Outlier's Guild Moto Show Los Angeles 2018
The OG Moto Show is an annual motorcycle event located in Downtown Los Angeles featuring select Cafe' Racer, Bobber, Classic, Tracker, Scrambler, Old School Chopper, Modern Classic, Brat and full custom motorcycles on display in a unique setting. The vision of Jay LaRossa of Lossa Engineering, Stan Chen, John Pangilinan, and Ralph Holguin of RMD Garage to help bring this style of motorcycle culture to Southern California.
No where to be seen are the once legendary Boyd Coddington style custom bike builders like Arlen Ness, Ron Simms,
Dave Perewitz, Jesse James, Paul Yaffee and Jesse Rooke. These are the new 'Hand Made" style of custom bike first pioneered by Japan's Shinya Kimura, now joined by new Southern California artisans like Cristian Sosa and Max Hazen. This is where the custom bike building industry has shifted. No big name Parts Distributors and Manufacturers are making money off these guys, they build everything they need from scratch and dirty used old OEM parts.
Artwork and graffitti adorns the buildings and streets throughout the Art District in dpwntown Los Angdles where the OG Moto Show is held. They are is full of exciting new restaurants and clubs, refurbished factory buildings into artist loft,s and newly constructed high rise apartments. Many New Millenials live and work in this area, and a motorcle may be theier only form of transportation. And it was suprising to see so many young women engining the scene, many haven ridden in on bikes. They weren't here to buy motorcycles and spend money on accessories, but to attend an art exhibit . And that's what it was. From the beautiful hand-made bikes, to the artwork on the wallas, to the hand paint murals and graffitti inside and outside the old warehouse building, motorized 2-wheel art had arrived in the Big City, and the city dwellers were there to experience it.
The 2018 OG Moto Show was held on Saturday March 31st, running from 12 noon - 9pm at night, with recorded music playing during the day,
and a live bank coming on at 4pm. I was there from 2-4pm and it really did take at least 2 hours to see and enjoy everything. I saw so many of my friends and builders from the Los Angeles Motorcycle scene and we mad a chance to chat. If I'd have stayed for lunch and listen to the live music, and talked more, I'd have been there much longer, but I already had additional plans to dine at a nearby restaurant and take in a mucic club show in Hollywood later this evening.
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Above: The first motorcycle event I've attend in the last 20 years, other than Supercross, where almost everyone seemed to be New Millennials under 40 years old! Hopefully shows like OG and Handbuilt will revive the declining streetbike market in America? Bultaco Monoshock Roadracer
New Millenilas on Selfie
There were two small motorcle manufacturer dislays at OG, the one from Kawasaki, and this from Indian shoiung off one of their Super Holligan raxe bikes. Brakes? Who need brakes?
Sanuel Kao / JSK Moto calls his futuristic custom "Project Rhodium Omeg" which s based on Yamaha's unsuccessful selling 1993-94 GTS 1000 sport touring bike with a single sided swingarm front end suspension. Sam, in the black JSK Motro T-shirt standing behind the bike, likes to turn unloved and unique old bikes into show winners. His LA Calendar Motorcycle Show winning customs have been featured in the FastDates.com Iron & Lace Calendars the last 4 years. |
Joey's Kawasaki Z900RS Modified
Moto Yuppies hob nobbing in the Back Alley with more display bikes and LA Art District graffiti wall art.
Pro Italia Motorcycles of Glendale's Moto Guzzi custom racer.
This H-D Sportster looks like pure British classic sportbike.
For its 2nd annual event the OG Moto Show expanded out of it's original big warehouse on Anderson & 4th Street, spilling out into the back alley with more display bikes, food and product venders, and then into two adjoining warehouses. The 2nd building had a display of classic Italian sport bikes and motorcycle art on the walls, and the 3rd building featured and action theme diorama, a display of motorcycle rider mannequins on bikes taking selfies of themselves with their cell phones. Art imitating life.
Above: BSA 650cc Bobber. Below: Harley Flathead Board Track Tribute.
The enthusiast crowd at the OG Show were young 25-45 year old New Millenials, probably downtown apartment dwelling, single professional white collar office workers, many being very attractive young men and women .Is thedecloining American motorcle marketing hinting at a resurgence?
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Builder and OG Moto Show co-promotoer Jay LaRossa of Lossa Engineering need his own bike evetn to show off his beautiful "hand Built'Halrey Knucklehead. Check out the details of the mechanical throttle linkage from the twist grip, to the steering jead, over and through the fuel tank to the carburetor! Increbible.
Above, More bikes and wall art in the Back Alley. Below, Ducati Classic in the Italian bike display and wall art building.
And it was suprising to see so many young women engining the scene, many haven ridden in on bikes. They weren't here to buy motorcycles and spend money on accessories, but to attend an art exhibit . And that's what it was. From the beautiful hand-made bikes, to the artwork on the wallas, to the hand paint murals and graffitti inside and outside the old warehouse building, motorized 2-wheel art had arrived in the Big City, and the city dwellers were there to experience it.
Above and below, Shinya Kimura's H-D 350cc Aeromachi 4-stoke single with "hand crafted" alloy bodywork. Leading link front forks are from a '60s era Honda 50cc Super Cub.
Another beautiful "hand made" monoshock cafe bike with custom frame, swingarm and bodywork,
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