At this time of self-isolation – and we implore you continue to adhere to nationwide ‘stay at home’ measures unless you really need to travel – now might be as good time as any to consider a new hobby from the comfort of your own home.
While it is not going to quite give you the same goosebumps as actually going for a ride, sometimes we just have to work with what we’ve got. We’re in this together.
Many of us have already immersed ourselves in a number of activities, whether it’s completing Netflix, losing yourself in gaming or finally getting around to all of those fettling jobs you have been putting off for months, there are some people who are using motorcycles to inspire the craftier side of their brains.
First up we have Kenji’s Playmodel Diary on YouTube, who has gone to the effort of not only building a model Kawasaki 750RS Z2 but done so by customising it intricately to his own vision.
I’m personally all fingers and thumbs when it comes to anything remotely fiddly, but there is something engrossing about Kenji taking a ‘stock’ model and recognising where it doesn’t quite match the real thing, remodelling it to ensure it has more scale proportions for the purpose of accuracy.
Not only that, he’s made myriad of changes to make it just that bit more unique with a new chain cover, rear suspension, forks, exhaust pipe, ignition coils and – as he says – ‘much more’. He’s even thrown in a YZR500 front rotor, CBR400F brake caliper and tyres from a GPZ900R before finishing it off with his own custom paint job. That is some attention to detail…
If you want something a little more ASMR (if you don’t know what it is, Google it and lose yourself in the weird and wacky world of sensory stimulation), there is also this from Hoo’s Mini World, a channel dedicated to creating some extraordinarily beautiful models using a 3D pen.
This time lapse video sees them employ some truly wonderful skill by drawing, cutting and brushing the tiniest parts before constructing them. When you consider they started with nothing to begin with and ended up with this creation, it’s boggles my mind a little…
If your creativity is a little less advanced, KTM is offering drawings of their models so you can have a go at colouring them in. They say it’s aimed at kids, but we’re all big kids really…
Just make sure you have enough orange crayons…
