Normally the advice in life is to focus on one thing. And yet it seems ‘motorcycle lifestyle destinations’ are popping up all over the place. For example, The House of the Machines started 4 years ago in Cape Town, South Africa, providing a combination of ‘coffee, cafe, craft beer, cocktails, live music, menswear and custom bikes’. And now BMW is one of the partners for a new LA branch for The House of Machines. Proof that wherever you may go, you’ll meet friendly motorcyclists and a bearded bloke who has paid way too much for a bad 70’s-based cafe racer thing.
Still modern motorcycle seems to involve Strategic Directors and corporate synergies for consumer activation points. Which is presumably why BMW Motorrad is partnering with The House of Machines (THOM). And it even involves a new men’s fashion label named Limits No Longer Appl (LNLA) initiated and inspired by BMW Motorrad. Because of course, it bloody does. Apparently you’ll only be able to buy via the store or online in the U.S and each item will only be available for 12 months.
Don’t get us wrong. There are great venues all over the place, including in London, where you can get food, drinks, check out some bikes and gear, and have a lovely time. And that’s a good thing. As much as we enjoy a good fry-up at a rundown greasy spoon by a dual carriageway, it makes sense to go with the times. If that means I can drink a good craft IPA and eat some tacos while chatting about bikes, then I’m all in favour.
But do we really need to describe what sounds like a decent place to hang out for a bit as ‘a place for people with a love of detail, a striving for perfection and a passion for the motorcycle lifestyle’. Or as THOM’s Strategic Director calls it ‘Where man and machine coexist’. Well, technically man and machine also coexist on the floor of any factory or online retail warehouse, but I’m not stopping there for a coffee.
So to sum up, The House of Machines looks like it could be a good new place for bikers to visit in the Arts District of LA. And it’ll have coffee, drinks, food, clothes, custom bikes and more. So if you’re in the neighbourhood, you should check it out (and let us know what it’s like). And it’s also time to stop trying to cram every single buzzword into any description relating to custom motorcycles based on an older style. Before doing things a bit different ends up becoming a bit naff.
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