The 1 Motorcycle Show in Portland, Oregon, is hands down one of the raddest custom bike shows in the United States. What started off seven years ago as a humble show to celebrate the love of two wheels—put on by See See Motorcycles—has blossomed into a major event, attracting thousands of people over the course of three days. And with over 100 bikes on display, this year’s show was the biggest yet. Free admission allows you to check out all the bikes, which this year featured everything from an ice racing speedway bike to a twin turbo BMW to old school choppers to old and new dirt bikes and much more. Beginning on Friday night, the show runs until Sunday afternoon with bands, cheap beers, and tons to check out. For the second year in a row, it was held inside an abandoned metal foundry, which provided a great juxtaposition to the beautiful motorcycles scattered throughout the interior. And not only were there bikes to look at, there were also numerous vendors, selling art, leather goods, and apparel.

For us, this was our first time attending the show, but making the weekend even more memorable was being a part of the journey with our friend Tony Jeske of Jeske MX Customs. Only a couple months ago, Thor Drake—one of the founders of See See and the show—contacted Tony, inviting him to show a bike. And when you get the opportunity to be a part of something as special at The 1 Moto Show, you don’t pass it up. “It came to my attention pretty last minute. I met Thor Drake last year at Washougal during the 125 Dream Race,” Tony said. “He was just racing, having fun, and we kind of parted ways. We had a little bit of social media interaction after that, and one day, he sent me a Direct Message on Instagram with an invitation to come show a bike at The 1 Moto Show.” After a few phone calls, Tony procured a bike from local Portland dealership Power Motosports, and from there, the rest is history, as Hell Raiser slowly became a reality.

Over the course of the past couple months, we’ve been in close contact with Tony as he burned the midnight oil, creating his masterpiece with high hopes of showing up with something completely unique. And thanks in part to his dedication and the support of various companies, including Fasthouse, the bike that Tony created was nothing short of jaw dropping. Completely murdered out, Hell Raiser turned a lot of heads throughout the weekend, “It’s a 125 and it can scream,” Tony said of the bike. “The name has a purpose. I’m stirring up a little bit of hell. What’s wrong with being a little bit of a menace? That’s kind of where my head was at when I sat down to design this bike. I want to grow my shop and do things for a reason. I wanted to be different, raise some hell, and make a statement.” And make a statement is exactly what he did.

The 1 Moto Show is all that we’ve heard it to be and more. After a day to recover from three days of fun with friends new and old, we are already planning next year’s trip to the Pacific Northwest. If you haven’t had a chance to attend this amazing event, do yourself a favor: mark your calendar and make it a priority, because you won’t want to miss it.

Words and Photos by Brendan Lutes