sideblog

Saturday, 7 March 2015

Peaty's Bike Bonanza

Remember, we're going to be at this in Bristol tomorrow.

"Based on a cycle speedway format, Battle Royale will take place on an indoor 180m concrete oval within Circus Street Market [Brighton]. Two teams of three riders will battle it out over four laps. This is a team event so your 'gang' needs to cross the line before the others. First rider across the line gets the cheers from the crowd, but the last rider across the line decides the outcome of the battle. The team with all three riders across the line before the other team is declared the winner......All riders can ride different types of bikes." Looks like argie-bargy fun. Loving this Raleigh Bomber. Bonus points for the old Eveready dynamo lights. BP

Friday, 6 March 2015

DTRA x Deus Ex Machina T-shirts

Deus Ex Machina have made a limited edition run of T-shirts with the posters we commissioned and sponsored for the 2013 DTRA season.

I'm pretty sure all the posters are being made into shirts, but there only seem to be three available at the moment. The artists we commissioned are:

Ryan Quickfall (UK)
Essy May (UK)
Death Spray Custom (UK)
Brusco (Spain)
Stevie Gee (UK)
Adam Nickel (Australia)

Get them from: Deus Ex Machina DTRA shirts

Profits from the shirts will go to the DTRA to keep this amateur, club-run race series going and growing.

Thanks to all who allowed their work to be reproduced on these shirts.

Click here to read short interviews with all the artists.

The DTRA are still looking for volunteers to be involved. Click the DTRA label below to find out more and to find this year's schedule.

FINALLY, don't forget the Sideburn and DTRA launch at Bolt on March 21. G

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Travis to Race the Ronin at Pikes Peak

Not the most visually dynamic post, but read on.

The official entry list for the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (PPIHC) was released earlier this week. There are 78 motorcycle entries and 74 cars. When my inbox pinged I immediately went looking for one name in particular, Sideburn's resident poet, Travis Newbold. Travis is a regular at Pike Peak, but this year he isn't racing his own Honda 450, he's competing in the Pikes Peak Heavyweight class an 1190cc Ronin racer.

This is an exciting deal that Sideburn had a hand in making happen (even if we do say so ourselves). When I visited Ronin last year I stayed at Travis's house. I was mightily impressed by Ronin's set-up and floated the idea of Colorado-based manufacturer competing in the world famous Colorado race with a Colorado racer on board. Travis grasped the opportunity, wrote a letter and set up a meeting. Ronin liked the idea, visited Newbold's Motorbike Shop, a few miles from their downtown base and did the deal. The plan came together.

Now Travis, #747, already a class winner, has the most support he's ever had, and will get two practice days prior to the race, something he's struggled to afford before. We'll keep you updated with the Ronin effort when we get news, but hopefully it's going to be a lot of fun for everyone involved. G

Read Travis's poem in every Sideburn since SB13.
Read about Sideburn's editor's visit to Ronin in Sideburn 19.
Read Gary Inman and Sam Christmas's report from the 2014 PPIHC in Sideburn 18.

B-05K Turns Me On

Absolutely fantastic conversion of 1/2 pint (less than even) Yamaha.
From dorky GX400SP boulevard hopper...

into race-rep terrorist by AN-BU, Nagoya, Japan. BP

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Sideburn 20 - available for Pre-Order

So, regular Sideburn blog readers will know we are a small team and we offer the magazine as a pre-order a few days before it arrives. This is so we can get jiffy bags labelled ready for the mag's arrival without dealing with an avalanche of orders. And it means we can then send it out as soon as possible.

The magazine is due to land on March 9th. If you order anything with your issue 20 it will all be sent together.

Issue 20! Who'd have thunk it? It's taken a relatively long time to get here, since our launch in 2008, but I never imagined making two of them, never mind 20.

We're still a tiny niche within a niche, but we're still doing things our way. Thanks for your support, all those who've ever bought something and all those who've contributed stories, photos or help along the way.

Order Sideburn 20 at the Sideburn shop.
Remember, every order from us gets a free sticker.

SUBSCRIBERS - Now is a very good time to tell us if you've moved house recently.

COVER STAR: Drake McElroy
BIKES: Baer Racing KTM 1000 GNC racer; Honda CRF450 cafe motard; Maico Mega 2 490; Suzuki Boulevard fat tyre desert racer; 1930s Norton Dirt Track; Trackmaster Titan 500; Yamaha XS650 street tracker
PEOPLE: Jared Mees; Ian 'Tiddler' Turner; Dimitri Coste; Stu Egli; Marc Marquez
PLACES: Barcelona; Black Rock Desert, Canterbury; Misano
PAGES: 100

Tuesday, 3 March 2015

Boss Yamaha TT500 For Sale

For sale on UK eBay. Up for £2995 or offers. Don't know anything about the history of this machine and we're not selling or linked to the seller, just putting it out there as it looks like a possible DTRA Vintage or Thunderbike racer. Pretty surprised
There are more photos at Boss Frame Yamaha TT500.
Thanks to Kev H for the tip-off.

This is what the seller says...

VERY RARE VERY COOL KENNY ROBERTS BOSS FRAMED TT540 FLATTRACKER
KENNY ROBERTS NEVER RACED OR SAT ON THIS BIKE HE JUST PUT HIS NAME TO THIS MODEL TO HELP SALES.
THE BIKE JUST NEEDS FINISHING OFF AND WE HAVEN'T THE TIME
NICKEL FRAMED
MOTOR IS 500 BORED TO 540
HAS NICE JEMCO EXHAUST
HAS A COOL BARNES REAR WHEEL
RECENT RESPRAY AND STICKERS JUST NEEDS LAQUERING
FULLY REBUILT MOTOR NOT TRIED TO RUN IT YET
MIKUNI CARB
COOL PERIOD FLATTRACKER
HAS REAR CALIPER, FOOTPEGS ETC

Gonna Fly Now

Feeling like Sly in Rocky II, but looking more like Eddy The Eagle I have just started jogging for the first time in what 20 years. Fitness is not an ap. And it's painful. I'm a 14 1/2 stone slob that desperately needs to get in shape for the Sahara next month. After the first 20 minutes I felt fine, then stopped for a pedestrian crossing and nearly keeled over (I always wondered why the keen always jog on the spot at such moments). I'm trying to think Zola Bud light feet, but my duck feet FLAP-FLAP-FLAP on the tarmac. Deus will you please design a male sports bra for the middle aged 'athlete'? My boinging moobs are giving me back ache. BP

UPDATE:
the elastic in my beloved 80s Adidas tracky-bums has burst, so now they're held up with oversized braces, and the look has tipped dangerously toward "Rock On Tommy" Bobby Ball.

Monday, 2 March 2015

The Kings of Winter

The Kings of Winter - Malle London from MALLE London on Vimeo.

From Malle, London

We recently found ourselves on a frozen lake, 2 hours from the Canadian border - after being tipped off about a rare motorcycle ice race. We've just made a short film about the race - 'The Kings of Winter' - we'd be thrilled if you'd like to share it. Hope they get a kick out of it!
All the best!
Robert