SIDEBURN magazine Est. 2008

SIDEBURN wishes you all the best for 2015.
Time flies when you are having fun and the past SEVEN years have been supersonic!
Many thanks to all our friends, extended family, talented contributors, sponsors, advertisers, you bloggers, and crucially all ye faithful who buy the printed word and keep us in motion! BP and GI.

In 2014 Sideburn has:

Made four issues in one calendar year for the first time.
Supported a wide variety of photographers and artists with commissions.
Held Dirt Quake III in the UK.
Co-organised Dirt Quake USA with See See Motorcycles.
Rode dirt tracks at Perris, Castle Rock and Aragon, Spain and every round of the DTRA.
Made collaboration shirts with ODFU and Barn Fresh.
Sponsored races around the world including the DTRA and Dust Hustle in Australia.
Attended shows and races all over the UK and America.
Posted 554 blogs (at least one every single day).
Attracted 19K followers on instagram.
Supported the independents - selling third party items from small manufacturers in our online shop.
Organised (and sold out) our first desert trip - Sunburn to Morocco that will happen in 2015.

Bring on 2015. It's going to be even more happening.

The Shop, Vancouver

The Shop in Vancouver looks great. They've been stocking Sideburn for a while.
Our website and stockist list has been updated.
If you want to stock Sideburn or you have a shop near you that should stock Sideburn, get in touch and let us know. Email is at dirt @ sideburnmagazine.com

Thanks to Norm McFuzzybutt for the photo.

BRAAAP!

We have these new badges in stock, made by our friends at Town Moto, £5 plus post. Get them at the Sideburn shop. 

Diesel Fitting

Diesel fitters seem to have an affinity to the (now sold out) Sideburn bobble hat. Christmas Eve, and while you were running about buying last minute presents, young ike dove into the engine bay of our Berlingo, and ripped out the manifold and stinky EGR, to change the glowplugs which were dying.

Having watched two Youtube DIY videos, my 'expert' skill was duly humbled upon reassembly when, with with the family on-board for a Christmas treat, the F*&#er wouldn't rev above 2000rpm, and would hardly pull out of our parking space.
Water contamination from over eager cleaning was suspected and Boxing day was spent draining the fuel, disassembling the EGR, and further cussing chasing my tail on French car forums. Pulling the rubber pipes off the electronic vacuum regulator (which duh, had been topsy-turvy), revealed an inactive EGR valve. So all dandy now. BP

Happy Christmas from Thrive, Indonesia

DTRA 2015!

If you're anything like us, all you'll have been wishing for Christmas is news of a new DTRA season, then praise be, because St Anthony of Brown has announced a seven-round series. He adds...

We have plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in 2015 and would like to invite anyone who would like to volunteer to let us know. We have some training courses planned pre-season for club officials.

Rnd 1 - Sunday April 26th - Shorttrack - Leicester Speedway
Rnd 2 - Sunday May 17th - Shorttrack - Eastbourne Speedway
Rnd 3 - Sat and Sun 13/14 June - TBC (Possible TT Practice Saturday race Sunday)
Rnd 4 - Friday 17th July - Shorttrack - Kings Lynn
Rnd 5 & 6 - Sat and Sunday 8-9th August - 1/2 Mile - Ammanford
Rnd 7 - Sunday 13th Sept - Shorttrack - Rye House

Rain Date: Oct 3rd or 4th

For more info go to www.dirttrackriders.co.uk
Photos: Ian Roxburgh

Limited Edition

We're running very low on these shirts already.
We don't put stuff in a 'sale'.
Sideburn x ODFU
Sideburn x Barn Fresh
Sideburn kids
Get yours at the Sideburn shop.

Motor Bike Expo, Verona

After missing 2014's edition, we're going back to the Motor Bike Expo, Verona in January. We've always enjoyed this massive show and made a lot of friends there.
We'll be on the fun-filled Mr Martini stand.
See you there! G

Happy Christmas

We didn't have a Xmas card made, so we're using this one that our friend Brusco did.
Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Happy Christmas!
Etc...

The Bar-Kays' Guide to Men's Style

Let's get this party started! I saw this amazing photos in an old Mojo magazine that was kicking around. I knew of the Bar-Kays and they're fantastic party tune, Soul Finger, but not what they looked like.
If the photo above hasn't loaded, imagine a group of seven tough looking fellas, six black, one white. The white guy looks like a young Acker Bilk. All seven are wearing cerise casual suits, bright white socks and brilliant white slip-ons. They also have white neckerchiefs, a look favoured by Fred from Scooby Doo. No one is smiling. One of the fellas is wearing what look like Cazals.
They look a potentially surly bunch. In different attire, and in this period of history, you could image they were a sexually ambiguous, hardcore civil rights protest group. Not so much the Black Panthers, more the... Pink Panthers.
They are, in this shot at least, without doubt,the finest looking band ever. The get-up in the video below is a whole different kettle of fish, though. G

Racing at Del Mar

Roland Sands is promoting this race at Del Mar's short track (the race I saw there in 2000 turned me on to amateur flat track). Roland says...

Join IV League Flat Track and RSD as we bring Flat Track Racing back to DelMar. This is your chance to bring out the old iron and that rusty steel shoe and put them to good use. There’s a class for nearly everyone so go to the website and register now. Hooligan classes, quads, vintage, pro, beginner and classes for the youngsters. Southern California Flat Track by the Beach in Del Mar is back!

Poster by Adi Gilbert...

Top Trumps

Sideburn #19 sees the start of a new series on classic Top Trumps cards. As prepubescent youths, before we got our hands dirty, motorcycles (and dragsters, and trains, exotic cars, and cricketers) were battling each other by torch-light under bedsheets purely on their technical specification.

Our first featurette, is this wonderful Jawa 897 engined Hagon grass tracker photographed by Andy Baker of the Jerkyls. BP

In Aus we don't have any grasstracks so we use dirt tracks which have both right and left hand corners some of which are tight and require gear changes and brakes are required under the current rules. This bike is made up from what we could get our hands on. The chassis is a Hagon sand racer with a homemade swinging arm slightly longer than standard. The engine is a Jawa 987. Wheel adapters, brakes and exhaust are home made.
Here is some extra spec:
compression ratio 14:1; Carburettor Dell'orto 36mm round slide; Ignition is a Pal magneto; Gearbox is a Norton AMC 3-speed with 1st gear removed; wheels 23" front 19" rear; Brakes front Hagon drum, rear Yamaha disc (handlebar operated); suspension front is rubber bands, rear are Hagon shocks.
Cheers Geoff
[fettling the bike in the photo, who built the bike along with Steve Constable and Chris Murrey]

Stalion

Nothing beats the eroticism of a simple stand-up wheelie. Here, Jim Odom. BP

F2 speedway testing

F2 speedway is the brainchild of former racer Pete Seaton. The aim is to offer an affordable way to get into a sport that has become prohibitively expensive for many. The bikes use 450cc four-stroke motocross engines running petrol. Understandable, approachable, affordable bikes. Among the riders here in testing is three-time UK short track champion Aidan Collins (Honda kevlars), who's put in hundreds of laps on these bikes. Read his views, those of Pete Seaton and about F2 speedway in Sideburn #16. MP

Biltwell Special Edition SB19

We tied up with long time Sideburn supporter, Biltwell to offer a thank you to their customers.
Anyone spending $99 or more on Biltwell helmets, clothing or hard parts through Lowbrow Customs will be sent a copy of Sideburn 19 with an exclusive cover.
This is the only way to get this cover, so don't ask us.

The magazine is identical inside, it just has a different wraparound cover. The idea is for Biltwell and Lowbrow to thank people spending $99 or more. From our point of view the idea is to get Sideburn in the hands of people who might not have seen it before. G

Mablethorpe Sunday Morning

I've had a couple of attempts at racing at Mablethorpe this season without much luck. Water in the electrics, crap in the petrol tap. Simple stuff, but it's hard to test a sand racer except at the beach, and once you're there it's not easy to work on the bikes.
Anyway, I'll have another go this Sunday. Practice from 10am. Free to spectate.
If anyone is going along and wants last-minute Xmas presents for themselves or others; the new mag, back issues; hoodies; hats; whatever, leave a comment or email us at dirt @ sideburnmagazine.com, saying what you want and what size (if relevant) and I'll take it along. G

Honda 250s are very popular. Neil Tuxworth, former Honda BSB, WEC and WSB team manager and a top road racer in his own time, won on the beach with the Honda 250 for years so (nearly) everyone else followed suit in the 250 class.

One who didn't was Carl of our good friends CFM. He races, and wins, on a Yamaha TDR250 two-stroke. He's the reigning champion.

There are some horrors on the beach, but this is the neatest bike. It arrived spotless, like a show bike, with a titanium Akrapovic MotoGP style exhaust mega. Beach race clothing varies from full leathers to full MX gear via Rukka waterproofs, speedway Kevlars and this, British desert camp and a Simpson RX.

 The road bike class, that I race in, is home to oddballs, including this Yamaha SRX600.

Me, basking in the glow of actually finishing a race. Honda SLR650, bought for £500 or so, originally built by CFM. Bungee cord is just to hold the speedway-style swinging foot peg out of the way of the kickstart for starting.
Tuned 650 motor, no brakes.
If you're coming, buy me a cuppa, white, one sugar please. I'll need it.

Salem Saturday Night

The indoor series continues at Salem, WA. Get there if you can! G

Super-slomo-stigio

Intoxicating video with great slo-mo from last weekend's race. Well worth watching (or we wouldn't have shared it. Duh.).
Watch it big screen. G

Papersmiths

Papersmiths is a new Sideburn stockist in Bristol. Just opened on Boyces Avenue, Clifton. Born of Kyle Clarke and Sidonie Warren. We join an impressive rank of new independent magazines from around the world.

All things bright and beautiful.

Don't be fooled by the delicate hanging terrariums, Sidonie is a self-confessed stationary fetishist. The selection of pencil sharpeners, stripey rulers, fountain pens and designer scissors are enough to make a grown man cry.

If any of my Aunts that normally give me unwanted self-knit socks for Christmas, are reading this, please give me any one of the art books, or prints that they also sell. BP

OEM Merlin

The lads at Old Empire are doing a lot of great quality work at the moment. I found these old(er) photos of their Merlin, based on a Kawasaki W650, that are worth sharing. G