Cafe Racer Tank Graphics

[gpzrider]

This is the paint scheme we came up with for my nephew's Suzuki GS850 cafe racer project. I found the graphic, removed the background and added the Rising Sun and script. Printed it on waterslide decal paper. Applied it to the base paint and than clear coated over everything. We removed the suzuki emblems and filled in the recess. What do you all think?

[Svetlana]

WOW! I mean.... WOW! First off, I'm a big Vargas fan (Vargas= WWII pin up airbrush artist for those not yet in the know LOL). THAT particular blonde pin-up I have actually used for a siggie on previous forums... I'm going to attach it b/c I think it ROCKS and b/c it's funny you guys chose the same model only slightly different pose!

And the rising sun- could there be a more appropriate image for a Suzi? FAN-F'ING-TASTIC LOVIN' IT!

[gpzrider]

We looked everywhere for a WW2 Pin-up girl that was sexy without being nude and would fit in with the Japanese theme he wanted on the bike. We narrowed it down to 2, but thought the red swimsuit on this image fit better with the red/white paint scheme of the bike. Than it was just a matter of how we wanted her positioned to combine her with the background so that neither detracted from the other. The rising sun and kamikaze script will be on the top of the tail section without the model. The whole thing was made with Adobe Photo Deluxe (to remove the background) and Microsoft home Publishing. Nothing high tech, just time consuming since I had to remove the background by erasing it in small sections.

[Tod]

That's an awesome display of creativity, and classic looks.

I give it two thumbs waaaay up.

[A2rider]

Great job! I'm trying to come up with something for the sides of my tank, but decals won't stick to Rhino lining!

[Xlr8n]

Nice artwork, but having the word 'kamikaze' along with a rising sun over a wwII era pin-up girl evokes some bad images for me considering all the American soldiers they took out in WWII. Seems similar to having a swastika and the word 'Nazi' painted on the tank?? Yes, No?? Maybe I'm just being too PC??

[gpzrider]

Originally Posted by Xlr8n

Nice artwork, but having the word 'kamikaze' along with a rising sun over a wwII era pin-up girl evokes some bad images for me considering all the American soldiers they took out in WWII. Seems similar to having a swastika and the word 'Nazi' painted on the tank?? Yes, No?? Maybe I'm just being too PC??

We had thought of this. We would really have liked a more Asian image to go with the Japanese bike theme, but finding suitable PG artwork of an Asian female proved a difficult task. Plus, given the scale, most did not have an Asian appearance when printed out. Since that became a moot point we decided to at least opt for a picture with the same time period feel. In the end, we figured the artwork is no different than the large quantity of Iron Crosses used on motorcycles or the airplane/pin-up girl design used on helmets that are worn by riders of Japanese motorcycles.

Both sides of any event make mistakes. We can't erase the mistakes made, but by remembering they were made we can hopefully stop them from occurring again.

[Xlr8n]

Originally Posted by gpzrider

We had thought of this. We would really have liked a more Asian image to go with the Japanese bike theme, but finding suitable PG artwork of an Asian female proved a difficult task. Plus, given the scale, most did not have an Asian appearance when printed out. Since that became a moot point we decided to at least opt for a picture with the same time period feel. In the end, we figured the artwork is no different than the large quantity of Iron Crosses used on motorcycles or the airplane/pin-up girl design used on helmets that are worn by riders of Japanese motorcycles.

Both sides of any event make mistakes. We can't erase the mistakes made, but by remembering they were made we can hopefully stop them from occurring again.

True enough, and I'm certainly not trying judge you or anyone, just felt it was worth a mention. I'm sure there are plenty of similar feelings in their country after our counter-actions. In any case, the tank looks great, and is a powerful image.

[Tattoomarc]

I like it alot... I have a arm full of pin-up girl tattoos.. the tank looks great

[halliwood]

nice, cant wait to see it on the bike