One of my fav rants on the topic, second only to the epic Cafe Race Definition from the SOHC Dikshnury. Covers everything from Waxed mustaches, hipster bikes, steampunk, bobbers and cafe racers. Long read warning, but worthy IMO 
I took the liberty to highlight some points for those just skimming.
Diversity is the key to originality. But, what I don’t get is when some talentless know-it-all takes a beautifully restored bike, chops it all to hell, bolts on a few parts out of box, and then has the nerve to call it “a one-of-kind- custom”. I also don’t get how anyone who is afraid to get their hands dirty can call themselves a biker.
Today it seems that these hipsters don’t even want to ride their bikes to Sturgis. They just load it up on a trailer, drive across the country, unload 10 miles outside of town, and then ride in on theirs “steeds” like they just rode 1000 miles.
Motorcycle culture is falling apart. And to help take it down is the emergence of new sub-cultures. Let’s take Steampunk for example; apparently so real that the auto-correct on Microsoft Word actually acknowledges it as a word. What is “Steampunk” you ask? To sum it up, it is taking whatever old junk you can find, bolting it to a bike, make it rusty, and VIOLA! You have a Steampunk bike. I think a more appropriate term would be SteamPUKE. The only answer I can come up with is “because it is cool”, riders who only want attention because they have a unique bike. You know these people, they guys who pull up to a stoplight and start revving their engine while looking around to see if anyone is watching. Seriously dude. I hope your throttle cable sticks next time and throws a rod through your block.
No. No, no, no, NO! You cannot take a modern fuel injected sport bike and call it a Café Racer. It is absolute sacrilegious. A big part of the Café culture is to be constantly wrenching on and tuning your bike. And guess what, while hooking your bike up to a laptop computer is sure convenient, you will never have a Café Racer in my eyes. Secondly, where is the excitement in racing a modern appliance of a bike like it is old? Do you not see the irony there, hipster? No, of course you don’t, because you’re too busy trying to be a part of a fad than trying to revive the culture itself. And lastly, just because you have a fat wallet with money to throw away, does NOT make you a garage builder. In fact, I feel the exact opposite. I think what makes a true garage builder is my approach: not having any money, build everything possible yourself, and making stuff work with what you have while still making it look right. If you can make an old bike fast and make it look like a million bucks while forking out very little money, you are a successful garage builder. Having an idea and throwing parts at any old bike does NOT.
So, the next time you see a custom bike, think to yourself; “Was this bike built with love, or was it built with money?”
Scottie J ~ Bulldog Kustoms Denver
Bullsh!t. First, most of the hipsters are at least doing something with these old bikes. A lot of these bikes were rotting away in sheds.
They don't get their hands dirty? There are a lot of young people on this board that I would call hipster. I know a bunch that I meet at shows or bike nights or whatever. They work on their bikes, themselves in most cases. They are more likely to ride to the shows than the guys with nicely restored bikes.
The people trailering to Sturgus? Usually Harley guys that want to bring the motor home instead of camp.
Who the hell is this guy to tell me what I can buid out of whatever and what I can call it. I will build a 80's bike and call it a board racer if I feel like it. You can't tell me what to do.
F%ck this dude. Quit hating on the people you sell to.
Edit: This guy messes with Royal Enfields and he is going to call someone out for not working on sh!t. That is THE bike for the guy that does not know how to work on anything and does not want to go fast because they can't get out of their own way. I know people make cool customs out of them, but the majority are sold to people who just want a turn-key cafe bike.
