For most of the year, it’s a stunning 5000-seat venue, with brilliant acoustics to showcase a nation’s top talents, but in early December each year a symphony of a different kind rolls into Pacifico, Japan’s National Convention Hall. And lined up outside the venue in the early morning was a record crowd, as the 32nd Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show came roaring to life. Known to many as Mooneyes, for the company who organise the event, the custom car and chopper show is the most prestigious on the nation’s calendar and is arguably one of the world’s premier places for builders of brilliant bikes to show off their wares. All the big names from home and abroad were on hand and the quality of customs was once again out of this world.
Gates open at 8 am, but the organisers were greeted by a huge crowd, with people arriving before sunrise and the lines stretching around the block. But the wait was more than worth it for the 24,000 spectators once they made it inside and could finally feast their eyes on what they’d come to see. Each year at the show there is an early highlight, as a selected group of cars and bikes ‘Ride-in’ to the arena, with the fans lining up for the sights and sounds. To great applause, the legend Shinya Kimura stormed in on a stunning piece of old-school Americana, and it just helps to highlight that these show machines really do run.
The machines featured at the show have always been heavily influenced by the So-Cal style, and for the Hot Rods on display that was true again this year. But there is no doubt that on the bike side of things, while choppers are the main attraction, it is a uniquely Japanese flavour applied to each and every build. This was shown in full force at the 2024 Motorcycle Spotlight, and the theme for this year was “Swingin Chopper”, basically choppers with rear shocks. “While rigid frames are typically dominant in chopper builds, various shops showcased their unique interpretations of non-rigid choppers, offering a wide variety of styles that provided motorcycle fans with fresh ideas for custom builds.”
Harley-Davidson is a major sponsor of the show, but there was only a handful of their new bikes used as the basis of the many builds. Knuckleheads, Pans and Shovels continue to dominate and there are always some stunning Flatheads in the mix; incredible given that a few are more than 100 years old. And it was a big day for the Milwaukee maker as Hoshikawa-san from Asterisk Custom Works took out Best of Show, with his incredible Shovelhead, featuring a floating seat, leaf-sprung front end and a host of handmade parts. And just to show how tough the judges are, no car was chosen to take out the Automobile Best of Show award, you simply have to build the elite of the elite.
But it wasn’t just HD making their presence felt, as Indian was joined by BMW Motorrad and Royal Enfield not only as major sponsors of the event but with some seriously sensational builds on display. Ten years ago this would have been unthinkable, but the rise and rise of Enfield and the level of respect they have earned from the world’s best builders is now clear to see. And to prove they’re not playing around, it was a Royal Enfield that took out some of the major awards, with Chiba-based Sureshot run by Aikawa-san, who already has a cabinet full of trophies, presenting an incredible Shotgun 650 drag bike.
As well as the major manufacturers, there was also a global presence with the “International Village’ featuring Mooneyes suppliers from countries including the USA, Australia, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand. A number of these nations also had builders with bikes on display with the picks of the bunch being the two-stroke of Malaysia’s FNG Works which was clearly a crowd favourite, and LS Customs from China with their full floating bodied chopper in purple and pinstripe.
The familiar faces were there too, Heiwa Motorcycles had a brand new Triumph in Kimura-san’s signature Scrambler style, and there was Nihira-san of Wedge Motorcycles and his mind-bending Ducati, that you’ll see on these pages very soon! In the cafe racer category, the top prize went to Custom Works Zon, but it was his choice of donor bikes getting tongues wagging, a 2023 BMW K1600 of all things; but boy did he make it work. The organisers were thrilled with the turnout and the whole vibe of the show, as they sought to promote their campaign of ‘Fun-Together’ and make everyone feel welcome at the event. So, start saving, you have a year to get to Yokohama, because custom culture simply doesn’t get better than this!
[ Photography courtesy of Mooneyes ]