Sportster Racer for Sale in UK

This looks like a pukka bit of kit, imported from America, PM 8-spoke back wheel, Supertrapp pipe, flat track triple clamps, Racetech rear shocks (I think), chain drive, Dunlop race rubber; engine stamped race only, so probably from the H-D supported Sportster series than ran from the 80s into the 90s (and maybe even longer).

It looks like it would be great for the 2017 DTRA Hooligan Championship. That will be four rounds with a big trophy at the end and lots of fun in between.

Only one day left on eBay. Not reached its reserve. This sale is nothing to do with us. We don't know the bike or the owner. Buy beware. Thanks to Kev H again for the tip-off. G

1948 WR750 for Sale

From Martin Germany, but the bike is in Italy...

This WR from 1948 is for sale, well maintained, mint condition - ready to be raced. He said it made about 38 PS and was quite fast. It's quite pricey though I am not really familiar with side valve Harleys - €40k obo.

Contact Lukas.Gasser @ gassersrl.it

Flathead

Another instalment from Sideburn ambassador, John Harrison.

My Harley found me sometime in 1983. The father of one of my friends had built it up from three tea chests of parts that he swapped for a complete and running V-twin BSA that was promptly sold to a Japanese collector. He'd built it but ran out of steam before finishing it off. It was copper metallic with white grips and running board rubbers and lots of chrome. I wasn't into Harleys, but saw those 'bars and fell in love. The fact that it had a hand shift and foot clutch added to the appeal.

I haggled him down to £650 because I had £50 saved and a two-year loan for £600 was all I could afford to pay off. Even then I knew I'd stolen it. I finished it off, which only involved wiring it and fitting a saddle.

This picture was taken in 1984, when it was my only transport and I was doing some weekend maintenance. My sister and her toddler were visiting. My girlfriend had recently passed her driving test and bought herself the lemon R5. She was evidently going for the complete French gamine look. We celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary this year. My little niece Emma, who is copying me by playing with spanners on the bike, grew into a bona fide rock chick with a group called Band of Skulls who are quite popular with the younger generations, I understand. Sometimes I look at this pic and wish I'd left it like that, with the lovely colour and 18in front wheel, but maybe it's just the atmosphere in the photo that I like.

In time it needed an engine rebuild, so I took the opportunity to paint it and fit a 16in front wheel. This pic was taken in about 1993, soon after I got it back together. My children loved getting rides like this, sitting in my lap. I would deliver them to their friends' birthday parties with them wearing a bicycle helmet. It has stayed pretty much the same since, except that I've let it get dirty and look its age.

The most memorable ride I've made on it was to Pendine and back to watch the VHRA racing along the beach in 2015. That was 220-odd miles each way. Fine weather, wonderful roads (the Welsh A40 with its endless, fast, long sweepers), good convoy company and the bike running well. I felt like I was flying. Vintage motorcycling can be slow, uncomfortable and unreliable and isn't for everyone, but it suits me fine. Pic: James Bad JuJu Mitchell

I rode it in the Harley class at Dirt Quake V and came in last in all three races. But I had the best seat in the house when Dimitri Coste lapped me at great speed on the inside with Wiggo chasing hard flying down my outside blatting into turn 3.

Flat Out Friday: The Bikes

I flew out to Flat Out Friday in Milwaukee, earlier this month. The race was debuted on the Friday before the Mama Tried Custom show in February this year. A crowd of 7000 turned up to the inaugural event making it bigger than many AMA Pro National races. The organisers were buoyed by the success and decided to organise another race, in October, not tied into the show.

It was a risk, but there was a massive entry, hometown company Harley-Davidson partnered the event and livestreamed it online, through their facebook, with Dirt Quake racer Chris Wiggins and US mover/shaker Leticia Cline anchoring the very professional looking coverage.

With no show in town, the crowd was down on the Mama Tried weekend, but there was still a strong 3000 or so locals, which is nearly double what the US Superprestigio attracted in Las Vegas 11 months before.

The track was a tight syrup track, concrete with sticky, sugary syrup from Dr Pepper sprayed and left to go dry. It was just big enough for good racing even on heavyweight bikes.

Above is one of the organisers bikes, Scott from Fuel Cafe's Harley WL45, hopped up by JRs Cycle Products. It lacked some ground clearance on the tight track and he went down in a shower of sparks. He wasn't the only one to crash due to decking out.

There was a huge field of hooligans, the regular Californians came out en masse, but were joined by plenty of mid-westerners. The Noise Cycles team had three riders.

While The Speed Merchant team brought from out from So Cal.

This fella, one of the Fealy family, rode his Trackmaster twin so hard to win the vintage class. It was a joy to watch.

There was a strong and eclectic brakeless class, with a bunch of Aermacchi Harleys battling with older heavier WL45s and Ducati bevel singles.

 This old boy on a BSA single looked the business, and raced even though he had trouble walking!

 One of a couple of neat Bevel singles. This one is brakeless and rigid. 

 So is this one!

There was a boonie bike class that was great entertainment. Not all of them looked this
Heath-Robinson.

One of five or six mint Astros that entered. 

Thanks to the Mikes at Harley-Davidson and Scott and Beth for all the hospitality.

Wisconsin really loves flat track. G

Flat Out Friday, Milwaukee

I'm over in Milwaukee for Flat Out Friday and to work on some special stories for a forthcoming Sideburn. Tonight's racing is going to be livestreamed on Harley-Davidson's facebook.

There are 450s, juniors, minibikes and a huge field of hooligans that have travelled from as far away as New Jersey and Southern California.

The race is promoted by the folks who put on the Mama Tried Show in the same city. The track is a small and tight indoor concrete oval sprayed with Dr Pepper Syrup. The race is being held at the Panther Arena in downtown, Milwaukee with tickets still available

The next Flat Out Friday will coincide with the Mama Tried Show on 17-19 February. G

Teen lust

When I was too young to ride on the road, I had posters on my bedroom wall of Harley's SX and SS250s, and I was mad for 'em. I still think they look great and we have a soft spot for them on this blog, given that Garrett B's street-tracked SX was the subject of our very first post, eight-and-a-half years ago.

By the time I was old enough for a road bike, the law had changed and 250s with L-plates disappeared in a blue-grey fug of lost hope. But even at that tender age, I'd have had no trouble telling a 1000cc four-stroke V-twin from a two-stroke single, though the AMF-era marketing geeks hoped otherwise.

"If you can't tell it from our big bikes, see your AMF Harley-Davidson dealer," they say. Why? Did they have in-house opticians back then? MP

Dirt Quake V by H-D UK

Really nice film made by Dirt Quake V and DTRA partner Harley-Davidson UK. G

Hot Dock XR750

A lot going on in this photo. Drink in the details. Hot Dock Harley. G
Photo: Keiji Kawakita

Unknown Industries

Those who have ever ridden, or even tried to lift a big twin Harley off its sidestand might well have more respect for skills of the guys in these videos that those who haven't. The Bullitt-style San Fran jump is particularly jawdropping. Mad skillz. G

Extreme Weight Loss

This stunning liquid-cooled Harley XG750 Street is featured in Sideburn 25. It was built by Asterisk of Japan, whose Kawasaki KX500 was previously featured in SB13.

It has a custom frame and hand-formed bodywork. The stock bike weighs 223kg (492lb). The Asterisk bike weighs 152kg (335lbs). Those Roland Sands Designs 19in wheels look the business too. G

Buddy Custom Cycle Racing Flathead

When I was looking for photos for the FEVHOTS Post, I found photos of this gorgeous handshift flathead. I don't know if it's an original or new crate motor, but I love the mix of old and new. 1940s tech engine, in a monoshock frame. Handshift, but 2015 Maxxis rubber. Even the rider is mixing it up, white jeans and modern helmet.
It was built by Buddy Custom Cycles and if we can get a feature on it, we will. G

Photos: Jun Saitoh

Taylor Dunfee's Broken Neck Fund

A couple of weeks ago Taylor Dunfee travelled up to Castle Rock for Dirt Quake USA, over 1000 miles from Southern California. It was the second time he'd taken part in DQ USA race with his friend in the Hooligan class on his homebuilt Sportster.

Last year he rode off with the flag girl (see the Preston Burroughs portfolio in Sideburn 25). This year he had a massive crash, clearing the wooden fence and flying head first into one of the metal poles holding up the catch fence.

Being a self-employed artist, and now unable to work, friends have set a fund for people to donate to. This is what they say...

Being the absolute beast that he is, he somehow survived, although not unscathed. He currently has a broken neck and what's known as burning hands syndrome. As an artist, Taylor makes a living by his hands, whether it be photography or illustration. In addition to a pile of medical bills including a life flight from the race track, he'll be out of work for sometime. The $10k goal is hands down less than what he'll need, but that is where we want to start as a goal for him to pay his bills and cut back on out of pocket medical expenses. These funds are needed ASAP, and help is greatly appreciated.

If you would like to help go to www.gofundme.com/taylordunfee.

As an aside, Taylor was wearing a new Icon Airframe Pro, choosing the safety of a modern helmet over the looks of a vintage one. It's likely it saved his life. Vintage helmets might look great, but when you really need a helmet you'll wish you had the very best you could afford. G

Harley-Davidson XG750R

Harley have been campaigning the official factory, Vance and Hines-developed, water-cooled XG750R at selected GNC and non-GNC races this year, but have been keeping quiet about it. At last weekend's Sacramento Mile the XG750R made the main, but broke, with GNC1 rookie Davis Fisher on board. That seems like the signal to start promoting the project, because a blizzard of press releases landed in out inbox today.

We love what See See, Speed Merchant and Suicide Machine Co have done with the Street 750, and this 'factory' racer has the looks to replace the XR750.

The XR750 is still winning half-mile races, with Mees on board, and pushing for wins with other riders including Coolbeth, but the Baker's factory XR keeps breaking, perhaps because it's at the very limit of what is possible, as tuners chase more power by increasing rpm limits. The 4v per cylinder, liquid-cooled XG will be able to rev much higher, more safely than the air-cooled 2v XR750, a bike engine that debuted 42 years ago.

This is going to be a fascinating new chapter in the sport's history. G

XG and XR

DTRA Hooligans, Peterborough

The DTRA launched its Hooligan class at last weekend's MCN Festival, Peterborough and it was a blast. The series is sponsored by Harley-Davidson, Roland Sands Designs, Co-Built and Sideburn. The grid was healthy for race one, and a large festival crowd loved the action. Here are the runners and riders.

The rules are 750cc or bigger, multi cylinder, stock frame, no front brake.  That meant Brink's gorgeous 1940s Harley WL45 was in the mix.
All the bikes were road bikes, the scene hasn't developed to US standards were most hooligan bikes only ever see the track, so most riders removed front brake levers or calipers, leaving discs or drums fitted.

The DTRA has two fellas called Ross and each is a boss. This is Ross Sharp from the Bike Shed in London and his mean Cagiva Navigator. We have to feature this soon.

James from Hard Luck Tattoo and his Sportster.

Jaz (?) and another Sportster. Alloys taped up to stop arms going through them.

It wasn't all V-twins. DTRA regular Paul Harrison rode his 750 Bonnie.

This is the Sideburn Sportster, decked out with RSD, Speed Merchant, Motone and Biltwell parts. I'd only ridden it in a car park before the first race. The weight of the thing made me nervous, but I was happy with how it lookedand how it went. Read about it in the next Sideburn.

Co-Built Geoff, Pierre-Alexandre Treust and me ready for the first heat race. Don't know how I ended up with number 1!

The big MCN Festival crowd lapped up the action. Geoff won this heat race on a borrowed £12,000 Scrambler FT Pro, then, to be a crowd-pleaser, did a big powerslide on the slowdown lap, highsided and broke his wrist. He raced on though, and marshalled all the next day. Legend.

Paul Harrison leading, me in second, Geoff high and wide!

 Jon on his wife's Scrambler.

 Milo on a Sportster and Pierre on an enormous BMW GS. 

 The Harley Hooligans.

 These heavyweights have so much traction off the start.

Ross was close to unbeatable. He cleared off at the front in the final leaving me, Geoff and Paul to battle for the podium places. 

Brink and his 45. 

 Colour-coordinated Co-Built Geoff. 

 I nicked third place on the last corner, when Paul and Geoff were caught up with a lapped rider. I'd done the same in a heat race, so I knew to go around the outside this time. I nearly got second on the line and had a great time, so much more fun than I thought it would be. UK hotshot, Ollie Brindley handed out the awards.

The next Hooligan race is at the Hell's Race, Belgium, then on the Friday night of Dirt Quake. G

Photos: GI and Ian Roxburgh/Ian Osborne/DTRA