Read the cap

I've got a couple of these somewhere, from the days when I owned the cooking versions of the bikes that did the business in the Sixties. As fuel caps go, one of the finest. MP
Thanks to David Nimrod on Flickr for the pic.

RSD Desmo Street Tracker For Sale

(tip via DSC) The Roland Sands Ducati is for dale on eBay. Great video at the end of this post. BP

Death Spray Flash Lid

Surface re-imaginater, Death Spray Custom, has been at it again. G

The Trip Out 2013

Sideburn is going to be there. September 6-8th. Get your tickets in advance from The Trip Out.

Old Empire Motorcycle EFi

The good people at Old Empire Motorcycles in Norfolk built this bobber out of the same model of Enfield as our Project RE. They converted theirs to carb too. 

Old Empire is Alec and Rafe, both in their mid-20s. Dig the new breed. They do great work. G

DR600 Street Tracker: Finished

A few days ago we showed a few DR600 work in progress . The owner, Massimo, sent us some photos of the finished bike. Doesn't he look happy? There are some amazing details on it. Check out the SMTT Workshop website for the making of photos. Lots of tips and inspiration over there. G

I am sure I don't have to remind you but next Thursday night is our Weirdo Beardo Night! We have "Them Harvey Boys" playing and a whole host of prizes for various competition revolving around beards! We are also helping a friend with a bit of fund raising by having beard painting and if you don't have a beard we can paint one on for you! All for a small donation. There will also be a raffle with some great prizes. The BBQ will be set up outside and the Rockers Cafe will have a special one off menu for that night only! And as always our Bar will be back open! Really hope you can all make it!
See you all soon!
Krazy Horse

Kenzo Cloudbusting

Our friends at Ruby alerted us to this beautiful video (featuring their beautiful Castels) for the high-end fashion and perfume brand, Kenzo. It's an original take on freestyle street riding. G

Metal Indicators

Can anyone tell us where we can buy some of these indicators, or similar, please?

That's a car park

Photo found on Bubble Visor. G

Wrench Monkees Party

On the same day as the Sideburn #14 launch party, the Wrench Monkees have a party in Copenhagen. (They probably wont be doing any C90 green laning or eating any Mud Crab burgers but I'm sure it'll be fun). Then more of the next day. BP

Rossi's Ranch

He's good, but he's no Tim Neave. G

Sideburn Tote Bag

Loren (from La Isla Del Tesoro) tracked us down at Wheels and Waves and through the power of sign language (eventually) explained that he really wanted a Dirt Quake II tote bag - As neither of us speak each other's spoken language this took some time but was very amusing game of drunk charades. Here he is with his girlfriend - always looking dapper.

We made this bag for the Dirt Quake II racers and we have a very limited amount left. Luckily, even if you are crap at charades, you can get one our webshop. BP

Nicky, it's a no-brainer

Nicky Hayden has been served his notice by the Ducati MotoGP team and there is plenty of speculation about him moving to World Superbike, but really, his next move should be made by heart not head. He's still young and fit enough to become the AMA Flat Track champion. He even told Sideburn, back in 2008, that winning a GNC Mile was one of his greatest motorcycle wishes. Now's his chance.

He is a former MotoGP World champion. No MotoGP champ has gone to WSB. He has nothing to prove in road racing. And a decade on the top teams in MotoGP mean he doesn't need the money.

He could go back to America, still get the competitive buzz, without all the travelling and bullshit, have a two-man team, supporting a young rider on the way up, with the inevitable sponsorship Hayden could easily attract. He'd also put a spotlight on a sport he loves, that would, in turn, help the whole of US flat track.

Come on, Nicky, it's a no-brainer. G

A little 'Dirt Quake Style' from Poland

From Slawomir in Warsaw. Fantastyczny!

Hi guys
I'm still working on my SR500 so I need something to ride around the city, to work etc so I buy small Suzuki GN250, but i want to make it little crazy, little "Dirt Quake style" so i put enduro tires and handlebar, paint it properly and here it is :D, enjoy

See more Polish shenanigans at Slawomir's blog, Pin-Up Motorcycles

DR600 Work In Progress

Marcus Moto Design sent us this bike he found on the internet years ago. A DR650 being transformed in Italy. Lovely lines to it. It's probably finished by now. Brarrrrp, and indeed, braaaaarrrrRRRRRP! G

Like Buses

You wait 99 years then... G

Pekka from Finland

It all started when...

I bought an XS650 a couple of years ago. I got seriously bitten by the motorcycle bug. First I was looking into old Brit bikes but the XS was cheaper to buy and maintain so I went for that. Also it does not have too much historical value so I did not have to feel bad about building it into something different.

At some point I realized that a sport called "flat track racing" existed and that the XS was actually successful racer. I started looking in to flat track racing scene in Europe (and in Finland). At some point I stumbled upon your website. Mostly by accident I guess.

I'm a sucker for old motorbikes and stuff from the 70s and you seem to value old bikes and stuff too. Your blog is fun to read and has the kinda content I like. I've been thinking of ordering magazines for some time now.

You seem to have a great thing going on in the UK at the moment. Racing events every now and then and new framers being built. I'm hoping that flat track racing would catch on in Finland too. We have two events this summer but not much riders participating. The events are under FIM rules and are rather expensive to take part in. License fee is around 450euros for a year or 130euros for one event...

Also no vintage class so my XS will not take part in either event :) Hopefully I'll be riding a "modern" dirt bike next winter for a couple of ice road races. And them maybe some "go fast, turn left" action next summer. And of course there is the "Kaanaan Kahinat" in September. But you knew that, right? Keep up the good work, Pekka

If Pekka was in the UK he could have a day's racing with his bike with the DTRA for just £55 (£45 for the race entry, £10 for the day licence) as a guest in the novice class.

A Zombie By A Corpse

A detail of our latest T-shirt showing an undead Captain Hilts drawn by Maxwell Paternoster of the Corpse From Hell. It's printed, in England, on a soft white ringspun Gildan.

He smells of rotting flesh and is an ungodly shade of beige; he's hungry for the blood of nazis and is aiming the front wheel of his steed at the Swiss border. That's Maxwell's normal Friday afternoon, anyway. No idea what the Zombie Hilts is planning.

Order yours at the Sideburn webshop. G

Stevie Gee New Website

Sideburn collaborator and the hardest working man in illustration, Stevie Gee, has a new website up.
He's also selling limited edition embossed screen prints of some of his great work. Follow the link above. G

France j'adore le Dirt Quake Deux

Lots of Dirt Quake II coverage in classy French motorcycle magazines. Above is the report in Cafe Racer, below in Moto Revue Classic. Merci mes amis.

If you want to get hold of these magazines but you don't live in France, your best bet is The Magazine Man mail order from England. G

HD Mechadoll by Crab Motors

This bike reminded me I have a real soft spot for Sportsters and Buells given an adventure bike make-over. This 1989 1200 Sportster was built by Crab Motors in Switzerland and photographed by Lorenz Richard. G

Race on the cheap with the DTRA

The DTRA make is as easy as possible for novices to try their hand at flat track, one of the cheapest form of bike racing in Britain.

You can enter one race as a guest without joining any clubs. You buy a day licence for £10. Race entry is £45 or £35 in Youth classes. That's it.

There is a novice class (below) and an adult mini bike class for pit bikes, Stomp, Monkey bikes and the like (shown above). There are three Youth classes.

The bike regs aren't as free and easy as Dirt Quake, but they're not super-exclusive. People have raced Ducati Monsters, CCMs, DRZs, Sportsters...

• You need to wire in a lanyard killswitch to tie around your wrist.
• You must remove the front brake or at least the front brake lever. All the other front brake gubbins can stay on the bike. You must have a working rear brake.
• If you have mag wheels, the big gaps need covering with plastic or something similar (to stop the vague chance of an appendage going through the gap).
• Remove or tape up lights and reg plate.
• As a guest rider, you can race on any kind of tyres, but full MX knobblies aren't very welcome.
• You must wear protective gear (leathers or MX suit and armour) and an approved lid.

Simples! The next race is at Buxton on August 18 with a practice day lined up for the day before.
Contact the DTRA for info. G

Mini-Bike Death Race

Good news and bad news for the motorcycle scene in the Pacific North West this weekend. The bad news is, we hear from the excellent Fight for Dirt Track, that the scheduled GNC half-mile at Grays Harbor, Washington has been cancelled, with no apparent explanation, but to make up for it, our friends at See See Motorcycles, Portland are putting on the Greaseball! G

You've Flooded It

UK touring company Globebusters sent this photo taken on their recently completed trip from the UK to Beijing. Apparently, they had to deal with the worst Chinese floods in 50 years. Are we having fun yet? G

SB#14 At The Printer

Sideburn #14 is whirring through a multitude of rollers. Off-set litho, gloss sealers, laminating, PUR binding and guillotines. It's great to see the hundreds of hours of pre-production that is writing, photography, and design. A zillion emails between us and all our contributors from all over the world, finally made flesh.
You can already place your pre-order at our webshop so it will hit your doormat while it's still hot and smelling of all those lovely chemicals. BP