Skip to main content

Throttle Jockey: BMW’s new Scrambler mingles with customs at The One Show

When BMW unveils a new bike at a formerly fringe motorcycle show in America’s most hipster-laden city, it’s telling how far Portland, Oregon’s One Motorcycle Show has grown in the eight short years it’s been around.

Recommended Videos

But that’s just what happened over the last weekend as, once again, thousands upon thousands of motorcycle lovers and leather-jacketed/bearded fashionistas (often one and the same) descended upon a sprawling former physical plant in the Rose City’s Southeast quadrant.

Right inside the entrance on the left sat the new black-n-grey R nineT Scrambler, its shallow leather seat seemingly the lone piece of “custom” touchery (it’s an option, actually) on a bike that in the open, would attract stares, but in this crowd, was relegated to wallflower status.

2016 BMW R NineT Scrambler
2016 BMW R nineT Scrambler Image used with permission by copyright holder

It probably didn’t help that Roland Sands’ stunning interpretation of what a new BMW R90S would look like was sitting right next to it, all aflame in sparkly burnt orange paint and sporting clip-ons, etc. to highlight its serious go-fast attitude. Sorry, Scrambler. We’re sure you’re a fine bike.

Braving typical conditions for February in Portland (cold, windy, near-constant rain), hundreds of people routinely queued up outside the show, all under the gaze of the local fire marshal, who only let in the exact number of people who just decided to leave. For many, it was a long, cold, damp wait to get in.

But once inside and refueled with Sizzle Pie pizza, gourmet coffee (natch), PBR tallboys (also natch), and live music, the bikes and thousands of bodies created enough heat to thaw out any doubters that the One Show, as locals call it, is still one of the hottest scenes in the nation for “real-world” custom bikes you’re more likely to see on the road than as display art in a McMansion.

Are there some probably-never-actually-get-ridden super-sanitary customs on display? Sure, here and there, but the main thrust of the show is still what local builders come up with in dank garages or workshops in the region – and they come up with some doozies, as the photos above can attest.

The sponsor list is getting ever longer for The One Show, and the lines to get in may get a bit frustrating, but it’s still worth the wait. And next year, show organizer Thor Drake says (facetiously – maybe) they’re going to be moving the show to a new “probably shittier” location.

I’d say get your tickets early, but as it has been since the beginning, admission will be free.

Here are some highlights from the 2015 One Motorcycle Show:

The One Motorcycle Show 2015 ! from See See Motor Coffee Co. on Vimeo.

All photos by Bill Roberson

Bill Roberson
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments about Bill’s work.
Don’t ruin your cigars: here’s how to properly season a new humidor
Seasoning secrets every cigar lover could use
faceless man presenting a cigar humidor with cigars inside with gloved hands

If you're a newcomer to the world of cigars or just bought a brand-new humidor, you'll need to season it. And no, I'm not saying to add salt and pepper to it. If you've never heard of it, you might ask, "What is seasoning for a humidor?"

Don't think you need to flavor the box or anything — seasoning is really about getting the wood inside your humidor so as not to rob your cigars of precious moisture. Easy to understand, and getting it done is relatively straightforward as well. The trick is figuring out the "why," and we'll get into that in a bit. But let's first discuss seasoning a humidor.

Read more
The NBA’s ultimate celebration tool: The victory cigar
A look at the players and coaches who smoke to celebrate
Jordan smoking a cigar image on a bag

Sports are synonymous with celebration. After winning the biggest trophy of their lives, athletes want to indulge in the payoff that comes with seeing their dreams realized. Teams go into the locker room, where a waterfall of champagne hits them in the eyes, and swimming goggles seem to be a requirement, lest you walk around on the best night of your life half blind. While drinking is often the activity of choice after winning a championship, the NBA has an alternative symbol of greatness that other sports don't use nearly enough: the victory cigar.

Basketball is a team game, but it's also an individual canvas for solo superstardom. After winning an NBA championship, the coaches and players who sit atop the throne have long smoked a cigar in the locker room, during the parade, or even on the bench before the clock has hit zero. There's nothing quite like a good stogie to signify the ultimate win over the rest of the league, but how did the victory cigar get so ingrained in NBA championship celebrations? We want to take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the historical moments and people who made the cigar what it is within the NBA today.
Red Auerbach's victory cigar on the bench
Red Auerbach: The Story Behind the Victory Cigar + His Disdain of NBA Officials - Red on Roundball

Read more
The best medical shows of all time to binge now
From ER to The Pitt, these are the best medical shows ever made
Noah Wyle in the Pitt

Throughout TV's long history, the medical drama has occupied a somewhat unique place in the landscape. Medical shows are often some of the most reliable on TV precisely because there's so much drama built in to working in a hospital.

Personally, I've found the medical drama to be deeply comforting for years, even if I have no desire to be a doctor myself. Understanding the stress of people in the healthcare profession is fascinating in and of itself.

Read more