2014 – Kustom Kulture Forever, Herten, D
(A barn find of the digital kind)
Got there early to set up camp. With the bus there's not much to do, though. Rain is falling hard, and the move from the old grounds to the Zeche Ewald in Herten, Germany proves a true powermove. Not long ago the weekend would have been a mega mudwrestling event with weather like that. When the doors open to the public, everything is ready for a first rate bike show – if Old School is your thing. Chopped Evos are pushing the envelope with their "modern" engines, stylistically they fit in perfectly with all the old clunkers. Some 150 bikes of all makes are on display, Harleys, Nippon bikes, BMWs. Not many Limey bikes though. Many booths are selling custom parts, handmade parts, used parts, T-Shirts and whatnot. The Magic Bus provides a nice backdrop for our own bikes, the vibes are relaxed. Bikes are constantly coming and going, a crackling symphony of idling air cooled engines. Just watch, listen and enjoy.
There are plenty of metalflake choppers, some hardcore rat bikes, minimalistic classics, a good cross section of the scene, as can be expected from a show named „KUSTOM KULTURE FOREVER“. One highlight was a guy from Finland, who drove his long forked chop the 2.000 kilometers to Herten on a seat so narrow, that sitting on it seemed impossible, the dude must have been balancing on it all the way.
The fun is in the little details as usual: tail lights, kicker pedals, air cleaners, handlebars, brackets, a wealth of original ideas, painstakingly crafted. If you don't find inspiration here, stop looking. The place feels nicely crowded, still there's always enough room to quietly take a closer look.
If you listen to the chatter around you, you'll find a relaxed family atmosphere. People tell about their worst workshop disaster, their rotten Bendix accelerator jets, exchanging Finnish and German swearwords, and enjoying the friendly people. The absence of wannabe biker assholes is very welcome. When on the Saturday afternoon a stone-stock late model dresser chuggachugs around the parked bikes, piloted by a Wehrmacht-helmeted stranger, it feels oddly incoherent, as if reality had come for a visit to an idyllic pocket in time. After circling the venerable Milwaukee iron it mercifully disappears from view.
Before we forget: yes, there were HotRods, four wheeled classics, accessories, art, pin striping, tattoos, food, drinks and music – but we're too long already, so here's the pictures you've been waiting for.