The One Moto Show: ABC 500 by A Bike Company

The One Motorcycle Show was in Portland this weekend, meaning we didn’t have to travel very far at all to see the largest custom bike show in the United States.

Naturally, we feel compelled to share with you some of the best bikes we saw the show, and we will start things off right with one of our favorites from the expo.

To that end, it was a shame that the ABC 500 by A Bike Company wasn’t front and center when you came into the main bike hall, as the board tracker made by Niki Smart is a stunner and dripping in black.

The first thing that grabs you about the ABC 500 is its massive 26″ front wheel, which upon closer inspection shows off carbon fiber spokes mated to an aluminum hub.

The wheels are narrow, in the board tracker style, but shod in modern rubber and with proper braking pieces.

At the heart of the machine is its namesake, the 500cc single-cylinder engine from a Honda XL500, with a dual exhaust with a can going to each side of the bike.

Wrapped around the motor is a split carbon fiber fuel tank, Hossak style front end, and a carbon/kevlar seat that hides the monoshock that connects to a steel swingarm assembly.

The whole arrangement is very clean and cleverly executed. We especially enjoy the minimalist dash and hand controls, and even the LED tail light is something to admire, with its understated but functional placement.

We imagine you wouldn’t have to bribe the DOT inspector with too much money to get the ABC 500 registered for road use.

A welcomed reprieve from the usual sea of choppers, it is interesting to see board trackers becoming more prominent in the custom motorcycle scene. There is a good mixture of heritage and racing in these builds, which we quite enjoy.