Krazy Horse Summer Nights

Krazy Horse have a bunch of Summer Thursday night events lined up at their wonderful Bury St Edmunds HQ. The first is next 6 June, then on the first Thursday of the month.

They are also having a barbecue the Sunday directly after Dirt Quake II, so if you can pass them on the way home it's a place well worth calling in at. It's a one-hour, nice ride or drive partly through Thetford Forest. You want to head to the postcode IP32 6NU. Krazy Horse is near a Volvo garage.

Krazy Horse are one of the sponsors of Dirt Quake II and, like last year, are supplying a £20,000 Zero Type 5 (as designed by Shinya Kimura) for Dimitri Coste to race. G

Poster art by Ryan Quickfall

Hurst Racing Tires

HURST RACING TIRES Directed by Ray Gordon www.raygordon.com from ray gordon on Vimeo.

Great video for a small company in Oregon. It was filmed by Ray Gordon, who supplied the shots for the Thor Drake story in Sideburn 11.

You all remember Thor is coming all the way from Portland to race at Dirt Quake II, right? G

Bikenstein: Dirt Quake II Edition

This is a Bikenstein. Read all about them in Sideburn 9. Thanks to Martin P, out in Japan, for this one.

Hey guys,
Not terrible busy at work today (some people might disagree...), so I decided to do a bikenstein Dirt Quake II special! Based on the new KTM 1190 adv. It's also a bit of Bott XR, a drop of Deus and Radical Ducati topped of with a Jason Poznat tank, is it a recipe for success you reckon? Or is it rather a combo to get yourself killed?
Hope to take part for real one day, not only via photoshop...
All the best, Martin

Dee Tee Arr Ay

The Dirt Track Riders Association [DTRA] from dael on Vimeo.

These guys will all be racing at Dirt Quake II too.
DTRA racing from 12.
Dirt Quake practice from 4.
Dirt Quake craziness: stunt riders, special guests, Tug O Bike, PIE! and more from 5pm. G

UPDATE: My ego won't allow me to post this video without telling eagle-eyed viewers that there are lots of heats spliced together, I don't ruin my great start as badly as it seems in this clip. G

Rapido

I wonder if mighty Harley-Davidson could ever bring themselves to produce another badge engineered tiddler like this Aermacchi Rapido in this day and age? BP

Oil burner

Yes, it's a turbo diesel. Yes, that's a diesel piston headlight. Yes, it'll be racing at Dirt Quake. MP

Jumpin' Jive

Cab Calloway's tune stands up on its own, no problem, but the eye-watering acrobatic dancing of the Nicholas Brothers steals the stage. If you're recovering from a vasectomy, turn off the screen and just groove to the music. Rumours that this routine will be re-enacted by Ben and Gary in the bar at Dirt Quake after the racing's over have yet to be confirmed. MP

Dirt Quake II News, Schedule and Special Guests

The entries are all complete for Dirt Quake and we've got some great bikes and some wild bikes entered, over 60 in total with riders from the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the USA. This is a fun event to enter, but it's just as much fun to watch (without the chance of a Honda Cub Chopper trying to use you as traction).

KIDS BICYLE RACE
We're looking for kids to enter a cycling dirt track race. One lap of the race track. 12s and under. Email us to enter. You bring your own bike and helmet.

MILK CHUG
No bike? No licence? No problem. Drink 4 pints of milk quicker than the competition and win prizes.
Enter on the day.

SCHEDULE
12.00           Turnstiles open
12.00-3.45   Dirt Track Riders Association heats
4.00             Dirt Quake Practice
5.00             Dirt Quake Riders Parade
5.15             Stunt Rider: Lee Bowers
5.30             Dirt Quake Heats Round 1
6.00             Kid’s Bicycle Race
6.10             Dirt Quake Heats Round 2
6.40             Milk Chug
6.50             Dirt Quake Heats Round 3
7.30             Dirt Track Riders Association Finals
8.15             Stunt Rider: Lee Bowers
8.30-9.00     Dirt Quake Finals
9.00-Late     Bar and DJs


SPECIAL GUESTS
David Borras, the deranged, but ever so smartly arranged, boss of El Solitario is racing his little Honda, Pop (at the top of this post). As you can see, he looks great in shorts, but he has to wear long trousers for Dirt Quake. We're expecting him to compete in one of his £400 denim suits (Buy yours on the day...)

Round the world tourer, Dakar casualty, former child actor, TV camera leach and good friend and supporter of Sideburn - Charley Boorman (above and below) is racing the new Zaeta DT.

 
Another special guest, from Portland Oregon, US of A, is Thor Drake of See See Motorcycles and The One Motorcycle Show. He'll be racing the Sideburn Enfield. Watch this video him and tell me you don't want to meet him.

For more details on the whole dirt track extravaganza, including the Old Empire pre-Quake party, go to the Dirt Quake minisite.  G

My Domain

Protected by guardian ghouls and cuddly bears. BP

FT Photos

Long-term friend and supporter of Sideburn, Tom Whiting has committed to shoot every round of the UK's Dirt Track Riders Association championship. The idea is to sell riders great shots of themselves, but he'll sell them to anyone. His rates are really reasonable and the shots he's getting are great, as you can see from these.
From top to Bottom: Paul Baleta on his homebuilt KTM; Ollie Brindley - super-fast junior, remember the name; Tim Neave, or issue 10 cover star, on Jon's Honda CR500 two-stroke framer; the senior juniors and our startline marshal, Krusty.
Go to FT photos. G

Orna Mental

Or "How many people does it take to zip a viking into his racing boots?"
(And what tools do they need?) Nico Ornamental Conifer (here astride the Baron's Speed Shop show stopping Triumph T100 at the BSMC event) is emigrating to the southern hemisphere with his lovely girlfriend Steph. We have had the honor of crossing paths several times, and proudly have some of his One Shot enamel on the tank of the Sideburn Enfield. OC we wish you all the best. BP

This is England

The BikeShed Event.mov from Tim van Someren on Vimeo.
A glimpse of last weekend's London Bike Shed Event for those who couldn't make it and a reminder of a great show for those who did. We're very happy to have been involved in it. G

Johnny keep a-rollin'

'What you got on that train, boy?'
'I got Bo Diddley, I got Jerry Lee, I got Plommons, I got R&B, punk, freakbeat. Man, I got...'
'Yes, yes, thank you Mr Alpha, I think we get the picture. Mind how you go now, there's a badger on the line at Tamworth and a temporary 40mph limit just this side of Wigan North Western.'

All aboard the Killer Diller Locomotive Special, curated by Sideburn favourite, Sir Johnny Alpha. An hour and 24 minutes of pure aural pleasure. No buffet car. Toilets out of order. MP

Retrospective Scooters Book

This brand new book takes its name from a back street North London classic Vespa specialist. It's the work of photographer Paul Hart who shot the shop, its vintage Vespas and also the scooters the photographer himself bought from Retrospective over a six-year period. 

Paul explains the book was shot all on film, not digital, which always makes much more difference to the photographer (and other photographers) than the reader. Instagram's instant effects have dulled us to the joys of cross-processing. Nevertheless it's a lovely coffee table book for anyone with a soft spot for Piaggio's wasp. 

The 120-page book is a chunky large format softback and is limited to 130 copies. It'll sell out, guaranteeing its cult status. 

It was designed by David Hardy of (Team S Equipe and Enjoy the Ride) and the short passages are in English, Italian and German. I've been picking it up and putting it down all day. I've found it pretty inspirational (even though I'm a Lambretta man). 

Go to Vespamore to buy yours. G

GT Cruiser

The mongrel spirit of Drakey lives on in my shopper-chopper-bar-hopper-do-whopper. BPPS. He's not dead, just living on the other side of the planet (and spending his weekends tending his Kiwi fruit instead of racing his gnarly Rotax deathtrap).

*SOLD* Cheap UK Flat Track Bike for Sale

Alloy tanked CCM running on 19s. Suzuki DRZ400 engine.
Ready to race. £1000 or near offer. Eligible for the Rookie and Restricted/Pro class (not Thunderbike).
I don't know the history of the bike, but it raced at the weekend and you're unlikely to find a ready to race bike on 19s any cheaper.
It won't have a V5 so you can't convert it back to a road bike.
Call or text Ronald on 07533 506062. G

DTRA Round 4, Tir Prince, Wales

This race is on a super-fast, two-thirds of a mile horse racing oval near Rhyl in North Wales. This is proper On Any Sunday action.
It's a Friday night race with racing starting at about 7pm. The DTRA needs marshals for this race. You'd need to be there for 5-ish to get a briefing and cover the practice.
Times and gate prices will be confirmed on the blog.

Sideburn's ongoing sponsorship of the UK Dirt Track Riders Association sees us commissioning different artists to produce a poster for each of the races. Please share this poster on any of your own social media.

Round 1 was Ryan Quickfall
Round 2, Essy May
Round 3 is Dirt Quake by Adi Gilbert
Round 4 is by Adam Nickel, interviewed below.

ADAM NICKEL

Where do you live? 
Brisbane, Australia.

What bike do you own? 
A 1955 Triumph Thunderbird.

What's your dream bike? 
I wouldn't mind owning a DAH Harley race bike.

Who is your motorcycle hero? 
Burt Munro, though watching Malcolm Smith in the Elsinore Grand Prix in On Any Sunday gives me goosebumps.

If you were to start racing flat track what bike would you choose to compete on?
I love the KR flattrack bikes

What was the inspiration for your DTRA poster?
Early 60s graphic design, specifically rock posters from around era.

Finish this sentence: I love my motorcycle... 
...but I think it hates me.

www.adamnickel.com

Corpses from Hell x Ruby Helmets

Ruby X Corpses From Hell from Richard Baybutt on Vimeo.

Absolutely brilliant video by Richard and Maxwell at Corpses from Hell (also featuring a bit of DTRA racer Ross Herrod) for Ruby Helmets.
Part of it is filmed in Sideburn stockists, The Mud Crab Diner, Sheffield.
Watch it, it'll make your day. G

DSC X Alpinestars X Bell X Ross Herrod

Ross 'King' Herrod's ex-Captain Highside Rotax short tracker now has DSC twinkly livery. DSC has also reeled in Alpinestars and Bell into the equation. Seen for the first time at the Bike Shed show on Saturday and raced in anger on the Sunday at Rye House. BP

The Bike Shed Event

 

Thanks to The Bike Shed for including us in their inaugural show. It was very impressive.
And thanks to Gary Margerum for these photos. G

Out in Front

Just recovering from a great motorcycle weekend in England. Thanks to The Bike Shed crew for their Event (more on that when we get chance) and the Dirt Track Riders Association and all their volunteers for a super-smooth race meet at Rye House.

With nearly 30 riders in the Thunderbike class I didn't qualify for the 12-man A Final, but I was on the front row for the B, got the holeshot, led every lap and managed to break from the pack (see below).

I'd always rather qualify for the A with no chance of a podium, but it is nice to win a race every now and then. 

Thanks to Simon F for the photos. G

Guzzi Goodness

Grant Ray worked for Confederate Motorcycles and launched Hell For Leather, a website that used to be a daily stop-off for me. He's since left HfL and the site's become more mainstream, uglier and changed its name to RideApart.
Despite the fact Grant once threatened me with legal action because I used the phrase 'hell for leather' in a motorcycle magazine, when he'd copyrighted it (no, me neither) I still really liked his work and finally got to meet him at The One Motorcycle Show in Portland. Strangely, we were wearing matching 50-year-old Swedish army coats.
Grant was tasked with organising a launch for the new Guzzi California in California. This is what he came up with - an art installation with characters from an imaginary TV show that have V-twins for heads. I love it and I really like the bike, if it wasn't so bloody expensive (over £14,000).

In other Guzzi news, I wrote a piece about the company for the Influx website. Go and have a look. I'm dead happy with it. G

Mule Triumph

I always enjoy opening an email of a newly finished bike from Mule Motorcycles.
What I love about the bike:
1. How tightly the exhaust tucks under the engine (Mule didn't send photos of the other side).
2. The Morris wheels.
3. The colour of the wheels.
4. The rear caliper hanger.
5. The Keihin FCR flat slides.
6. The Mule tail unit.
Lovely job. G

Greasy Kulture x Boneshaker Day

Fellow British-based independent moto magazine Greasy Kulture had a do at Boneshaker choppers HQ in the West Midlands, so we went along to support the cause.

Plenty of traditional style choppers - that's GKM's bag. Man in fez too.

This bike belongs to one of the guys behind the Eat Dust clothing brand. There are a lot of clothing companies starting up that are hanging their metaphorical hat on motorcycling, but I can't think of one of them that puts in the miles this guy does. He rode over from Belgium for this afternoon meeting, then went home the next day for work. He rides everywhere.
I don't profess to know a ton about the Harley scene, and I know a lot of followers of this blog are in the same boat, but I'll share the bit I learnt. This bike is modified in 'the club style'. The club doesn't refer to The Ivy or Bolton Wanderers, but the modern outlaw patch clubs. Straight bars, muted colours, uprated suspension, twin shocks, tuned engine, bikini fairings. It's a totally different kettle of fish to the traditionally-styled hardtails that filled the car park. These FXR and Dyna Harleys are supposed to be the best long mileage big twins (that aren't full dressers). There, you know as much as me.
I took this photo to show the hi-rise bar clamp, stock clocks and satnav. Again, very different to the predominant traditional choppers.
Anyway, Eat Dust know denim and know how to ride a long way.

Liked this Enfield bobber.

 Mr Greasy Kulture

 Modern Husqvarna-powered hardtail, what a crazy cocktail.

Al from the Skeleton Chop Shop with his Sporster he's converted to run a, I think, Shovelhead non-unit transmission. Don't ask why, ask how? In foreground, photographer Sam Christmas about to stuff his face.

Vincent for sale. Like my mum used to say, if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.

Boneshaker's HQ is an old mill building, full of Harleys, Indian and wonder.

It wasn't all choppers and bobbers. Cristi, rode down from Manchester on his Paul Smart Replica. I thought he looked a stylish dude, so gave him a Sideburn sticker. 'Thanks,' he said, 'I'll have it but I've already got one.' I love it when some I think looks interesting already buys Sideburn. Well, I like it when anyone buys it. 

The West Midlands, not the West Coast. G