Hot Rod Custom Show, Yokohama, J
The Perfect Finale to a Wild Year
Grand, epic, monumental, over the moon: pretty much every compliment you could come up with applies to the Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show.
Every year at the beginning of December, the Pacifico Center in Yokohama becomes the gravitational centre for kustom culture. In its 33rd year now, it's not just the best choppers from the Japanese custom bike community that attract thousands of visitors from all over the world, it's a major global event: The show parking spaces at the HRCS are coveted prizes given away at major events such as Born Free and are, for every builder, a kind of crowning glory for years of inspired wrenching, persistent parts hunting, and late-night garage sessions.
Only 9 short hours on a single day: that’s not much time for a bike show.
On top of being a bike show the event is also labeled “Hot Rod” and “Custom"? Yeah, in addition to the countless custom motorcycles, there are also equally countless opportunities for fans of four-wheeled vehicles to shake their heads in amazement at the bold detailing, building prowess, and sheet metal artistry on the many far out cars in the show, or to just let their jaws drop in awe.
Fascinating indeed. And this goes for all areas of Kustom Kulture: crazy model cars, steady handed pinstriping, period correct graphics, impeccable paintwork, vintage photos, oil paintings, bags, T-shirts, helmets, pin-ups, cosplay … add to that all the sponsors, led of course by Harley-Davidson, but closely followed by Indian, Royal Enfield, BMW, plus the beer, the shoes, the various apparel brands, the tons of custom-made items just for this show …
Just from reading this you could be forgiven to be a little dizzy by now.
And we haven't even gotten to tell you about the unannounced special pr-stunt by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, with blue lights and sirens blasting, as part of a campaign against violence and organized crime; the legendary ride-in by last year's winners, engines sputtering, growling, farting and screaming; the Born Free winners, the live bands, and the award ceremony for around 80 prizes … speaking about picking prizes: we also had the honour of picking a motorcycle: the W&W pick was a 1945 Harley-Davidson FL built by Joyride Speed Shop in Okada. A real tricky one to decide, because virtually everything on two wheels here at the Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama is definitely “hot”.
If you want to dive in deeper, go to https://yokohamahotrodcustomshow.com/show_hcs2025/