Deus Bike Build Off 2016, the fifth Italian edition concluded in Milan

Deus Bike Build Off 2016 – “The motorbike district”, this is how the Isola district has become in the fashionable language of the city of Milan. A "cool" neighborhood, there's no denying it, but which over the years has also managed to build an image of its own that we motoring enthusiasts (with only two wheels though!!) really like. First Officine Mermaid, then the arrival of Deus, gave birth to this ever-expanding motorcycle phenomenon. And if the term "neighborhood" as a concept is a bit generic, via Thaon de Revel is instead a much more precise meeting point and which last Saturday truly transformed into a red carpet worthy of attention.
A real red carpet, a runner on which there were not the classic movie stars parading, but our beloved motorcycles, also more or less "rigged" and often in skimpier clothes than Hollywood stars!

There were around sixty motorbikes present, a number that may seem small if you think of it from the perspective of a generic gathering, but which takes on weight if you consider that each motorbike was created with a lot of work, it is a unique piece and in the contest it is judged by a jury of experts, who in a few minutes dedicated to each motorbike, must therefore identify the best ones, in order to reward the best in each of the categories. Everything, as you can imagine, therefore lasts several hours, between the registration times of the participants, the jury's tour and the actual event, which is concentrated for the selected motorbikes, between 14pm and 18pm. In the morning instead, it is an opportunity for all enthusiasts to take a walk along the street, closed to traffic for the event, among objects that express the imagination and taste of the owners. In addition to the "Pros", who exhibit what is basically the synthesis of current fashion and the most popular style.

We were talking about the jury of "experts" and, never as in this case, the term is more appropriate. The head of the crew, given that this is an event in the Milan area, obviously could only be the one who has had breakfast with croissants and petrol for years, who has driven "everything" and who has a remarkable "handle". We are talking about Roberto Ungaro, who was head of the jury, within which however there were equally high-sounding names who responded to the appeal of: Ela Von Dutch, Umberto Borile, founder of the Borile brand (Scrambler and Multiuso are his creations), Roberto Totti, famous Italian customizer, Rosso Sharp, founder of the English Motorcycle Club Bike Sheld and, finally, Paolo Sormani, well-known journalist in the sector. This (illustrious) jury had the difficult task of electing a winner from among the bikes present, taking into consideration both the aesthetic and technical aspects, with an eye also on safety and the actual use of the bike on the road.

The beauty of the day was not seeing the winning bike with its trainer, but seeing how "rivals" continually exchanged praise on the work done with each other, questions about the reasons for technical choices compared to others and the respect, a very important and noble characteristic, which reigned among the participants. Because this is what motorbikes are, true passion without borders, without colors and brands. An object that unites subjects of all ages and ethnicities, which allows friends to create specials in the box at night, taking away hours of precious sleep between one day of work and another. Seeing couples made up of a father and son who, over the course of the year, have together created an object capable of moving, is priceless. Eicma, Metzeler and Mocauto allowed all these people to come together for a memorable Saturday and we must thank Deus for having been able to bring this "true and genuine" spirit of the motorcycle and everything that revolves around it to Italy too. In fact, let us remember that the Italian event was one of five, substantially contemporary worldwide in the Deus offices of Sydney, Venice, Bali and Tokyo. Four continents touched by a very similar passion, perhaps with slightly different tastes, dictated by local fashions that may be distant from each other.

A round of applause therefore to all those who allowed this to happen, to those who came to see as spectators, browsing among the motorbikes and, who knows, perhaps now eager to become part of this magical world, as well as those who still have the courage to dream in front of a motorbike. Because the motorcycle is much more than a simple two-wheeled object with an engine, much, much more. And on Saturday we had the wonderful confirmation of this.

Note: The Motorionline editorial staff reminds all those who wish to create a special, never to modify technical parts that could be dangerous and to always check with the help of an expert whether the modifications made are regulatory. Specials are wonderful motorbikes, but let's remember first of all that they must be safe and that they must not be a danger to those who use them and to other road users.