One Motorcycle Show Rides Into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum
When local biker shop and café See See Motorcycles first launched the One Motorcycle Show in 2009, it was held in a warehouse. 11 years in, it’s taking place in a space once graced by the Beatles and the Blazers.
This year's One Motorcycle Show will be held at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum February 7-9.
Image: Courtesy One Motorcycle Show
The Veterans Memorial Coliseum has enough space to host not only the 200 custom bikes that form the centerpiece of the show but a full-on flat-track motorcycle race.
This is a first for the One Motorcycle Show, which previously held its races separately from the main event at a speedway in Salem, and the first time flat-track racing has been held in the arena since 1991.
“It’s something that’s going to be new and exciting and accessible to a lot of people in Portland,” says Emily George, who, with her sister Tori George-Drake, is part of the event production team at See See Motor Coffee Co. that organizes the One Show. “[We’re] kind of bringing it back, because flat-tracking was pretty big back in the ‘70s.”
The show will also feature five bands, including local metal heroes Red Fang and punk supergroup Hot Snakes; a “manual bull,” similar to a mechanical bull but operated by hand; and even a pinewood derby for kids.
Though George-Drake jokes that “Portland loves lines,” she hopes the increased space will make the congestion that’s plagued past events less of a problem.
One Motorcycle Show distinguishes itself from other motorcycle shows for being relatively inclusive in its criteria for custom-bike submissions. See See makes an effort to showcase work by both pros and do-it-yourself “garage builders,” so expect to see scrappy homemade bikes alongside gleaming custom choppers.
See See Motorcycles, local biker shop and café, first launched the One Motorcycle Show in 2009.
Image: Courtesy One Motorcycle Show
George-Drake, who runs social media for the show, says she’s kept up with participants’ builds in real time as they catalog their progress on Instagram.
“[We] get tagged multiple times a day with updates with all the builds that are happening that they’re trying to finish up in time, so we’ve seen some really cool ones,” she says. “I could do no justice over the phone.”
One Motorcycle Show
Fri–Sun, Feb 7–9, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 N. Winning Way. Weekend passes and individual day prices are available.
