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Sara Jane was residing the life that each motorcyclist goals of — combining work and bikes. However behind the scenes, her idyllic life was shattering daily till one devastating occasion would lead her down a path of close to destruction. The journey to rebuild her life and luxuriate in her ardour as soon as once more could be a narrative of willpower and discovery. Learn how the method of constructing her {custom} Suzuki Bandit helps to get her life again on observe.
Loving two wheels from an early age results in a profession with bikes
Sara Jane found the fun of being on two wheels at an early age. Like most kids, she began by using grime bikes and scooters. By the age of 13, she was using from dawn to sundown on her first bike, a Honda passport.
As Sara Jane’s two-wheeled ardour grew, so did her pure inventive expertise for design. She went from a motorbike fanatic to proudly owning a motorbike store in Louisville, Kentucky. Her husband did mechanical repairs whereas Sara lent her experience to plastic repairs, fiberglass, and {custom} paint jobs. Quickly, the bike of her goals made its manner into her possession, a 2001 Honda RC-51. Her life was full and working easily. However appears might be deceiving.
From the surface wanting in, an idyllic dream life changed into a tragic nightmare
From an outsider’s viewpoint, Sara Jane’s life appeared to be on observe. However her life was not all it gave the impression to be. Factually, it was unraveling daily as she suffered an rising quantity of abuse by her husband. His abuse turned extraordinarily violent when he planted a bomb of their bike store, desiring to kill her and acquire the insurance coverage cash. She claims that it may have solely been divine intervention that saved her from his heinous act that day. By the grace of God, she had stepped out of her studio space to go to her sister shortly earlier than the bomb exploded. That horrific day had her leaving the whole lot behind and discovering security at a girl’s shelter.
“Dependence on a person had left me susceptible and, finally, price me the whole lot I had.”
She was emotionally shattered. Not solely did her husband destroy her bike store, however her husband took her beloved Honda RC-51. He fled the state and requested a good friend to retailer her bike in order that she couldn’t get it again. Finally, he was arrested and whereas in jail, took his personal life.
Discovering her manner again and up
Sara Jane tried the whole lot to reclaim her bike, as she desperately needed to get again on two wheels once more and construct her life again. Sadly, even the authorities couldn’t be of assist getting her Honda again from her husband’s good friend. The most effective she may do was settle for the meager substitute he provided: an previous 1997 Suzuki Bandit with 60,000 miles on it.
“I didn’t have something to experience, and I knew I might lose my thoughts if I didn’t get within the wind,” she shared. “So I took the commerce and vowed to make this massive, heavy dinosaur of a sport tourer into one thing particular.”
She admits that it wasn’t simple to place the items of her life again collectively. Over the following seven years, she constructed her enterprise again up and has turn into the robust, impartial lady she is as we speak. She credit an integral a part of her therapeutic course of to designing and creating her custom-built bike.
The idea for her Suzuki Bandit {custom}, a singular union of sport bike and café racer
Sara Jane first laid out her imaginative and prescient of her distinctive {custom} bike design on paper. She needed to mix the comfy stance of a contemporary sport bike with the trendy look of an older café racer type bike. She then bestowed the identify Titus upon her Suzuki Café Racer.
“I simply actually at all times liked the identify. It’s robust and masculine and makes me consider a man no person would even attempt to problem.”
As soon as the design was set, she fine-tuned her restricted set of elementary mechanical expertise to deliver her {custom} bike creation to life. She started the fixed seek for data by in search of out Suzuki Bandit teams on Fb. She additionally discovered just a few informative web sites that aided in her quest. The turning level occurred when she acquired her palms on Suzuki’s service guide at an area dealership. It contained an unlimited quantity of data that may get her {custom} constructed bike working at optimum efficiency.
A therapeutic journey begins with rebuilding a {custom} bike from the body up
Along with her earlier expertise in working with custom-built bikes and creating {custom} bike designs, this appeared the pure and smartest thing to do subsequent for Sara. Amongst her many bike customization concepts, Titus’ design felt closest to what she wanted.
“Titus is so particular to me as a result of he has been such an vital a part of my therapeutic course of. Simply proving to myself that I may do it alone was very liberating. I wanted to know that I may nonetheless make it on this trade as a girl, be revered, and brought critically.”
The very first thing Sara Jane did was to strip it right down to the body. Aside from enlisting the assistance from a good friend to weld the subframe, she labored on all the bike from idea to completion.
She started by jetting the carbs to stage 3 and changing the airbox. The day she tuned and synched up the carbs to perfection was her crowning achievement. It’s what makes Titus “run like a beast.”
To create “Titus,” she made use of after-market parts and custom-built elements:
- Changed the airbox with Ok&N twin pods
- Lower down the Two Brothers carbon black exhaust from the unique full measurement
- Added a crankcase breather (which she admits was purely for the look since there isn’t any actual profit for the addition)
- Changed inventory rotors with wave-style rotors, put all metal braided brake strains and rebuilt and painted the inventory calipers
- Changed the handlebars with clip-ons
- Customized made micro switches, changed all controls, new brake levers and reservoirs
- Eliminated all of the gauges, apart from the gasoline gauge
Sara Jane’s favourite half – {custom} paint design
“I really like portray bikes. It’s my ardour, and I’ve fought my manner again right into a place to have the ability to do what I really like once more. It has taken virtually 7 years, however I can lastly say I’m again in enterprise and loving each minute of it. All alone.”
She spent numerous time on portray her Suzuki café racer/sport bike. Sara Jane declares that additionally it is her favourite a part of the transformation of her {custom} bike. The bodywork and paint had been designed collectively so it will stream and match good.
“I really like the trash polka type art work, and I believe the format of it, from a distance, appears tremendous aggressive, however the close-up view reveals a number of element.”
Sara Jane additionally lowered the bike just a few inches to higher accommodate her 5’ 4” peak. After going by 4 pairs of bar-end mirrors, she lastly discovered a set that wouldn’t fly off when she cruises on the freeway.
The union between the fashionable sport bike and café racer bike might appear to be an unconventional couple, however the result’s a rare look and conveys a commanding presence.
“I really like the look of it. I favor fashionable sport bikes. The stance is so comfy for me, and I really like the way in which they deal with. The older cafe type bikes have at all times actually appealed to me. I believe Titus is the proper marriage between the 2. Possibly an odd couple, however I believe all of it works out.”
A considered one of a form, {custom} Suzuki Bandit will get optimistic vibes
“I really like when individuals ask who did the work. The look on their faces once I inform them I did all it myself is priceless.”
Titus will not be “everybody’s cup of tea,” however Sara Jane has largely optimistic responses when individuals meet Titus. They don’t even notice the Titus’ underlying make until they learn the tank. Titus now not resembles his former self.
“I’ve a good friend who calls him the café racer on steroids.”
Any highway is an efficient highway to experience, particularly when on a {custom} Suzuki Bandit known as Titus
“I like to experience wherever and in all places round my hometown, and I like to see individuals’s reactions. It by no means will get previous.”
Sara Jane has a blast on her {custom} constructed bike wherever she rides. She admits that taking off the fairings have made it just a little unsteady at excessive speeds. However the inventory wheelbase and weight lend to her {custom} Suzuki Bandit dealing with properly, with a substantial quantity of energy, particularly within the twisties.
“This bike is enjoyable as hell.”
Sara Jane’s favourite bike accent with a twist
Sara Jane’s favourite piece of substances is her Scorpion XO helmet with a singular addition that may have you ever taking a second look. The braided strands had been mementos from her former, dreadlocked hair. She made two pigtails out of them and used a physique panel adhesive to connect them to her helmet.
“My 22-year previous is just a little embarrassed by it, however most individuals appear to essentially prefer it, individuals positive do know it’s me coming.”
An unbelievable lady of many skills, Sara Jane creates {custom} bike paint designs
As evident in her {custom} Suzuki Bandit, Titus, Sara Jane has an inherent ability for creating superb designs. She will not be solely restricted to {custom} bike paint design, however she has additionally been a tattoo artist and has been taking over artwork commissions for the final 13 years. Apart from, she continues to tackle the occasional bike and automotive restore together with including stitching and fabric jobs to the checklist of her gifted and inventive endeavors.
An progressive option to create gorgeous, practical artworks utilizing leather-based
Sara Jane had at all times needed so as to add a leather-based leg bag to her using ensemble. However, it wasn’t in her finances. It’s no shock that her ingenuity performed a vital function in creating this considered one of a form leg bag.
She defined that she used the leather-based from an previous sofa that she had discovered curbside and the door plate from a junkyard. This challenge took about six months as a result of she was within the studying technique of this new craft.
The ultimate outcome? She loves her new bag, and there’s no scarcity of compliments when she sports activities it whereas out and about, particularly when using her {custom} Suzuki Bandit. She embraces the concept of recycling previous leather-based to create distinctive gadgets like pants, vests, gloves, baggage, and power rolls.
“It sparked a love for doing a leather-based craft, so now, I spend a few of my free time making leather-based gadgets.”
Join with Sara Jane
Instagram: ink_and_air74
Fb: sarajanedunn.once more
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