This is just something I'm doing just because I can, and because I need something cool to go cruising arround with. Basicly: I'm taking a bike and transforming it into the ultimate hellion butterfly. The concept behind the name and most of the theme of the bike is that this thing has been through hell, and it is now rising from the flames, much like a butterfly emerges beautiful after it's larval stage. The design: blood red fading into black custom paint job, custom "Butterfly Project" decals and stickers, custom springer forks, custom mounted chopper handle-bars, custom done seat post, custom fenders (front and back), flame tred tires, and to top it all off, integrated cabling for the internal 4 speed rear hub shifter. The base bike: it's a CCM Navagator that I picked up from work for $75 (it normaly sells for $300, but it has been sitting there since 98, and it's a bit beat up, and I work there). I fell in love with it the day I first layed eyes on it, and knew I just had to get it and unlock it's true beauty, thusly, The Butterfly Project was bourn. The work on the fenders will prove to be hardest, as they will basicly be flaming on either end, with a nice "burnt in" look, and they will be covered with archaic lettering and symbols (dremmeled out so you can see the tires running underneath). The most obvious bit on the bike will definatly be the butterfly mounted in the space where the headset on a normal bike would typically sit. The actual sculpture will swivel with the handle-bars, be painted in a deep dark black, and have a body filled with evil looking "crystal ball" marbels (the frame for the butterfly is copper rod) The seat-post will be choped in half, a custom bit of steel will be cnc'ed into a flowing flame-like design, then welded into place so as to move the upper part of the seat post back by about 6" and up about 5". The new bit will be chromed to a super glossy finish, as will the handle bars. The shifter will be molded into the handle bars via the use of bondo, it will sort of "flow" out of the curve of the handle bars (concept and actual pictures to follow). I will most likely be putting a wireless computer setup onto this bike, and it will have the same molded in look as the shifter. Anyway, onto the pictures! What the bike looked like orignaly: The back hub: The shifter: What I am going to turn into the front "decal" (the bit that sits on the headset bit on the frame): It's off a orange juice bottle I found at starbucks on my last date. After the first 5 hours worth of work, this is what I managed to accomplish: bike completely stripped, things sized up, measurements taken and supplied to the conceptualist I've got helping me, and the handle bars and new seat mounted. Pics: Handle bars and new seat mounted, pic from side: Pic from front: Concept pic of what the frame would look like black: Things left to do: strip down again and buff off the paint, repaint, re-do the seat post, locate the tires I wanted (The supplier I was going through is sold out ), get new (hopefuly custom) hand grips, integrate the shifter, dremel the fenders, obtain and re-do the butterfly (ct sold out before I could buy the one I wanted >.<), locate a springer kit (and possably new forks), and a bounch of other things I can't be smeged to think of now. BTW, professionaly done concept picture will be coming in a few days, allong with some updates
