Visual vintage motorcycle feast

If there’s one thing I love about the popularizing of custom motorcycles, it’s the outstanding photography that’s being shot and shared on the internet. With websites like BikeExif showcasing nothing but high quality, two wheeled photographic content it’s no surprise that everyone is lifting their game to match the standard. In 2011 one such group of vintage MC fans launched a photographic Blog called ‘The Mighty Motor’, which quickly became a favorite bookmark of mine. I spoke with site co-founder Shaik who shared the story of how The Mighty Motor came to be and a bit about each member of the contributing team behind it…

“The Mighty Motor is made up of a group of people from different backgrounds living in different cities. Although we are all great friends and have a common passion for vintage motorcycles, we love the diversity of ideas that we get out of working together. We strive to provide all original content.”

“We started to blog in 2011, inspired by street fashion photography and other vintage motorcycle blogs. We had an idea to combine the two worlds and show our audience the bikes and the people that ride, build, sell and love vintage motorcycles as much as we do. It has been a collaborative effort with the people that we meet and it has been a great year.”

Shaik Ridzwan: “I am the co-founder and all around brain behind The Mighty Motor. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but I’ve lived in the states since 2000. I am currently a designer living in Los Angeles with my wife Elizabeth. First bike I owned was when I was 10, a little 80cc hand me down dirt bike. Ever since then I’ve been hooked. My main squeeze is a 1964 BSA Hornet named Betsy that I picked up in parts in 2008. I use photography and sketching as a way to tell stories about the bikes I find and share on The Mighty Motor. My photographic perspective comes from my training as an industrial designer, focusing on composition, materials and form. I’m driven by my love of “old things”, bikes, cars and products included. I like combining classic forms with modern materials and precision.”

Chris Chin: “The Mighty Motor co-founder. Born in Malaysia but grew up and still based in San Francisco. Entrepreneur with a passion for vintage motorcycles. First vintage bike was a 1971 CB350. It’s amazing to me that a bike older than me can run so perfectly. In 2010 Shaik and I landed on a few of old bikes (1972 BSA Lightning, 1966 Triumph Bonneville, 1974 Ducati Mark 3, 1980 Ducati Darmah). After sourcing parts and meeting other bike enthusiasts from all around the country (and world) we heard a lot of incredible stories and saw many great collections. We started The Mighty Motor to share these experiences and stories.”

Elizabeth Gadbaw: “Editor and second shooter for events. From Washington, D.C. but have lived in California for the last eight years. Currently a law student at UCLA. Never been on a bike (or had any desire to get on one!) til I met Shaik. Now I can tell the difference between a Triumph and a BSA. That’s huge for me! I love hearing the stories and history behind the bikes, the passion that fuels collectors and casual riders to maintain and restore these old machines.”

Interview with motorcycle builder Shinya Kimura

Katrina Taib: “Design collaborator. Irish/Malaysian living in NYC as an interior designer. I am a life long friend of Shaik’s that recently joined the team as a guest contributor.”

If you like the look of these shots be sure to bookmark themightymotor.com and check back regularly for updates. You can also follow their vintage motorcycle loving exploits on the Facebook & Pinterest.