About Dream Machines

Dream Machines

Dream Machines is a German-language magazine for American V-twin motorcycles, with a focus on Harley-Davidson and custom bikes. Published in Mannheim, it is aimed at customizers, Harley riders, and enthusiasts of American motorcycle culture, covering custom bikes, choppers, technical topics, and the history of customizing. The brand also includes the annual Dream-Machines Roadbook, a yearbook for the motorcycle season, and it is closely associated with Europe's biggest customizer competition, the CUSTOMBIKE contest, now in its 33rd year, a fixture of the European custom bike scene and a testament to the magazine's deep roots in the customizing community, roots that have sustained the brand through challenging times and that continue to nourish its growth, ensuring that Dream Machines remains a vital part of the custom bike world, today and for years to come, continuing to inspire customizers and riders alike, and to celebrate the art of the custom bike.

Overview

Dream Machines describes itself as the magazine for American V2 motorcycles, focusing on Harley-Davidson and the custom bike scene. Its content includes detailed bike features on custom builds from around the world, from Panhead choppers to modern interpretations of classic styles, technical articles on customizing techniques such as weight reduction, and historical excursions into chopper history, including milestones like Paul Yaffe's Copper Chopper, the official homage to Arizona's centenary and a masterpiece of custom bike artistry, showcasing what is possible when craftsmanship meets imagination, the essence of the custom bike philosophy and the reason why Dream Machines resonates with its readers, who see their own passion reflected in its pages and who have made Dream Machines a part of their riding life, a trusted companion on every journey.

The magazine is closely linked to the CUSTOMBIKE competition, Europe's biggest customizer contest, which the magazine has organized for 33 years. The competition invites readers to vote for the best custom bikes, with 50 finalists chosen from reader submissions and editorial favorites, and with prizes including motorcycles such as a Royal Enfield Meteor 350, a reward that reflects the competition's prestige and that motivates customizers to push the boundaries of their craft, inspiring the next generation of bike builders, ensuring that the art of customizing continues to thrive, from Mannheim to the wider world, a journey that reflects the global nature of the custom bike community and the universal appeal of the V-twin, and it culminates in events that bring the custom bike community together. The Dream-Machines Roadbook, published annually, serves as a yearbook for the coming motorcycle season, with tours, tips, and inspiration for riders planning their next adventures, a trusted companion for the motorcycle season and a source of inspiration for riders across Europe, who turn to Dream Machines for their custom bike dreams and for the inspiration to make them a reality, the promise that Dream Machines makes to its readers and that it has kept for decades, through all the changes in the motorcycle world.

History

Dream Machines was published by the Huber Verlag GmbH & Co. KG in Mannheim, a magazine and book publisher founded in 1980 by Günther Brecht. The publisher's portfolio included the periodical magazines Bikers News, Custombike, Dream-Machines, TätowierMagazin, and Tattoo Erotica, as well as the annual Dream-Machines Roadbook and Roadster Roadbook. The publisher also organized motorcycle and tattoo fairs such as the Custombike fair and the Custombike Summer Days in Mannheim, and it ran a scene shop mail order business, making it a central player in the German custom bike and tattoo scenes and a beloved institution among its readers, who mourned the publisher's closure but celebrated the brand's survival, a testament to the magazine's importance to its readers and to the enduring appeal of American V-twin culture, a culture that Dream Machines has championed for decades and that continues to thrive.

On 4 February 2020, after 40 years, the Huber Verlag filed for insolvency at the Mannheim district court, and on 29 June 2020 it was announced that the Huber-Verlag would be closed. The Dream Machines brand, however, continues: the website dream-machines.de remains active with current content, including the CUSTOMBIKE 05-26 issue and the 33rd CUSTOMBIKE competition, indicating that the magazine continues under new auspices. The identity of the current publisher is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted, though the brand's continued activity suggests a successful transition and a loyal readership that has stayed with the magazine through its transition to new auspices, a loyalty that speaks to the magazine's quality and its connection to its readers, a bond forged over decades and that continues to define the magazine's relationship with its readers, a relationship built on shared passion.

Coverage and Content

Dream Machines covers American V-twin motorcycles with a focus on Harley-Davidson, custom bikes, and choppers. The magazine features custom builds from renowned customizers and workshops around the world, from German custom forges like Thunderbike to Japanese builders in California such as Aki Sakamoto of Hog Killers, with detailed reports on the design, construction, and technical details of each bike, celebrating the artistry of custom bike building and the passion that drives customizers to create one-of-a-kind machines, the heart of the custom bike culture and the reason why Dream Machines has endured, through changes in ownership and in the motorcycle world, a resilience that speaks to the brand's strength.

The technical section covers customizing techniques, from weight reduction through clever component exchange to engine modifications, while the history section explores milestones of chopper history. The magazine also covers events, competitions, and the broader custom bike culture, serving a community of enthusiasts who see their motorcycles as individual expressions of personality and who share a passion for American V-twin engineering, a community that Dream Machines has served for decades and that continues to grow with each new generation of customizers, ensuring the future of the custom bike scene and the continued relevance of Dream Machines, a magazine that has become synonymous with custom bike culture in Germany and beyond.

Organization and Ownership

Dream Machines was originally published by the Huber Verlag GmbH & Co. KG in Mannheim, founded in 1980 by Günther Brecht and led by Nico Imhof, with around 60 permanent employees in editorial, graphics, marketing, and subscription management, plus more than 150 freelance reporters, a substantial editorial operation that reflected the publisher's ambitions and its commitment to quality motorcycle journalism, a legacy that Dream Machines carries forward into its next chapter, honoring its past while embracing the future, a balance that has served the magazine well and that will guide it into the future. Following the publisher's insolvency and closure in 2020, the brand continues online, but the identity of the current publisher is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted. The magazine's editorial team and current ownership structure are likewise not publicly confirmed.

Digital Presence

Dream Machines maintains an active online presence through dream-machines.de, where bike features, technical articles, and news are published regularly, with recent articles appearing within days of this writing. The website serves as the digital home of the CUSTOMBIKE competition, with online voting for the best custom bikes. Whether the magazine maintains dedicated social media channels or a newsletter is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted.