Art & Wheels – Switzerland 2016

 Art & Wheels – Basel, Switzerland 2016

Artists of the Custom Motorcycle

A perfect mix when the weather is as great as that splendid May weekend at the north-west corner of Switzerland: About 100+ "Old School" themed motorcycles lingered outside the Gallery event hall, which is situated almost invisible in a suburb of Basel. But that morning, you only had to follow any particular Harley-Davidson – and it would bring you to Gallery Projektraum M54 on the right side of the Rhine river flowing through Basel. Fortunately, a church and a former school gave room to park the bikes of numerous visitors that came by motorcycle that day. Car-parking was next to impossible.

Text & Photos Art & Wheels Switzerland by Horst Rösler

The one-day show is framed by a party the first day (after-show party grated too!) and a ride-out of the bikes exhibited (!), friends and "Old School" enthusiast on Sunday. This time as far as visiting the CCCP workshop in Malters close to Luzern! For the benefit of those who visited the party on Friday, the show does not open before noon – but is going on  ‘tíll 10 pm. By then the whole block must have recognized that something interesting is going on in Mörsbergerstrasse 54!

 Read more and see all the photo's of Art & Wheels Switzerland 2016 after the jump-break

Flanders Chopper Bash 2016

Flanders Chopper Bash 2016

The Flanders Chopper Bash moved from last year’s location in Axel, The Netherlands, to a bigger venue in Assenede in Belgium. The site in Axel proved to be too small and the Chopper Bash in Assenede has much more space. Friday at noon the first chops arrived, and they kept rolling in! 

Saturday, the campground full of tents and bikes, the bike show in full swing and no coffee. No coffee? Nope after ten o’clock no coffee was being served anymore. Don’t we all need coffee to function properly? The great bikes and music made me forget my need for coffee, sometimes…  Like every year, comfortable couches and seats were spread out everywhere on the grass, relax and enjoy! Although it was quite cold during the day, luckely the weather was not as bad as predicted.

Making our rounds, we noticed that more and more people desperately want to show the world they are’ in the scene’.  No Dickies, Bell, STP, Gulf, Dice, Castrol, Esso, Rat Fink, Vans, FTW, Riding Easy, The Picture Books, Johnny Cash, or other related stickers on your bike, or patches on your (way too newish looking Eat Dust or Dickies) denim outfit?  Chance may be you don’t fit in with the Chopper Bash crowd. Hell, even Flake Kings, S&S,W&W and even MCS are tolerated these days too. Old time favorite Moon Eyes seems to be ‘passé´. A briljant, new one we absolutely love; ‘Hippies Dead – Hipsters next’. Bubble visors, workman shoes and Mexican blankets are optional… Yes, this scene comes with a uniform too. We all want to be different, but we all want to look alike…

The ‘Chopper Bash’ stickers from last years meetings are prominently visual on many bikes, a proud statement that the owner was here before.  And that´s cool, ´cause meetings like these keep the chopper culture alive and kicking. The Flanders Chopper Bash welcomed riders from Scandinavia, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and many, many from England. Wild choppers with long Springer front ends, sissybars reaching heaven and psychedelic paintjobs from the past. Knuckles, Pans and Shovels with long rumbling exhausts. Six bends, double Aris head lights and the coolest tail lights. This is heaven, walking around, talking the shit with other chopper afficionados. Yep, chopper heaven. Choppers Forever, see you next year!

Text & Photography Onno “Berserk” Wieringa - www.madnessphotography.nl       

See all the 340 photo's of the Flanders Chopper Bash on www.madnessphotography.nl - Photo Galleries 2016

Indian Super Rally Lemmer 2016

Indian Super Rally Lemmer 2016

More people than ever came to the famous Indian Rally in Fryslân, The Netherlands. From as far awy as Germany, France and the Czech Republic, the Indians came to Lemmer, even a group of 40 came from the UK, making it a true International Rally.

Silly Games, a bathtub full of foam for the kids and the Ride Out on Saturday were some of the highlights. Located in the northern parts of Holland, this beautiful area makes it perfect for sight-seeing and riding along the Frysian lakes. The North Coast Custom Car Club joined the event and came with quite a few big American cars and trucks, to make the meeting even bigger and noisier! With Tony leading the ride, the Group left from the museum in Lemmer, riding all around ‘Het Tjeukemeer’ a beautiful big lake. The ride went along, visiting typical Frysian villages like Follega, Sint Nicolaasga, Joure and Vierhuis. After a couple of hours the tour finished at the Indian Museum, where the barbecue got started.

  

A visit to the Indian Museum is something you won’t forget! It’s included in the Rally package and Tony’s Indian Motocyles and memorabilia collection is one of the biggest in the world. The campground was full with tents and motorcycles and in the evening, after the BBQ, the band

19th Old School Swap Meet Mecrin/France

Have a burnin' time! Mecrin 2016

Full throttle into Old School madness:
May 1st 2016, 19th Old School Swap Meet Mecrin/France

You don't have to be crazy to ride along the Meuse river in almost zero degrees temperatures, but it sure helps! April weather and December temperatures made the weekend at Mecrin 2016 a frosty weekend – until sunday afternoon when the sun came out. Snow in the Black Forest and on top of the Vosges mountains made the trip interesting, to say the least. But the Party went on nevertheless! And for the 19th anniversary event, "School Bar Atelier" customizer Jean Claude Passetemps and the Boozefighters came up with some very special guest from the French Music scene!

The towns of the Wöevre and the shores of the Meuse have been polished up for the big anniversaries: 2014 - 2018 will see the centennials of what was caled "The Great War" in France – and little did the people know that it would not be the last. The little town of Mecrin was in plain sight of the German trenchline for almost four years and the then President of France, Pointcare, had his house in near Samigny with a big window to look down onto Mecrin and the Meuse valley. 2016 is a very special year for visits, because it marks the 100th Anniversary of the battle of Verdun, just about 40 km down the Meuse river.

As during the last few years, weather was not living up to the usual charme of the first weekend in May, the first sunday traditionally the date for the Mecrin Swap Meet. After being pleagued by bad weather on April 29th and the Saturday, which is the traditional "arrival day" for the clubs and time to party into, if not through the night. Only for the hard-core bikers that night, as the continuous downpour soaked everybody to the bone. Sunday mornings swap meet started slowly, but it would be 'till the noon for visitors to arrive – and not all came for the motorcycles. This years "special guest" attracted a crowd much different than usual, because in

Grand Opening Wrench Kings in Bilthoven

Wrench Kings – Grand Opening

Lang en hard is er gewerkt aan het nieuwe onderkomen in Bilthoven van Wrench Kings. Zaterdag 23 april jongsleden was het dan zover, de Grand Opening werd feestelijk gevierd in het nieuwe pand aan de Staalweg in Bilthoven. Vanaf drie uur ’s middags liep het algauw vol en voor de deur stond een lange rij motoren van bezoekers die gelukkig goed weer hadden getroffen.

Bram en Joost - The Wrench Kings

Glunderend namen Bram en Joost de felicitaties en cadeaus in ontvangst en lieten trots hun bedrijf Wrench Kings aan iedereen zien. Terwijl genoten werd van drankjes en hapjes namen we een kijkje in de zaak. 

Er is veel hout gebruikt in de zaak

Veel hout creëert een warme sfeer, waar in de verschillende ruimtes aan de motoren wordt gewerkt. “Eerst gaat de motor de brug op, daar wordt ie gestript en vervolgens sorteren we alle onderdelen uit; wat gestraald, gepoedercoat of gespoten moet worden, wat weg kan, of wat eerst gemodificeerd dient te worden, “zo legt Joost uit, “Het leuke is dat we hier alles zelf doen, dus ook poedercoaten en spuiten. Zo houden we alles zelf in de hand en kunnen we snel op speciale wensen van de klant inspringen.” 

In aparte ruimtes worden de motoren weer opgebouwd. Joost is vooral van het sleutelwerk, Bram doet hoofdzakelijk de rest van alle bezigheden bij Wrench Kings.

Naast sleutelen is bij Wrench Kings ook alles van CafeRacerOnderdelen.nl verkrijgbaar en de collectie van RevIt! heeft er een eigen kledinghoek. Leuke en aparte onderdelen, maar ook helmen en dergelijke zijn op voorraad en het specialisme van Wrench Kings is om kwalitatief zeer hoogwaardige

Photo's of the Poznan 2016 Bike Show Winners

Photo's of the Poznan 2016 Bike Show Winners 

(Special Thanks to Horst 'Motographer' Roesler!)

#1 Custom and #1 Custom Paint

#1 Custom and #1 Custom Paint

Custom, "Polish Star" a CZ with aircraft tailend 2-stroke exhausts

More photo's of the Poznan Bike Show Winners 2016 after the jump-break

POZNAN MOTOR SHOW 2016 - CCE-Pick of Excellence Winners

POZNAN MOTOR SHOW 2016

Custom Festival 2016, CCE-Pick of Excellence Winners!

2016 Poznan Motor Show, 7th Custom Festival Custombike Show

April 3rd 2015, Poznan/Poland

(Thanks to Horst 'Motographer' Roesler)

#1 "Onninen Model 13", 2014 Twin Cam by BT Choppers

The results are in, at least from the Custom Chrome Europe "Pick of Excellence" at the POZNAN MOTOR SHOW's 2016 "Custom Festival" by "CUSTOM" Magazin. With more than 60 Bikes on display, which also will receive honours from the Magazine and the Bikeshow sponsors, the CCE team made an independent "Pick of Exellence" to give away three prizes independent from the existing bike show classes which are one Magnaflow "F-Bomb" exhaust system for Dyna, 2 x CCE/Carhartt Jacket plus 2 x Carhartt Gloves.

The great variety of styles is always surprising at Poznan, as well in other East European shows – but Poznan always has the benefit of being part of one of the biggest automotive events in Poland with thousands and thousands of visitors!

Winners are: 

#1 "Onninen Model 13", 2014 Twin Cam by BT Choppers

#2 "Moonshine Tennessee", 1996 Evo Piotr Jozwiak Custom Bikes Metal Art

#3 "Twister", 1980 Honda CX 500 by Wena Customs

As part of the "Poznan Motor Show", Poland's biggest automotive Showcase and tradefair, four halls are dedicated to motorcycles, of which one hosts the "Custom Festival" of polish magazin "Custom" presenting a 60+ Bikeshow that presents everything what is currently up-to-date in the Polish and East-European custom scene. Polands 5th biggest City is probably the wealthies and busiest one – and home to the biggest trade fair of the country. In three days, plus one Press day, more than 100.000 visitors +500 press representatives will crowd the place – and there are wild custom creations to be seen. You can meet the Custom Chrome Europe team on all days, with East European Sales Representative Marcel Masaryk heading the team that include CCE Marketing’s Jeremy DiStefano and is supported by „Motographer“ Horst Rösler, who will report the event „live“ for numerous Internet blogs and the international magazines!

Special thanks to Horst

Text & Fotos: HRF