REPORT: Custom Bike Show in Bad Salzuflen Germany

They say it’s the largest fair for custom bikes in Europe, and after visiting the Custom bike-show in Bad Salzuflen the first weekend of December, I’d say they are right!

As you can expect from our German friends it is well organized, from parking to lay out of the halls to food and drinks. There were more than 200 custom bikes on display, ranging from choppers, bobbers and cruisers to cafe racers and streetfighters. A special treat this year were the so-called mopeds, 50cc bikes that were legal to ride from the age of 16 without a license in the not-even-so-distant past. The highly customized examples on show here were certainly not legal – then or now – though….

The vast number of bikes on display were certainly the main attraction I would say. It started right at the entrance with a lovely Norton cafe racer, followed by a multitude of other cafe racers and bobbers. Spread around the center stage in the main hall, custom bikes were on display in all 4 directions. The streetfighters, mostly nineties superbikes with their extremely high butts and flashy colors, were another special feature of this year’s event.

But ogling all those magnificent bikes was certainly not all there was to do.
A bike build-off was going on all three days on the center stage, which was won by Indian dealer Bike Farm Melle with their bike “Purple Haze”. A classy old-skool chopper in purple – as you may have guessed – and a great sound!

Another stage was reserved for shows by the “Fuel Girls” from London, featuring a heavy metal soundtrack, spandex, and shiny chains. Bodypainting the upper torso of a young nekkid lady plus presentations of some award-winning bikes also took place on this stage, culminating in the announcement of this year’s winner – that very nice purple Indian Motorcycle.

Lots of vendors were spread around two spacious halls, some 160 in total!
A lot of them biker-lifestyle oriented; masses of t-shirts with skulls, leather pouches, tartan shirts with or without protection, helmets – WW2-inspired or with actual protection, …

A couple manufacturers gave acte de presence, Kawasaki was there, BMW and Indian had big booths with quite a few nicely customized bikes. Harley Davidson was represented by several of their dealers, each with a mix of customized and standard bikes.

Parts and accessories manufacturers like Custom Chrome and pinker-specialists Kellermann had hired a lot of space as well to show off their shiny goodies.

Odd ones out were some organizers of ‘Motorrad-Reisen’ or organized trips for bikers, there were even a few owners of specialized campings or hotels in Germany.
My interest was particularly piqued by sportcaravan.de, who showed a trailer with room for 2 bikes, sleeping 4, shower and toilet, for around 35K euros. That will have to wait a while, but a man can dream, right?

There was plenty of beer as well as hard liquor to be had from several vendors and the restaurant. This restaurant inside also served hearty food, while a few food-trucks stood outside to accommodate really hungry travelers. As this was my first visit to Germany in a while, I decided on the Bratwurst, a good choice IMHO…

So all in all, a great show! I missed the previous 15 editions (who knew?) but will try to make the trip – some 300 kilometers from Amsterdam where I live – again next year for sure!

For a short impression of the show, please check this out: