Uncle Bunt

John Reed, formerly of Uncle Bunt's Chop Shop, remains British custom-building royalty, despite having left the country decades ago to become a Custom Chrome in-house designer in California. This shot is probably from 1982, when he completed the TR1-based Gold Yamaha. Still looks good, 34 years later, and Mr Reed is apparently still as lean, steely and irascible as he was back then - or indeed when I interviewed him 20 years ago. MP

Chain male

I know it plays on your mind every single day: Why, oh why, do the Cradley Heathens speedway team have a hammer as their emblem? Easy. Cradley is in the heart of the English Black Country and from the early days of the industrial revolution metalworking, especially casting and forging, and in particular chain and nail making, played a big part in the local economy.

In fact, just up the road at Netherton was Noah Hingley's foundry where, incidentally, they made the chains and anchors for the Titanic. This film shows the men at Hingley's smashing the daylights out of hot metal with slick, almost choreographed precision. And remember, every one of those links has been manhandled and hammered.

If you really can't hack the full eight minutes (though you'd be mad to miss it) skip to 7m 30s to see some synchronised rivet hammering. No really, it's... riveting. Ommer it, me babbies! MP

Hello James

Hello James, one of our Belgian stockists, has now replenished it's shelves with the current and back issues of Sideburn. I visited their Brussels shop in the summer. They have an astute selection of wares and an atelier in the basement where they make their own bespoke leather goods. BP

Full list of Sideburn global stockists HERE

Hello James

Sideburn is now stocked in Brussels at Hello James
Rue de Laeken 86, 1000 Brussels Tel:+32 472 258 299
Nina Bodenhorst en Jonathan Wieme showcase their own brand Niyona leather goods, custom make to your spec, or if you are handy you can join the workshop school where you can make your own.
They also stock other quality artisan brands of accessories, books, design and jewellery. BP

"We are Hello James, a not so typical craftsmanship store. We sell the things we love. and what we love most, is strolling in the streets, riding through the city and traveling around the world."

Dutch filth

Sweating men, lots of blowing, dextrous hands gripping long, rigid shafts... you know you love it. Thanks to Jonny Trunk for the tip-off. MP

Luyckx

'Built from scratch' it's such an over-used expression, it's refreshing to have a reminder of what it really means. Beyond the unobtainium 24" tyres, one-off rims to match, and the donor '73 Shovelhead block, Belgian Tom Luyckx (pronounced Lerks), really has made most of this boardtracker with his bare hands. Sideburn #9 is a treasure trove. BP

Matt Machine Movie

Sorry Mat, meant to post this more than a week ago already, but just been too busy bustin' balls finishing off Sideburn #9. A fan of the Oz machine since his Norton Atlas first came to light in the showroom of (pre-phenomenon) Deus Ex Machina. All too often builders seem to favour (read 'get stuck with') one marque, but Mat casts his wizardary over many shapes and sizes. Getting a bit bored of Guzz caff racers, but he's given his a healthy nipple tweak.
Sideburn Loves feel good movies and this one by Mat Harrington has Readybrek glow. Respect. BP

Long Awaited Female Boss

- as in pinion that accepts 1/2" male protuberance from hand-held starter, specifically for Rotax. BP

Designed to take that little bit of worry out of the queue for your next heat.
Jan at Dutch Brothers sent Co-Built some drawings for a Rotax remote crank starter he had designed and made.
It fits in place of the pulley bolt on the RHS of the Rotax engine.
Our good mate Wilky asked us if we could sort one for his rotax, so we had a few made. They have turned out real nice.

Spec:
Stainless Steel crank nut with a 1/2 inch socket drive spark erroded to a nice depth.(stainless so it wont rust when you wash the bike and then ruin the oil seal).
Standard replaceable oil seal.
Nicely CNC machined oil seal housing.

To fit you can spot through the engine casing and rivet or screw the oil seal casing to the lower timing case of your motor. Or if you want we are offering an exchange casing service with one we have machined using a jig we have made!

Kit £100 (you drill and mount)
Kit and casing exchange £150 (just bolt on and away you go)

Very limited numbers!
Anthony CoBuilt

Mule Streetmaster

Chucking money at bikes doesn't guarantee Bigger Better Faster. You need some science too. And every piece of Mule's new age Bonneville (what's left of the Hinckley original) has been under an electron microscope. There's not an atom out of place. Yours for a snip at $75,000. Read the full story in Sideburn 8. Photography by David Folch. BP

Steel

Shawn Murray's latest tank being formed for an ER-6. BP

Tools Of The Trade

A brick, a tapemeasure, a lump-hammer, 1 spanner, and a broken butter knife. Sideburn project Enfield takes shape at Co-Built Geoff's. BP

Shave Your Legs

Jason Roche is a medically tidy welder and fabricator. His surgery Special '79 is in Worcester Massachusetts. This is his fork-leg shaving video.
There's only one TT race (that normally warrants a front brake) running in the UK at King's Lynn, even then not all short track UK regulars run it, so soap up! No one likes a bird with prickly legs. BP
UPDATE: The UK Short Track TT doesn't allow front brakes. G

Mixed-Race Marriage

Ingenuity is magic. And f you can marry a petrol tank from one of the most ridiculed bikes; the Honda Superdream, to one of the most kool, the H-D Shovelhead, then you are a sorcerer. This wonderfully perverse marriage was arranged by Kustom Garage in Pesaro, Italy.They also did the amazingly sparkly paint job on latest Zaeta we had on the Sideburn stand at Verona, so their H-D Nuovo-Progetto Racer will most likely be getting a luscious paint job too. Shame really, I've got a thing about up-market bikes with original badge shitter tanks. BP

BS1 in the Flesh

Finally got to Gaunlet to see BS1. The comments people come out with - even while I was just standing there in the street are classic; especially from the know-it-alls.What ever it is, hung on 23" wheels, it has perfect proportions - based on the H-D Peashooter, and I'd love to take it out for a good trashing. The attention to detail is gob-smacking.
Good job Corlioni. Good job Caleb. BP

Lobster Back!

Holy crustacean! The guys at Racefit have done something out of the ordinary here. They normally use their £250,000 pipe bender to create smooth curves in the titanium tubes, but this is a special order for a Ducati Hypermotard. Racefit rule. Click the green Racefit label below for more proof. G
Lobster photo from Food Blogga

UPDATE

I spoke to Jon at Racefit about this exhaust. It is 54mm diameter titanium. You can't buy 54mm Ti tube, so Racefit had to roll their own. This system has 81 different welds and its own custom 6mm thick flanges. If you have to ask how much it cost you can't afford it. Racefit sell off the shelf end titanium cans though.

Am I mad?

I love silicone sealant. OK, I hate using it, and by the end of an intense session I tend to look like I've taken moneyshots from the entire sixth form in some bizarre public school initiation. However, it's useful stuff and just lately I've become attached to having a small tube of the gunk in my toolbox. At first, I bought a little tube and immediately regretted forking out stupid money compared to when you buy one of those big, trigger-operated do-the-bathroom jobs.

So... in these days of plastic toothpaste tubes, it seemed to make sense to wash out an empty one, give it a few days to dry, roll it up to get rid of the air, then, like some weird insemination process (of which I honestly have only limited experience), I used a big trigger-tube to fill the little 'un. Tool box joy and more money to spend on electro-shock therapy. MP

BS1 Boardtracker

Hey Ben ...
18 months and it's finally finished ...
Sportster powered and board track styled
Corleone x
Built by Caleb of Cro Customs. BP

Ragged

Spike Livingston started Ragged Edge Racing when he couldn't find replacement parts for his own Dresda Suzuki RG500 and ended up fibreglassing them himself. This svelte thing is from his steel framed Spondon Suzuki TR500Being a one-man-band, he carries virutally nil stock, it's a made to order service. I phoned in my order on Tuesday morning and it was popped out of the mould first light Thursday "....it'll be ready at 6am, I'm an early riser". The workshop is rammed with moulds for everything from Brit classics to Japanese exotica. Check this yummy TZ250 Arse.If you want something oddball taylor made, Spike is up for it.Spike is also amassing battle damaged originals such as this lovely Kirby full fairing that would have graced a Manx Norton or such like back in the day. BPUPDATE:
"I have just finished my H-D XR750 seat mould and will (as soon as I get time) be making that with integrated number boards. Also I will do the Kwaka 'Z' seat with number boards, and I have a few grasstrack items in the shed that may suit, and front numberboards etc. Keep an eye on my site in a couple of months.....
Cheers, Spike"

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About GRP

And a whole lot more. Working with fibreglass or anything related is yucky. You have to be mad to work with it, and the more you do the madder you become. Every time I have made something (seat hump plug for my Zagato Guzzi, hump and tank plug for the OB1 Guzzi, and assorted one-off parts in carbonfibre), I swear it will be the last.
Angostura Bitters is a master craftsman of the kitchen table and bed. His meticulous blog 19711007 is an illustrated step-by-step mind boggle of the sticky art (and wordworking) and shows what is possible to the dedicated DIY enthusiast. After some catch-up homework last night I was reminded what a laborious task it is if you want to do the job properly. Mr Bitters we salute you. BP

Green Goddess

Shawn Murray goodness from Rocky Mtn 59 blog. Nice Sporty

Thanks to Garrett B for the tip-off. G