Doesn't this shot make you want to race?

I know I'm in it, but this photo really does it for me. There are three cool framers and Simon's ER-6 racer, three Arai lids, scuffed leathers, fat tyres, big bars, little tanks... I know DTX bikes are an increasingly big part of the flat track world and without them there'd be no scene in the UK, but I'm a purist and framers are where it's at. GI
From the DBA blogspot

Sideburn in Notting Hill

Sideburn is now on sale in Bill Amberg's chi-chi Chepstow Corner shop. Go downstairs and look at the great punchbags and rabbit skinning knife sets. Or splash out on a made-to-order Eddie Mulder bag. GI

Bring it on!

From Sideburn collaborator Mick P

'Took a few snaps tonight in the upcoming area of Garbatella here in Rome, our 'quartiere' in fact. Bit of a festival going on, but I was continually distracted by this bird in a fetching t-shirt. Truth be told, managed to get her into bed tonight, although after 20 years together that equates to her all snuggled down reading a good book while I do the washing up. Bring it on, you ****ing animal!' Mick

Flat Track Friday report

Missed the first one, wasn't going to miss this one. It's a lot more relaxed than the normal UK short track meeting, probably half as many people, room to bump the Rotax, lovely meeting.
Geoff, who created the Co-Built frame for Anthony Brown, got to race the bike and got some blinding starts. I think we'll see another Co-Built out there soon. He cut a dash in third hand speedway leathers borrowed from Anthony too.



Dave Ward, who I met when I featured his lovely ZRX1200 road racer for PB, came down from Scarborough and ended up spannering for me. He was a massive help. He's a very handy club racer and hillclimber and it was great to have him in my corner. Thanks Dave.

The R plate riders are out together, the national numbers in another group, so us Rs get a chance to race each other for wins and podiums. And trophies. I also raced in the Thunderbikes. Hugo and his family came to watch. It was one of the best fun meetings I've ever had.
Thanks to all the organisers, lap scorers and marshalls that made it happen. I probably don't say that enough. Especially good to see Colin Birden as a corner worker, can't keep a good man down.
There was a little prizegiving so people hung around for a drink. The legend that is Colin Blatchford was dressed to impress.

The Co-Built crew. Anna, Anthony, Geoff, Me.

Oh, and I went home with a couple of trophies...

Bohemian Dirt Track

Lots of great shots of the recent Mefo Sport Euro dirt track races in Czecho and Austria over at Rafa's excellent and increasingly beautiful Street Tracker blogspot.
Above: Steve and Rach (the Sideburn Girl) from Red Max and Boastie.

Smith Wins Lima...

But (Sideburn 3 cover star) Jared Mees leads the GNC twins class...

The 555: Jackassery

Remember the Alley Sweeper urban enduro up in Portland? Well Dan who told us about this got in touch to say...

Hello Gary,
I hope that all is good in ol' Blightey. I wanted to send you an up update of some jackassery that you might be interested in. I just returned from Denver, CO yesterday. I rode there on a 1974 cb200. The highest pass that we went over was 11,600 ft. (in the rain). We camped every night for free, usually off the kindness of strangers. I had to get off so that I could
resume parenting and paying the mortgage--but 9 of the core of 12 is heading on to Knoxville, TN. Should be a 3K mile plus trip when all is said and done next weekend.
The ride is called the 555, rules are:

- 1975 or older motorcycle
- Spend less than a total of $500 on the purchase, build and prep
- Total displacement of motorcycle cannot exceed 500cc
- No man left behind (even the guy on the really marginal DT)
- Stay off the freeways and keep to the backroads
- Knoxville, TN bound
The blog is here: motonw.com check it out.

For you? Of course

Valentino Rossi likes dirt track. He got a hold of Sideburn 3 and asked if he could have the back issues. That means there are 9 of issue 1 left for mere mortals. I'm looking at them right now. Click here to find out how you get one. GI

Bull's Gap GNC

Sammy Halbert won his first national, with SB3 cover star Mees second and Coolbeth third.
That's some banked oval.
Sideburn supporters Bonneville Performance's Triumph made the main - only the second Triumph to do this is 34 years. Well done to Bill, his team and rider Brian Phillips (25, above). Every other bike in the main was an XR750. Are Triumph USA going to support Bonneville Performance? Er, probably not. Should they? Absofuckinlutely.
Lima, Ohio this weekend.
Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing

Jimi, Jimi

Ghost in the Machine tape art

It's not what you ride, but how you ride it (no.9)

It's an endless joy to find out the disparate cults and crews that are drawn to Sideburn world. We've got the dirt track racers and street trackers builders, of course, but we also have Texas chopper dudes, Japanese photographers, British endurance racers, French classic guys, the Italian cafe racers and now, Australian bicycle loonies. Vive la difference! GI

Hi guys
I just picked up a copy of your latest magazine and have read it 3 times over.
I work in a bike shop: http://www.mccyclery.com.au and do a lot of design work for them. I'm crazy into cars, and bicycles, and used to ride motos but I'm not quite ready to get back into them again. But recently I put a motor onto my bicycle, we've been having fun with them, racing each other on an old abandoned cycle track. The boys are BMX shop owners (Hell on Wheels
in Newtown), magazine owners (Matt from 20/20 magazine) and also the MC Cyclery crew, thought you might want to plug it on your blog (we'd be honoured!).
Some photos from the 2 races we've had so far:
Race 1
Race 2
I'll be plugging your blog on the MCC blog tomorrow!
Peace, and much respect! Justin Fox

As cool as ice

Found by Mr Dan Walsh (who has written a story for Sideburn 4!) on the ADVRider forum. Cheers Dan

I ♥ my schlammspachtel

A gift from Mrs I. A completely unnecessary, but still pleasing mudscraper from the branding argonauts of KTM. GI

Won first time out

We told you about the J&M 1200 Sportster Tom, of the Dutch Bros, was building. Well, Marco Belli raced it Marianske Lazne in the Czech Rep, and won first time out. Marco also raced the next day in Austria and broke his collarbone. Get well soon. GI

Moto Faccione

Chris Faccione, from Dallas, Texas, sent us some pics of his tidy RD400 cafe racer (below) and pointed us to his Moto Faccione website, where we paused for a while...

Mule comes running

We asked Richard at Mule Motorcycles (as featured in SB3) a few questions about XS650s. In case you missed the answers, here they are...

Front wheel- Yes a 19" will bolt right on. Just locate a stock wheel and you're done. Always try to go with wire wheels on the 650 as the stock mags are probably the heaviest mags ever made by any manufacturer! Building a streettracker is more than just "The Look". It's also about the "Feel" and light is the feel you should try to acheive. With the stock wire wheel hub, you can lace up any size or width of rim you want and there are a variety of Yamaha and Ducati brake rotors available with that bolt pattern. Good stuff out there!

Swingarm- A stock swingarm will accept the an Omars front wheel conversion kit if you want the cheapest way possible. You end up with a very narrow rear wheel. If you want a correct rear wheel of 2.75"-3.00 rim width, you'll find that a Radian swinarm will do the trick. They are available on EBAY and bolt right on. Caution though, if they are selling for more than $150.00, you can get a nice custom one built out of cromoly. But it does save a lot of running around. I use a stock Sportster aluminum rear hub for the rear wheel and lace up a rim of the proper width. I remove the stock (heavy) double row bearings and replace them with a single row, normal bearing. Then you can get any sprocket size you want from Sprocket Specialists. For a rotor, you could make or adapt just about anything you wanted. I use a stock Sporty rotor after thinning and reducing the diameter. This provides a nice light rotor that bolts right on. Wheels usually take a lot of thought and work, but give the bike the majority of its look and ride.

Flat Track Fridays V2

This Friday at King's Lynn. Cheap racing, FREE spectating. It's like Ascot in the 70s. If you squint hard enough. Whose coming?
I'm going to be at this one. So if anyone wants Sideburn merch without the post and packing, let me know.
These shots are were taken by Taelstar at the inaugural Flat Track Friday. Check out his flickr album. GI
PS Who is number 55? Looking good! I hope that's a two-stroke you're on.

Mr Clay Chambers

This is from our buddy Russ, who is working in one of the Balkan states. Always forget which one. Sorry Russ. When are you back? GI

'Y'know, sometimes you see images of bikes and think, yeah, I could live with that. Or like the xs on your blog a few days ago I think 'I neeeed that bike'. Well, that happens a lot.
'I found this pic on the internet, I think from a link from your blog, and thought 'that guy looks cool as ..' We all like pics of McQueen looking like you always wanted too as a kid, or what you aspired to, or pics from 'back in the day' as the kids say where you find someone you wanna be, but I find that it is very rare I see someone these days and think, ok, I wish I looked like that/did that. This guy has it. In spades.

'Got the helmet, strides, cool shirt, knee pad things, and awesome boots.
'I even remember having a burning desire for one of those Scott face masks as an 8 yr old aspiring BMX racer. I never had one, but did have a Stadium mask that I would wear with my Bell-a-like helmet when I got to ride in my Dad's sidecar, but I guess
that is another story.
'And I guess this is the same fella in his race gear?

'Nice work sir.
'In the words of Kenny Carter, 'just wind it on and turn left'' Russ

Star Twin

Star Twin is a proper bike shop with a hands-on attitude to building and fixing. They're not lost in subserviance to microfiche part numbers. They're Holland's premier Ducati dealer, with a substantial race trophy cabinet. Almost churning out one-off specials, including exhausts; both hi-tech and oldendays. They are that respected that they have even done prototype work for Ducati themselves. BP

Their 1100 cc 2 valve Super Squalo which just won the Due Valvole class at Assen





OB2 with it's bespoke Star Twin exhaust (an old dry-build snap)

Cider powerd Triumph with new olde style Star Twin exhaust.

As an antedote to sharp end technology Wieger Heukels the shop manager is building a 741 Indian for himself. We look forward to seeing the finished article.