MOTO MMXX
The Graft & Craft of Custom Motorcycles
The custom motorcycle movement has exploded in the past decade. What was once a fringe pursuit is now a mainstream phenomenon, so much so that many motorcycle manufacturers have initiated their own mass-produced “customized” versions. The 20 motorcycles in this exhibition - some never before seen in the US - are a small, multinational sampling from a massive global scene.
Every one of these builders have endeavored to create something entirely new. Each has a unique process, just as they each have unique reasons that compel them to customize and to build. The range of approaches illustrates the spectrum of customization, from the hand-sketched and hand-crafted to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided-manufacture (CAM), from traditional hand-forming techniques to state-of-the-art computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machining and 3D printing. In all cases, the extraordinary results share little in common with their original donor bike.
One motivation behind this exhibition is to reveal the astonishing amount of labor and commitment that goes into each custom build - far more than the glossy photographs in blogs and magazines reveal. Some of these motorcycles represent months of work, some years. This exhibition makes an attempt to quantify the personal, and sometimes financial, investment involved, and the frequent discrepancy between that investment and the “value” of that creation.
The motorcycle industry is at a particularly interesting intersection as electric motorcycles emerge as the heir-apparent to the internal combustion engine. Unconstrained and unbeholden by the industry status quo, custom builders are uniquely positioned to explore this opportunity. I hope these thought-provoking builds challenge and confound your expectations about what motorcycles can and should be.
Today’s custom motorcycle builders are part designer, part engineer, and part artist. A heartfelt debt of gratitude to the fellow builders without whose labors and passion this exhibition would not exist.
See you on the open road.
Hugo Eccles
Curator, MOTO MMXX
MOTO MMXX curator Hugo Eccles is design director and co-founder of Untitled Motorcycles (UMC) with workshops in London and San Francisco. UMC designs and builds custom motorcycles for private clients and in partnership with factory brands such as Ducati, Triumph, Yamaha, Moto Guzzi, and Zero.
