Pittsburgh Moto – Speaking with Kurt Diserio

Tell us about Pittsburgh Moto. What gave you two the idea to start this magazine?

Pittsburgh Moto is a coffee table magazine and website we started to document custom motorcycle culture in the Greater Pittsburgh area. After spending time in other cities with thriving, creative motorcycle communities, we felt that our region needed a boost. The goal was to create a platform that could showcase local talent to a large audience, bring the community together through organized events, and hopefully inspire others to get involved. We meet up with builders and enthusiasts from the area for interviews and photo shoots of their bikes, then publish the articles in the magazine and on the website. This has created somewhat of a local directory of custom bike builds that include choppers, cafe racers, vintage restorations, and more.

Tell us about Wild Native Creative Studio. You two seem to have a decent amount going on between this and Pittsburgh Moto. 

Wild Native is somewhat complicated, but the easiest explanation is that it’s the name of our parent company that consists of different creative projects. Alexa runs Wild Native Photography, where she focuses mostly on wedding and portrait photography. I use Wild Native Design for graphic and web design, vinyl printing, marketing, and business consulting work. Wild Native also publishes Pittsburgh Moto, organizes creative social events and motorcycle shows in the area, and produces products for retail brands.

How did you get into custom motorcycles?

I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was a kid. It started with motocross racing but eventually developed into an interest in vintage bikes, mostly because they were more affordable and easier to customize. Alexa used to ride on the back of my bikes but started riding on her own a couple of years ago. She’s been hooked ever since. 

How did you two get into your respective art fields? 

With no plans to ever do it as a full-time job, Alexa’s interest in photography and photo editing started in the glorious MySpace days. Through steady camera upgrades, she eventually started taking jobs in 2013. While her story is simple, mine is all over the place. It’s hard to make a good living doing art and design, so I just tried everything I could to get by. The struggles led to a knowledge in marketing and business operations, which I now feel is vital for any creative professional.

Cost not an option, what bike would you love to have, and what modifications would you do to it?

If I had to choose a single bike, it’d be a pre-war Harley-Davidson knucklehead–the rougher, the better. Alexa would like to add a newer adventure bike to our collection.

Do you watch the movie Wild Hogs as much as me?

I embarrassingly saw that movie in theaters when it first came out… on a blind date in college. I refuse to let Alexa watch it because it’ll ruin motorcycles for her. Although, my bucket list absolutely includes spraying ketchup and mustard on an outlaw biker gang with the courage of Martin Lawrence. 

What is your favorite scene from Jurassic Park?

Is this even a question? Jeff Goldblum’s steamy shirtless scene, hands down.