One-Off Wednesday

SOLD OUT. New Sideburn zip hoodies coming soon.

The last ever Dick hooded sweatshirt.
Large.
Measures 62cm (24.5in) from armpit to armpit.
Printed in England on a Gildan heavy.

Get it at the Sideburn webshop for £28 plus post. Comes with free stickers.

Ossa Dick Mann Replicas

From John in Minnesota,

Gary, Greetings to you and your staff [*]. Being old Flat Trackers we've been reading Sideburn from issue #1! My neighbor Jeff Ellison has a subscription and the issues are so coveted we need to leave our credit card number to check them out. 
My brother Bob just returned home from London and a quick stop at your recent release party. Attached, please find a photo of our recently finished OSSA DMR projects. Frame # 29, 42, 125. Thanks again for all the effort and entertainment you provide. 
John "Ham" Metz

*Mick, he must mean you. Ha!

Streetmaster Race Bike - EXCLUSIVE

From L-R: Richard 'Mule' Pollock, Richard 'Streetmaster' Varner, Jeff Johnson, Shawn Kump
The legendary Dick 'Bugsy' Mann checking out the bike.

The Streetmaster, built by Mule, is the high water mark of street tracker's, the one all others will be judged against. And now there's a race version, tested at Perris, California. Exclusive news from Mule himself...

Richard Varner who IS Streetmaster decided we should build a race bike to showcase our chassis and other parts soon to be available. So that's what we did. Racing intent is start out locally and see how it goes with the strong possibility of bigger things later this year.

The motor has the 270 degree crank with the total emphasis on traction and torque. Weight is very low (I plan to get it weighed this week) and handling is neutral and superb according to test pilot Pro Jeff Johnson. Power is good and more dyno work, gear sorting and refinement will take place over the next couple weeks. All in all, a great first outing with perfect weather. More to come for sure.
Mule

The $75,000 Streetmaster prototype (with titanium spokes!) was featured in Sideburn 8

Hell For Leather

Guy Martin wearing a Sideburn T, typically casual about his near death experience; video via HFL. Wes and Grant must be hot-wired to every news service on the planet what with the speed they pick up bulletins. BP

UPDATE: These T-shirts are sold out, never to be reprinted (we might have one or two smalls (36-38" chest) lurking somewhere. BUT this print is available in hooded sweat. See them here.

more Faithful

Whack As Hell Dan dribbling on a Bultaco Astro in Phoenix Arizona, and sporting one of our early Dick Mann Sideburn Ts. BP

Dick and Dave in da house!

If we were ever going to be confused with a professional organisation, these latest shenanigans have blown it.
I advertised a bunch of colours in the new merch that we decided not go for in the end. But the Ts and hooded sweats have arrived and look fantastic. The long-suffering Kar Lee updated the website, but now is away on a road test, so that's out of date too.
So, we have...

Dave T-shirt in
Blood red, knuckle white, dirt brown and electric blue. Sizes S-XXL

Dick hooded sweat in:
Navy blue, chocolate brown, steel grey and blood red. Sizes S-XL


All on heavyweight Gildan. All have front and back prints.

Sorry for the confusion. The Dave shirts almost look 3D the James Ball design is so vivid. Order now to avoid disappointment.
Our T-shirt printer is a mate of Ben's and tells us we're crazy doing so many colours in such small numbers. But if we had a business plan we wouldn't be trying to make a flat tracker/street tracker/WTF? magazine now, would we?
Also, we still have limited numbers of Indian Girl hooded sweats and long sleeves and Gene shirts in black. GI

Sideburn Dave shirts and Dick hoods

Dick hoods? Perhaps we could've thought of a better name, but not a better looking hooded sweat. The classic Dick design, but on the back of a heavyweight Gildan hooded sweat, with Sideburn's logo on the front. Printed right here in the UK.
Available in blood red, steel grey, navy blue, chocolate brown. Sizes S to XL.
UK £30; Europe €40; USA $50; Rest of World £40 (all prices inc. shipping)
Dave T-shirt
Crazy Dave ready to wring his BSA's neck. Sideburn logo on the back. Heavyweight Gildan T-shirt that'll survive a LOT of washes. Not cheap shite or even expensive shite. Screenprinted in the UK.
Electric Blue, knuckle white, blood red and dirt brown.

S to XXL.
UK £18; Europe €25; USA $35; Rest of World £25 (all prices inc. shipping).

They're due in any day. Order now to ensure delivery for Christmas. And, as you'll know if you've tried to get a shirt and been out of luck in the past, we make in limited numbers and don't reprint. Once they're gone, that's it. Here's how to pay - no, the Paypal button doesn't work. It might. One day.


And talking of Christmas - Don't forget Short Track UK's indoor extravaganza on December 27.

Rare breed

This is the last ever unopened Sideburn Dick shirt in Medium in the world. It's dirt brown. It was returned and swapped for another. We have a handful of Small left (email for colours), nothing else but and they're now off the Sideburn Shop page.
Who's buying it?
UK £18, Europe €25, USA £35, Rest of World £25. We'll throw in a couple of laser-cut stickers, too.

ALSO, We're very low on Indian Girl hooded tops too, if you want one, don't hang around (and check for size availability before ordering). Thanks.

Hot Dog Plagiarism

Way back, when I talked to our T-shirt printers about the possibility of printing our Dick Mann design half off the front, tucked under the arm, they must have thought I was an arrogant upstart. They'd not done it before, but as the material is woven in a tube (without side seams) they said they would give it a go "- But no promises mind, as to if it will work". Well now it seems like our slippery fellow has influenced this baby GAP hot dog. That sequined lined Paisley waistcoat is pretty groovy, maybe we should incorporate that into our next design? BP

Running on empty

Dealing with every aspect of the Sideburn business means we notice every little up and down. There is no filter. We write the envelopes, walk to the post office, the whole thing. So, we notice when there's a rush on Dick Mann T-shirts. I counted up and we have 19 left. Once they're gone, they're gone. We like the idea that Sideburn stuff will become collectible to some and a little significant to those who are in at the beginning.
So, this is what we have left,
Small: 2 x Knuckle White/ 1 x Blood Red/ 2 x Dirt Brown/ 3 x Graphite Grey
Med: 1 x white/ 1 x Army green/ 2 x Dirt Brown
Large: 2 x Chocolate Brown/ 2 x Graphite Grey / 1 x Knuckle White

Sideburn Shop

Dick Mann replica

From Roger, Thanks.

Every July the AMA runs a vintage bike weekend in Ohio at and around Mid-Ohio roadcourse.? It is a bookend to an AMA roadrace national either the weekend before or after too.? The Friday night of Vintage Days Weekend is a vintage only half-mile at nearby Ashland county fairgrounds that I can't usually make.? The 3 attached pictures are of a Dick Mann replica BSA Goldstar that ran there, that was on display in thge Team Obsolete pits at the roadraces.? What is also cool is that they took the time to get the #64 exactly correct.? Dick Mann was # 64 when he won #1 in 1964 on Matchless roadracers and BSA dittrackers.? He later inherited #2 from Dick Klamfoth when he retired.? (He wore #4 the year the AMA assigned numbers based on finishing points in 1971, a method that only lasted the one season due to it's unpopularity)? Roger

The Main Mann

Dick Mann illustration James Chapell, interview Gary Inman.
The Who, What, Why, When, How? in SB#3, out this coming Friday.
BP

Chalfont!

A lot of my time is spent working for motorbike magazines. And one thing that's really hit home in the last year or so, even though it's been going on for years, is the specialization of every facet of motorcycling. Niche, niche, niche. If you ride this bike you've got to have the right helmet and boots to go with it and you wouldn't think of riding it if the wind was blowing in that direction or if it was a Thursday in September.
Back when men were men, they had one bike and did everything on it. If they had a DuoGlide and their friends were going trailriding, 'Well what the fuck? I'm going too and that big, old Harley I just bought better be up to it.'
Clubs like the Richmond Ramblers (pictured), of whom Dick Mann was, and may still be, a member, epitomised that attitude. They'd desert race, flat track, hillclimb, road ride and trail ride the BSA or Triumph. They were, on the whole, club racers with no hope or pretensions of being the next Dick Mann. They just wanted to have fun.
In this spirit Anthony Brown (of the DBA blog)and Captain Highside have put their heads together and arranged a class for Thunderbike short trackers at the upcoming Chalfont St Peter hillclimb. And Team Skooter Farm are going en masse. Rules for the class are 600cc and above and dirt track tyres only. We don't really know a lot about the course, but it's no Widowmaker. Still, it'll be a laugh.
It's on April 26. the club running it are a vintage club and have stipulated the bikes must look like a vintage dirt tracker, so no DTX bikes. The Wood Rotax and its ilk are suitable. Leave a comment if you want more info. GI
PS Forgot to add, Anthony has got a bike for every day of the week. And NEVER rides on Thursdays in September.

Dick Mann

As previously mentioned Dick Mann, the legend, was in England for the Beezumph. Sideburn stalwart, Alastair McQ brought along his Beeza and got some shots of Bugsy standing next to it.

Just back from Beezumph

What a day. Beautiful weather, that was even more beautiful because it's rained for a fortnight. The most amazing track bikes and cafe racers; good mates like Boastie and Alastair McQ, Sideburn buddies like Col, Damian, Barrie, Manchester Steve and Adrian Baynes AND
Gene Romero
Don Emde
Dave Aldana
Don Castro
and
Mr Dick Bugsy Mann

I interviewed them all for future Sideburns but forgot to take a shot of me with them. Luckily Adrian B sent this. I'm the dork in the Sideburn T-shirt sat next to Burrito.
What a day.