The One Moto Show in Portland, Oregon, celebrated its 10th birthday this weekend by throwing a party for riders who refuse to buy their motorcycles off the rack. Pretty much every motorcycle on display was the result of an individual’s creativity, ingenuity and, yes, suffering. These bikes did not come to exist without a serious investment in time, money and bleeding knuckles. This is art that requires commitment.
The show kicked off with a screening of the documentary “Oil In The Blood” on Thursday night. The movie was a perfect primer for the following three days of gazing in awe of the bikes, art and music on display inside Portland’s Pickle Factory. The movie is a series of interviews with motorcycle fabricators (many who displayed works) that helps the uninitiated appreciate what they are seeing at the show and shuts the mouths of critics. While The One Moto Show did bestow builder awards on the last day, every bike in the exhibit was a winner. Here are just some bikes that caught my eye before the batteries went dead on my FujiFilm X100s.
Every type of motorcycle was on display over the three days and the tried-and-true choppers seemed to capture the most attention. The Pickle Factory was a great venue.Loved this Harley Sprint that took a few design nods from the Vincents of old.The One Moto Show’s strength is its inclusive nature. There was not a single bike that didn’t belong in the show.Got snow?
This project was completed years before Harley-Davidson got around to building their own Pan America model. Bikes at The One Moto Show are way ahead of the trends.
Jeffrey Meyers’ Modern Artifacts produces industrial art from scratch that comes from a different time. You can check out his work by clicking here.
The main reason I made the trek to Portland and The One Moto Show was to see the Vicious Cyclesperform live on Friday and Saturday nights. The One Moto Show served as a release party for the band’s new 45, See See Rider. Available now at fine lawn mower repair shops and from Bandcamp.Brad Peterson built this bike for his wife! Now that’s an awesome husband. Harley could take a few styling cues from this project.
Only at The One Moto Show would you see a bike like this in the parking lot.
Half the show’s fun is bench racing and comparing notes on the bikes that got your heart beating. The vibe was so positive, but why wouldn’t it be? Everyone came to dig motorcycles.
High School kids from around Portland were given helmets to decorate. Troy Lee himself would have been impressed.I’m not getting sucked into the “Best Bike” debate, but if I could have taken only one bike home with me…it would be this little stunner. It looks like so much fun to ride. Who needs horsepower when you got style like this?
