Event Report: Custombike Show 2023

Custombike Show 2023 from Bad Salzuflen, Germany… 

The annual Custombike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany is said to be the “world’s largest motorcycle show for rebuilt motorcycles,” typically featuring ~400 custom bikes over a space of 17,000 square meters…that’s big! The show has been running since 2004, though a two-year covid hiatus means that 2023 was the 17th edition of the event.

This year, our friend and builder Roman Juriš made the journey from his home country of Slovakia for the show, bringing his camera and a goal of “good legless photos” for the rest of us. Fortunately, the organizers allowed press in an hour before the public, and Roman managed to work his way in even earlier, so he had 90 minutes of free shooting.

Below are Roman’s observations from the show, several standpoints he picked, show winners in each category, and a whole gallery of other builds and details. Enjoy!

Event Report: Roman Juriš

There are two dates in the life of a happily married man that he does not forget. In Germany, for fans of customs (and therefore also for me), there are two more important dates that are also not forgotten: the first of September and the first of December. Glemseck 101 is traditionally held on the first weekend of September as a gathering of the Café Racer community, and December 1st is marked on the calendar as the Custombike Show festival in Bad Salzuflen.

Also this year I tried (in e-mails to the organizers) to have Friday open for journalists from 8:00 onward, the same as exhibitors, and not from 11:00 as for ordinary visitors. I don’t know if it was due to my incessant requests, but entry for journalists was allowed from 10:00 onward (last year it was 11:00) and thanks to a favor from the (otherwise uncompromising) entrance service, I got inside at 9:30.

I had an hour and a half for “good legless photos.” Maybe they won’t be quite so good in terms of quality, but I hope they will be so-so good at capturing what the creators have brought — literally gems to this year. There should traditionally be around 400 builds.

If Glemseck revolves around Triumph and H-D is a fringe issue, here it is exactly the opposite. I feel that maybe 80% of the conversions and constructions were based on Harley-Davidsons. I could have overlooked, but I couldn’t find a single Triumph here.

Last year Street Fighters had a strong presence, this year there were only a few builds. Simson enthusiasts were strong in terms of motorcycle quality. The processing was literally perfect. Small explanation: Simson 50cc two-strokes were a small bike available in the DDR (Deutche Demokratische Republik) and now it is cult bike.

A small note about the new fashion wave in Harley-Davidsons. Baggers have been popular for years, and front fairings based on this style have now started to appear on “regular” H-Ds. They are of course smaller, i.e. mainly slimmer, almost reminiscent of Japanese naked bikes with small fairings maybe 20-30 years ago. That is, some kind of small protection against the onslaught of the wind.

The problem is that all these machines had handlebar extensions maybe 15-20 cm high. So, in the end, the rider is sticking out of the motorcycle and catching air. As I am not a enthusiast of the H-D community, I would perhaps like to have someone explain this fashion to us [“Clubstyle”] in the discussion. It’s true that I could have asked someone at the fair, but it only occurred to me at home when I was trying to sort photos.

Unlike me, Germans really love H-D. Dealers and customers had large stands full of people. For me, a “regular” modified Harley that I passed by without taking a picture was often the subject of discussion by guys bearing all the outward signs of the community. The conversation was accompanied by finger pointing and peeking at various small details that meant nothing to me as a “non-H-D boy.”

Fortunately, there were also builds that caused admiring nods or turned heads. Mirko Preugini and Roberto Cerutti’s Harley JD was distinguished (according to the author) by the fact that, except for the engine and gearbox, everything was handgefertig, i.e. handmade. This was claimed by several people, but only Roberto had the front wheel suspended in such a way that it was incomprehensible that he could turn it.

Unlike Glemseck 101, where the author is present at the build or you can spot him (when he returns from beer and sausages) and therefore ask him directly what interests you, here the creators are somewhere in the space and you have no idea, who’s this? So ask if you don’t have anyone… I figured out the (turning) system, but maybe I’ll leave it open for readers who want to solve it yourself and figure out how it actually turns.

The machine was next to Jimmi Mannaia’s H-D Sportster with a hubless front wheel and a turbo from Alfa Romeo — a bike that won “Best Radical” in the show.

Right next door was Ruben Mellaerts‘ “RMC Brdtrckr.” I’m an old diehard and avoid electric bikes (and also electric cars) in a wide arc. I can’t get the taste for it. But this build attracted me directly, magically. It was impossible not to return to it. Crankshaft from BMW, in which there are 180 electric cells connected to the source and electric motors sticking out to the side instead of cylinders. Frame like a bicycle and wheels with hubs like on a model that is not supposed to move, just pose. No brake at the front, the brake at the back is cleverly hidden.

A few steps further was “TnorF” from builder Tomáš Pitlík. Since it is a machine from our neighbors across Moravia (Czech Republic), I will not go into detail about this exotic, it was presented to the public on January 24, 2019, for example, at the www.motorkari.cz. But here it shone, winning “Craziest Bike.”

There was a “More is More” build with a V8 engine with two turbos, NOS, and other goodies, and with an output of 419 hp and 600Nm. In the Netherlands, it even received a license plate number — street-legal.

And then there were the approximately 396 other modified or built motorcycles. Each unique, some serious, some to make you weep, and some crazy. Perhaps the photo gallery will tell you more.

Show Winners

More Customs

Simson Customs

Harley Customs

Baggers & Clubstyle

Curiosities

Paint

Wheels

Seats

Forks and Swingarms

Fairings and Extensions

Interesting Details

Follow the Show

Web: www.custombike-show.de
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CustombikeShow/
Instagram: @custombike_show