What inspires you? How do your design ideas come about? Are there artists, eras or other workshops that particularly influence you?
I'm inspired by vintage T-shirt prints, surfy styles, but also by the style of the motorcycles we ride. They look different from bikes that look "tough" - with black, skulls or flames. That's cool, but very different from vintage enduro. They are more elegant, colorful, delicate. We try to create designs that fit this vibe - not too loud or obvious, but in a way that would look good as a sticker on the bike. Our logo, for example, the peacock - you might ask yourself: what does a peacock have to do with motorcycles? If you take a closer look, you will recognize an animal that stands for freedom, pride and elegance. And if you look even closer, you can see the shape of nuts, a sprocket and springs in the background.
How do you manage to build such a strong and supportive community around Kickback?
By being totally passionate about these bikes and the riding style, and trying to create a platform that supports by sharing information and tutorials, bringing people together and not just thinking commercially.
You also organize your own events. How did this come about and what can we expect at the Kickback Trophy Ride-Out and the Offroad Camp?
So cool that you're here this year. This is our third Ride-Out. An event where like-minded riders with motorcycles built up to 1999 only can take part - with a limited number of participants. We camp for two days in the Netherlands and ride a 230 km off-road tour in twelve smaller groups on six different routes so that it doesn't get too crowded on the tracks. In the evening there are prizes, BBQ, campfires and lots of discussions about exhaust systems. People come from all over Europe - that's really cool. The off-road camp is a new concept. We offer a camp for "new" off-road riders who want to practice and learn before they take part in the Ride-Out. They spend the night in a 1979 double-decker hostel bus and receive training from Jan from Desert Wood. On Saturday, they then ride the Ride-Out route as a final test. We have even more event concepts in the pipeline, which we will be happy to present to you as soon as they are ready.
