Team Member Spotlight: Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson is the co-founder and creative backbone of the Mama Tried Motorcycle Show, Milwaukee’s legendary winter gathering of custom bikes, flat track racing, and unapologetic moto culture. With deep roots in both the hospitality world and the underground motorcycle scene, Scott has spent the better part of three decades building spaces where people and machines collide in the best possible way.

His journey started in the early ’90s with the opening of Fuel Café, a punk-infused coffee bar in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood that became a magnet for the city’s skaters, artists, and riders. That DIY spirit spilled naturally into the streets when Scott launched his first motorcycle event, Rockerbox, a block-party-style ride-in bike show held right outside the café in the heart of Riverwest. It was raw, eclectic, and deeply local—foreshadowing the energy that would later define Mama Tried.

Scott’s early passion was rooted in café racers and vintage metric bikes, which led him into racing and wrenching. From the days of the tracks to tearing up the streets he embraced every form of speed he could get his hands on. Things shifted when he met Warren Heir Jr., a talented builder with a deep love of vintage American choppers. The two hit it off, bonding over their shared passion for motorcycles—and soon, Scott’s world expanded to include the world of choppers all while infecting Warren with the racing bug.

That partnership would go on to shape the Mama Tried Motorcycle Show, and upon entry of Jeremy Prach, its wild sibling, Flat Out Friday, into some of the most influential events in modern motorcycling. The blend of Scott’s hospitality background and event chops, plus Warren’s builder ethos and love for American customs, created a uniquely inclusive platform—where flat-track racers, chopper freaks, and café purists all share the same space.

Today, Scott continues to pour his energy into growing the culture. Helping the event that feels equal parts art show, party, and family reunion. His creative vision has always been clear: build something that celebrates the wide, weird world of motorcycles—and the people crazy enough to ride them.