Motorcycles have no future. I stole that line from a tee by the custom scene’s favourite antagonist, El Solitario. And whether you read it as sarcastic or gospel depends entirely on your perspective.
I’m often tempted to lean towards the latter. If you feel that way too, I’d like to remind you that the future is always brighter than it seems. Because, when the walls feel like they’re closing in, motorcycles are still an easy escape. And in a world that’s becoming increasingly regulated, they’re still unmatched as a canvas for individualisation.
The old guard will tell you that it’s all gone to shit, that the golden years are behind us. But they’re wrong; progress is to be embraced, not sneered at. Yes, modern motorcycles are exceedingly more complex than before—but customisers have simply focused on transforming them on the outside instead of messing with their insides. And yes, OEMs have cottoned onto the idea of making pretty, classic bikes that don’t leave much more room for customization—so now bolt-on parts and custom kits abound.
The internet and social media require entire chunks of focus that they didn’t fifteen years ago. But if you can wrap your head around them, they’ll open up a whole new world. After all, without the internet, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?
The rise of electric motorcycles hasn’t slowed down the progression of internal combustion bikes either (at least, not yet)—instead, it’s sent us down new avenues. And 3D printing and composite materials haven’t killed traditional craftsmanship—they’ve simply put the ability to take a design from concept to reality into the hands of more people. Listen carefully, and you can still hear hammers and English wheels clinking away in all corners of the globe. If you still prefer tinkering on older machines and know how to, your art stands out now more than ever.
You might feel like you’ve been left behind, but you shouldn’t. There will always be new ways of doing things, and there will always be new things to do. Evolution is inevitable, but there’s no need to fear it. You can embrace new technologies without throwing time-honoured traditions in the bin, or you can stick to your guns and be part of an increasingly rare and elite group of traditional craftsmen. There’s no right way to do this, and that immutable desire to create beautiful things that brought you this far is still your greatest asset. Good taste is timeless, after all.
Motorcycles have a future, and it’s in our hands.
An edited version of this article first appeared in issue 45 of Iron & Air magazine.
