Sideburn 1 spotted

Just found out that Tyler at Lowbrow Customs might have some issue 1 left. G

Chris Carr Night

We've had some coverage in the press so if you're looking for details click Chris Carr Night.
Short Track UK's Peter Boast rang last night to say Chris is really looking forward to the visit and as well as bringing the leathers to auction he's bringing other stuff too.
Remember Chris is racing at Rye House on Sunday October 11 as well. GI

Speed Junkies SR

Giannis has moved from Texas to Greece, so his blog has been quiet, but Speed Junkies is back and firing on all cylinders and he's made some great new stickers.
This is the SR he built before shipping out. He finished it then sold it almost straight away. That don't make no sense! GI

Red Tee Zed

Spotted at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah, by our friend Andrew Gray. Anyone know the story behind this particular bike? GI

Good books

The Devil's Paintbrush by Jake Arnott
Paris, 1903. Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire, is facing ruin in a shocking homosexual scandal when he meets the notorious occultist, Aleister Crowley. As they set out into the night on a wild journey through the sinful city, the story of Macdonald's tragedy begins to unfold – with startling revelations both for the General and the aspiring magician.
In a tale that ranges from the battlefields of Sudan to the backstreets of Edinburgh, Jake Arnott brings alive a fascinating, forgotten figure of history, and a world trembling on the brink of a brutal new era. Black magic, Baden-Powell and Islamic revolution are just some of the ingredients in this bold and exhilarating novel, which explores imperialism, sexuality and the very nature of belief with an immediacy that resonates into the present.

Bad City Blues by Tim Willocks
I read his book Green River Rising, thought it was great, so got this from a charity shop, not knowing it had been made into a film, starring Dennis Hopper (has anyone seen it?). I particularly liked it, because it's a very American crime novel written by a bloke from Stalybridge.

The Complete Book of Flat Track by Gerald Foster
Can you really be without it? We're running low again, so let us know if you want one for Chris Carr night or Rye House.

Boss framer for sale

Springer on Don's bike


From Don at Metro Racing...

Hey Gary;
>>
>> If you get a chance and you find it acceptable to put on your blog, please post that my Boss framed wkr HD MX250 is for sale on eBay
>>
Don Miller
>>
>> PS. It's not on e bay yet, but I'd also like to sell my Don Castro Factory Triumph Flat Tracker with the Tracy body work. Info available upon request

KX flat tracker, Location: Vancouver

I don't really know about Craigslist, what it is or how you use it, but it seems a good source of bikes. Danker of the Sang Froid Riding Club sent the link on this bike. Looks like fun.

'79 kawasaki kx 250 in a champion frame, frame is nickle plated, new fiber glass, bills pipe, quick change rear hub with sun rim, bultaco front drum with akron rim, betor front fork. good dunlop tires.
4000.00 OBO good evo bike, fresh top end with no races on it just broke in. new seals and bearings in the box for spares and top end gaskets.'
kunzeshawn@hotmail.com

Location: vancouver

Treviso Style, Italy

Ben's just taught me how to make montages in Photoshop, so you're going to be sick of them soon. Anyway, as I was saying, a fantastic 24 hours in Italy. Photographer and all-round bike nut Alberto Narduzzi offered to put me up at his place. It's always better to do that than stay in a hotel - even if you've never even spoken to the person. I didn't realise how cool it would be. Alberto's house (above) is like something out of Elle Decoration, but with added motorcycles. Alberto turned up to meet me at the airport on a beaten-up old BMW 100/7 (loads of cool Italian guys have beaten-up old BMWs). He took me to his house, brought out the cheese and beer, let me snoop through his books and stuff. Then, as he had a meeting, gave me the keys to BMW to investigate nearby Treviso. It's a deathtrap, but still kind of him. God knows how he did 8000km in this past August on it. And it took him to the Isle of Man TT and back earlier in the year.
When we met up again we visited an underground car park that is the lair of Mr Borgini, a former racer and now a classic bike mechanic. Incredible what you find in underground car parks.
Then we went for drinks in a fantastic bar, met Raffaele from the Streettracker blogspot and went for a meal in a restaurant not changed since the 1970s. Fantastico! Thanks Alberto. GI

Ouroboros Zaeta

The Zaeta with a Confederate Hellcat and Wraith

The basis is a J&M frame. More details to follow.

Graziano can really ride. No surprises, having won 250 GPs. And he loves to ride.

Graziano's steel toe caps. The concept is to slide left and right, hence two steel shoes. But Graziano trails his foot, not a lot of good if the front goes. Also, it's not pure dirt track, it has a front brake too. I didn't even think about using it.

Rally car helmet and 3M safety goggles.

The Giavera track building

Sideburn fan Peter from Hungary (in Rossi lid) waits his turn to test the bike.

I had 24 hours in Treviso, Italy late last week and had an amazing time, visting places and having a test ride on the Ouroboros Zaeta project - more details soon. Huge thanks to Alberto Narduzzi, Raffaele P, Marco, Paulo and all involved with the Ouroboros Zaeta project. I'll keep feeding stuff up from the flying visit over the next few days. GI

GI and GR

Shed Key

It was Jake Brockman's funeral yesterday afternoon. Tragically sad and yet lots of magical energy bouncing around too. His coffin arrived by Land Rover decorated in Tibetan flags, purple lucky heather and black balloons, wafting incense. Wonderful anecdotes from friends, relatives, lovers and colleagues. Afterwards there was an after-party at the Christchurch recording studios in Clifton. A great party, just a shame he couldn't make it. I was very honored to receive a key to his beloved shed from his widow Sally. She plans to place his urn of ashes in there on the shelf, along with the jam jars of Whitworth nuts and bolts. BP

Chris Carr BREAKS land speed record!

John B and Andrew Gray both sent us emails saying 'You might already know, but Chris Carr broke the land speed record yesterday'. Well, John we didn't. Here's what was reported on Cycle News' website

Chris Carr called the Cycle News offices this afternoon to inform us that he'd just broken the motorcycle land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, in Denis Manning's Bub streamliner.

"We just broke the existing land speed record for motorcycles in the Mike Cook-promoted Land Speed Shootout," Carr said. "The speed was 366.382 mph - the two way average. But it's a record pending ratification by the FIM."

Well done, Chris!
Did we mention he's going to be in Peterborough in less than two weeks? GI

Captain Highside's holiday snaps

Captain Highside is one of the best things about the UK short track series. The Skooter Farm star rider is one of the fastest riders, on a KTM/TransAlp hybrid he built himself (see Sideburn 2). He never has a bad race and he is always super-calm.
He has just come back from a long holiday in Australia. These are his shots and his message (and a review of the Book of Flat Track we're selling - see the right of this page)...


Hi GI, Great to meet up at the weekend and wheel my bike under the Skooter Farm race tent. The sun shone too ( but how is it we managed to have a muddy race?).

I've attached a few pics from my Oz trip. The dirttrack meet I went to at Allen Park featured none other than a "mechanic" called Wayne Gardner and his racer son who was haulin'. I also called at the Church of Deus and after mentioning Sideburn
( along with my dashing personality ) managed to obtain a fair bit of discount on a great flat white along with a few shirts! Anyone in Sydney has to pay a visit.

The reprint of The Complete Book of Flat Track Racing deserves due credit too. My dog eared original copy I bought in the 80's is probably one of the reasons I'm on the grid now. The new version is superb, a quick read of the preface will sell it
alone. More a total rewrite of the original it has lots more color ( USA remember) on great paper but is still routed in the wild racing of the 70's. Everyone buy it now, build a bike over the winter and come racin' in 2010!
See you at the Chris Carr Nite Captain Highside.

Limited to 350mph, please pass

Chris Carr night is two weeks today. What you're going to get...
A talk peppered with killer one-liners about dirt track and going 350mph on two wheels
A chance to ask a motorcycle legend dumb questions (normally you have to be a journalist to do that)
The opportunity to buy the leathers that won the 2008 Springfield and Indy Miles
Time to have a poke at some great flat track bikes
An exclusive viewing of Chris's racing videos, dating back to his early days at Lodi

Reserved your tickets yet?

King Khan Touring Europe

Been plenty about bikes lately, so here's some alt. cult. It's been a long time since a King Khan post, but KK and his sensational Shrines are touring Europe, with a bunch of dates in the UK. Dave Skooter Farm and I are going to see them in Leeds on Oct 1. Clink the link in the first line and check out some of their videos. Live, they remind me of Rocket From the Crypt but with a hard soul centre. Can't wait. Here's what I thought last time I saw them. GI

Rotax framer for sale in the UK

Ready to race and on eBay RIGHT NOW! The right rider on this bike could win the championships - both short track and Thunderbike. Andy Moore is selling it. He was flying at the first race of the year. He says it's a Wood frame, but I understand it is a Wood copy. Framers come up for sale about once a year in the UK. This is this year's. Buy this and race two classes at every meeting. Don't even think about making it into a street tracker. Here's what it says:

' You are bidding on a Wood rotax 640 flat track bike. It was purchased last year with the intention of racing in the british short track series but due to work commitments I have only raced one meeting! The bike is a lovely example with many trick parts such as aluminium swinging arm , Ron Wood megaphone 2 into-1, fibreglass tank, showa forks, hagon rear shocks, Akront rims, quick- release rear hub, AP rear master cylinder, mikuni carb etc etc. The body work is painted in the exact colour of the early marlboro 500GP yamaha's although it looks different in the pictures due to the sunlight....this may give you a clue about the bikes origin. This bike was built for a flat track training school but has obviously hardly turned a wheel since new. A real head turner!!....call 07939149815 for details.'

Thanks to Steve Coles for the tip-off.

Storz XR1200 by Krazy Horse

Another modded XR1200. UK Custom builder Krazy Horse want £20,500 for it. Any takers? GI

Chris Carr leathers auction

Sideburn's Chris Carr night happens in Peterborough on Thursday October 8th. Chris will give his talk, answer questions then auction off the Brain two-piece Leathers he won the 2008 Indy and Springfield Miles in! (pictured below)

You read that correctly - please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.
Tickets went well at Peterborough, so thanks for those who bought them.

We will be taking sealed bids from those who can't make it on the night. It'll be like eBay. You say what you're happy to go up to, the auctioneer keeps it secret, if anyone beats it on the night, they win. If they don't you win the leathers at the next increment above where the bidding stops. Sealed bidders have to pay an £8 registration fee, required up front. Bids in UK pounds only.
Email us if you have any questions on this. GI

FT500 For Sale in UK

£795. People have won vintage championships in the USA on these. We've got one as a project bike. Thanks to Andy Beckett for the tip-off. I've remembered now that he is one of the blog readers who sent in shots of the Mule in the UK. Thanks again, Andy.

Honda FT5000 ASCOT very rare! For Sale (1983)

Goodwood

Man cannot live by flat trackers alone. Sometimes he needs WWII fighter aircraft, prototype 16 cylinder Le mans endurance racers, and Go-Go dancers, to liven up his life. Goodwood Revival in Sussex, is the place to find this, a thousand vehicles - and oldendays wardrobe fetishists, and more. It's on this weekend; you could spend just a day in the carpark salivating on exotica, before you get to the ticket turn-styles. But save some love juice for the hardcore porn stars in the paddock. Vehicles so rare, engineering so, so, what's the word? Horny? Everybody is dressed to the nines, it's like going back in time. As exciting as all the eye candy, is the NOISE. Ever heard a Messerschmitt 109E coming screaming out of the sun? Evil. But very good evil. BP