The coolest thing about being an irredeemable DIYer is this: Can't nobody tell you nothing.
It's YOUR build, after all. That means you're the final word (and maybe the first and only words, too) on how, what, why, and where things get done. If you don't want them, they don't happen; and if you don't make time and space for them to happen, then they also don't spontaneously materialize as if by magic. That's for one simple reason: You're the magician, and if you aren't waving your wand, then it doesn't exist.
That's both a blessing and a curse, of course. If you're a person who has the extremely rare, excellent combination of imagination, knowledge, and tools to do all the things you're envisioning, then you're of course in luck. Add in a solid workspace and the time needed to execute your vision, and you're golden. Like Saint Peter's Builds, a guy who's currently sharing the build process of a frankly astonishing scooter build he calls Dieselpunk.
And, I mean, what else would you call it? Look at this thing.
I have no idea what it would be like to ride with this wheelbase and ergonomics, but it's certainly beautiful to look at, in an extreme alternate-timeline sort of way. You know how sometimes you see something, and it feels like you're getting a glimpse into a fork in the universe where you're seeing an item from an alternate reality that you probably weren't meant to see? Maybe that's just me, but in case it isn't, that's what this feels like.
In any case, he's broken the build up into parts, and this first part focuses on cleaning up the engine (soda blasting those cylinder heads, for a start) and then hand-building an absolutely stunning muffler setup from scratch.
How much from scratch are we talking? He literally starts by cutting out some paper to approximate the shapes he wants, then proceeds to cut and shape stainless steel. Loads of milling, welding, and sanding ensue. He says the finished result took over 6 months, and that's not at all difficult to believe. But the end result appears to be well worth it.
I don't know about you, but with a start this auspicious, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how he gets from here to the completed build. I also can't wait to hear what it sounds like when the first ride happens. What about you? Let us know in the comments.
