This year I decided to take a little break from motorcycles, and go check out a motorcycle show I had never been to (There is a big difference from the crowd rather than behind a booth!). I'd seen coverage and photos from the Handbuilt show put on by the fellows at Revival Cycles before and it always looked like a great show, and of course the location in Austin, Texas was just a bonus.
Showing up at Fair Market, the venue for the show, I was greeted with delicious smells from several food trucks parked out in front of a cool warehouse space. The street is closed off except top motorcycles, essentially creating a motorcycle show in the street right out front. As soon as I walked to the roll up doors I could see a ton of cool bikes inside, so I snuck in a little before opening to get a chance to walk the rows and snap some photos of all the show bikes.
It was an extremely interesting mix from a "chopper guy" perspective, it was definitely heavier on the metric side than American or British, but there was something there for everyone. The one thing they all had in common was they were all handbuilt. There was a ton of high-level craftsmanship in that room mixed with some unique vision from dozens of builders; No bolt-on customs in this room! I'm pretty sure I came across half a dozen bikes I would love to have in my garage, none of them motorcycles I would traditionally have on my list.
Charlie and the guys from American Motor Drome Company had their wall of death set up in the courtyard, putting on shows from open to close, and entertaining what must've been thousands of people over the three day weekend. The mix of people was also interesting, the cafe crowd, chopper guys (and gals), road racers, and Europe heavily represented since so many people were in town for the MotoGP race which was the same weekend at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin.
All in all, this is an excellent event with a ton of great motorcycles, great people and of course that famous Texas hospitality. If you get a chance to, put this one on your list!
Photos and words by
- Kyle Malinky
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