Paul d'Orléans: Instafamous, Instabroke

Moto-journalist Paul d’Orléans writes for the magazine Classic Bike Guide, and stirred up the hornets’ nest with this recent column. It’s a perceptive and thought-provoking commentary on today’s custom motorcycle scene. I’ve been mucking around with old motorcycles since the 1980s, and like many, financed my bike habit via the sport of Arbitrage. That is, turning a profit on a bike after giving it some love. It wasn’t an income; the only people living off the motorcycle game were (impoverished) moto-journalists and employees of legitimate dealerships. I knew lots of fellows, and a few ladies, who spent all their time...