Red Max XS650 stuff

From Steve Red Max...

Got our new MADE IN UK champion bodykit in, and the quality is great - so i wanna shout about it ! I've got it on fleabay and on my Flickr too.

Equilibrio Precario

Shortly after having made his opinion clear regarding Moto Guzzis, we asked Jesse James if there was any bike modification he was unwilling to perform despite the desires of the paying customer?
"Yeah, I could never paint a bike yellow. Yellow is for faggots."

Well you couldn't get much more red-blooded than Italian marque Zaeta. (from Left to Right) Massimo Rizzo, Paolo Chiaia, Graziano Rossi (Valentino Rossi's Dad), Marco Belli. And their Ouroboros makes a lemon look green. Gary went to Treviso to bend it on their test track. Read the full story in SB#5. Out soon-ish. BP
Photos Raffaele Paolucciand and Alberto Narduzzi.

Maybe Jesse was referring to large meat balls?

Laurent's XR1200

From Laurent in Paris. Neat job.

followlolo

Picciotto | MySpace Video

Mablethorpe this Sunday

Racing from 11-ish to 3-ish. Sideburn's GI debuts on the sand on a CBR600.
Remember, if you want Sideburn mags or merch, let me know so I can bring it and not charge postage. A nice Dick Mann hooded sweat will keep you warm on that beach. It's going to be Baltic.
Special Mablethorpe prices - Hoodies £25. T-shirts £15. We have just two Indian girl hooded sweats (grey L, red XXL) and a few long-sleeves in M, L, XL, and XXL, red and grey. Long-sleeves are £18 ON THE DAY.
Shale Britannia books, £15...

All this merchandise available mail order too. See the Sideburn Shop for prices that include post and packing.

Read Rupert Paul's feature on Mablethorpe in Sideburn 3. GI

Nine rounds, Six countries

Mefo Sport Cup European Flat Track

Stalwart

Laid-up in bed for three days fighting some schweine hund related flu, I'm only just back in the driving seat to chase up the loose ends of SB#5. Got this email from Gary who was road testing for Triumph in Greece but is battling air strikes (airport ones, not bombing attacks). Believe me you, we're as keen as you to have the thing in our gawd damn hand. BP

Thanks to the wonders of old-fashioned trades unions I'm stuck in Greece for an extra day. General Strikes are back in vogue. Then I have to fly back via Frankfurt, get a bus from Heathrow to Gatwick (where the LDV is parked) and drive home. 26 hours later than planned.
But, thanks to the wonders of modern tech I'm not using my time to wander around looking at the Acropolis or any of that old shit, I'm perched in a Triumph dealer checking emails and SB#5 layouts. GI

Kustom Kulture comes to Spalding

Sideburn's UK HQ is in the one-horse town of Spalding, Lincolnshire. It's not famous for much, but it's close to lots of speedway short tracks, so there are worse places to be.
So we were amazed to be informed by our old mucka Stuka of Arsehole Customs that Spalding had been chosen to host Kustom Kulture Blast Off - a pow-wow for pinstripers, painters, Tiki heads and burlesque beauties. And now the website's up, so it's pretty official.
Sideburn is toying with putting a night's entertainment on in Spalding, but we always bite off more than we can chew so we're going to think about it a bit longer. It would be great to have Dave Skooter Farm's band The Stags play though. I bet they'd go down a treat. GI

Tosh

Tidy Tosh built iron-head Sportster (thanks for the correction Fat Ass) that's begging for some old school hill-climb daring-do. BP

Cleopatra Wong

A very good look going on from Ms Dorris Young (stage name Marrie Lee). Singapore 1978. Cited by Quentin Tarantino as a major influence for his Kill Bill vixens. I've got a soft spot for Interpol agents. BP

Smokin'

When Imagination Was King

(Not referring to the scantily clad British soul band of the early 80s). Thanks to Old Timer Workshop. BP

Gold Star

Flat track is a dirty business, hence there's not much bling in the paddock. There are more manky mongrels on the UK short track circuit than a gypsy encampment. But like Mr T, Jason likes to wear all his jewellery at the same time. He is quite the fresh prince, but unlike west coast rappers, it's not all front. He races this jewel with its gold-leaf tank and sparkly billet PM wheels. When the start tapes fly, Jason is not sipping shandy, he's rucking in for the first corner. His self-depreciating ranking is 99, but he's no flake.
Read the full story in the forthcoming SB#5. BP

lettering Nicola Rowlands

Suzuki Hauler

It's no LDV, but it would do. Send two to the normal Sideburn address. Thanks. G
Spotted at the Red Torpedo blog

Davida x Lily Allen

Not just an excuse to run a photo of Lilly Allen (though she does it for me, even with that Barbara Cartland hairdo), but the camp paratroopers are all wearing helmets from long-time Sideburn supporters Davida. Loads of companies make open-face lids now, but very few have been doing it as long as Davida, and none are made in Britain. I'm taking my Davida Jet on holiday tomorrow. G

Authentic Plastic

Nabbed from the treasure trove at Poppa Wheelie. A highly unlikely scenario, but a great image none the less. BP

Sideburn at Mablethorpe

So, it's on, I'm making my Mablethorpe sand race debut on Sunday Feb 28th. I'm competing on a CBR600 kindly loaned by Tom. I already get the feeling some sand racers want to show the nancy boy summer short tracker what a real man's sport is.
And yes, a Honda CBR600. Like Thatcher, it's not for turning. Not on sand anyway.

Bring me tea, sympathy, directions to the local A&E.
Anyone wanting Sideburn merchandise should get in touch before and pay reduced (no post and packing) rates.
See you there? G

Iskallt

Harley-Davidson XR750, Triumph Trackmaster, Wood Rotax, blah blah blah. Yes, all thoroughbred race horses, but we at Sideburn are champions of the zeros as well as the heroes, the underdog. Well in this case, an over-weight Rottweiler in the shape of a GSX-R Suzuki.
- Bit cumbersome and heavy for flat tracking isn't it? If you are Swedish and race on frozen lakes, it's the 208kg /458lbs weapon of choice. Jan Leek writes for SB#5. BP

The Don

'Daytona here we come. My Sonic Weld, hard tail, Brakeless, DT1 250 Yamaha all ready for the new AMA Vintage Flat Track season opener at the Daytona Motor Speedways new short track on Feb 28th. If you are down there for bike week. Make sure you stop by! Seeing all these old flat trackers out on the track will be worth the trip. Racing starts at 11:00am on Sunday. Followed by an awesome amateur flat track program.
Special note for all you vintage fans, The tires on the Yami came from the basement of the late Rex Beauchamp just last summer. Mrs Beauchamp found them during a renovation. Luckily I got the whole stack! Not only will there be great racing at the new short track, the spirit of Rex will still be with us in Daytona.
See you at the races.'
Don Metro Racing

Special note for all you font fetishists, I asked Don about the funky #25 on his bike...

'I guess it kind of goes hand in hand that we dig the 60's and 70's thing. I can't really say that anything inspired me. I am pretty artistic. It just happened. I almost whimped out and got lazy and just went with the 2 & 5 from American money. That was too easy, so I just started to goof around with it.
I constantly drew cars and motorcycles from the time I could hold a pencil. Always in trouble in school for not paying attention. Busy drawing stuff. Teen years, I airbrushed tee shirts and custom vans after school in our garage. Always pinstriped vehicles and painted signs by hand. Restored cars and motorcycles for a living before we got Metro. Did a lot of multi-colored race cars, custom HD paint etc. Now I just do custom cards for friends and special events. The computer and vinyl machines made me a dinosaur.
People always say. "Don't drink and draw" I start drawing after I start drinking,
Ha !!' Don

Thevin Bastids

Jérôme Coste's SR500 has been nicked in Paris. It's scruffy but much Loved. The perfect city hack, it has an XR750 style tank and seat with popper cover, big #6 racing number-board with small bathroom halogen spotlight. Stumpy Supertrapp silencer slung low. The Eley Kishimoto flash graphic on the tank is very distinctive.
Any sightings please tell us - if it hasn't already been torched. BP

Sideburn à Paris (numero 3)

These are a few extra snaps that should have been posted with the rest back in November, from La Coquille where we met some of the extended Ruby gang for some lady beers. Bertrand Bussillet who we meet there; long-standing writer for French magazine Café Racer, has now taken over as owner and editor in chief - Bravo! And next issue will host a story on 'L'Esprit du Sideburn'. I gave BB a big stack of my assorted photos from the UK short track scene so I am intrigued to see what he will make of it. BPBB and his lovely wife Sara 'SR Labo'

Iron Maiden

We're flattered with propositions from around the world, for new stories '....that may be of interest to Sideburn?', as way back when we printed the first issue, we were seriously worried how soon the well of suitable and original material would dry up. Plus, it's no good just banging a magazine together with 4"-b'-2" and a few rusty nails, we decided from the beginning we would only include stories and photography of worth, and make a magazine we'd want on our own coffee table. So how to sort the wheat from the chaff? Sideburn is not Wikipedia.
Would a Wiki' researcher cross-dress as a pensioner in piss-stained nylons, just so they could go deep-cover and gain access to restricted MI5 files on a Lady speedway star from the 1920s? A Sideburn researcher would. - Well not me personally, but Mick Phillips would. And did. He has written the inside story on infamous Fay Taylour for SB#5. And we even had to go as far as New Zealand to get the photos.

Incase you are wondering, 3/4s of the next issue is now completed; we will trickle feed you teasers as we finish it off. BP

You wouldn't want to get you goulies on the wrong side of this steel log-splitter. Mick Phillips had another close shave.

Evel Popsicle

Call Me

- Sorry Debbie, I can't remember where we met? Was it the internet? BP

Rice starting to loose it! Then the carnage !

San Jose 1974.
Forwarded to by Wayne Karcich. Thanks.

DUCATI 750GT project FOR SALE

Pretty 1974 round-case model for sale on eBay in England. Thanks to Spanish John for the tip. BPThis square-case flambé Trackmaster (?) was the original inspiration for the un-finished bike.

Lucky number 7

We were pretty pleased to get this email from Sammy Halbert yesterday morning, but we had to keep it quiet a little while

I just saw your blog post and the article, looks pretty cool. Is there any way I could get one of those?

Also some exciting news, Mike Kidd {AMA race director] just informed me today that they are going to let me run a single digit number next year for winning the overall grand national championship since they are now going back to awarding the overall (singles and twins) champion with the number one plate. I am supposed to keep it quite until the official press release comes out so when I get that I will forward it your way... I am gonna run the lucky #7.

Thanks, Sam

Ace photographer Tim White (who supplied the cover shot for Sideburn #3 and for the upcoming Sideburn #5) told us that the singles and twins are being reunited for one overall Grand National Champion for 2010. If they'd have done it before last season Sammy would've been number 1 this year. He heard it at the excellent Rider Files. That's also been confirmed. All sounds good to us. GI

Turbo Visor

Revolutionary in 1964 maybe, but in 2010 ?! Sparco Turbo Visor, good for stag nights maybe. BP