2004 Suzuki SV1000 - Scorpion King

From a bucket of bolts to one badass bike.

From the May, 2010 issue of Super Streetbike

By Justin Fivella

Photography by John Zamora, Jim Moy

With the help of in-flight fueling, a B-52 bomber made a 26,000-mile non-stop trek around the world in a record-setting 42 hours, 23 minutes. Continuing at the same pace, the B-52 could travel another 805,000 miles and circle the globe another 31 times in the amount of time it took Will Christman to craft the detailed bodywork on this 2003 Suzuki SV1000.

Christman has an astonishing 1,300 hours invested in the intricate paint and bodywork.

"The custom bodywork is made out of urethane foam that is cut, formed and glued piece by piece-there is no bondo. Each piece receives three separate primers before it can be adhered into place and then painted," Christman explained.

Like one of grandma's giant puzzles, each piece was painstakingly crafted and set into place, taking into consideration the bends and contours of the body as well as overlapping pieces.

"The bike started as a wreck with just 300 miles on the clock and I eventually bought it from the owner when he ran out of money mid-build. I took his original scorpion theme and made it my own. I didn't really have a plan, I just reached in and saw what came out."

With the Scorpion idea in mind, a late-night showing of The Matrix Reloaded reminded Christman of how bad the scorpion-like sentinels were. So with the mechanical monsters in mind he set down a path that ultimately led him to this fiendish SV.

But more than just thousands of hours in bodywork, other noteworthy details include a satin-black powdercoated frame, a custom 2-1 exhaust system with a Micron pipe, a crafted German headlight assembly and a host of other chrome bits and custom pieces.

While Christman's SV is about as crazy of an example as we've ever seen, the funny thing is that he claims he isn't finished: "I've got some big plans that include incorporating the ugly radiator and the frame into the theme as well as utilizing amber lighting to help tie everything together. I'm not sure when I'll be done, but when I get there, I'll know."

Under normal circumstances the age-old adage of "the sky's the limit," would do just fine, but in this case even the sky sometimes isn't high enough.

2004 Suzuki SV1000
Front end: Galfer Wave rotors with painted carriers, LSL triple and bars, Michelin Pilot Power tire

Rear end: Stock, Michelin Pilot Power tire

Motor: Custom 2-1 exhaust with Micron can

Paint/Bodywork: Will Christman at The Sign Shop

Accessories: Custom license plate mount, reservoir caps, bar-end mirrors and grips

Owner/Builder: Will Christman at The Sign Shop (signshopofracine.com)