Words by Nita Breibish // Photography by Nita Breibish

New additions to my F650GS Twin have been quite extensive since she came home, everything from a new windshield to a hefty engine guard. All a newbie world tourer needs to keep herself and her ride safe. So when I first mounted my Happy Trail panniers, I was more than happy with them. They really are great. They had that stripped down minimalist look to them, which for those who know me, know that all I really see is a blank canvas. I do like clean lines and uniformity, but the first thing I wanted to do was take that space and put it to good use, wisely. I searched high and low for some cool moto-decals to properly fill up the space with and more importantly, add a personal touch to. I learned two things on my search. 1. There must be quite the high demand for flame decals and 2. If you aren’t looking for manufacturer decals, there really isn’t too much out there that doesn’t feel a bit like clip art.

I took photos of the bike first so that I could try mocking something up in Photoshop. I wanted to make sure I was going to love what I did before hand. I’m all for the do it once and do it right theory, of course I do reiterate, “theory”. Once I came up with a design I liked I realize that I could probably do it myself. All I would need is a black vinyl decal sheet. The lines were very linear, which I figured would be fairly easy to cut with an art blade or sharp pair of scissors. I hit my local automotive shop, Canadian Tire and ended up finding this wide black reflective tape which was even better, since the width was already set and it was going to add a safety factor. I also hit up the Home Depot’s house number isle where I stumbled upon a lettering stencil pack. It was going to be a fun day of creative experimenting. An additional sheet of yellow amber reflective would seal the deal for a customizable and personalized project.

I cut small strips out of the yellow reflective sheet and lined the front and back of the panniers to carry the linear design all around. And finished the job with three small chevrons on the front beak. All tolled, $30 dollars, 2 hours, a personal touch, added safety features and a satisfied OCD trip. Priceless. :)