As a first time attendee of The One Moto in Portland, I must tell you, this show brought home the bacon AND took the cake. I'm quite new to anything motorcycle related, but if I'm going to make a trip to see custom bikes, I know to start with the biggest, most well-known show of all. From the space, a massive old steel foundry, the perfect backdrop for the bikes, to the bikes themselves, the art, the vendors, and the people who made it all come to life-- The One Moto lived up to its astounding reputation and blasted beyond my own expectations.
With so many bikes it was easy to get swept up and overwhelmed. A few would catch my eye from afar and then as I got closer, I started to appreciate all the fine details and hard work put in to each machine. From dazzling chrome to hand-painted tanks and original patina, each of the bikes had something special to behold.
I was instantly drawn to the smaller bikes, cafe racers, and especially fond of The Honda CB160 by Alchemy Motorcycles and 1980 Kawasaki 440 "Little Rat" by GT Moto, bikes I rarely ever see speeding around Boston. With only a few months away from my safety class and road test, these are the kinds of bikes I'll be hunting down for myself.
It was somewhat comforting to know that I wasn't the only one scrambling to get to the One Moto....
As I photographed his bike, Evan shared his wild story of 26 non-stop hours completing the build and then a 10 hour haul through the rain from the Bay Area to Portland. Perched under a smoky light on the first floor, his BMW was eye-catching. Gorgeous bike from the paint job (my favorite), the details, and that seat....looked so comfortable, I had to stop myself from trying to park my buns on it.
Sosa Metalworks' sinister Knucklehead was striking, sitting at the far end of the hallway upstairs. The shape of the metal was like armor and reminded me of the helmet and suit from The Rocketeer. It definitely didn't look like a machine made for this world. Each time I went back to look more closely, I saw something new.
About 30 artists were part of The One Moto displaying work across multiple mediums. All of the art was a wonderful compliment to the bikes. While the lighting was focused mainly on the motorcycles, it cast just enough brightness onto the walls where the artists had mounted their pieces. Over the course of the weekend, I finally understood the common thread between everything at The One Moto. No matter if it was a bike, custom riding gear, a painting, a drawing, or a photograph, everything in the space was a work of art, all created with passion, care, and dedication to craft.
Towards the end of each day, I would sit in the art booth which is where I met Toby, another artist in the show from Bend OR. He had all kinds of work for sale-- screenprints, mixed media, wood, and large bright color prints coated in resin that really popped off the dark walls. Toby's dog Lucy was terrific. She was eager to supervise the scene, greet everyone walking up, and even propped up into an open window to watch one of the bands playing downstairs. I told Lucy she reminded me of Angus (@anguseatsthings), a famous Instagram dog. It turns out Lucy and Angus are good friends! Check out Toby's work here.
Full disclosure: I was not confident this would actually happen. After Nor'easter snowstorm Niko, a rescheduled flight, 200mph headwinds through the Midwest, a "milk run" in Minneapolis, a missed connection and then a delay in Seattle, I was convinced the universe was doing everything to stop me.
I rolled into the foundry building at 5:00 on Friday, one hour before the doors opened to crowds. Amidst all the last minute set up, I was greeted with a big smile and hug from Erica Price of See See Moto, "Yay! You made it!" I was amazed at how positive and relaxed she was. How do I get to this level?!
I took a moment to catch my breath and then grabbed the box of my larger prints that I had shipped. Off I went, ripping into cardboard, tape, and plastic sleeves. This was the final sprint of a marathon day. Unfortunately, I had no time to set up to properly document installing. It was more important for me to focus on hanging my photos and do my best with the time available.
Do Your Best.
I wasn't expecting help so I was blown away by the support of other artists like Judd who showed me how to make a kind of shelf with 3 nails after I panicked that none of my mounting supplies worked. As the crowd started filing in, a few folks stopped to look at the bikes in front of me as I was taking chunks of concrete out of the wall with a hammer. Complete strangers, people I was meeting for the first time, like a woman named Linda, asked if I needed some help. "You want to help me?," I thought to myself somewhat confused, "But you don't know me, we just met. Well ok!"
Throughout the weekend I had many moments such as those that surprised me, made me smile, or sometimes left me teary eyed. Lots of hugs instead of handshakes. Everyone I encountered, both at the show and around Portland, was genuinely nice and super friendly.
Simply put, this is Portland.
The crew from See See were at the show serving up hot beverages from Stumptown Coffee. Pretty sure I consumed more coffee than actual food over the 3 days and for very good reason, it's delicous!
© 2026 Kimberly Maroon
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