Richmond, Virginia has developed a reputation in recent years for being a bicycle city, especially after hosting the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, but the city also has a vibrant and growing motorcycle community. Riders join together at events and in small garages across the city to ride together, talk about how they're customizing their bikes, help friends fix mechanical issues and bond over a shared love of motors on two wheels and the open road.
Andrew Bullock, 25, of Richmond started riding motorcycles ten years ago on dirtbikes and sports bikes, but today he says he loves the speed and feel of his Harley-Davidson Sportster. "All I'm saying is Saddam Hussein never rode a Harley," Bullock said. "This thing screams American."
Bullock and his friend Matt Crane, 33, originally met years ago at a car show when they both shared a love for Volkswagen vehicles. As time passed, their friendship grew through an appreciation for building custom motorcycles.
Crane, who also rides a Harley-Davidson Sportster, says one of his favorite things about building motorcycles is how the same machines can can look completely different depending on who built it. He says his current bike (pictured) is the same make and model as the bike he's in the process of building, but the styles will be polar opposites.
Alex Giles, 28, agrees with Crane about the importance of customization but emphasizes the way a motorcycle can become an extension of your own personal style. Giles admits he's always been a rebel, but riding motorcycles has helped him learn a lot about himself and his personal style.
"You meet people who ride motorcycles and you might be a Democrat or a Republic or a Christian or a Satanist or whatever. All people ride motorcycles, but the one thing they all do have is common is that sense of 'hey, I want to get out there and feel free'," Giles said.
Richmond's motorcycle culture is still searching for its identity amongst different riders, styles of bikes and reasons why residents are riding, but in the meantime, riders in the community have embraced the diversity.
