three days of live music, art, and over 150 handcrafted custom motorcycles and cars—it certainly takes a while for us to meet you-know-what after a day Happy weekend in Austin. Eighth year of operation, Revival Cycle’s Manual motorcycle display It’s one of the most diverse motoring events around, not to mention severe sensory overload.
Citing the lack of connectivity in our modern digital world, Revival cycle organized the first Craft Motor Show in 2014 with the goal of getting people to appreciate the ingenuity of custom bikes. The show has become a major attraction ever since, and Revival estimates that around 20,000 people attended over the course of the weekend. The 100,000-square-foot Austin American Statesman is the centerpiece of the event, giving you plenty of space to enjoy what’s on display.
It was quite an engaging experience and the team at Revival did a great job of creating a context that inspires you to dig into the details of each custom bike. You’ll find everything from traditional choppers, to cutting-edge street bikes and vintage cafes at the show, with each chosen for its unique brand of craftsmanship.
After you’ve enjoyed the static entertainment, the Ives Brothers’ Wall of Death performance is something you must see live. Where else can you throw $1 bills at motorcyclists and go-karts around a vertical pit? And as always, the program coincides with the MotoGP event at Circuit of the Americas to satisfy your need for speed.
This year’s show delivers even more of the great things we’ve come to expect from Revival, including live music. About 15 bands played throughout the weekend, certainly more than in previous years. It was also a big year for BMW Motorrad, as the brand is celebrating 100 years of bicycle building. Not only is BMW one of the show’s biggest sponsors, but they also bring a diverse fleet of custom motorcycles to show.
But for us, the highlight of the weekend was being selected for three awards for best design, best paint color and best visuals. Picking out favorites out of 150 awesome bikes is like trying to pick a favorite kid, but in the end we picked three winners.
In terms of design at its best, it’s hard to beat Rick Dozer’s Harley board tracker with its fuel tank, front end, and hand-crafted aluminum frame. Eli Carver took home his best paint job with his eye-catching 1972 BMW cafe. Helmut Siepman never misses the details, and his BMW bobber named Brunhilde is our best pick of the bunch. programme. Stay tuned as we will be profiling all three of our winners in the upcoming features.
Image courtesy of Revival cycle And Ricky Casado
