Although I spend a lot of time traveling to international shows, what excites me the most is the work of Australia’s homegrown talent. Handcrafted is a new Australian custom motorcycle documentary from the crew at Purpose Built Moto and Electric Bubble. It’s a beautifully shot and directed documentary that interviews a handful of exceptional Aussie builders.
“From all walks of life, these builders create, whether for occupation, or purely for love.
Spending countless hours crafting a machine, worthy of their name.”
Handcrafted debuted over the weekend and is now available to watch on Youtube or you can view it below. The whole feature runs for just over 50 minutes, so get comfortable, grab a drink and enjoy the film. Or, if you’ve got a smart TV I recommend you pull it up on the big screen so you can watch it in all its HD glory.
More on each of the Australian HAND-CRAFTED builders…
Tom Gilroy, Purpose Built Moto – Tom is the narrator of the Handcrafted film and owner-operator of Purpose Built Moto. Tom grew up around motorcycles on a Rural Property in Queensland, Australia. His childhood involved buying old MX bikes, fixing them up and selling them on to fund his own purchases. Today he juggles a full-time career as well as running Purpose Built Moto. Along with building incredible custom motorcycles, he produces a range of high-quality aftermarket parts.
Brado Miller – Despite his age Brad Miller possesses an impressive set of skills. He has developed his own style through creative fabrication. Working from a small shed in Canberra, Brad’s commitment to the craft is his greatest tool. As he says in the film “you dont need many tools, just a few basic things to pull it apart and put it back together” the rest is up to him as a builder to figure out.
Justin Holmes, Pop Bang Classics – Justin Holmes has been servicing the custom needs of the Gold Coast riding community for years as ‘PopBang Classics’. Justin’s a multidisciplinary builder with years of experience in spray painting, mechanics, engineering and fabrication. He builds everything from classic Brit-based choppers to retro Japanese cafe racers.
Ian Don, Black Cat Customs – Black Cat Customs specialise in Pre-unit Triumphs. Ian decided some time ago that he would stick to working on the bikes he loved the most. Because of this, he’s honed his skills and developed his own way of customising them. All his bikes are pieced together in a modest home workshop and usually start out as boxes of loose parts.
Scott Gittoes. SDG Moto – Scott is like the Motorcycle riding dad you never had. He possesses a wealth of racing and fabrication experience that he is willing to share with those you are keen to learn. SDG Moto is a family owned parts retailer and custom garage from the Central Coast of NSW. Scott is a colorful character who has an amazingly positive outlook and is always having a laugh.
Steve + Leo, Ellaspede – Ellaspede is a Brisbane based workshop that has established itself as the centre of the city’s riding community. Owners Steve and Leo come from a design background and they apply these skills to the motorcycles they build. Each Ellaspede machine is well thought out and clinically executed. Ellaspede also runs community-building events such as the Dust hustle which has helped to cement their place in the moto community.
Matt Bromley, DVMC Motorcycles – Matt has been around the Sydney motorcycle scene for a long time in many different incarnations. He’s worked on everything including building bikes for a few big budget films. Today at DVMC he builds bikes to the beat of his own drum. He’s also pretty handy with tweaking engine performance and restoring old bikes back to new.
Jeremy Tagand, Deus Ex Machina – Everyone who is into motorcycles has heard of Deus Ex Machina. The Deus story started back in 2006 at Deus HQ in Camperdown, Sydney, and Jeremy has been there since the beginning as their head wrench turner. Today Deus is an internationally recognised lifestyle brand that covers motorcycling, surfing, and music. They played an essential role in popularising the custom scene during the past decade. Deus made motorcycles cool again through their use of great imagery, good design and above all, having a free-spirited approach to everything they do.
