Rusty Gold Amsterdam This Sunday

Lenny Schuurmans - great artist and the man behind Bubble Visor - is one of the co-hosts of the Rusty Gold Swapmeet this coming Sunday.

It's A Glower!

Sideburn has shouty dayglo cover text underneath the usual touchy-feely coffee-proof matt laminate, so if if you get lost in fog, wave it about and you are more likely to be rescued (by a pink gorilla) than your neighbour who is waving MCN which has already got a bit soggy. Careful you don't sit on Blurp the spiking Moshling.
We care about your safety. BP

21 Helmets 2014

21 helmets is the show within a show from the people behind See See Motorcycles and the One Motorcycle Show. It's been running a few years and is inspiring similar shows around the world.

Those very same people who organise all those great things are working hard on Dirt Quake USA - happening in Castle Rock, WA - 31 May - 1 June. Yeah! G

 NOW WITH THE VIDEO THAT DIDN'T LOAD

Вездеход в чемодане

Flying Peterbilt

From the Crosstops charming 7" Drinkin, Fightin, Fuckin & Truckin. BP

Lorenzo Buratti KTM 450

Lorenzo Buratti is Our Kind of Man and had just built this KTM 450. He's racing it in Italy and plans to bring it to England to race the night before Dirt Quake III at  King's Lynn 18/19 July. Click the green Lorenzo Buratti label to see the other things he gets up to.

This is what he says about his bike...

KTM 450 Flat Track, based on a EXC enduro model year 2005, modifications include: complete 19″ wheels, suspension, exhaust system, balanced crankshaft & piston. The fiberglass monocoque body is quick realease to have rapid acces to engine during races tune up, inspired by drag racing cars. Rear subframe is cut and lowered in order to have low seat and centre of gravity. The bike is fired up by an external starter.
If you want to transform your cross or enduro bike into a ready to race flat track machine drop me a line to ask for what about the costs.

Go to Lorenzo's facebook or website for contacts - lorenzoburatti.com

Ducati Mini Speedway Bike

Man, I love it when treasure like this arrives in the inbox. Thanks Karl!

Hi Gary! 
I have two pictures for you. 
This is a DUCATI 98ccm from 1968, about 10 horsepower. 
It was built for Speedway - Junior races in the sixties. I hope its interesting for you. 

I'm the owner of the photos my father made this bike for me as I was about 12 years old. The photo they are a from Voecklabruck / Austria. 
Greetings from Karl

WWII Pilot Boy Band

My daughter was watching the BBC children's programme, Horrible Histories and a section showing Charles Darwin singing about natural selection caught my eye. Then this came on - at 6.45pm, on CBBC, one of two childrens' BBC channels. It is completely trippy. Douglas Bader's return to the RAF  is compared to Robbie Williams rejoining Take That. I don't know how much of a message it gets across to kids, but some of it might stick. I was laughing out loud while thinking 'They can get away with this?' It's like Monty Python for under-10s.
Listen hard to the lyrics. G

Hawaii 6-5-0

This came in from Ross in Honolulu (quite a long time ago).

Please continue to send/email your updates. I enjoy to hear about what's going on there. Some day I hope to have a chance to ride with you on the bike I put together (attached) for short beer runs around town. 
Thank you, Ross, Hawaii

DTRA Kicks Off This Sunday

It seems like we've been talking about it for a long time, but the season starts this Sunday at Leicester.

There is a massive entry - the biggest ever in European dirt track. The cream of British flat track on the flying 450s; all the framers in the Thunderbike class; loads of green novices and the new vintage class full of old handsome BSAs and Triumph twins.

Racing from 12, weather permitting.

Spectators get in for free!

Leicester Lions Speedway Track, Beaumont Sports Complex, 1 The Lions, Leicester, LE4 1DS

Stamina

Last Saturday, me, Mrs P, the littluns and some old friends cycled the 14 mile Bristol-to-Bath old railway cycle path. Bristol has previously been crowned 'Britain's Capital City of Cycling'. Hogwash. But this is a great leisurely day out, with plenty to see en-route including a proper toot-tooting steam train. When we arrived in picturesque Bath there was a Rugby match on at the rec so we received a rousing roar from the crowd. Having left home at 11 we were just in time to catch the 5 o'clock intercity train back to Temple Meads which took all of 11 minutes. The adults were showing signs of botty fatigue but the small people were still bushy tailed, I was well proud.

The official route website is rubbish, but all you need is a regular A-Z. BP

Sideburn 17: Pre-Order

 

Sideburn 17 is at the printer. To help us from getting snowed under, you can pre-order now.
Subscribers who may have moved should send us their new details too.

We also have this great new, simple black and white Or Glory T-shirt (this is the back print).
Get them both at the Sideburn Webshop. Thanks!

Helmets for Heroines

Inspired by 21 Helmets - this London-based event is raising money for Breast Cancer Care. 

The show and auction is this Friday night in London. There's a ride-out too. 

Go to Helmets for Heroines for more info. G

Davie Buonaguidi - Hard Protest

Adam Bartlett - One Track Mind

Dave Buonaguidi - Not Dead Yet 

Essy May - Night Prowler 

Jerome Beguier - Fleur de Lys 

 

Kerry Hugues - Lollipop Head 

 

Margaux Renaudin - Valkyrie 

 Rob Flowers - Lidsville

Sharon Surname - Aloha

UK Dirt Track Training Day

The long-running Peter Boast Short Track UK school (that I took about nine years ago when I first thought about racing) has moved to Leicester Speedway track. Sideburn reader Graham Braid (middle in the group shot) attended with a bunch of his mates and sent this report.

Easter Sunday is normally a day with the family, bunnies and chocolate eggs, but not this year, because myself and four friends managed to get a pass out for good behaviour and do what we planned and failed to do last year.

A day at the Short Track UK run training school where you learn the basics of dirt track racing. After two of us competed in last year's Dirt Quake we were inspired to attend the training day, as it was run by the 2009 UK Champion and founding light of the UK Dirt Track racing series, Peter Boast. We attended Leicester Speedway track and found a very relaxed but informative approach was adopted by the instructors, which included the 2013 Pro class champion Aidan Collins. We donned our steel shoe and set out on a small oval on the track aboard converted small capacity CCM dirt track bikes. We learned to put weight on our left leg and let the bike drop and slide under us. It was not long before all of us had managed to put it into practice.

The next exercise was to brake hard into the turn causing the back of the bike to break away, and get used to slowing down and sliding the back of the bike out. As these bikes have no front brake this is your safety measure if you are going too hot into the corner. 

Once we had all got to grips with the fundamentals,we practised race starts, which was done in pairs as drag starts. Great fun and got the adrenalin pumping!

For the final part of the day we were all let loose on the full track to practise what we'd learned, Unfortunately, we'd had quite a bit of rain during the day, so it made the track pretty slippy and tricky, but we still couldn't wait to get out there and have a go. 

It was an extremely enjoyable day,and as we say in Liverpool,it was a boss day! 

Bearing in mind that two of the group had no off-road experience they picked it up very quickly and at £135 for the day, which included hire of the bikes and refreshments, was very reasonable. It is something I would encourage any motorcyclist to try. Not only does it improve your bike skills ,but you might even catch the dirt track bug. We have!

Made in England

Davida Helmets

Art&Moto, Lisbon

We went to this last year and had a great time. Sorry for the short notice, but it's this weekend.
More details here - ArteMoto, Lisbon. G

Dirt Quake USA Pre-Entries

Oh, it's going to be something special...

May 31- June 1
Castle Rock, WA.
In conjunction with See See Motorcycles.

Go to the Dirt Quake USA webpage for more details.

These are just a few of the bikes already entered for the the race.

Poster art: Adi Gilbert