PHOTOS FROM THE 1 MOTORCYCLE SHOW

We knew it had to happen. The generation-long “Easy Riders” orthodoxy of custom-bike design has finally sputtered out, setting people free to build whatever they like. Remember that word, freedom? It means no one laughs and points if you fail to include a bellowing Harley-Davidson engine in the middle, with a Schwinn wheel way out in front and a Buick tire in the back. Anything goes.

The idiosyncratic bikes in these photos appeared at the “1 Motorcycle Show” in Austin, Texas, the same weekend as the nearby MotoGP event at Circuit of The Americas. Austin is the state capitol, an arty town that calls itself “the live music capital of the world” and is willing to try anything.

Like simplicity? Take pride in your sheet-metal skills? Or perhaps you see the motorcycle as “Death Star”? The “Art of the Motorcycle” at the Guggenheim Museum in 1998 was just a beginning. Start noodling with tools and see where it takes you.

Roland Sands Sportster