Every month I post links to the most recent research into motorcycle culture, subcultures, clothing and identity, along with the biggest events in the motorcycling calendar. Here’s what caught my eye this month.
Wheels and Waves 2025
The 14th edition of the Biarritz festival ran 11-15 June. The format hasn’t changed much — Punk’s Peak hill climb, custom builds in the village, surf and skate alongside the bikes, evening film and music — and that is part of why it works. LiveWire’s recap captures the day-to-day texture.
https://www.livewire.com/the-pulse/latest-news/recap-wheels-waves-2025
Born Free 16
The Southern California custom show pulled around 25,000 people to Oak Canyon Ranch in Silverado on 21-22 June. 160 vendors, 30 invited builders showing one-off machines, the Ives Brothers Wall of Death. The closest US analogue to Bike Shed for craft-built bikes.
https://www.bornfreeshow.com/
Discovering the Dynamics and Impact of Motorcycle Tourism
Anabela Monteiro, Sofia Lopes and Manuel Do Carmo in Sustainability. A questionnaire study of 233 respondents at rural motorcycle events in Portugal, modelling how cultural motivation, community interaction and accommodation type shape rider behaviour. Pitched at the policy side of the field, but the underlying data on what brings riders to small places is useful.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5733
See also DGR 2025 in May 2025 and Bike Shed Moto Show 2024 in Q2 2024.
That’s it for this month. If you’ve come across research I’ve missed, feel free to email me.