The Handbuilt Show's guiding principle is self-explanatory: A generation of screen-gazers needs a kick in the pants and a wrench in the hand. Because cussing at the old motorcycle you're building, or any real-life hobby, is a path to build confidence, wisdom, and character-a nod to the "soul craft" thing. When applied to motorcycle customization, it implies innovation, technical exploration, and the development of skill. Most machines at the show in Austin fit within established patterns (chopper, cafe, bob, tracker) in that never-ending recycle of established styles-variations on a theme. Keeping one's work within classic parameters is sensible given the dangers of constantly "evolving" a style, which can lead to baroque horrors, like just about any chopper built in the '90s. Still, the custom world has an important dialogue with the motorcycle industry as a whole, being a source of innovation and exploration of "what if tech, new styles, and even the relationship between rider and machine.
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