‘Oil in the Blood’ is a documentary feature film on the contemporary custom motorcycle culture. The film is directed by biker biker Gareth Maxwell Roberts and produced by Lucy Selwood. This is not a film about motorcycles, it’s a film about motorcycle people. The philosophy of individualism is embedded in motorcycling. The desire to be different and unique, is at the root of the motorcyclist’s imagination. Modifying, customising, and changing bikes is at the very heart of the biker. Custom motorcycle culture has experienced a renaissance in recent years, and what was once a niche subculture now bears a significant influence on the international mainstream motorcycle industry. Over the last three years, Gareth and Lucy have interviewed nearly three hundred bike builders, riders, journalists, artists and racers; the very heartbeat of this culture. They’ve communed with like-minded souls in Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia, The Far East, Africa and the US. They’ve spoken to major manufactures Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Ducati and BMW. Lucy and Gareth have filmed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, The Amercian Motorcycle Museum in Holland, The Malle Mile, Wheels & Waves in Biarritz, The Trip Out, The Brooklyn Invitational, The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride in London and New York, Throttle Roll in Sydney, Indian Larry’s Block Party, Dirt Quake, Snowquake, The Malle Mile and The Trip Out in rural England, The One Moto Show in Portland, Mama Tried in Milwaukee, Mooneyes in Tokyo, and The Handbuilt Show in Austin. The film-makers filmed a collaboration between Harley Davidson and maverick bike builders El Solitario in the Sahara, flat track racing in dusty bowls and indoor arenas, ice racing in Wisconsin and in the Alps, and the American Wall of Death in the Texas sun. They’ve shot dozens of cool custom bikes being ridden through the
