The absolute easiest way to make your own motorcycle cake topper is to buy a ready-made wedding cake topper and just add a motorcycle to it. I would be very surprised if you didn’t already have a diecast motorcycle in your house, but if you don’t, you’ll need to make sure you purchase the correct size.
Take it with you when shopping for your wedding cake topper to make sure that there is room for it and that the scale to the bride and groom is appropriate. See the chart below for scale sizes.
Why You Should Make Your Own Cake Topper
There are several very good reasons to make your own motorcycle wedding cake topper.
- You want a cake topper that is as individual as you are
- To save money
- You can’t find a motorcycle cake topper that you like
- You want to add your own touch
- You are making your own wedding favors and want the cake topper to match
- Just coz you like making stuff!
Supplies Needed
Here’s a list of supplies needed for the topper shown above and below the list is more information that you might need for each item.
- One 4.25″ – 4.5″ Cake Topper Base
- One 1:18 Scale Diecast Motorcycle
- One Bride and Groom Figurine
- Glue (I use clear or white E6000)
- One Small Elastic Hair Tie
- 36″ of 6″ wide tulle or ribbon
- One Heart-Shaped Background
- Ribbon and flower
Start With The Base
You will need to start with a base, as the base will determine the overall size of your topper. You need to take into consideration the size of your cake or have your cake made to fit the topper.
I purchased the middle cake topper base pictured at my local Hobby Lobby. I did not see one when I looked online at Michaels or Joann Fabrics.
Just keep in mind that if you order online, you will have to pay for shipping and that will run the cost up considerably. Try to buy your topper, ribbons, and any other embellishments at the same place.
If your cake size allows, I recommend you purchase a 6″ oval topper base if you can find one or something similar. This will give you plenty of room for the motorcycle and the bride and groom figurine.
If you are really creative, you can come up with something else to use as a base, a mirror, or something that can handle hot glue.
Choosing the Correct Size Diecast Motorcycle
Purchasing the diecast motorcycle is a great task for getting the groom-to-be involved. Let him choose the one he wants whether it’s a replica of his motorcycle or if he can’t find that one, his dream custom chopper.
Scale is an important factor when purchasing your diecast motorcycle. You don’t want your motorcycle to overpower the bride and groom. It needs to look as if that bride and groom figurine can hop on the motorcycle and ride right off into the sunset.
You must be careful when you purchase your motorcycle to make sure that it will fit on the base without looking too large. Not all 1:18 scale diecast motorcycles are the same size. A chopped with a stretched out front end will be longer than a cruiser.
From the center of the tire to the center of the other tire on most 1:18 diecast motorcycles, is around 4″ to 4.5″. As long as the wheels rest on the base you will be ok, but you must always keep the scale of the finished motorcycle cake topper in mind.
Diecast motorcycles are made in scales 1:64, 1:32, 1:18, 1:12, and 1:6. The motorcycle would be 1/18th of the original sized motorcycle, etc. The larger the right number is, the smaller the diecast motorcycle will be. Also, the larger-scale motorcycles will cost more money. (1:12 will be more than 1:18)
The chart below is based on a 6′ tall person. Use it to match the scale of the diecast motorcycle and the bride and groom figurine. Keep in mind any thickness of the base the bride and groom might be standing on. Half an inch won’t make much difference but any more than that might. You want the bride and groom themselves to be close to the number listed below.
| DIECAST SCALE | APPROXIMATE FIGURINE HEIGHT |
|---|---|
| 1:64 | 1″ |
| 1:32 | 2″ |
| 1:18 | 4.25″ |
| 1:12 | 6″ |
| 1:6 | 12″ |
Bride and Groom Figurine
Choose funny, romantic or somewhere in between, your cake topper will be noticed. What do you want it to say about you and the groom?
Keeping the 1:18 scale in mind, I’ve included a couple of images of some cake topper figurines to help you visualize what to look for size-wise. Sometimes taller is ok.
If you have something in mind and just can’t decide how it would look with the motorcycle, send me a link and I’ll let you know if I think they’ll work together.
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Biker Figurines from American Diorama
Jane, Smoke, and Cash are no longer available in the 1:18 scale but they are available in the 1:12 size on eBay. They are about 5.5″ tall. You would need a 1:12 diecast motorcycle to go with them and a 6″ round base to put them on. (Flat round ones should be easy to find at Hobby Lobby or on Wilton.com.)
If you go with a 1:12 scale, make sure your cake is large enough to handle it.
These are easy to paint with craft paints so they can be adjusted to match colors if need be.
Tips About Your Adhesive
E6000 is a great all-around adhesive that attaches to many different materials including glass. For this project, most of the items are plastic and it is a perfect choice.
E6000 should be very easy to find locally, as I’ve seen it at our Dollar General Store and Ace Hardware and the small tube will be sufficient for making your cake topper. You can always order from Amazon.
I recommend using a toothpick to pick up the glue and place it where it is needed. E6000 likes a little air time and a small amount of glue on each object.
If you’d like to make your cake topper parts not permanent, use reusable / repositionable glue dots. The only parts you would be gluing together are the figurine and the motorcycle to the base.
Ribbon, Tulle & Flower
You need about 3 feet of 6″ wide tulle to wrap around the base to make it full. Wrap it around, put the hair tie on under the flat part and then fold the tulle over the top of the hair tie to match the bottom. You’ll want to pull the tulle around the base to spread it out and make it look nice.
Once you have your materials together you can start playing around with how you want to decorate your wedding cake topper. Place the bride and groom figurine on the base and lay your lace and other embellishments around until you get a good feel for what you like. Once you have done that, you can start gluing everything into place.
You’ll feel great pride at your motorcycle theme wedding when you boast that you make your motorcycle cake topper yourself.
Other Motorcycle Cake Toppers You can Make Easily
The base of this topper was part of the packaging from one of the funny cake toppers I purchased. I believe it was the one with the Bride dragging the groom. The piece of slot car track was purchased on eBay. The Harley emblem is from a birthday cake topper authorized by Harley-Davidson®. The diamond ribbon was purchased at Hobby Lobby.
