Unique design & Story that needs answers

[Rymo]

I purchased my 2016 Vmax last October. I bought it from a dealer and asked about the designs on the pipes since I had never seen anything like them before. She didn't have much info on it but asking around we found out the previous owner hand etched designs on the top end of the pipes, two small metal side panels, and on the sides of the radiator.

By chance I was talking to a guy at Walmart who had a small electric bike charging upfront. He saw my Vmax and claimed that he had a pretty bad accident a few years back on a much larger bike (Forgot exact make&model) and allegedly a man on a blue Vmax (Same color and gen 2 like mine) stopped to help him. He couldn't verify if there were any designs on the pipe since his leg was broken and he was in pretty agonizing pain. I was hoping to see if anyone recognized this custom design on my bike and if by chance the previous owner had it registered here on the forums. I would like to get in touch with him and ask about the story, and couple other questions I'd like answers to. The alleged accident also happened in or near Houston, TX.

 

[Fire-medic]

Someone out there knows about this bike. If you really wanted to research it, you could go to the DMV and ask for an ownership report, assuming it's previously been registered in your state.

Hand scraping/engraving has been done on metal items such as weapons and it is on a motorcycle. It's a way of personalizing the ride. Essentially the same idea as hand-tooled leather, just a harder material to work.

Clothier to the stars, Nudie Cohen's taste was solidly in the vintage USA Western theme when it came to his rolling stock. Elvis and Roy Orbison were performers who wore Nudie's clothes. Today, authenticated pieces of his clothes go for $$$$.

https://mysteryhillbillies.com/webb-pierce-nudie-cars/


Interestingly, Nudie is a native from Ukraine.

Metal work of the type you have has been done for thousands of years, Here is a Viking battle axe, over 1,000 years old copyright Getty Images.



I enlarged your pictures and the variety of metal scraping/engraving techniques employed tells me someone spent considerable time and effort to do what was done. He or she is a very talented, skilled person! You might bring some pictures to local gun shops around your area, and ask people who work there, if they recognize the handiwork of someone. That is a usual and customary source for that type of metalwork, on handguns and long firearms, rifles/shotguns. Those you have are literally pieces of art! Fast ones.

Certain cars had hand-worked designs to separate them from the competition. Bugatti was one, going back about 100 years ago. Here is a fascinating article about the process and design:

https://www.bugattirevue.com/revue23/scrape.htm


As you can see there are different metal-working techniques which can be used to add aesthetic value to something.

Another example of hand-scraping from my favorite dashboard a Studebaker Golden Hawk.




The later supercharged Studebakers had a vacuum gauge capable of displaying a negative vacuum reading because of the supercharger.

Later automobiles often pay homage to good design in their newer image. Burt Reynolds and Sally Fields would have been right at home behind this dashboard, also displaying the similar dashboard treatment:

 

[Rymo]

Thank you Fire-Medic. Your response was very detailed, and it’s honestly made me appreciate the art which I now posses to a greater degree. It also makes me want to speak with the previous owner even more. Again, thank you for your response and time dedicated in providing such detail.

 

[RusselMartinez]

Congratulations on your purchase of the Vmax. Looks like you got a great bike with an excellent design. I've never seen hand-engraved pipes before, but it's great. As for the guy you met at Walmart, that's wild! It's always lovely to hear that the biker fraternity cares about each other. Unfortunately, I can't help you with identifying the previous owner or whether he registered on the forums. Honestly, I like cars best. I often buy suits at USA happygentleman.com/en-us/ and drive around town to attract pretty girls. I may want to get on a motorcycle and change my style, but it won't happen soon. Keep riding and be safe.

 

[Rymo]

Thank you, I’ve added a solid 5,500mi since I bought it. It feels like it’s been longer than 5 months to be honest.