The 30th Bigtwin Bikeshow - Houten 2023
Text and studio photography Onno " Berserk " Wieringa – madnessphotography . nl
Show & Stage photography G-Rat
The 30th edition of the Bigtwin Bikeshow & Expo was fantastic ! Despite the bad weather , we welcomed many thousands of visitors who could enjoy beautiful creations from all over Europe and even Qatar for an entire weekend ! Bigtwin Magazine started its first show in Eindhoven in the South of the Netherlands in 1993 . It was then known as Motorsale . As the event grew , it changed venue three times ,
FREESTYLE 1 . ' The Crown ' BMW R 18 from Kingston Custom - Dirk Oehlerking . A motorcycle with a long , low look based on a BMW R 18 , with 2 mm thick hand-beaten aluminum sheet metal , suede saddle , and very special looks … specially the way in which the front wheel is attached and steered is a one-off construction with many technical innovations and with a Wilbers suspension system . 2 . The V8 fierce looking , completely self-built Twin Turbo ' More is More ' by Otto Nijs ! An incredibly challenging project that has been twenty years in the making ! 3 . The Hubless E-bike from RM Builds ' Rumata ' by Ruben Mellaerts from Belgium . Beautiful concept that shows that even with alternative energy you can still build a cool custom bike ! He used a BMW R65 1978 crankcase and two electric motors , which he disguised as a look-alike engine block . A springer was used at the front and a leaf spring swingarm at the rear , everything about this bike was designed and made by the Belgian technician himself . The homemade hubless wheels in particular attracted attention ! and Bigtwin Magazine and show owner Gerard van den Akker changed the name to that of his sponsoring organizing magazine in 2006 . Despite the challenges the market has faced since then ( and presently ), it has continued to serve the innovative Dutch and wider European custom bike scene as one of the ' European Majors ' and a fixture of the winter custom show calendar in Europe . Now , after 30 years , Gerard has decided that it ' s time to spend more time riding and less time tied to an office , so , in advance of a still active retirement , 2023 saw him sell the magazine and the show to another Dutch motorcycle magazine publisher - Motor . Nl Media Company , owners of Moto73 , ProMotor , and now Bigtwin Magazine . The November 2023 show at Houten , near Utrecht in the Netherlands , was the 30th anniversary of the first show ( the only missed date was in 2020 for Covid reasons ) and some 20,000 plus enthusiast came over the three days to admire more than 200 bikes altogether , including the exhibitor booth display customs , with 110 of them in the prestigious six-class Bigtwin Bikeshow . Prize giving was on stage on the Sunday afternoon , and a full day of judging was by a professional jury consisting of Zodiac ' s Vincent Pels , Kris Stiphout , Rick Cazemier , Eugene ' Sambal ' Peilouw , Goos Bos , Horst ' Motographer ' Rösler and Onno ' Berserk ' Wieringa - all veteran professionals of the Dutch and wider European custom bike industry . The first three from each class were chosen , taking into account criteria
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CLASSICS 1 . The Indian FLX of Tony Leenes . A very special sidecar combination , originally built this way in 1926 . The engine is a 1200 cc Indian Big Chief with racing camshafts . The gearbox has been modified , the Chief frame has 28 inch wheels at the front and rear . 2 . Edwin Keijzer . A beautifully restored H-D Knucklehead , with a 1200 cc Knuckle engine from 1947 in a 1938 Knuckle frame , original Springer front fork and 16 inch spoke wheels . 3 . The H-D WLDR , in old , authentic condition and richly provided with patina by Steven Gerrits
CAFÉ RACERS / TRACKERS 1 . Martin van den Plas . His Matchless Boardtracker which , as you can see , is actually used for racing . Martin built this motorcycle himself . It is a Matchless Boardtracker G3L from 1919 with a Matchless 350 cc single-cylinder engine from 1956 with a 4-speed gearbox from Burman . The front fork comes from a 1932 Terrot , the wheels are both 21 inch . 2 . Moto Guzzi 1000 cc Le Mans , Dick Dorrestijn . Beautiful bike , compiled with many body parts that came from other motorcycles and / or are homemade . 3 . Kawasaki Z900 from 1973 upgraded to 1100 cc from Jeroen Maas , a nice mix of Streetfighter and Superbike . Built with a Zodiac frame , Bakker subframe and swingarm , and Haan 17 inch wheels .
22 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - JANUARY 2024 www . AMDmag . com