The Powersports industry is a small place, even if it’s a community of 200M riders strong globally. Despite the immense popularity of motorcycling, the industry itself is small relative to the people within it.
For a guy like Andrew Jones, motorcycle and automotive photographer, and co-founder of one of the most popular cafe racers websites on the planet (Pipeburn), the small feel of a sizable industry helps keep him in front of what he loves most: motorcycles.
Today, we’re profiling Andrew, learning a bit about what makes him tick, what makes him ride, and what keeps him excited about an ever-changing industry. His career as a creative demonstrates that there are a lot of stories that are best told on two wheels.
Andrew Who?
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Andrew spent his time growing up doing what most young people in Sydney do: soaking up the sun, having fun at the beach, and getting dirty while at the farm.
But the passion for power was not born on the water. With many days and nights spent at a family friend’s livestock farm just a few hours away from Sydney, Andrew discovered an interest that would turn obsession: the motorcycle.
The Honda CT110, AKA, “The Postie”
Prior to 2009, the Honda CT110 was imported and sold directly to the Australia Post. With approximately 7.5 horsepower and 6.1 lb-ft of torque from its “monster” single-cylinder engine, the Honda CT110 proved itself both a robust and reliable method for delivering mail.
Once the bikes were up for replacement, the “old” Postie bikes would then be sold at auctions to the general public. Thus thousands of Australian’s were able to purchase these cool bikes for cheap. It’s through this hand-me-down of sorts that Andrew was able to find his butt planted in the seat of one.
This small dual-sport sport is one of the most famous bikes in Australia, and for an adolescent 12-year old with a penchant for tinkering, it is also a conversation starter, career builder, and expressive outlet.
85 Kph & Beyond
Nearby, just across the farm, was a long, straight, and freshly-paved road. Posties aren’t known for being fast bikes, but give anything with two wheels a long enough road, and suffice to say that an interesting conversation is almost always the outcome.
You already know how this story unfolds: an increasingly confident 12-year old, a small single-cylinder motorcycle, and a long and sparsely used paved road? You would, too!
Andrew smiles as he chuckles at the memory, “yea,” he laughs, “confessing to your mum that you hit 85 kph on that thing made for some interesting conversations indeed!”.
But for all his love of the road, it wouldn’t be until he was in his 30’s that Andrew found himself regularly in the saddle. Around the same time as he and his partner had their first child, he also purchased his first “new to him” motorcycle: a Honda CB250.
Pipeburn, & Stories of Life Behind the Lens
Around the year 2000, Andrew spent some two years living in Tokyo as he worked as a creative director. Tokyo is infamous for its bike culture (and biker gangs), and it’s a fair assessment that the Japanese motorcycle crowd influenced Andrew’s appreciation for Japanese machines. But it wasn’t just the machine that caught his attention, but a specific segment of the culture that he loved most: cafe racers.
Herein lies the foundation that would eventually power Pipeburn, one of the most popular motorcycle culture blogs on the internet and with an estimated 500K visitors per year.
Pipeburn grew fast. It turns out that people the world over had an appreciation for gorgeous cafe racer motorcycles, and Andrew just-so-happened to be one of the few “guys” in the industry that everyone knew to turn to whenever a cafe racer came up.
And while what began as a few minutes a night of work quickly grew into a proper job, Pipeburn would eventually lead to other opportunities that allowed Andrew to really flex his photography and videography muscles. These are some of the works of art Andrew has been able to capture with talent while behind the lens of his Fujifilm.
“One of my all-time favorite bike shots. That light! A MotorRetro.com.au bike I shot a while ago.”
“This is a British Marcos GT that I shot recently. Believe it or not, it’s got a wooden chassis.”
“An ‘unobtanium’ KTM 500 SX-F built by the guy who wrenches for Aussie Dakar-winner, Toby Price.”
“A ’73 Triumph Bonneville that’s the daily rider of my mate Simon. Third owner, with only 5,500 miles on the clock.”
“A BMW R60/2 bobber from my mates at MotorRetro.com.au. This is stage one. Just wait for stage two…”
Stories of Bike
In 2016, Andrew began working with other creatives in the Powersports sphere, and he regularly began working with Stories of Bike, a popular YouTube channel with more than 95k followers and millions of video views served.
Through Stories of Bike, Andrew would visit incredible locations all over the world and feature some of the most incredible custom-made bikes you’ll find anywhere on Earth.
Now working full-time with Stories of Bike director Cam Elkins, Andrew was dedicated to taking the next big leap.
Crossroads, & What Comes Next
In late 2019, after spending a fair bit of time trying to work out how to build upon Stories of Bike, Cam and Andrew had an idea: what if we created a docuseries on motorcycling, and featured it on platforms like Netflix?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=legIjMKBKkM&ab_channel=StoriesofBike
I can’t help but appreciate the thought that went into this. After all, based on the cinematography from Stories of Bike, the new series would be sure to feature some incredible machines and the riders that built them.
But we all know the story. 2020 took much from us, and its effects are still being felt and realized. With a pandemic in full swing, and with a time horizon that now looks like years instead of months, the open casting call was put on hold.
But Cam and Andrew continued filming in Australia, and when the world reopens, they have a host of incredible bikes ready to feature.
What’s Next?
I’m happy to report that a pilot episode of Crossroads is set for release sometime in Q2 or Q3 2021 and will make its way to a streaming platform near you. That said, they have managed to negotiate the delivery of a second series to a local broadcaster in Australia which will be titled “Stories of Bike”. They have managed to maintain this victory during COVID and it is set to air in Fall 2021.
But of course, if you’re a fan of this site, you’ll find its launch announcement here – it’s safe to say that we’re fans of his. If you’re in or around Sydney and you need professional shots taken of your car or bike, Andrew is the guy you should talk to. You can find out more on the Machines That Dream website.