MACHINES OF METTLE: REVIVAL CYCLE'S HANDBUILT SHOW
Thirty thousand people showed out to The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin, Texas this year and Reserve Supply Company was happy to be a part of the crowd. The fifth year of Revival Cycles' exhibition of custom machines was bigger than previous because of its change of location to the Austin American Statesman Building from Fairmarket. The venue provided more space for more motorcycles, people, and attractions.
There were around 140 custom motorcycles on display this year, built by craftsmen and enthusiasts from around the globe. Japanese artist Makoto Endo did a live painting of a cycle using only bamboo chopsticks and Indian ink. His technique of flicking the ink onto the canvas produced a remarkable piece. The weekend would not be complete without "The Wall of Death". A death defying 100 year old stunt display that has become a Handbuilt staple. Spectators gather around a 40 foot tall cylinder where-in a motorcyclist and go kart begin to ride around on the bottom floor. As they gain speed they ride up the wall and are parallel to the ground, snagging cash tips from the audience at the top of the cylinder. No matter how many times you see it, the Wall never fails to impress.
It didn't go unnoticed that there was a strong Houston presence at the show this year. A tw200 custom scrambler looked more than familiar because it was built by our photo editor and friend, Jesse. Robyn Sanders, whose Porsche 356 painting hangs here in the shop, had her moto themed art on display. Longtime Reserve customer Kevin Charles had a custom Moto Guzzi build by Revival Cycles in the show, and finally customer Alson Garcia had two of his motorcycles out on the floor. A vintage custom Triumph and a BMW r100 built by Union Motorcycle.
People attend the Handbuilt Motorcycle because it is an exhibition of design and function in harmony with a personal perspective. Each motorcycle is built by someone who is trying to elevate a machine into something more and a statement that they can do something better than what has already been done. Somehow all 140 machines achieved this.