A visit to Deus Ex Machina Temple of Enthusiasm - Bali
I became aware of the Deus Ex Machina brand (aka Deus Customs) several years ago after seeing their bikes appear on blogs such as BikeExif. At the time they were based in Sydney Australia and were riding the new wave of down to earth custom bikes, brat style etc that has since become a mainstay of the custom motorcycle scene.
Since then Deus stores and workshops have sprung up around the world. While I've not visited the original site in Sydney, I was able to visit their LA shop which happened to be just around the corner from where we returned out motorcycles when we had completed our Route 66 trip.
The brand and their premised are a mix of lifestyle concepts and pursuits carefully blended together. They ooze 'great design'; 'high quality' and 'craftsmanship' with more than a hint of 'freedom' and 'cool' thrown into the mix. The stores blend bikes, surf, fashion and designer goods with a laid back coffee house vibe. I spent a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon at their LA store browsing the store, drinking coffee and surfing the Internet.
While in some sense the brand, stores etc might feel a little over the top hipster, (it does) it's worth remembering that Deus was one of the teams that set the trend rather than followed it. For my part, I like to see motorcycle brands thriving and bikes reaching audiences that might not otherwise be.
So when my wife and I got the opportunity to holiday in Bali at the end of summer 2014, we were keen to visit the Deus shop in Oberoi town and their quirky named 'Temple of Enthusiasm' in Canggu.
The Temple of Enthusiasm includes a bike workshop, a store selling bikes, surf good, fashion, art, books and designer items, alongside a gallery, outdoor entertainment space and cafe/restaurant. Deus have done everything they can to make this out of town site a destination.
We had seen a number around the island with their distinctive script on the tanks which serve as all bike marks do as a rolling advertisement. There were a couple of other custom bikes out there two suggesting that the small Island has a vibrant custom scene.
Of course after a few beers and a chilled out evening, we checked out the bikes and hit the store. While we didn't come back with a bike we did part with some cash. Whether you are into your bikes or not it's a good place to come for a fun evening. It's busy, has a friendly vibe, the food good and well priced, as are the beers and there's a trendy crowd (for the purposes of this blog I'll include myself). If you are into surf, bikes or design it's a 'must' for your visit to Bali.
We had seen a number around the island with their distinctive script on the tanks which serve as all bike marks do as a rolling advertisement. There were a couple of other custom bikes out there two suggesting that the small Island has a vibrant custom scene.
Of course after a few beers and a chilled out evening, we checked out the bikes and hit the store. While we didn't come back with a bike we did part with some cash. Whether you are into your bikes or not it's a good place to come for a fun evening. It's busy, has a friendly vibe, the food good and well priced, as are the beers and there's a trendy crowd (for the purposes of this blog I'll include myself). If you are into surf, bikes or design it's a 'must' for your visit to Bali.