The See Motors’ 10th annual One Moto Show was a celebration of custom motorcycle culture in its myriad forms. This year’s show was…
The See Motors’ 10th annual One Moto Show was a celebration of custom motorcycle culture in its myriad forms. This year’s show was housed in a disused warehouse in Portland, Oregon, called the Pickle Factory, and the variety of bikes on display was a real testament to the kind of inclusive motorcycle culture that I’ve grown to love dearly. The show has choppers parked next to cafe racers, adventure bikes parked next to mini bikes. Big egos are relegated to parking outside in the rain.
The One Show is the brainchild of See founder (and the guy that did the minibike 360 ramp on Jackass) Thor Drake. Drake looks like the lanky lovechild of Peter Stormare and Steve Zissou and is a nearly ubiquitous presence at both the One Show and the 1Pro Super Hooligan race held later that weekend.
Despite the show changing dramatically over the last decade — you have to pay to get in, for example, and big corporate sponsors like Indian are participating — it still managed to capture not only what’s so appealing about motorcycle culture but also appeal to a vast variety of people. Friday night was all loud music and beer-soaked flannel-wearing folks, while Saturday morning was a much more quiet, family oriented and kid-friendly vibe.
Among my favorite bikes at the show were a highly customized Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled built by Alex Earle of Earle Motors. The Alaskan, as it’s called, was turned into a hardcore dual-sport/ADV bike with additional fuel tanks, carbon fiber skid plates, and swingarm extensions, and then ridden from California to Alaska and displayed in as-ridden condition.
