Small World

So I finally make it to the Lewis Leathers HQ in London. But they were closed, or having a Mediterranean lunch-break. I get chatting to two motorcycle dispatch riders who are also looking to fulfil their own leather fetish. After twenty minutes chewing moto-chud including whats the best animal skin to slide down the street in, and how should it be tanned, one of them says out of the blue "Oh I've got a CCM flat tracker for sale"-"Oh Have you heard of Sideburn?" I ask.
"I've got all three issues" he responds, and opens the top-box on his shitty CD200 Honda Benly. I think he's about to offer me a sandwich, but he produces a set of work-in-progress photos of his jaw gagging Yamaha R1 street tracker. Which bizarrely enough we have been keeping tabs on for over a year. It's being built by Steelheart Engineering in Kent.
Streetfighters magazine are desperate to do a feature on it, but Dave has already promised the honour to Sideburn. We've made it clear that we can't live up to the perspex go-go booted, silicone-chested scorcher that they would have straddling its svelte saddle. But Dave is adamant. The bike has had more than one identity crisis adding further delay to it's compleation. The latest news is that engine block was sent to America for some specialist Nikasil of its over-size bores, but mistakenly got sent back to Australia instead. In contrast to the photo here, It's now sporting wire wheels, carbon brake discs, different pipes, and a more flat track style number-board headlight cowl. He also reassured me he won't be fitting a top box.
BP