Back in February 2019, we came across a trailer for an upcoming movie called “Oil In the Blood.” That teaser got us all pretty excited, and we were left to wait for the feature film’s release. That wait is days from being over, as the film’s commercial release is scheduled for Monday, October 14, 2019.

Recently I had the opportunity to pre-screen this feature-length documentary film, and I have to tell you all: it is fantastic. The custom machines and builders featured were interesting and engaging right up until the credits rolled. Even my significant other, who is a car guy instead of a bike guy, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, keep in mind I will watch any motorcycle movie. Of course I’ve seen On Any Sunday; I watched Easy Rider the day I completed my MSF class twenty-mumble years ago. I own the Long Way box set. I watched (and loved) TT3D: Closer To the Edge in a theater on the Isle of Man during a rainy day on race week. Friends of mine and I nearly got kicked out of a theater laughing at Torque. I own all the iterations of Faster. I walked out halfway through A Story Worth Living having been duped right along with the rest of the ADV nerds. I even helped organize a group screening of Why We Ride with my motorcycle group. Basically, if it’s a motorcycle movie, even a bad one (Girl On a Motorcycle anyone?) I’ve seen it. (How dare you? Girl on a Motorcycle is high art and a national cinematic treasure! -JM)

This documentary ranks at the top. If you are at all interested in the custom motorcycle scene, you’ll be nodding, laughing along with, or yelling back at the screen just like I was. This is absolutely one of the best I’ve seen; it captures motorcycle people in all our diversity. And when I say “motorcycle people” I mean those of us who have been elbow-deep in a lot of different bikes. Those of us who bleed our own brakes, slice ourselves open on rogue cotter pins, pull our own wheels, and mount our own tires. Who rebuild oilhead starter motors annually as a matter of maintenance. Those of us who really, literally, have got oil in our blood more often than is probably healthy. These are my people, and they can and should be your people, too.

If you follow the scene at all, and by that I mean you read about the bikes we cover here at RideApart from sites like BikeEXIF, Pipeburn, and Silodrome, just to name a few; you’ll recognize a lot of names, sites, and bike shows in this documentary. The interviews range from new builders to folks who have been in the business for a lot of years. You’ll gain perspective from those who lived through the global economic downturn in 2008 and how that affected the custom bike world.  You’ll see folks alternately supporting and railing against manufacturers getting in on the custom bike scene, and builders who bolt some parts onto a bike and call it a custom. You’ll hear all about how professional custom builders got into the business and why.

The best part though, of course, is the serious motorcycle porn showcased throughout the film. The enthusiast will be thoroughly entertained by a ton of bikes, both classic beauties and… less mainstream. I certainly had a moment catching the director’s own custom MH900e (that didn’t start life as an MH900e) in gorgeous smoke blue.

The commentary is just as good as the bikes surrounding the people being interviewed, though. You’re going to have to watch the movie twice just to pay closer attention to all of that artwork on display. All of that is interspersed with scenes of custom bikes racing, stunting, or just rolling around. This film contains several internal combustion symphonies, and I highly recommend it in its entirety. Two motor-oil-soaked thumbs up.

You can preorder the region-free DVD or BluRay on the Amazon.co.uk site, or wait until October 14 to order from Amazon.com.

For more information see https://www.oilintheblood.cc/

Top comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
Comment!
Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com