For the last 12 years Michael Lichter has put on a Motorcycles Art Exhibit for Sturgis Rally riders at various locations.
Industry Guests had a special showing on Sunday by invitation only. The event was also open to the public for Free from 2 P.M. to 10 P.M. Saturday August 8 through Friday August 14, 2020
This year’s show was named Heavy Mettle and like previous years included the who’s who of the motorcycle builders from around the world.
by Pann Rethea from https://www.phnompenhpost.com
At a small motorcycle repair shop about a half-hour drive outside of Phnom Penh on National Road 1, passersby can’t help but stop and take a look at what’s for sale.
But it’s not motorbike parts they’re interested in, it’s the works of metal art formed by fusing scraps and old tools.
Metal creatures made from bike chains, spokes and discarded shocks beckon people over to take a selfie and chat with the artists, low-income repairmen who turned to artwork after their wages took a hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the pandemic, many people have been facing financial problems, especially blue-collar workers,” 36-year-old Kang Sothea, the founder of the small collection of repairmen-artists, tells The Post.
“The team of motorcycle repairmen whom I’ve supplied motorcycle engine oil to are losing their income. Less people come for engine oil changes, so they can no longer afford to stock the products I’m selling.”
Because the repairmen have fewer jobs to fill, they often have time to chat about their mundane lives and crack jokes to cheer themselves up during hard times.
It was during one of these laidback chats that Sothea noticed a pile of discarded motorbike parts which the repairmen intended to sell to a junk collector for petty cash.
Sothea says: “I often noticed them stockpiling old rusty parts of motorcycles in the back of their workshop. The chain, sprocket-wheel, suspension, steel mudguards, nuts and screws sparked an idea [in me] to turn them into something interesting that can be sold.
Seeing different old parts of motorcycles triggered my imagination. I could see them turning into metal animals for decoration.”
Having worked in engine oil distribution for three years, Sothea has become close to repairmen in different places.
These strong friendships paved the way for serious discussions to make the dream art project happen and there was a hope that it could generate additional income.
“After we met and talked about this project many times, we all brainstormed about what kind of artwork could be formed by using these old motorcycle parts and rusty tools,” Sothea says.
In June, the junk artists officially formed their team under the name ‘Silapak Daek OMA’.
Sothea says: “We now have eight members who are all motorcycle repairmen from three shop locations. Some of them are located in Kien Svay district, Kandal province, on National Road 1, some in Kandal’s Lvea Em district and some are near Kuor Srov Roundabout in Dangkor district of Phnom Penh.”
Sothea admits their artwork has some flaws as the team starts to build its technical art knowledge.
“When we first tried to make a small metal scorpion from the motorcycle chain, it took us the whole day to get the right shape we were satisfied with,” he says.
Um Seiha is one of the more active members of Silapak Daek OMA.
“I was very excited to pick up something new. We’re all raw and blank pages in art, but we work in solidarity. We are good teammates, and we learn from each other.
“Every week, we come to learn from each other about how to improve our metal scrap artworks, then we’ll decide what animal or thing we should make,” he says.
So far they have created metal tarantulas, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, dragonflies, dragons, grasshoppers, mosquitoes and king prawns. Four of their pieces were purchased and now resided in restaurants and coffee shops.
Sothea says: “When people purchase our artwork, we feel really rewarded. It’s a sign of appreciation and acknowledgement that we can grow our hobby into a skill. We keep learning and taking inspiration. We ask the experts and do online research.”
Curious onlookers who stop to observe their work motivates the group to keep moving forward.
“Despite the challenge as self-taught artists who learn from practice and continuous experience, our team spirit is still going strong. None of us has ever attended an art class. We try to learn from YouTube and Google for basic techniques. Without the help of an art instructor, our work is entirely based on our imagination and raw skills,” Sothea says.
After we finished welding a few metal animals, we displayed them outside the repair shop. There have been people coming to look and give us compliments. People we don’t know pass by and their attention is caught by our artwork. They said they really like the artwork and this encourages us to strive even further.”
After three months of endless trial and error, the team can now create pieces faster, and they’re already planning bigger projects.
Sothea says: “While we are able to create many kinds of metal animals from scraps, we’re also planning to build a bigger-sized robot and Iron Man.
“We’re studying a little more about the complex body ratio of the big structure. This time, we will also seek advice from a professional artist. We will consult with more experts to make the body and face of Iron Man look realistic.”
Sothea is also in talks with some business venues, shops, hotels and resorts which may be interested in his work.
“Some people express their interest to buy metal artwork for decoration. Some resorts might need the whole collection to display so that they can attract more visitors,” he says.
Besides selling his artworks to help the livelihood of his team, Sothea is also hoping his work can be displayed at public places for educational purposes.
“For instance, I’m dreaming of putting metal mosquitoes in Wat Botum park. Silapak OMA can help alert people about the dangers of mosquito-borne diseases, especially during rainy season,” he says.
Silapak Daek OMA can be reached by telephone at 015556742 or 017257635.
by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com
As much as you appreciate a good – and good-looking – motorcycle from any manufacturer out there, there is no denying there is but one way you’re guaranteed to stand out: with a custom build.
That’s what Tedja Wijaya was also thinking when he approached his friend Andi from the custom shop Kromworks in Indonesia, with the request that he build him a bike that would truly be one of a kind. Andi and the team build for him the Harley-Davidson-based sportster known as Sultans of Steel.
Sultans of Steel was completed and delivered at the beginning of the year but, given the location of the custom shop and the fact that 2020 has proved to be, generally speaking, the absolute worst, news failed to register on the international radar. The bike is so beautiful and beautifully executed that we couldn’t have overlooked it and not included it with similar pieces of art, detailed as part of our Custom Builds Month theme.
The Sultans of Steel rolls on 23-inch (58.4-cm) rims with Avon rubber, and features an exposed Sportster 883 engine, H-D Softail rear shocks and catalog brakes, but otherwise it’s Andi’s work of art. It’s a superbly crafted piece of jewelry that stands as tribute to raw metal, and simplicity as the ideal means for said tribute.
Crafted from stainless steel, with the occasional brass inlays for necessary contrast, the detailing on this bike is astounding. With curves and aggressiveness overload, it stands out for stark minimalism in the design, as well as the refusal to use any other material than those mentioned.
There is a single downtube and a single backbone, while the double cradle design stands out for extreme curvaceousness. Both the vintage leather seat and the rear fender seem to float in mid-air, but there is no break in the flow; this doesn’t do away with the impression that this bike was molded out of molten metal.
by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com
Back in the 1970s, an extreme bicycle-based sport called BMX started to take hold. In a way short for bicycle motocross, the sport came to be once bicycle riders got a taste of motocross tracks, and the world saw the potential of properly-built two-wheelers and a talented rider.
BMX was particularly appealing to Europeans. This time of biking and the bikes used for it quickly became norm on the continent, and by the end of the 1980s one would have had trouble finding a kid riding something else.
The three bikes in the gallery above pay tribute to the “80’s BMX craze that so influential in our childhood.” This is how the garage behind them describes the motivation behind the builds. But we are also told they are works of art.
All three have been Honda CGs made in the 1980s at one point. They got stripped down to the bare minimum, in an attempt to keep them “light and simple,” and gifted with crazy colors meant to represent the artistic approach.
The three motorcycles are officially called Black!, Rock!, and Punk! and all received a mechanical overhaul as well: the engines have been cleaned and refreshed, the hoses and cables replaced, and the batteries removed.
As a nod to BMX bikes, special handlebars, pegs and grips were fitted. More modern elements, like LED lights at the rear, have also been included in the design.
The most striking and eye-popping elements on these Hondas remain the colors, bright neon hues from the House of Kolor palette.
These builds, completed about half a decade ago, are the work of a Spanish custom shop that goes by the name El Solitario MC. We’ve already talked about some of their designs over the past few days, and we’ll probably talk some more as part of our Two-Wheeler month coverage in June.
from https://business.inquirer.net
Leading Independent fuel company Cleanfuel has partnered with motorcycle journalist Jay Taruc on his RidePH Cafe event, which brings together art and motorcycle culture all into one event.
Now in its second year, the event showcases artistic culture of motorcycle scene with live musical performances, art exhibits, free-flowing artisanal coffee, and of course, a display of classic motorcycles, that features premiere builders of the ‘café racer’ bikes and the other elements surrounding its culture.
An avid motorcycle enthusiast himself, Cleanfuel’s president Atty. Bong Suntay, will be supporting the RidePH Cafe by displaying a rare breed of Ducati sports classic—the limited edition 2002 Ducati MH900e and the Honda Monkey 50th Anniversary Edition.
The fully restored MH900e is a retro sport motorcycle, which is called Evoluzione, was designed by Pierre Terblanche, and is powered by a 904cc V-Twin engine which is mated to a six-gear transmission. Meanwhile, the iconic Monkey 50th edition is equipped with fuel-injected, air-cooled, 49cc single-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox.
“Joining Jay’s event RidePH Cafe brings us back to the good old days of motorcycles and its culture. The camaraderie of every rider is so important to bringing them altogether in an event that is full of history and heritage,” said Atty. Bong Suntay.
“We’re glad to be part and to be the official fuel partner of this event. Here, we will see modern and classic motorbikes, art display exhibits, vintage clothing, and gentlemen’s grooming taking in one place. We wanted to be part of their lifestyle—whether in their four-wheeled and two-wheeled journey,” shares Suntay.
“As we take Moto Culture deeper and to the next level, we also understand the need of every riders to have a fuel that would sustain them in their long journey. Our fuel provides bigger savings and long mileage in a long run,“ concludes Suntay.
When RidePH Café was conceptualized last year by the people behind the RidePH TV show, the goal was to offer something different and unusual from the row of motorcycle events being held every year.
On this year’s RidePH Café, the floor will be divided into 3 sections for the main displays: The ‘Vespa Jam’ where owners of both classic and modern classic Vespa scooters will compete. On the other side of the venue, the ‘Rockers Gallery’ will showcase the best modern and classic motorbikes and will be competing with each other as well.
The main attraction and probably the most ambitious among the displays this year is a full gallery set-up right in the middle of the RidePH Café event.
“I’ve always been into art since I started collecting two decades ago. Most of the artists that I collect eventually became my friends and coincidentally, are also into motorcycles. This year I think it’s high time to focus on the ‘artist’ side of these riders. I’m talking about the painters, photographers, custom motorcycle builders, and everyone who are, in one way or the other, influenced by the culture,” explained Jay Taruc.
“The pieces of art that we have seen in the past few years deserve to be exhibited in a gallery we thought to ourselves, so, we are building an art space right in the middle of the event floor, showcasing them properly so that fellow riders will be able to appreciate them,” he added.
by Thia James from https://thestarphoenix.com
Saskatoon’s Rik Albert speaks about his unique art and his 10-year quest to bring an ergonomic bike handle bar to market.
“You build that?” asks a man walking along the residential street where Rik Albert rides his bike, equipped with a Toon bar, a raised handle bar of his invention.
Albert explains that the handle bar is for people with carpal tunnel syndrome — since it’s intended to relieve some of the pressure put on the rider’s wrists — and people with spinal injuries, since the rider remains in an upright position.
“Holy smokes,” the man replies. Both continue on their way.
The Toon bar has been a 10-year passion for Albert. It’s still at the prototype stage, but he’s been an unfailing advocate for his invention. He created a video, wrote a letter to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, and has appeared on local television to spread the word about his creation. He reached out to DeGeneres, who is originally from Louisiana, because they share Acadian roots, he says. He’s originally from New Brunswick.
Albert’s father was from New Brunswick and his mom was from Western Canada; they met in Ontario and moved to New Brunswick, then to Montreal, where he became bilingual by learning English. When his parents divorced, he moved to Esterhazy, Sask. when he was about 10 years old.
“(When I) got off the train, I could see the Atlantic and I could see the Pacific, and went ‘Wow, this is flat,’ ” he jokes.
Albert went on to work for General Motors and Harley-Davidson, which speaks to both of his passions, cars and motorcycles.
The idea for the raised handle bar came almost out of necessity. As he puts it, he’s already used seven of his nine lives.
When he was 27 in 1989, while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Davidson to the Alberta border, he attempted to pass a truck near Gull Lake and ended up underneath it. The truck sucked him under its front wheel and dragged him for a distance, crushing his right ankle and breaking his right hand and collarbone.
He spent time in three different hospitals, he says.
While rehabilitating over the course of three to four years, he found the best thing for him was to be on a bicycle to move his right leg and hand.
One day, while at work unloading Harleys, he came close to suffering another injury when a three-ton truck backed up, nearly missing him. After that, he designed the raised handlebars.
Albert can’t bend over traditional handlebars, putting his weight on his right wrist, so he made a version of what would come to be known as the Toon Bar for himself. Almost 10 years ago, he had a friend weld a piece of pipe to his bike’s existing handlebars, then added a crossbar. He wants to make telescopic handles and functional hand brakes for it, he says.
He’s been approached by many people while out riding his bike with the raised handles who have asked him to bring it to market, he adds.
“I wish I had a log and a camera on the bars to show their expressions, because you’d think I was riding a bike on Jupiter or on Mars.”
While he works to move his invention past the prototype stage, sales of his art are what “buys the mac and cheese,” as he puts it. Albert repurposes unused motorcycle parts, such as exhaust pipes stripped off at the retail level for new owners who want custom pipes. He’s used them to create and sell custom-built lamps.
He’s had vehicle parts in his hands since he was a General Motors parts manager in his 20s, he says, and became familiar with cars at a young age when his dad raced cars in Montreal.
He fondly remembers his time working for Harley-Davidson.
“It’s a shame when a customer buys a brand new Harley that the pipes are $500 each and they take them off brand-new and throw them in a corner and nobody uses them again. So I figure, why not repurpose them and make all kinds of stuff with them?”
After his accident and rehabilitation, he learned how to work with glass. Over the last 10 years, he’s created commissioned glass works, including tables and mirrors, for customers in Vancouver, Calgary, New Brunswick and Montreal. To generate sales, he relies on word of mouth, online classified ads and appearances at craft, art and car shows — anywhere he can exhibit his work for free.
One piece he keeps for himself is dedicated to his Acadian roots. It took 20 hours of airbrushing and etching behind the glass, he says.
Louis Paquette, the owner of Saskatoon Truck Centre, met Albert at a Cruise Night event earlier this year and bought a lamp, which led Albert to show him photos of his other custom furniture pieces. Paquette saw a coffee table he liked and asked Albert to build him one. The lamp and table are now at Paquette’s business. When clients ask where he got it from, he says “It’s an old family secret.”
Paquette, a past director of the Saskatchewan Craft Council, said he isn’t a motorcycle enthusiast, but he does collect cars. Albert’s work is unique, he says.
“He uses his imagination when it comes to motorbike parts. Who the hell would think that you’d take some mufflers and make a coffee table out of it?”
What drew him to Albert’s display at Cruise Night was his custom-built Corvette — the combination of the back end of a 1976 model and the front end of a 1981 model.
One child dubbed the vehicle The Batmobile, Albert says. He attributes his interest in rebuilding cars to his father’s own interest in hot rods, and going to car shows.
“Everything I have, I pretty much make it to my own liking and make it custom made so it’s not a cookie-cutter item,” he says.
by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com/
Not many would describe a motorcycle as “stunning” or “beautiful,” but then again, maybe they haven’t seen yet the latest from Death Machines of London (DMOL). The Kenzo is a tribute to the early Samurai, and Kenzo Tada, the first Asian rider to compete at the Isle of Man TT, built on a 1977 Honda Gold Wing GL1000.
It’s DMOL’s most radical machine to date, as per their own words. It’s also a true work of art of tremendous beauty, combining an aggressive look (smooth curves and razor-sharp folds) with the exquisite handiwork and high-performance technology.
Putting The Kenzo together took longer than DMOL ever imagined. They say they ripped apart one machine (the original Gold Wing) and built another, only to rip that one apart too. The Kenzo is the result of a combination of techniques, from 3D printing to CNC machining, precision etching and holographic lighting, and actual handwork for the leather parts. And lots of frustration.
It is meant as a tribute to 2 great men whose deeds have made history: Honda Tadakatsu, who, in 1570, became one of the most revered samurai in Japan, and Kenzo Tada, who traveled by train for 4 straight days in 1930 just so he can ride in the Isle of Man TT, becoming the first Japanese rider to do so. It is actually named after the latter because there is only one The Kenzo.
The Kenzo was penned using CAD software and the team behind DMOL assumed that putting every piece together would be relatively easy. They were wrong, but the extra long hours and the many moments of “f**k it” eventually paid off. The result is an aggressive-looking machine that stands out for the seamless way in which it incorporates parts that seem ripped from an early samurai armor, like the scale-like panels that hide the tank, the leather stitched to mimic the under-armor clothing on the seat, or the grips that are wrapped in the traditional Tsukamaki sword wrapping technique.
Even the speedometer is customized in typical DMOL fashion. Using an 18th century Japanese jewel box, they hand-crafted a beautiful, holographic speedo that features a dragon that is illuminated with diffusion film technology. The dragon ghost, says DMOL, is “the spirit of the machine.”
The stacked projector headlight arrangement, as well as the indicators and tail light are a collaboration with Luminit of California and represent a custom DMOL design. The wheels are 18-inch rims clad in Avon rubber. Additional features include a black-anodized USD Ohlins fork, a “detailed ‘Kenzo’ grill work, an in-house petrol cap, [and] precision-machined aluminum badges.” The body is painted in the company’s proprietary Titanium Samurai paintwork, with matte black detailing.
While The Kenzo proved a bigger headache than anticipated, DMOL is all for giving credit where credit is due: it’s “a testament to Honda’s engineering prowess that very little work needed to be carried out on the 40-year-old engine,” they say. The original Gold Wing arrived and stayed in mint condition for less than 5 minutes, before they set out to work on it, but the soul of the machine is still inside The Kenzo.
“The horizontally opposed 1000cc flat four was dismantled, inspected and refreshed. The carburetors were tuned to compliment the DMOL Slash Cut mufflers,” DMOL says. “Painted in satin black, cosmetic detailing features head case plates with ‘Kenzo’ written [in Japanese characters].”
On the electrics, our in-house designed loom was installed, greatly simplifying the original installation,” DMOL adds.
Bringing the engine to life can be done by tapping the proximity fob on the leather “V” intersection on the custom seat, while ignition is possible with the starter button hidden under the right handle bar.
If you have about $72,350 to spare, this one-off masterpiece can be yours.
We are pleased to present the fifth piece in David Uhl’s Holiday Collection, titled “Home By Dark”. This piece brings back great memories – – it reminds us of simpler times, when your main objective (decreed by Mom and Dad) was to be home by the time the streetlights came on. These adventurous lads get a helping hand as they race home for dinner.
This new addition joins the ranks of “Tis the Season”, “Frozen in Time”, “Timber Titan” and “Joy Ride” in this series.
We will begin taking orders now and will close the edition on January 1, 2020. Each canvas print will come hand-signed and numbered with Certificate of Authenticity.
Home by Dark – edition specifics:
** Image size 24×24, $895 framed
** Image size 30×30, $1,895 framed
NOTE: Shipping is additional
Simply email me to place your order. greg@uhlstudios.com .Those collecting the series will be given first right of refusal on matching edition numbers. New collectors to the series will be slotted in as order confirmations are received.
You can view specifics on his first four Holiday pieces via the blue link below. We do have very limited quantities of these four, so if you’d like one, please let me know ASAP!
https://www.uhlstudios.com/fine-art/collections/holiday-series/
The 2nd weekend of the Rio Grande Arts Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico will be tomorrow through Sunday. Next week, we’ll head to Las Vegas to prepare for the aviation show which starts on October 22….more on that one later.
As you may know, we send out emails from time to time trying to help find new homes for sold out and rare pieces owned by clients. These do not belong to the studio and are for sale by private collectors. Please view the listings below and let me know if any are of interest. Some of these are really tough, if not impossible to find these days.
This is not an all-inclusive list. If you’ve been looking for a specific piece and you don’t see it here, please let me know and I’ll check secondary market availability.
You can view all pieces (alphabetically, by Title) here:
What an interesting week. We are scrambling with the Salt Torpedo. I trying to outfit the new Bikernet Salt Flats Van for the trip to Bonneville. I’ve been in touch with various Easyriders contributors and now ex-staff members regarding the future.
A few of us have been super-lucky to make a living in the motorcycle industry. Even tougher, I’ve been having a blast in the Chopper industry most of my life. It’s not about the money, obviously, it’s about sex.
What could be sexier than to bang around choppers, metalflake paint, sultry art and girls all your life. What could be better.
Otherwise, this week has been amazingly positive with cool resources surfacing for the Torpedo. We’ve about got the body handled. Jane came by and took shots of my ’72 Ford F250 and the Shovelhead in the back. She thinks she can move it and the Shovelhead. Not sure I can sell the 1928 Shovelhead.
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