
Friday, 30 April 2010
Rudge-Whitworth

Thursday, 29 April 2010
King Cinder

King Cinder was a British drama series made for children and screened in 1977. It was based around a young speedway star, played by Peter Duncan, seen above posing on an upright Jawa, and went down well with the nation's post-school telly watchers. I was 12 and spent much of my time wishing my life away so I could be old enough to ride on the road. Back then, learners aged 17 and over could ride a 250 on L plates and when our hero wasn't hammering his methanol-whippet round the track, he was stinking up the streets on an early Kawasaki KH250, one of a clutch of quarter-litre teen lust objects.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
More Stafford
Stafford Classic Bike Show





Labels:
CZ,
Davida,
Death Spray Custom,
friends,
Guzzi,
Rudge,
SB road bike,
street tracker
Burritto
With a 3 ton flywheel made of granite, it takes a lot of effort to get each new issue of Sideburn cranked over and started. With zero market research when we bolted #1 together, we weren't even sure if we'd have enough material or readership support to make it to #2. Gloriously we have both in abundance. The logistics of kitchen table publishing are draining, so it's always good to get the first commission under way with healthy fat blue spark.
James Chappell will be illustrating another legend for SB#6; Gene 'Burritto' Romero. This is a still from On Any Sunday, of Romero's road racer in the pits. BP
Question: Any reason why Romero spelt Burritto with 2 'T's?

Question: Any reason why Romero spelt Burritto with 2 'T's?
Zaeta by Oberdan Bezzi



Paolo, the man behind Zaeta, says is going to make the road-going Zaeta a little less of the traditional street tracker look when the road bike surfaces.
Below is Bezzi's Yamaha 250 V-twin street tracker. That's the Virago motor, right? Thanks to Fordy for the tip-off. G

Labels:
concept,
Oberdan Bezzi,
street tracker,
Yamaha,
Zaeta
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Sammy at Willow Springs



More from Sammy Halbert, yeah I wonder why Jared Mees try to take him out...
Willow Springs - Eddie Mulders WCVDTS
Round 1 4/25/10
We came down a day early for the practice day at Willow Springs Raceways Flat Track and unloaded our new Harley that our good friend Vinny bought for us from one of our sponsors; Scott Powersports. I felt really fast on it first time on the track. That put a big smile on my face, there is not many things that I enjoy more than riding my Harley around this banked 3/8 Flat Track.
We put Jethro on our very fast J&M Framed Honda 450 as this is one of those tracks that is just small enough that a single cylinder 450cc based motorcycle like most the guys ride is competitive with the big V Twin Harley that I would be racing. The Harley weighs about 100 pounds more so it takes a lot more strength and endurance to go fast for the entire 20 lap main event but I have been training so hard I felt confident I could do it.
I was able to win my heat race going away and was really enjoying myself. Jethro finished 2nd in his heat race so we made a couple adjustments to his ride and he was ready to step it up for the main event.
A big thanks to Rod Lake, Eddie Mulder, Digger Helm and everyone else who contributed to the $2500 five lap Dash for Cash. I started on the inside pole with J. Mees and J. Wood to my right among others. They were both riding singles and looked pretty good winning their heat races so now it was time to see who had the most speed for five laps. I got a decent start but so did Mees and for some reason he tried to pinch me off by swerving left at me right away but I wasn't gonna let that slow me down so I charged the little space he left me on the bottom, drifted in front of him sideways and wide open shooting a huge rooster tail at them and took off. I rode as hard as I possibly could and had one scary moment as the front end washed out and my legs were flailing off the pegs but luckily I still had the gas on and pulled through to take the win.
Next up for us was the 20 lap pro main event. When they threw the green flag I dropped the clutch and got a little cross rutted and off balance so I was about the last one off the front row and someone from the back row even showed me a wheel, so I went into turn one banzai style from the bottom and drifted up almost into Mees who had the lead, I somehow came out of the first turn in second place, followed Mees into turn three and got to watch as he went in extremely hot right thru the bumps and up the racetrack right out of my way handing me the lead. From there I put in some really fast laps and started to pull away. Mees ended up breaking so I had a huge lead that I managed to the finish. Jethro was running the best he had been all weekend but unfortunately the bike quit for some reason while he was in a battle for fourth.
I couldn't be happier to win four in a row now at Willow Springs, it took me a few years to figure out how to win here, but now I really have it dialed and can't wait to come back. I have now officialy won a big race on all four of our Harley Davidsons and have won at Willow on three of them.
Thanks for the support! Talk to you next week.
#7 Sammy
(Janice Blunt Photos)
Labels:
Halberts,
Sammy Halbert,
US flat track,
Willow Springs
1977
Monday, 26 April 2010
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Why they call him Slammin' Sammy
This is from Slammin' Sammy Halbert. It's an example of indoor short track at its most uncompromising. He's doing something with Randy K for Sideburn 6.
Hi Gary,
Thought you might enjoy this youtube video I linked to my latest race report.
I spoke with Randy a little about doing the story, sounds cool I will try to brainstorm up some ideas of what I want to say in it.
Thanks, Sammy
Subject: Halbert Bros. Race Report
Greetings,
I just wanted to send out a little race report while I have a chance here. We are south bound on I-5 right now headed to Willow Springs Raceway for round one of Eddie Mulder's West Coast Vintage Dirt Track series. Its a great track and always brings out some of our sports best so look for an update next week or check twitter.com/samhalbert for updates from the track.
4-17-10 Kent, WA Sho Ware Center
Mickey Fay presented "Extreme" Flat Track motorcycle racing at the Kent Sho Ware center, it is a really nice facility and I was excited for the opportunity to race in front of my friends and family for a large purse. We were racing on the polished concrete surface of the arena and there was also Quad racing and freestyle MX for halftime entertainment.
The track was by far the biggest and best indoor concrete track I have ever rode and everything started out great. Everyone would get one chance to set their fastest lap in qualifying and I was really happy to set the fast time because I have not done that in a while with the old style qualifying format of just one chance at one lap. Jethro qualified in the third position.
The heat race didn't go so well, I started on the inside pole which is a huge advantage on this type of track, I got the lead but for some reason didn't have the grip I had earlier and Joe Kopp passed me for the win sending me to a semi.
Jethro was able to get the holeshot and win his heat race but it seemed he wasn't as hooked up as before so something was going on with our set-up and we would have to address it in a hurry.
I was able to win my semi to make the main event and felt a little better about my set-up but in the four lap Dash for Cash Brad Baker was able to get by me for the win. With all the friends and family here I really wanted to have a better showing and my chances didn't look good going into the main event as Kopp was on the inside pole and looked to be tough to beat. While I was outside against the wall generally not a good spot for an indoor concrete track. Well if you can spare 6 minutes out of your busy schedule please click on this youtube link of my helmet cam from the main event and see how it goes down.
UPDATE: As Mick says in the comments - If you're only seeing a very narrow version of the video, right click and opt to watch on YouTube and it'll open in another window.
Labels:
Halberts,
indoors,
Sammy Halbert,
Sideburn 6 teaser
A Proper Education
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Daddy When I Grow Up...

Astro on US eBay

'I hope you are both well.
Check out this bike..
Nick'
You'll have to be quick though, the auction is nearly over. It reminds me that someone called Pepe got in touch to say they'd started a Bultaco blog. GI
Friday, 23 April 2010
A Festival of Flat Track

There are another seven UK Short Track races this year, but if you only make it to one make sure it’s Amman Valley on May 29-30.
This is the first joint race between the UK Short Trackers and the European MEFO Sport racers. That means there will be the cut-throat semi-pros on their modern DTX (modified 450 MX) bikes, the slightly less bloodthirsty Thunderbike class full of framers and modified street bikes, PLUS the All-American Twin Class over from Europe. These are all big, fast, powerful V-twins. There are 1200 Sportsters in dirt track frames, modified XR1000s and XR750s. They’re going to haul on the Welsh 500-metre oval.
Everyone involved wants it to be a festival of flat track culture, so anyone who turns up on a street tracker, or even with one on a trailer or in a van gets in half-price. There’ll be prizes for the best of show, best budget build, best engineering and best paint.
There are two days of racing. Well, a night and a day. The Euro round and All-American twins are on Saturday night. Plenty of UK racers will enter the Euro race. Saturday’s racing starts at 7pm.
Plus there will be a bar in a marquee and food on-site, plus camping available.
Sunday’s racing starts at 1pm. This is a full UK meet with added crazy Euros ensuring it will be, we reckon, the biggest flat track race ever held outside America.
Adults £10 per day or £18 for weekend including camping. OAPS £8 per day or £14 for the weekend, Children (12 to 15) £3 per day or £5 for weekend, Under-12s go free.
More details to follow.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Project FT Update

Lots happening on the FT front. EBC have kindly made us a custom front disc. Carl at CFM fitted some Yamaha TDR250 forks he had to replace the worn-out stock ones. We kept the stock wheel and triple clamps. We didn't want adapter plates and couldn't find a disc off the shelf. So we had a 320mm disc made to suit the fork legs with a centre to suit the Honda wheel and offset. Great.
EBC say 'The cost is £187.73 for a floating discs and for rear £107.73. Lead time is normally 3-4 weeks through the summer months and shorter through the winter period.'
EBC also supplied a replacement rear disc as the original one had more grooves than a James Brown LP.
We also bought a Yamaha R6 front caliper off eBay, for £45, that'll bolt straight to the TDR forks. The FT's going to be a beauty. GI

This Season I'll Be Mostly Wearing...
Eyjafjallajokull an Icelandic volcano blows up and world jet travel is crippled over night. It sounds like a bad pulp fiction intro. The reality is I'm marooned in Amsterdam indefinitely. There are certainly worse places to kill time, but I've got a young family in tow and we've run out of nappies. And my son shits for England (anybody within a 50 yard radius can vouch for this). Schiphol, one of the busiest airports in the world is eerily tranquil. All the departure - arrival boards are blank. Plenty of time for window shopping. BP
Grey suede lederhosen, green motocross T-shirt at Lab13.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Chopper Dave's Casting Company



It even came wrapped in the sex ads from his local paper. 'TS 8.5 fully functional'. God only knows what that means, but I don't want any of it.
Thanks Dave. Get your stuff from Chopper Dave’s Casting Company.
And read Jeff Wright (of Church of Choppers) writing about Dave’s bike in Sideburn 5. GI
Labels:
Chopper Dave,
friends,
quality,
Sideburn 5 teaser
Royal McQueen, Bologna






Paolo of Zaeta told us about this Royal Enfield specialist in Bologna, Royal McQueen. They look like theyr'e having fun.
Labels:
facial hair,
Italy,
Moustache,
Royal Enfield
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