Sideburn 30

Another milestone reached. Issue 30! And our regular readers tell us it keeps getting better. That's the idea. This another fat 116-page issue squeezed, like blood from a stone, out of Sideburn's Lincolnshire HQ.

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COVER STAR: Manon Hache; Co-Built Rotax and Chris Piascick art
BIKES: Bottpower XR1R Pikes Peak special; budget Yamaha FZ-07 framer; monoshock H-D Sportster; Wedge BMW 310; Honda 650 Mablethorpe Sand Racer
EVENTS: Travis at Pikes Peak; The Springfield Mile; Pendine Speed Trials; DirtQuake VI
HOW TO: Use your brake to go faster by Johnny Lewis
PEOPLE: Marco Belli; Sean Flynn and Dana Stone
PORTFOLIO: The photography of Kristina Fender
MOVIE: Godspeed! You Black Emperor
ADVENTURE: Across frozen Mongolia on Enfield 500 combinations
PAGES: 116

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Sideburn Special Editions

We have a couple of special edition issues with covers we made with some of our beloved advertisers.
IMPORTANT: Only the covers differ to the regular issues, so these are just for collectors and completists. We only have a handful of each.

One is Sideburn 22 Icon 1000 cover, with their Slow Burn BMW R90/6, the other is Sideburn 23 Roland Sands Designs cover featuring the Geico Indian Chief.
£6 plus post from sideburn.bigcartel.com 

Gauthier and Wood BMW at the Arizona Mile

The footage of the Law Tigers Arizona Mile race is up online at fanshoice.tv
I was looking forward to this because SPOILER ALERT Dalton Gauthier won the GNC2 race on Ron Wood BMW F800. We'd already reported on this, so I'm not worried about saying it. The fanchoice website also caption the result, which is a bit daft, but perhaps they think everyone has seen the result on social media.

BUT... there are still a lot of reasons to watch the race. Chris Carr's commentary, for one. From an amateur racer point of view it is interesting to watch passes on what is basically a one-line groove in the corners. Also, in the first half of the race the leader, McGrane isn't tucking nearly as much as Gauthier. The commentators say because he wears glasses and can't see if he tucks in and cranes his head up. McGrane is also very tall for a bike racer, so that must have something to do with it.
I also noticed that Gauthier has the typical racer's body english, right elbow up high through the turns, McGrane's is held lower. We have a great Get Schooled piece by Chris Carr in the next Sideburn on body english.
Also, see how the track decomposes through the race, especially on corner exit. So, even if you know the result, if you're any level of racer there's still a lot to pick up.

If you just want to watch the race, it's from around 7 mins to 17 mins. Watch Arizona Mile GNC2 Main.

Also, the Sacramento Mile will be shown live on Fanschoice.tv later today. G

Wood BMW wins GNC2 Main in Arizona

History was made at yesterday's Arizona Mile GNC race when Dalton Gauthier won the GNC2* main on a Ron Wood BMW.

Ron has, as I understood it, had finally retired from the motorcycle industry and has sold the rights to the famous frame business, but he was at this race (in the chair in the photo below), so I need to find out more.

I interviewed Ron for issue 3, back in 2009, not long after this bike had been built. Ron was very disappointed with the lack of support BMW gave him (none) when he built this F800-powered twin. It showed massive potential at the time, but Wood Racing was unwilling or unable to mount a full season challenge, so it would turn up at local racers with skilled journeyman riders on board, like Matt Weidman, who would jump on the unfamiliar bike and put in solid performances, showing what the bike could do. But BMW USA weren't interested. Ron converted the fuel-injected 798cc parallel twin to carbs to allow him to tun it with his particular skill set. Of all the other modern twins racing the GNC, which now includes Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KTM and BMW, I think only the Bonneville Performance Triumph has been converted to carbs. Understanding of EFi is so much greater now, that even eight years ago when this BMW was built.

You can see from this photos (taken from the always on the ball flattracklive) that the BMW logo the bike originally wore is covered up with a Rotax logo. BMW developed this twin engine in conjunction with Rotax, the Austrian specialists (Aprilia, Buell and others have used Rotax to develop engines for them, too) and Wood Racing obviously have a very long history with Rotax.

This is the first ever pro dirt track win for a BMW in the sport's history. Gauthier came from the back row to win. As soon as there is footage of the win on Fans Choice TV I'll put a link up. G

* Jargon Buster
GNC2 is the support class, the Moto2 of GNC flat tracking. It's for younger riders on their way up. Most GNC2 races are competed on 450 singles. There was a push to have the GNC2 riders race on twins at all the bigger races, but it fizzled out, after many riders and their mom and pop teams had spent $10,000-plus on building bikes. It was a shambles. Hopefully AMA Pro Racing have got it right now.

Ears of Death

More Italian psych-pop, this time from the band I Rogers performing 'Cristina' (1970) and backed by footage from the film 'Noi Donne Siamo Fatte Cosi' (Us Women Are Made This Way). I'd pay good money to have my ears pulled by a wall of death-riding Monica Vitti. MP

BMW Kneeler

This silver ingot was one of the many nutty bikes at the Westonzoyland sprint I went to a few weeks back. Held on a former WWII airfield, organised by the NSA. A great event. Young lasses and very, very old blokes alike, beating the crap out of equally modern and ancient machinery. Unlike the roped-off Pendine sands vintage hot rod sprint, the laid back set up in Somerset allows for an eyebrow contorting sense of speed. And the pits are very much open so you are welcome to chat with the crazies who are daring enough to keep this sport alive. BP

This R100/7 (I think?) was designed as a hill-climber so the third wheel steers too, to enable quicker cornering on mountain circuits. A basic linkage runs over the chair.

Slow Burn by Icon 1000

Read about this hard as nails BMW R90/6 and my visit to Icon 1000's HQ in Sideburn 22.

Icon 1000 are making great looking kit that Ben and I have used on trips all over the world. The geezer in this video wears the new Forestall jacket, Elsinore HP boots (now available in black) and the well-loved Variant helmet. I've spoken to a few people with those Elsinore boots, including Ben, and they all rave about them.

I wonder if my own trip to the Isle of Man in 2007, with Captain Simon and two European 125s, was any inspiration for this shoot? It's fair to say the Captain and I don't look as luscious as the lady captain of Icon's RIB, but we were in the middle of the Irish Sea and not taking any risks, opting for hi-viz buoyancy suits. G

Photo: Fly Tipping/ Fly Photos

Squirrel Hoarder

Whilst building my BMW R100R I wondered why nuts kept appearing on shed floor, I also found starting difficult and when eventually running it was very choked, on removing airbox cover I realised the nutty problem of a squirrel having stashed his stolen bird food from a shed in Capel Curig. Talk about alternative fuels, eat your heart out Ethanol additives etc....
I bet the squirrel was really pissed off and is still hunting me down on a mission scouring Welsh mountain tops and forests like a Squirrel Rambo.
Capt Simon

BMW R100R for Sale

Our friend, Captain Simon, is selling this BMW for a friend and asked if we'd put it on the blog. Simon says...

It is truly great to ride and is low miles with a really solid usable and modern feel to it with a sort of functional style, it is sad Nick needs to sell it as I built it for a mate as his sort of dream bike, he has had quite bad Labrynthitis [inner ear problems affecting balance] and trouble standing or walking etc so motorbikes are pretty low on priorities. 
£5999
Located in North Wales
07798 914272

Sit Up And Beg

Keith Code Kawazaki Z-1, leads Wes Cooley also Kwack, Steve McLaughln BMW, Reg Pridmore BMW. AMA Superbike Riverside National 1976.
Mr Code, Grand Master Jedi, looks like he has piles, proving Chris Carr's philosophy of you don't need to look like you're going fast to be a race winner. BP

Deus Bike Build-Off Public Vote

Back in May I was invited out to the Deus Bike Build-Off in Milan, Italy, and asked to be one of the judges. You can see the earlier posts here (Deus Milano Bike Build-Off).

Now the public vote is open to choose the Global People's Vote, and it reminded me to post these photos of some of the finalists.

The builder of this Monster 750 street tracker got the stance dead right, I reckon. It might be a little long, but I could see someone having fun against the Harley Sportsters in the Hooligan class on something like this. 

 Another Ducati street tracker mash-up.

 Dagger Cycles neat SRX600.

Judges looking studious. Clockwise from front left, Raffaele Paolucci (Sideburn contributor, great photographer, shot Sideburn 11 cover); Vincent from Wheels and Waves (who shot one of Sideburn 12's two covers); Paola Furlan (web journalist); Roberto Ungaro (editor of Riders magazine); me!; Fabric Roux (editor, found of French magazine Moto Heroes).

 2 Right Hands' Yamaha XS

 CZ Chopper.

Euro dirt track hero, Jacopo Monti. He's in Sideburn 21 riding the KTM 690 Duke he build for his friend. His little Motobi Motoretta minibike was converted to fuel in frame. The 'tank' was a leather rucksack that Jacopo made himself, It unclips from the bike.

 Honda Domi scrambler.

K Model BMW was neat, but I cut off the bottom to show the setting. Deus Milan is in a courtyard, with residential apartments looking down on it. If you get chance, make sure you go to this great shop. Elsewhere on the same street is Officine Mermaid's two shops and cafe and a couple of other interesting moto-themed shops.
I also like how European bike show crowds, especially Italian ones, look quite like no other crowds on earth.

 Brand new RnineT modified by a local BMW garage, with a bunch of nice touches.

 The MC was Virgin radio's  DJ Ringo. He's bike mad and a big deal in Italy.

Go to the Deus Bike Build Off Global People's Choice page to vote for your favourite. G

Brat Style Chout

Stopped by Brat Style's year-old shop in Long Beach, LA, on our American whistle-stop trip. It was great to finally meet Go and Masumi in person.
He was cooly busy with finishing this Indian "Chout" for this weekend's Born-Free 7 show in Silverado, CA. We did a feature on his Tokyo shop in Sideburn #18. BP

Go's daily-ride R60/6 BM'

Fuel Scram Africa BMW

From Karles at Fuel, Barcelona.

Hi all, 
Just a few lines to introduce you our last build: the Fuel Scram/7 The bike was built to be ridden at the Scram Africa trip and the pics has been taken as the bike was when arrived after 2.000km of roads, trails and dunes. Hope you like! 
Kind regards 
Karles Vives 

The FUEL SCRAM/7 project started 2 years ago when Mark from Australia participated into the Scram Africa, a trip to desert for classic and neoclassic bikes organized by us.

After that experience he asked us to build a bike to participate again this year.

The donor bike is a BMW R100/7 from 1977 and the main goal was to convert that road bike into a scrambler .

To achieve that goal we start changing the entire front for a Suzuki DR 650 fork and  21”wheel. The fork was trimmed for better bike geometry and the rear shocks were replaced for a longer Ohlins ones.

To get even more height we remove the original oil pan for a new one more robust and narrow getting more height on the bike

The tank is from a BMW R27 with 17 liters capacity which gives sufficient autonomy for the stages of the trip.

We love to add to our builds some creative details…on this bike, we have added a compass at the top of the tank ..you can’t get lost in the desert!

For a better scrambler look we mount a new high exhaust pipe on the right side with a modified Ural silencer at the end.

The tires was a customer request, on the rear we got a Maxxis Maxxcross Soft  Terrain, a tyre designed for riding on really deep sand and mud and a Pirelli Scorpion MX on the front.

Inside the tires we mounted a tubeless sistem called Nuetech Tubliss, wich replaces conventional inner tubes with a small red 100 psi insert that creates two different pressure zones inside the tire itself. This increased tire stability and eliminates pinch flats. In turn, this allows you to run very low tire pressure for massive gains in traction and a much plusher ride

A high seat and rear rack gives an old enduro look and practicality at the same time.

The Fuel Scram/7 finished the 2.000km trip with no damages and Mark greatly enjoyed the ride through the sand and dunes. 

 Main Mods

-Classic trial front light

-Analogue speedometer for BMW

-70’s enduro handlebar

-Oury grips

-Ohlins vintage rear shock

-Maxxis Maxxcross rear tire

-Pirelli Scorpion MX front tire

-Handmade exhaust pipe

-Seat designed and built by Fuel

-Handmade subframe

-Odyssey battery

-New front and rear fenders

-Off road footpegs

Scram Africa photos by Manel Portugal

El Solitario: War

W A R from El Solitario on Vimeo.
Straight outta Galicia...

Some might find this release anachronistic, but for ESMC this film constitutes a milestone and we can’t but celebrate. Countless tough decisions, bruised prides and forgotten regrets set it above the rest. It was 18 months ago, when we engaged in the realization of our most ambitious visual adventure. Best hopes were in place but thy justice is not for the novice. Three cameras, in hands of good spirited cubs, frantically lost in a mare magnum of drunks and freaks. Little survival chance our crew had, if not steered by the whip of the always immaculate but merciless “Peliqueiros". Said to be the oldest documented carnival on the planet, "O Entroido de Laza" with os “Peliqueiros" at the helm is one of the wildest, darkest and most beautiful ceremonies we ever had the chance to watch. The “Peliqueiro", totem and tabu of the Lazan Carnival, pushes the villagers with their runs and whips to an ancestral catharsis worth fighting for. It is said that by such, they open a bridge between our world and the next, incarnating the dead they purify the pagans, becoming sacred, untouchables! They are the real stars of this piece and they behaved as such from start to end. 18 months took us to be able to release something we could live with. Endless nights, and not few fights, trying to organize hours of powerful as f*ck and beyond the fantastic, all screwed up footage. 

Only one minute eighteen seconds survived the burn, blood and tears but will certainly leave no one in state of indifference. To them, and to those that gave us their precious time we shout fist in the air: Let there be the light!@#$ 
Direction - Roto Day

Hamish's Australian Road Trip

Aussie-based freelance motorcycle journalist Hamish Cooper has sent us this update on how some people spend Easter Down Under. Hamish caught up with us around this time last year at the Rye House DTRA test day and has kept in touch since.

Hi Gary and Co
I did a bit of a road trip over Easter that involved travelling to and reporting on the annual Broadford Bonanza festival. This year they got 1200 entries in an event that covers every discipline of motorcycle sport except drag racing. 

 So here I am, loaded up with camping gear and two changes of motorcycle protective clothing for Broadford race track (take away the road race suit and trials helmet and boots and the lower bag is halved in size). It was a great few days as I rode by myself, so just me, the bike and a lonely road. No responsibilities except to myself and my own safety. 

I took this "selfie minus me" out on the flatlands of western rural Victoria, near Minyup. Victoria may be the smallest mainland state of Australia but if you ever ride out here on the backroads be aware that it's a long way between farmhouses if you get a puncture or run out of fuel. 

 I bought and modified this 2001 Triumph Bonneville as a "round-town bike". So that basically means it's a Street Tracker. It worked well on what turned out to be a 2000km weekend ride. Not an interstate master-blaster but at a steady 110km/h you get time to look around and get into a different zone of riding. (The old Army ammo box on the side housed emergency rations: an emergency toolkit sourced from a KTM I used to own, a road-worker's wet-weather suit, quality muesli bars and an old metal hipflask I'd filled with Glenlivet 12yo whiskey).  Life doesn't get any better than this. 

Here's a couple of pics of the event that photographer Russell Colvin took. We worked together over the weekend filing reports and feature for a variety of magazines.

Yin and Yang of Sixties shed-built racing. Rickman Triumph 8-valve roadracer and 650cc Trophy MXer) 

Julie Skewes loaned her Bobber out for the track sessions while she went swinging in a sidecar. 

The three musketeers of Bathurst 1979, considered the closest race in Australian domestic racing. Graeme Crosby, Ron Boulden and John Woodley

A "shed-built" Beemer on track

Black

Don't know anything about this bike, but it's striking. I've never seen a bike so black. Should've worn long black socks though... G