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This Gold Leaf-Sculpted BMW R nineT Will Leave You Speechless

Maybe having "BMW" and "haute couture" in the same phrase sounds a bit off to some ears, but Italian tattoo artists Marco Manzo definitely saw an amazing opportunity to bring these two together. The resulting bike is a true art masterpiece, as it goes way beyond the limits we were used to as far as the custom motorcycle scene is concerned.
Gold Leaf BMW R nineT 11 photos
Photo: Czerwinski Artur
Gold Leaf BMW R nineTMarco Manzo and his Gold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineTGold Leaf BMW R nineT
Itself designed and engineered as a plurivalent platform for custom jobs, the BMW R nineT didn't see this one coming, if you bear with the personification. Little was changed to the R nineT in terms of architecture, especially as Manzo is an artist and not a mechanic. There's not hacking and welding involved, but the art imbued by Manzo in this BMW roadster is a good measure of high technology, nonetheless.

In the mechanic department, this R nineT only received an additional round headlight positioned under the standard one. It commanded that the instrument cluster be raised a bit. A resin rear fender was used and the turn indicators are all LED now, with the rear ones relocated under the tip of the saddle.

Gold and black, light and shadow, visual form manipulation

Marco Manzo preferred to play with light and shade instead of tinkering the metal. So he went for extensive use of gold leaf in combination with areas painted black. The contrasting surfaces create and destroy volume as Manzo envisioned, and still the bike remains largely a stock R nineT, even though your eyes may see a different story.

Gold leaf now adorns many sections of the bike, from the rims to the forks, cylinder head covers, instrument cases and even the sides of the tank. Manzo also employed a special film paint from Win Grafix. This paint allowed Manzo almost to sculpt the intricate tattoo patterns he became famous for and, using tiny gold droplets, to create a 3D effect that's simply mesmerizing.

A python-print seat replaced the stock one, and gold stitching introduced accents that match the bike to perfection. Leather was also used for the grips, and with the same pattern.

A spectacular form of two-wheeled art from the tip fo the front wheel to the side-relocated license plate, this R nineT most likely baffled BMW Motorrad Roma, too, as they supplied the "donor bike". All in all, the gold leaf R nineT lives up to Marco Manzo's reputation. Follow Manzo's Tribal Tattoo Studio on Facebook to get more familiarized with the mind-blowing tattoo designs he creates.
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