It started with a sketch.
And like most sketches, it was followed by another. And another and another. That is, until master leathercrafter Casey Gunschel finally settled on a design worthy of her 2013 BMW F800GS.
Once she settled on the final look, Gunschel went about the labor-intensive task of molding, flattening and tooling pieces of Argentine leather to fit perfectly mounted on the bike, and that was after she’d carved her designs in them. It was worth it.
Beamer (6 images)
Completed over the course of two months, the finished product — which was also upgraded with a crashbar, tail rack and handlebar risers from Massachusetts-based bike shop Staubwolke — is covered with leatherwork that heavily draws from Native American and Aztec influences.
Even better, despite the the bike’s museum-worthy looks, Gunschel uses it to cruise the highways, byways and alleyways of Chicago. “The bike lives on the street,” she told Adventure Bike Rider magazine. “It gets rained on, cats love to sit on it, birds love to poop on it and the leather just looks better and better. It’s like an old bag that patinas with age.”
While that might be the time an old bag has ever been a compliment, it’s a well-deserved one.
Head on over to Gunschel’s site for a look of more of her work.
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