BRINGING TIMELESS RETRO CAFE RACER STYLING TOGETHER WITH THE MODERN AGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRIC ARCHITECTURE.

I placed my order for my Streetdog after I first set eyes on one back in 2021, and immediately began preparing how I wanted to make it absolutely next level.

While waiting for my bike to move into the production stages, I spent endless late nights doing an unimaginable amount of initial renders of how I wanted to paint it, how I wanted the shapes and colors to interact with each other yet still flow with the lines of the bike, incorporating some key ingredients from FTN Motion’s existing brand identity while at the same time bringing in my own artistic work. Because for me, it's all about the small details and going the extra mile to achieve something truly unique.

I then started planning how to bring all of the other aspects together, like painting matching helmets or the custom-made and painted aero-disc wheels, and finally, how I wanted to showcase this entire project in an extra special way that matched the detail and depth of the art piece itself.

DETAILS

I absolutely LOVE the 60s & 70s aesthetic, and I fully embraced this style in customising my bike with shimmering metal flake silver, vibrant candy, deep metallic, orange pearl, and fluorescent paints.

To complement the look, I custom-painted matching Bell Bullitt helmets for my partner and me—mounted with retro orange gradient bubble visors and custom orange hardware. I then did the bike's headlight with the same warm sunset fade, adding a custom matte/gloss X detail for a small hint of that authentic café racer vibe. The helmets' brown interior padding also matching the bike's seat, tying the whole vibe together.

I didn't stop there; I also painted our little Chihuahua, Chip, his own matching helmet. I added orange lettering to the tyres to inject some racing flair, along with custom wheel aero-discs that I designed and painted to match the bike's unique colour scheme.

The project is filled with numerous other subtle touches that unify the theme, from the carefully considered paintwork to the hidden details that might not catch the eye at first glance, but together, they create an epic and cohesive energy of retro and futurism combined.

STREETDOG SPECS

It's hard to know where to begin with the Streetdog itself when talking about specs and details. There are SO MANY awesome aspects to this world-class product—from the NFC key tag that you simply tap on the side of the tank logo to turn the bike on, to its touchscreen display. The main tank is made of hemp weave composite and has 30 litres of lockable storage with an internal shelf and USB charging to plug your phone in whilst riding.

The bike is classed in New Zealand’s moped category, meaning you can ride it here on a car license. This was another huge reason I loved it—making it super easily approachable whether commuting to work or cruising to the beach. It has a 3kW motor that is now upgradable to 5kW via a software update, a removable 2.9 kWh battery that will get you roughly 80-100 km (50-60 mi) of range, and takes around 5.5 hours to charge from flat via a standard wall outlet.

This sounds like an ad, doesn’t it?! It’s not! - I just LOVE everything about it and am so excited to share this entire project with detail at every level—and after putting in hundreds of hours of work, I love it even more.