Back in February, Grant and I flew up to Portland to party with Thor Drake, Drake McElroy, Roland Sands and a bunch of other friends. It was The One Show, a bike show for people that don’t need to pay to see girls in tight shorts and don’t have much use for plastic. Now, here’s video and photos from the show. See if you can tell which one of the interviewees wanted to be Grant’s boyfriend the mostest. :continue:
The modern motorcycle show is a bit of a conundrum. Bikes are neat because they’re more than objects created for consideration. Bikes are neat because they’re about an experience. But, housed in the sterile environs of a second rate convention center and populated by PR people, shows like the IMS tour or even EICMA fail to offer much in the way of experience. Showgoers can catch a glimpse of a new model, or a model in a bikini, but not much else. What if there was another way? What if there was a way to capture the elusive appeal of the motorcycle in a social experience with appeal spanning demographics, sexes and preference for assless chaps or leather onesies? That’s exactly what last weekend’s The One Motorcycle Show in Portland achieved.
Photos: Jon Humphries and Thor Drake. :continue:
One of the stars at last weekend’s The One Motorcycle Show in Portland was this 1986 Honda VFR1000R built by the guys at Icon. Sort of a post-apocalyptic, comic book take on a police interceptor — the Main Force Patrol would feel right at home — the Magnificent Bastard is at once reminiscent of extreme function while being relatively functionless. That’s a continental knobby designed for a dirt bike’s rear wheel mounted on the Bastard’s front. :continue:
Gonna be in Portland this week? We are, for See See Motorcycles’ 3rd annual The One Motorcycle Show. The idea is that a bunch of talented local types like Thor Drake and Drake McElroy (we confuse them too) build their ideal motorcycle. The one bike that they could ride for the rest of their lives. Then there’s like music and beer and mayhem and stuff.
There’s actually two nights of activities, with an encore presentation of 21 Helmets on Saturday night. Thrown by some kick ass dudes, you’d be stupid to miss either.
In his article about Throwing The One Motorcycle Show, Thor Drake described a burnout performed by Drake McElroy on his CR250 road racer, “It sounded like a chain-saw cutting timbers down with a dull chain.” Well, here’s that burnout. :continue:
Thor Drake runs See See Cycles and organized Portland’s The One Motorcycle Show on Saturday. We asked him to tell us a little about what happened. By our count, there were 78 custom and classic bikes on display, 14 burnouts, 80 cases of PBR, 3,000 people and one visit from the cops. — Ed.
Photos: Austin Porter and Thor Drake
Saturday night saw the return of The One Motorcycle Show to Portland, Oregon. Hosted by See See Cycles, over 50 custom bikes were displayed along with a whole bunch of motorcycle-related art and photography. Here’s a whole heap o’photos from the event.
Photos: Matthew Mirpourian
Growing up in Los Angeles, and never having lived anywhere else, I’m used to the way people in Los Angeles act. In Los Angeles people you’ve never met don’t offer you their motorcycles, shop owners don’t let you poke around their shops with a camera and, in general, people just aren’t all that friendly. In Portland though, all that is reversed. After only three emails, and without even asking, Thor Drake offered me his CB550 while I was in town. Three different shop owners welcomed me into their shops, and were more than happy to let me take photos. An Aerostich-clad GS rider even offered to help me bump start the CB550. :continue:
Vintage and custom bike shows sure are getting popular these days. While some events like the Brooklyn Invitational focus on a national talent list and Orange County’s Born Free event continues to transition into an ersatz mega-production, Portland’s refreshingly quirky 2nd annual “The One Motorcycle Show” by See See Motorcycles on February 5th will have over 50 mostly home-grown vintage and modern custom bikes. :continue:
