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#PimpMyDuke: Part 3 - Get Lacky
The APEX Duke has to attract attention: colorful, flashy, but tasteful. Several designs were tried out, but in the end it was a gut decision. The result is nothing less than a blow. Mainly thanks to the active support of really hard-working guys.
#PimpMyDuke: Part 3 - Get Lacky
When we had the idea for the #PimpMyDuke project, it was clear that the motorcycle would have to be used for some video and photo rides. As a result, the bike has to be high-contrast, eye-catching but also cool and tasty at the same time. A great mix that everyone wants to meet anyway. Short call to Akzo Nobel: “Sure, we’ll do it with ours Sikkens Car refinish paints, and I already know exactly the right painter for the project," says Daniel Kapeller, Sales Manager Austria. No sooner said than done. Johannes Rauscher, boss and owner of Body + paint noise in the 21st district of Vienna, should take care of it with his troops. Get in the car and go to Johannes. Lucky strike, because Johannes is a motorcyclist and also a very, very smooth guy who remained very cool despite our wild color ideas.
BÄÄANG
Anthracite gray, bronze, black, neon yellow – the basic colors are available. The troops in Strebersdorf are more than skeptical. Johannes has a good idea: “Do we want to clear-coat the bronze matt?” Damn awesome, and how we want it. The other paint parts are all shiny. This gives the bronze-colored components a technical, robust look. A real eye-catcher. To be honest, we also took some inspiration from the Husqvarna Vitpilen prototypes when choosing the color. Several working days go by, the preparatory work on the plastic, metal and aluminum parts requires appropriate advance preparation. Then the horror news: neon yellow (RAL 1026) is no longer available as a spray paint. Fu*k – low blow. The neon yellow accents are a very important factor in the design. Now it takes brainpower.
Great emergency solution
Countless phone calls, inquiries, begging attacks, but no, no chance, the paint is no longer available. Powdering would be possible, but with the two-color rims it would be practically impossible or extremely time-consuming. Falls flat. So I naively looked for spray cans on Amazon. Lo and behold, RAL 1026 floor marking paint was found. Johannes is skeptical: "Whether it will last? But of course, let's try it." Exactly the right setting for our project. Great guy! After a few days, three 400 ml cans of paint arrive. To achieve the perfect result, the parts are primed and then painted directly from the can by paint professional Klausi. The parts are then covered with glossy clear varnish. Result: great monkey tits. In particular, the rims in the bicolor design bronze matt and neon yellow glossy come across so hot in person that you can sometimes have semi-sexual thoughts. What does the professional think: “We were really surprised, but the stuff doesn’t hold up badly at all and was easy to process.” There you go, sometimes you just need a little luck and the golden touch of painter Klausi.
No half measures
Admittedly, we put a bit of a strain on the good nature of the Rauscher team: four different colors, completely different materials, video shooting on site, a short photo session... and all of that during the day-to-day business. All the small parts are tedious: brake calipers, holders, spacers, passenger pegs and so on. But Klausi draws his paths over the parts with a calm, experienced hand and applies layer after layer flawlessly. Perfectionism in its purest form.
Foil master at work
As soon as everything is repainted and dried, it goes over to the foiler for the labeling. Philip Kavalir from Premium Fol in Vienna Liesing has agreed to support our project. RAL 1026 is not available exactly as a labeling film, but Philipp has come up with it Oracal 7510-029 Found a film that matched our paint can color exactly. First, the parts are meticulously measured to determine the maximum size of each sponsor lettering. Took measurements, went to the computer and fine-tuned the logo files. Since some logos consist of very fine lines, Philipp sits at the PC with the greatest meticulousness and adapts each logo individually. Another perfectionist at work, we're starting to feel guilty. The plotter flies over the film and cuts out the logos with high precision. Until then everything was child's play, only now is it clear what Philipp and his colleague can do: Each logo is painstakingly hand-glued to the panels individually. Nothing is left to chance. The tinkering takes almost four hours, and the last panel has its neon yellow finish. Wow, just wow! Guys, the bosses Daniel, Johannes and Philipp are representative, you have outdone yourself and colored and labeled a killer bike for us. So, dear readers, if we need anything, we can highly recommend the two companies to you. Does this already fall under advertising? No matter, great guys, they deserve support, just like we received support. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With kind support from TOTAL Austria
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