The SS1000ds is one of my favourite bikes to ride but I never really got to grips with the look.
There are certain styling features I love. For instance, the curved lines look stunning from above but then that full fairing is just wrong. The plan for this one was to retain the best bits, get rid of the bad stuff and make a few subtle changes to the rest. I didn’t want to throw heaps of money at it so a lot of bits were just cleaned & detailed. Stainless fasteners and a bit of paint can go a long way. I already have my single seat Muzano 1000s so this bike will be pillion friendly.
Starting from the back the rear guard was seriously shaved and indicators & plate light changed. A smoke lens taillight with LED insert completes the look. The seat was recovered in a carbon look vinyl and I made up some link pipes to take a second-hand pair of GPR carbon cans.
Wheels & engine received a coat of satin black paint along with some little details for a more custom look. That yellow spring on the Ohlins shock would have to go so I painted that too.
The fuel tank has had its ugly rear rubber removed and the recess blended out with some filler. Insert rubbers from an early i.e. give the tank back its waisted look and a black painted fuel cap to top it off.
I’ve never been a fan of the headlight so I decided to go with a small LED. I couldn’t find anything that was legal and in budget so settled on a mini H4 unit. Some simple uprights welded to the subframe and it’s done. The big job was restyling the upper fairing to suit. I never liked the factory mirrors either so shaved off the mounts while I was at it. I then made some bosses to locate the indicators higher up and more tucked in. A lot of plastic welding & blending but worth it. A set of scruffy half fairings I found on trade me were repaired and carefully reshaped to match.
I had a set of Monster S4 TiN forks but these would be too short so I made up a set using SS uppers & cartridges with the S4 lowers. A bit of poky-jiggery and black paint and we’re done. Some more detailing and a pair of black discs I had on the shelf would finish off the front.
When I got the bike it had a glitch with electronic dash. I scored a broken dash off a friend and managed to make a good one from the two. The donor was two tone grey with red needles. I liked that look and it gave me the inspiration for the colours for the whole bike. A bit of experimenting with masking tape and I came up with a scheme to enhance the curves of the bodywork. Some subtle black and carbon graphics were added and all finished off with a few coats of matt clear.
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