Onno "Berserk" Wieringa www.madnessphotography.nl: Custom Bikes at Motor Bike Expo Verona Fiere 2014.

Motor Bike Expo Verona Fiere 2014.

Text: Onno "Berserk"Wieringa -
Photography: G-Rat and Onno "Berserk" Wieringa - Madness Photography (www.madnessphotography.eu)

The 2014 edition of the MOTOR BIKE EXPO SHOW in Verona, Italy, was the best and biggest ever. In the various bike shows the level of quality, design and craftmanship was extremely high, bikes from Italy and all over Europe competed in the CCE International Bike Show Series Italian Championship and LowRide shows, magazines awarded their favourite Bikes and all together over 400 bikes competed for may prizes during the three days of the Motor Bike Expo in Verona 2014.

Overwhelming. That’s the feeling you get the minute you arrive at the Verona Fiere, where many halls full of Bikes and everything that has something to do with motocycles, await you. The main four halls are custom Bikes only. And not just custom Bikes, but at the Verona Motor Bike Expo there are famous Italian bike builders present like Abnormal Cycles, Artrix, ASSO Bikes, Garage 65, BCC / Boccin, PDF Motociclette (Punto Di Fuga), Headbangers, Vallese Garage, and Inglorious Bastards, to name but a few.

Abnormal Cycles

CCE

Also many leading European builders and celebreties such as Fred Kodlin, Danny Schneider (Hardnine Choppers), Peder Johansson (HOG Tech), Laurent Dutruel (ZEN Motorcycles), and Mark Wishmore (Ace Cafe London) were present. American celebreties like the Ness familie, Le Pera, Perewitz, Kirk Taylor and Chris Richardson(LA Speed Shop), made there way to the Motor Bike Expo VeronaFiere too.

Garage 65

PDF Motociclettes

Me, 'Crazy' Franky and Mattheo

Max, Artrix

Kirk Taylor

Francesca & photographer Michael Lichter

Zach & Cory Ness

Valesse Garage

BCC Boccin

Photographer Horst 'Motopgrapher' Roesler

Inglorious Bastards

Fred Kodlin

Hardnine Choppers

Danny Schneider (Hardnine Choppers) and Zach Ness

The Italians know how to build a beautiful custom bike, they are worldfamous for their designs and that, mixed with a good dosis of humor, love for older motorcycles and a sharp eye for details, all adds up in a perfect endresult: prize-wining custom bikes that gain lots of attention and recognition all over the world. And that’s what the Motor Bike Expo at the VeronaFiere is all about. Add to that the friendly atmosphere, good Italian food and drinks at almost every exhibitors’ stand and, I almost forgot, the nice Italian women who willingly pose for everybody with a camera… and you’ll end up with one of the best and biggest shows to be found in Europe!

Some 400 exhibitors show their stuff during the Motor Bike Expo at the VeronaFiere, big companies like Parts Europe / Drag Specialties, Jekill & Hyde, Zodiac, Highway Hawk / MotoLux, Motorcycle Storehouse, W&W, Rebuffini and of course Custom Chrome Europe, and many many smaller exhibitors. Harley-Davidson Verona and Brecia showed the latest models, Brough Superior made an impressive appearance with both the new and some old, original, Broughs, various builders took the opportunity to show their latest creations , both Bikes and Parts, and while walking around and enjoying every minute, resting for a while never felt so good!

My Friend Crazy Frank, the DJ!

Six Cilinders full of beer...

Benelli Sei Beertap!

H-D V-Twin Beertap

Cool bars everywhere

In every corner at the Motor Bike Expo in the Veronafiere was a bar with the best Italian food and drinks, and beertaps made out of V-Twin Harley-Davidson and Benelli ‘Sei’ (Six) engines made the beer taste even better. Meanwhile looking at Italians’ finest (both Bikes and Babes) and listening to live Music performed by singers and bands everywhere, and cool (but dangerously crazy) DJ ‘Franky’ at PDF Motociclettes made for a perfect day!

'Colours'

Michael Lichter, worldfamous photographer from Boulder, Colorado, USA, known for his work that’s published in almost every custom bike related book or magazine (like Easyriders) came to the Motor Bike Expo at the VeronaFiere, showing his work in an exhibition and Michael gave a very interesting workshop about his work too.

Scooter Stunts

White Alps in the background

Beach Babe

Beach Ball

Old style engraving by hand

Airbrush Artist Giorgio

Engravers, airbrushers, pinstripers, custom painters, and leather artists were busy, and where else in the World can you expect live beach ball games, complete with Italian Vespa scooters in the background?! And there was more, much more to be seen at the Motor Bike Expo at the VeronaFiere 2014, like Hot Rods and cool American custom cars that were on display and outdoor activities like demo-rides and Stunt and Trial shows; hilarious but very cool stunts performed on typical Italian scooters! Back inside you could see displays of the Ace Cafe London, and an every year increasing number of beautiful Café Racers.

'It's a Chopper, Babe'

'Mom's Worry' - Honda Four Digger by Dario Ferrucio

Dario gets his Magazine Award from Dice Magazine

In the custom bike shows it was clear; Café Racers seem to be among the newest trends, and it’s a fact: The comeback of the Digger and big fat four-cilinder engines is in full progress! Something we absolutely love, as it’s such a cool style and the (mostly) Honda 4-cilinder engines still look impressive and are the dog’s bollocks.

Kenji Nagai (left) receives his Madness Photography Magazine Award from Onno Wieringa,

and Ken also gets a pair of real Dutch wooden clogs

Kenji with his prize-winning bike

Kenji Nagai was the man who took most prizes and awards home, his supercharged H-D engined Softail won both First prizes at the CCE show in the Modified Harley and the Freestyle Class, and he also was awarded for his outstanding craftmanship by both Hot Bike Magazine and Madness Photography!

Zodiac

Dr. Jekill& Mr. Hyde

Motorcycle Storehouse

ASSO Special Bikes

Twenty years of the Motor Bike Expo Veronafiere in Italy, with this year’s mindblowing and a new record of 140.000 visitors, almost 600 exhibitors and almost 500 of the coolest Custom Bikes from Europe is something you don’t want to mis. See ya next year at the Motor Bike Expo Veronafiere in Italy!