Photo by Cavalier Photography

It May Be Pink, But it is Still a Ducati!

Kaci has had a lot of positive reactions to her pink Ducati Diva and it is not surprising that women love it. Men on the other hand are apprehensive until they hear the symphony of the unmistakable Ducati sound.

“Oddly enough, more men take pictures of the Diva than the women”

Kaci recalled two of her favorite comments that she has gotten from men when seeing her motorcycle. One was from a big burley Harley rider with a southern drawl accent who said “Huh…a Pink Duc?…I’ve never seen one of them before…” The other was from an old rider friend who was checking out her new paint job and was surprised when she started it up and said “that sounds pretty masculine…are you ok with that?” Kaci’s reply, “It’s pink, but it’s still a Ducati!”

Earning her “Diva” Status

Kaci Berry decided that after 20 years of riding pillion with her husband it was time to start riding her own. In 2016, she became a licensed rider and like most new riders started out on a small starter bike. Her first motorcycle of choice was a Honda Nighthawk 250, although it didn’t take long for this classically trained singer to trade up to a 2002 Ducati Monster 620ie. As a classical singer, Kaci has also done some international opera work, so naturally she earned her “Diva” status—which consequently her nickname transferred over to her pink Ducati as friends and family began calling her motorcycle by the same name, Diva.

Creating the Pink Ducati: A Ducati Diva Transformation

The factory paint job in vivid yellow on her motorcycle was an irritating reminder for Kaci of having being called “Tweety Bird” back in the 1990’s. She had worn a bold yellow t-shirt pantsuit while performing as a singer at the time. In her defense, it was the 90’s and no one holds that fashion choice against her. Not to mention the intense color just didn’t reflect her personality or her love of shiny things, so she began her pink Ducati Diva transformation.

Kaci enlisted the help of Ron Engle from Not Just Paint in New York. Kaci had met Ron from riding with a YZF forum group and admired his work. Designing the “look” she wanted for her Ducati Monster took Kaci several months of planning and ultimately she struggled with trying to articulate to Ron what she could so clearly see in her own mind. Kaci soon realized that it was easier for her to get her ideas across through images instead of words and proceeded to find an unusual array of pictures on Pinterest that best represented her design concept.

Kaci’s unique collection of inspiration for a faded vintage look:

After sending Ron a multitude of pictures and a large assortment of colour swatches Kaci dismantled her beloved Ducati Diva from her home in Springdale, Arkansas and shipped the parts off to New York where Ron could work his magic.

“He was able to take my clearly NON-AUTO related ideas and turn them into something doable and beautiful that reflected my personality”

Primer was first applied to cover the original yellow paint, then 10 ounces of flake was mixed. Kaci’s family thought it looked like a Root Beer Smoothie, and we have to agree.

320 grit paper was used to sand between layers and the lace was taped off to mark the pattern and the top color spray added. Kaci sent Ron 2 yards of the wild leopard lace fabric so that he would have plenty to cut up and move around as needed.

Lettering was blocked off with vinyl, after it was peeled off to reveal the flaked spray underneath.

All parts from tail to the bikini got a topcoat of blush pink.

Then an undercoat was also sprayed to the bottom of the fenders, bikini and tail. The day Kaci’s motorcycle parts were returned she felt like it was Christmas morning, only way better.

Piece by piece Kaci re-assembled her pink Ducati Diva and it was ready to ride.

Additional Ducati Monster Custom Touches

Kaci’s husband installed new carbon fiber fenders from MotoComposites. He also replaced the exhaust to carbon fiber exhaust cannons from Danmoto Motorcycle Accessories along with updating the lights to LED.

Swarovski Crystals Are a Diva’s Best Friend

“I’m a Diva, and I love shiny things. Customizing your bike is part of the fun!”

As a Diva, Kaci had to add her favorite shiny touches of Swarovski Crystals to the mirrors and light rim. Before attempting a design on the actual Ducati mirrors Kaci practiced with cheap after-market mirrors and used plastic crystals. When she was satisfied with her ability and her design she went to work using up 2,800 Swarovski Crystals while spending about 3 hours on each mirror.

“One cannot have enough BLING!”

Helmet Bling for a Diva

To top it all off Kaci incorporated a bit of sparkle onto her favorite piece of gear, a Bilt modular helmet with what she considers the must-have feature of a drop-down sun shield. Kaci used scrapbooking crystal strips that she bought from Hobby Lobby. She initially thought that the strips would serve as a way to plot out the design then once she was satisfied with it she would replace them with Swarovski Crystals. Not only were the faux crystal strips cheap but she found they were very easy to apply. She started with just a simple design then added more because according to Kaci, one cannot have enough BLING!

Kaci ended up using three packages of the wide strips and two packages of narrow strips in her free-style design for the custom motorcycle helmet. However, she loved the final look of the crystal strips so much that she decided not to replace them. To her surprise it became apparent that they were extremely resilient in the many torrential downpours that she had been caught in.

Functional and Fashionable Moto Accessories

Kaci’s favorite accessories when riding are her MotoChic Lauren bag and Valerie clutch, which she uses daily and proclaims that the bags make transitioning from her car to her bike a breeze.

MotoChic Lauren bag

MotoChic Valerie clutch

Kaci is also a member of MotoChic’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Bag that is happening this summer (2017). The group is comprised of 5 female bloggers who are testing the same new Lauren Sport bag and documenting all of their adventures with it. Kaci invites you to follow along on her Ducati Diva blog.

Kaci’s Favorite Motorcycle Reads & Rides

Kaci loves the WRN blog and recently she enjoys the new Modern Moto Magazine—a fashion-centric, gear-focused magazine geared towards women riders. Kaci admits to regularly stealing her hubby’s motorcycle magazines; Motorcyclist Magazine and Cycle World mainly because they also contain a lot of great articles that focus on motorcycle skills. As a blogger, Kaci aspires to be able to write for her favorite magazines one day.

Living in the Ozark Mountains gives Kaci plenty of spectacular views and a wealth of curves while riding through the mountain ranges. With each ride, she has gained more confidence as a motorcyclist along with increasing her experience to be able to handle the technical turns. She frequently rides to Eureaka Springs and Branson with her husband and they make a yearly trek to the Dragon at Deal’s Gap, a ride that one day she hopes to muster up the courage to ride solo. We believe she can do anything she sets her mind to!

Connect with Kaci

Blog: www.DucatiDiva.net
Facebook: Kaci Berry
Instagram: @DucatiDiva
Twitter: @Redklberry

Do you have a bling’d out bike? Are you fashionably styling while you ride? Then check out How to get featured as a Biker Girl Bling’n It.