Tag Archives: Custom Motorcycles

“What are the best websites for motorcyclists?” she asked me. She had been bitten by the bug. The bug that turns the average human into a motorcycle-obsessed freak, looking to learn as much valuable information about motorcycling as she could, ...

Two years ago we covered the results of the first Motorcycle Film Festival from Brooklyn, New York. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Motorcycle videos are at a height we haven’t seen since the 1970s, and these days ...

We completely missed the ball on the Motorcycle Film Festival, and not for lack of press either. Brooklyn is an 8 hour ride from Toronto, I might just have made a weekend trip out of it! Alas it was not to be.

At any rate, the Motorcycle Film Festival (or MMF, which also stands for Must've been F***in' Fun - for those who made it) couldn't have come at a better time. Motorcycle videos are at a height we haven't seen since the 1970s, and these days the stars are the riders themselves. Regular folks like you and me, but I'll get to that later.

For now here are the winners from the first annual / first ever Motorcycle Film Festival, along with some video trailers.

A collection of the best creative commons motorcycle images from all over the internet for this week.

Back in 2011 I featured a world tour video project called Flake and Flames, by a motorcyclist named Jesper Bram. Bram is famous among motorcycle bloggers as the owner of Helmet Hair Motorcycle blog. Helmet Hair was once the coolest motorcycle blog on the internet, so I knew that Jesper's movie would be equally if not exponentially more awesome.

bikerMetric just shared a great video on Shinya Kimura, a personal favorite motorcycle builder of mine. Shinya has been involved in motorcycles for over 25 years. He's the originator of the "zero style" custom motorcycle originating in Japan. His work would quickly gain recognition for its minimalistic and vintage style of bikes. Shinya shows the beauty of the raw materials incorporated into his designs. He now works out of his shop, Chabott Engineering, in Azusa, California. Shinya mentions in the video that he doesn't sketch out his creations, he simply creates based on how he feels in that moment. Check out the video to get a feel of what he's all about:

The last post on our Motorcycle Contortionists Photoshoot we heard from G who told us exactly what it meant to be contortionist, and how the shoot came to be. If you haven't seen the pics already, take a look. G's performed internationally including as far away prestigious events in Rome, Italy for the National Ballet of Milan. She and fellow performer Dani took their talents of flexibility and strength and got to work at bending on, around, and all over motorcycles.

One of Mark Gornik's motorcycles, a rigid framed Harley-Davidson Sportster based chopper was a centerpiece for our contortionists. Mark has been building hot rods and motorcycles since he was sixteen years old and was willing to let the girls put his steel to the test.

At first thought, Vespas and choppers seem to have little in common. Choppers are ludicrous, oversized, exagerated monstrosities. Scooters are cute, fuzzy, small displacement and lightweight little machines. Despite their differences, both scooters and choppers rose to popularity following World War II. The history of war vets having returned home and began stripping and customizing their motorcycles is well documented. Likewise, today's pop culture image of the scooter is the evolution of a 1940s Cushman design.

It wouldn't be long before counter culture and popular culture flirted. Did good corrupt evil, or did evil see the light? Have a look at these rare Vespa Choppers from an era gone by and decide.

Akrapovic is a Slovenian manufacturer known for their proven exhausts from Moto GP to Enduro and Motocross, Akrapovic is now dabbing into custom motorcycles. Their latest, the Morsus, is a chopperesque beauty with sportbike like ergonomics and suspension. From Dream Machine Customs, she's a beauty.