Biker Boss Wes Lang Gets Brooklyn to Go Hog Wild

Artist-turned-biker Wes Lang, who created a motorcycle Mecca in Brooklyn last weekend, said he was revved up about turn out at the upscale event that merged the world of high art and hogs.

The long-maned man behind the Second Annual Brooklyn Invitational Custom Motorcycle Show said more than 4,000 guests turned out for the arty party at the Root Studios in Williamsburg on Saturday, where the likes of Tyson Beckford and biker legends such as Leo Fitzpatrick admired the metal craftsmanship and memorabilia from mid-afternoon to late night.

"This year we wanted to put a nice shine on the whole thing, real slick," Lang, who lives in Brooklyn, told Niteside in a phone interview. "It's flattering. [Some guests] rode all the way across the f------ country."

Lang, a New Jersey native, said riding is his passion even if the 37-year old only hopped on a hog in earnest four years ago. He also said his current home borough was the best host for the show: "We are from Brooklyn. We're not from Manhattan. Do it where you're from, you know? I love Brooklyn. I wanted to keep things here." 

He said he and his fellow riders, many of them artists too, have made what once they considered to be their fantasy a reality.

"Everybody does it because they believe in it," he said. "It was fun. I'm really excited about how it came out. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how great it went."

The chrome convert has been involved in gallery shows the world over and said much of his work is inspired by the biker culture. On hand Saturday, he said, were several gems from other artists.

"We also had a Hell's Angels exhibition. ... Photographs of bikes that were a big influence on the show, a history of what was happening in New York back in the '60s and '70s. This was major," Lang said.

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