It varies from project to project for me. Sometimes the name just comes to me right at the start, other times I try to come up with as many names as I can and then pick the best one. Other times, I just can't think of anything, and I just name my thread something descriptive, like "Step-Thru Klunker," and I worry about the name later. Sometimes the name comes from a part or parts on the bike, sometimes it comes from the paint/powder color, or it could even come from some comment I got on the bike.
Just to give some examples:
1.
Dumpster Diamond, my 1950 Snyder-build Hawthorne. Named as such because a guy asked if I pulled it out of a dumpster when it was just a rusty bent-up frame. That rubbed me the wrong way, and I wanted to prove this bike was a "diamond in the rough."
2.
Schwindecisive (formerly Schwinn Dixie/Project Quick Change,) My 1950 Schwinn DX. Named as such because in the 6 years that I've owned it, I could never make up my mind on how to build it. I also called it
Schwinn Dixie as a play on "Winn Dixie" and "Schwinn DX" because it sounded funny. The
Project Quick Change moniker came from the idea of quickly changing the bike's appearance by swapping out parts whenever I felt like it. I'm not going to post all the different designs this bike has gone and will go through, so here's the bike as I got it.
3.
Shoestring, my 1961 Murray Meteor Flite. Named as such because I built it on a shoestring budget of $50 including the initial purchase of the bike. I also added some shoestring tassels to the handlebars.
4.
Prowler, my 1960s Murray Buzz Bike. Named as such for the TCS Prowler tire at the rear, the Prowler character from Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, and the Plymouth Prowler, a favorite car of mine, usually seen in purple. It's not done yet, but it'll be metallic purple when it is.
6.
Kasual Klunker, my 1952 Schwinn Hornet. Named as such because I planned to use it as an entry-level klunker, meant for easy riding on fairly-level loose gravel trails. I was originally going to call it
The Ratical Rustin' Hornet, before I shined up the paint and chose to enter it in my first Off Road Build Off a few years ago.
7.
The Trashliner Trike, a trike built from a step-thru Spaceliner-style frame. Named as such because of how utterly sketchy it was. (I did not build this thing; I bought it like this!) I parted it out to build another trike from the parts, but I've long since regretted it. Someday, I hope to build my own trike that comes close to recapturing the insanity of this thing.
8.
Bell/Belle, my 1950s Schwinn klunker. Originally just called "Step-Thru Klunker," I decided on the name when I took it to a VW show earlier this year, and a couple boys who rode it kept ringing the bell I placed on the handlebars as a last-minute touch. The name is also a reference to
Bell's Amusement Park, Tulsa's old amusement park I used to go to as a kid, and
Blue Bell ice cream, my favorite ice cream brand, which also has a factory in Broken Arrow, my hometown.
