The One Motorcycle Show 2015

A three-day gathering of the West Coast’s cool, weird and totally unconventional bike builds.

This 1978 Kawasaki Z1R-TC was a joint venture between Kawasaki and American Turbo-Pak, and is one of only 615 examples built. This baby remains in its original condition.

In its sixth year of existence, the One Moto Show has grown from a casual beer-fueled get-together cooked up by Thor Drake at See See Cycles, to a big-time event in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse with a couple of corporate sponsors.

2015 marks the sixth year of the One Moto Show, and the once intimate get-together has blown up quite a bit in that short time. With headline sponsors like BMW Motorrad and Icon 1000 and a 20,000 square foot warehouse as the venue, this is no longer a niche affair, and we have no doubt that there'll be a cover charge in the near future. The three-day event drew an estimated 12,000-plus people to Southeast Portland this year, all of them there to examine the 120 unique bikes in a show curated by enthusiast Thor Drake, who also owns See See Motorcycles (and Coffee) Co.

Take a 1977 BMW R100/7, add custom stainless forks, a custom-built drive shaft, custom spoke wheels, tuck the frame in a bit at the rear, and there you have it - a Beemer bobber.

But the spirit of anarchy lives on, with unconventional builds and irreverent mashups still ruling this year's show for the most part. And of course, the scope of bikes and influences are starting to cross-pollinate; you see a lot of late-model customs inspiring vintage customs, dirt bike components mixing with street metal, and vice-versa. What started as a group of dodgy, unfocussed rat bikes has evolved into its own custom sub-genre, and we're seeing more big-name builders like Roland Sands, Deus, Dime City and Holiday Cycles infiltrate the ranks.

The insanely designed, beautifully handcrafted Suavecito won an award for something, but the hipster crowd was five deep and there was no way we could push past all the PBRs to make out the trophy inscription.
Beautiful metal work and a unique fork treatment highlight this vintage Harley, called High Test.
Arun Sharma of local Ducati dealer MotoCorsa modified his 2011 MultiStrada with knobbies, Öhlins suspension, Trax bags and SW Motech engine guards, dubbing it the Terra Strada.
The One Show does not discriminate: all sizes and displacements were represented within, including this Twin Line mini.
A truly badass bike, this 1969 Rokon Trail-Breaker is renowned for its go-anywhere abilities, thanks to a simple, bulletproof single cylinder Kohler engine, dual-wheel drive and 15 inches of ground clearance. Trail-Breakers have climbed the Chilean Andes, traversed mud bogs and even navigated the infamous Darien Gap.
Show sponsor Icon 1000 showed this Old Ghost custom, based on a 1982 Kawasaki GPZ900.
That’s some monster. A 1997 Ducati Monster, to be exact, and it won last year’s 30-day, $1000 budget Dirtbag Challenge.

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Roland Sands Designs wowed the crowd with a wholly stripped-down Indian Track Chief custom crafter from a 2014 Indian Chieftain donor bike.
Take a 1977 BMW R100/7, add custom stainless forks, a custom-built drive shaft, custom spoke wheels, tuck the frame in a bit at the rear, and there you have it - a Beemer bobber.
A 1983 Yamaha XS 650 provided the foundation for this unfussy, minimalist Billy custom by Kyle Erickson.
That’s some monster. A 1997 Ducati Monster, to be exact, and it won last year’s 30-day, $1000 budget Dirtbag Challenge.
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Beautiful metal work and a unique fork treatment highlight this vintage Harley, called High Test.
A meticulously rebuilt (except for the paint) and modified Honda CB160, from Vicious Cycles.
Show sponsor Icon 1000 showed this Old Ghost custom, based on a 1982 Kawasaki GPZ900.
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This 1978 Kawasaki Z1R-TC was a joint venture between Kawasaki and American Turbo-Pak, and is one of only 615 examples built. This baby remains in its original condition.
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A truly badass bike, this 1969 Rokon Trail-Breaker is renowned for its go-anywhere abilities, thanks to a simple, bulletproof single cylinder Kohler engine, dual-wheel drive and 15 inches of ground clearance. Trail-Breakers have climbed the Chilean Andes, traversed mud bogs and even navigated the infamous Darien Gap.
Arun Sharma of local Ducati dealer MotoCorsa modified his 2011 MultiStrada with knobbies, Öhlins suspension, Trax bags and SW Motech engine guards, dubbing it the Terra Strada.
Another pristine 1966 Honda CB160 2-cylinder, though this one has seen time as a true track machine. The Oregon Motorcycle Roadracing Association had several vintage Hondas on display.
Built on an old Harley Panhead foundation, this stainless and aluminum beauty was a magnet for iPhone photos.
This street-biased 1985 BMW K100 was converted to a scrambler type machine with the addition of a modified air intake, those (ubiquitous) knobby tires and stout aluminum panniers, among other changes.
A wildly modded 2004 Yamaha WR450 that actually made it out to the Salt Flats for the Bonneville Speed trials.
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We spotted this original cherry-condition '70s BMW R90S outside and couldn’t help snapping a quick photo.
The One Show does not discriminate: all sizes and displacements were represented within, including this Twin Line mini.
The insanely designed, beautifully handcrafted Suavecito won an award for something, but the hipster crowd was five deep and there was no way we could push past all the PBRs to make out the trophy inscription.
There was no shortage of Triumph café and scrambler-style customs at the show. This fat-tire beauty is by sponsor (and local two-wheel heroes) See See Motorcycles.
Yamaha XS 650-based machines are still the rage. The Major Move was crafted by Bobby Wernick using a 1972 example.
When was the last time you saw a Villiers-based rig? In café trim, no less?
As is the case every year, Bell presented a custom-painted helmet show with dozens of hand-tooled lids making the scene.
This is as close as we could get to this crowd-mobbed, photogenic vintage Harley chopper.
Irreverent categories (Looks Like A Blast To Ride) were the name of the game, with funky trophies given out at the end of the show.
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