactly how you wanted it.
