LiveWire recently partnered with bike builder Mikey Ojeda, founder of Bleach Design Werks, to customize a LiveWire ONE for tattoo artist Brian Woo, a.k.a. Dr. Woo. “Silent Dancer” is the first of a series of customized bikes featured in CURRENT, a LiveWire Design Co-Op presently housed at Race Service in LA. As a part of this series, the duo also created a conceptual moto-themed capsule inspired by vintage Japanese workwear.
Since getting back into riding, the LiveWire ONE offered a fitting canvas for Dr. Woo, having already stepped into the world of EV with his Porsche Taycan. Back in the day, the in-demand tattooist remodeled choppers and worked on custom-built bikes. The release of the LiveWire ONE encouraged him to explore what electric motorcycles have to offer. “I think there is a connotation that electric vehicles are a step down from vehicles with motors and that combustion is powerful,” says Woo. “But with EVs, these are some of the strongest and fastest vehicles I’ve been in and on. The number one thing you notice is how smooth and powerful the bike is. It’s very approachable but still built for speed. It allows everyone engaged and involved in riding to step forward into electrification. It’s cool to see a culture built around the bike and how it’s allowing people to visualize where it’s going.”
Livewire: Current
Livewire: Current
Livewire: Current
Using Ikigai — the Japanese concept of a sense of purpose or a reason for living — as a guiding principle, Dr. Woo combined multiple passions, including riding, fashion and art, to create an incredibly unique and custom LiveWire ONE. “Silent Dancer” is his concept of not just riding but dancing as he finds his flow and connection to the world around him through the benefits of electrification. This theme further materializes as an accompanying moto capsule created by Woo and Ojeda, a custom kit that speaks to the symbiosis between the rider and bike and just how intrinsically linked the riding experience is to self-expression and autonomy. “We pulled a lot of influence from riding culture in Japan, like an homage to vintage race wear,” says Woo. “There was also my idea of a futuristic ride. I love the mixture of vintage with contemporary and visualizing pieces from the future as if they were worn forever and held up and had their purpose met.”
Livewire: Current
Livewire: Current
Livewire: Current
At the beginning stages of the project, it was paramount to Ojeda and Dr. Woo to distinguish how LiveWire is paving new territory in the electric sector while exploring innovative and sustainable solutions that could influence future chassis designs. During its build, Ojeda tapped Suicide Machine Company (a bespoke moto design and fabrication company, also known as SMCO, led by Shaun and Aaron Guardado) to prototype new covers for the bike’s “fuel tank” positioned ahead of the seat. They transformed these components using ampliTex, a sustainably derived innovative flax fiber by Bcomp. “We’re making a cleaner vehicle and a pure tool for our environment and the future,” Ojeda adds to the conversation. “The plastic on the bike — the gas tank cover, the front fender, the fairing — is replaced with the flax material. We’ve gone away from carbon fiber, which is a little dirtier, and embraced this new sustainable material.”
In terms of bringing Woo’s personality to the bike, Ojeda notes how the more minute details required artisans to bring to life. “Those small embellishments are all authenticated and designed towards Dr. Woo and incorporate his artwork. We partnered with GOOD ART HLYWD, a jeweler [led by] Josh Warner. Josh came over to the CURRENT space, and we dissected a few pieces that could be made out of sterling silver. About five pieces on the bike, originally made with plastic or other materials, are now replaced with sterling.”
As a featured space at Race Service, LiveWire CURRENT aims to keep the momentum going by inspiring creatives to push what’s expected of EV distributors. The project spotlights a burgeoning community out in LA that has already made the organic link between owning a motorcycle and exploring unorthodox avenues of expression, whether it’s fashion, streetwear or tattoos. Race Service and CURRENT look to platform these communities and bring a new wave of curiosity to first-time riders.
“Let’s say you’re curious about motorcycles — the fashion is kind of an entry point to start exploring the culture and learning more about it,” notes Ojeda. “It’s exciting that LiveWire is stepping into the apparel side of things, working with artists that can bring that side of the culture to life.”
“I really connected with the idea of camaraderie in a community around bikes, around riding and the freedom you feel while doing it. The beauty is, once you hop on that bike, you are an individual on that machine — you are your own captain in a sense,” adds Woo.
Stay tuned for the reveal of Dr. Woo’s “Silent Dancer” at CURRENT, and build your own LiveWire ONE using the bike builder on LiveWire’s website. Read more about LiveWire’s commitment to electrification here.
