Real Deal

The history of motorcycles in Portugal is similar to that of so many third world countries, for most of the 20th century, a motorcycle bigger than a moped was, considered a luxury for the almost feudal lords and their close relatives,and a handfull of military and police models. Then in 74 with the return of the expats from the african colonies, and the mass migration to France and Germany, Portugal was feeling the winds of change and freedom, but still that reflexion in the motorcycle scene could only be seen in some very minor groups of always priveledged people very far from each other. Obviously i´m generalising and apart from the Portuguese produced 50ccs , motorcycles were until the late 80´s something very distant from the general population. The past and present custom motorcycle scene is an obvious reflexion of that, with a history so scarce and restricted to most, with no outlaw clubs, mass motorcycle companies, and big media exposure, before the internet, and the economic boom with the EU
  Most of us grew up on the foreign influence of mostly magazines that were to expensive to buy more than once a month in languages that we couldn´t read, with photos that told about lifestyles, that we could not understand.
So now that information travels faster and as i mindle with the Portuguese custom reality, i find myself amazed of what a few excentrics and somehow social misfits, acomplished with the scarce means they had. My big thanks to the Faro crew in general , and a few of their members in particular, i have no doubts that without them we would be even deeper with distance from the western motorcycle culture.

Diz quem lá estava "Nota para os ferrosos mais chocados: Nesta altura, as HD que por cá havia eram os restos da polícia e do exército, e bem poucas, nas mãos de tipos que gostavam de velharias, nada de bikers portugueses nem "cultura biker" à vista no horizonte, ainda.

Isto era uma actividade incompreensível para muitos na época, pegar numa motoreta "boa" e dar cabo dela, ainda por cima pagando para lho fazerem ;)" .

Se ainda hoje é o que é, nem imagino na altura.

Obrigado por partilharem e um  abraço