Tag Archives: hipster

Bike rental targets custom culture

While most motorcycle rental companies target tourists with large-capacity touring or adventure bikes, one new company is targeting the emerging hipster custom or cafe-racer culture.

Oxford Street Garage, in Collingwood, Melbourne, has a range of customised small-capacity “carbon neutral” motorbikes for hire from $120 a day.

Most of the fleet are single-cylinder Japanese bikes and Royal Enfields.

Owner Georgia Murphy and her husband Tim Petheram (pictured) tell us they are targeting motorcycle enthusiasts and “lifestyle riders” who they describe those looking the “cool” factor, rather than just for the machine. 

“They look for a motorcycle which reflects their personality as a priority,” Georgia says.

Georgia and Tim

I suppose they mean “hipsters” who — like it or not — have been driving the second-hand market with their small-capacity cafe racer customs.

So, if you don’t have the skills, time and patience to slice and dice a bike into your own cafe racer, you can now just hire one and look the part!

“With international travel restrictions, we are seeing people look for other ways to seek adventure, particularly ones close to home,” Georgia says.

However, they will also look at expanding their range to include larger-capacity touring and adventure motorcycles in future.

“Riders rent motorbikes for more than just touring holidays,” Georgia says. 

“For example, if visiting family or friends in Melbourne, they may wish to have a bike to get around the city during their time here. Alternatively they may choose to take a day trip to Brighton and ride the coastal roads. 

“For these activities low capacity motorbikes may suffice, especially if it keeps the costs down. We also want to cater for a local market that may not be ready for the cost of buying their own motorcycle but still like to get out and ride occasionally.”

Motorcycle paramedics

Carbon neutral

And in a move that will enthuse Melbourne’s inner-city hipsters even more, they say all bikes are carbon neutral.

No, they’re not electric!

“It means we offset all carbon emissions made as a business (this included office costs as well as the emissions made from the rentals themselves),” Georgia says. 

“We do this by opting into programs which invest in carbon reducing projects e.g. planting trees.”

Oxford Street Garage has a drop-off and pick-up system so renters don’t have to visit their shop.

They also don’t have a limit on the number of kilometres you travel. Although we can’t see you going too far in a day on these bikes!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Handcrafted film about custom motorcycles

If you’ve got 50 minutes to spare, watch this beautifully produced feature film, titled Handcrafted, about Australia’s custom motorcycle community.

It has been made by Gold Coast film production company Electric Bubble and available free on YouTube.

The Handcrafted video was posted a couple of weeks ago and has had more than 30,000 views.

In the opening scene, a rider “surfs” the motorcycle, standing with one foot on the seat and one on the tank of a custom Harley Sportster around the cane fields of Norwell on the Gold Cost hinterland.Handcrafted film about custom motorcycles

Ok, we know that’s illegal and we hope the production company obtained relevant permissions and road closures.

I also suspect the ATGATT (all the gear, all the time) supporters will also be horrified by the lack of good safety gear in some of the shots!Handcrafted film about custom motorcycles

However, it does show the beautiful camera work from the film, the high production values and the almost poetic nature of motorcycling.

Handcrafted hipstersHandcrafted film about custom motorcycles

Yes, the video is very hipster with lots of beards, pony tails, piercings, tattoos and backwards caps, so it may not appeal to everyone.

However, it is a good feature of the new Aussie custom bike scene that has revived many old bikes, given rise to events such as Throttle Roll and the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride and nurtured thriving businesses such as Deus ex Machina and Ellaspede.

Some may say hipsters have destroyed many old bikes. It all depends on your perspective.

Click here for our take on the hipster effect on motorcycling.

The Handcrafted film includes many interviews with custom bike builders.Handcrafted film about custom motorcycles

They include Tom Gilroy of Purpose Built Moto, Justin Holmes of Pop Bang Classics, Brado Miller at Milwerx, Matt Bromley at DVMC, Jeremy Tagand at Deus, Ian Don at Black Cat Customs, Scott Gittoes at SDG Moto, as well as Steve Barry and Leo Yip at Brisbane’s Ellaspede.

As Tom says about “wrenching” a bike from the scrap heap back to life: “There is no better joy than creating something with your own hands.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com