High Noon Scramble: Coming Soon

From Norm Motorcycho...

High Noon, the wild west, dirt, grime, spit, shit... For some people, motorcycles are utilitarian - it's all-about gas mileage, economy and practicality. Others it's more about speed, horsepower and go fast gizmos. There are, of course, the weekend warriors, the brand specific urban outlaws. And finally, those of us who sum motorcycles up in one simple word - Fun!

Whether it be rolling some canyon highway on vintage tin with a bunch of buddies; exploring the back roads, two up on a sport tourer, cruising the back alley on minibikes keeping careful watch for cops like you did when you were 11 years old, or dressing up in bad costumes and riding crappy enduros with a bunch of like-minded hooligans at the local sand dunes. Motorcycles are fun! 

The High Noon Scramble was the brainchild of the Filth Mode Dirt Club. They ran their first HNS in 2008 just after the big stock market crash. Times were tough. Ducatis and Harleys were sold for quick cash. Cheap '70s and '80s enduros, with the XT500 quickly becoming their "Tesus", were bought to satisfy the urge to ride. "Dirt First" soon became their moto. 1% Outlaw - 99% Dirt Enthusiast. The HNS is the celebration of this re-birth.

The race itself is simple. Drag out whatever dirt bike you have and try to complete nine laps of sandy, hilly, bumpy torture. Teams are encouraged to make the race bearable. Hydration in necessary to keep the body going. Friends cheer you on as you quietly pray your bike doesn't blowup. Utter exhaustion determines your fate. By the end of it nobody really knows, or cares, who won. The fact that you attempted it at all is worthy of all the accolades. 

Photos by Blaine Connolly

Read all about Filth Mode in Sideburn 24.

Check out Norm's Motorcycho blog.

The next High Noon Scramble is coming up on October 30.

New Great Indie Mags in Stock

We stock a few hard to find magazines that we really like. The latest we have is the large format, high quality title Revival of the Machine from Spain. We have issue 1 and 2. The second has a killer cover image of David Borras shot by our friend Kristina Fender. Find both issues in New Arrivals.

We have the new issue of All You Need Is Ride from France with Dirt Quake hero Serge Nuques on the cover.

And the NEW MOTORCYCHO! Plus a big restock of back issues of the original lame-ass bikerzine, from Canada.

Get them before they're all gone at Sideburn webshop. G

We Love Motorcycho

Last month we spent a few bromantic days in California and Nevada with Norman from Motorcycho: three grown, married men; fathers of eight children in total, sharing a cheap motel room and a budget rental car. It was humiliating in a kind of fun way.

Sideburn has stocked Motorcycho, the original lame-ass bikerzine, and it's related patches for years now, so we got Norman to write a bit about the history of his zine.

The true beginning of Motorcycho began around 1969 (above) when I picked up my first motorcycle magazine, which I probably still have, and a few years later my first minibike. I've never been without two wheels since! 

As far as the magazine is concerned, I had been doing a music zine through the late 80's and reached a point where it was time for a change. It was probably around this point I stumbled upon my first issue of Gearhead magazine. Issue #2 featured articles on biker movies, biker movie soundtracks and Davie Allan. I was big into motorcycle music by then, doing a weekly radio show at the local University station, and it became clear to me that the next logical progression for me was a zine about motorcycles and music! 

This would have been around 1994, my riding days were at a minimum due to the fact I had 4 small kids, so doing a zine was the perfect distraction! 

Cut and paste and a dot matrix printer kept it simple. The first bunch of issues had a lot more music and band interviews, but through the years that has pretty much disappeared. I had also wanted keep it simple and easy, that also has pretty much disappeared, which is why we only seem to put out one issue a year. 

Lately the mag is pretty much about friends and fun. I guess that's been the common thread throughout Motorcycho's existence… Motorcycles are FUN, and the people are the best! Whether it be riding minibikes in the back alley, roadtripping with a bunch of buddies on vintage tin or riding with my wife on the back on some twisty mountain road, it all brings a big grin to this guy's face! 

 Like a wise man once said: "I Dig Sickles"

Above and below, Norm with his youngest daughter Miki, a few years apart. I get the feeling Norm is one of the best dads ever.

Norm on his trusty TT impersonating his hero Evel. 

If this inspires you to buy some Motorcycho goods, head over to the Sideburn shop and click the Motorcycho label in the category box on the right. You get a free Sideburn sticker with every Motorcycho order from us. G

Exactly what no one was waiting for!

The new Motorcycho is in the Sideburn shop. We have back issues and patches too.

There's loads more new stuff there too. Enzo Sidecar toy/ornament and a yellow Sideburn Woolie Hat!

I love Norman

He makes Motorcycho.
He owns a massive variety of bikes - Harleys, BMWs, dirt bikes, mini bikes, choppers...
He plays theremin in The Vicious Cycles.
He contributes to Sideburn.
He has a tattoo of Evel Knievel's helmet on his arm.
He races his Yamaha dressed as a giant whoopee cushion.

They broke the mould when they made Norman. G


Photo by Wendy Dyk

New Motorcycho In Stock

The latest issue of Motorcycho, number 28, has just landed from Canada. We have a bunch of different previous issues of this trailblazing fanzine back in stock and their very popular Death Rider patch too.
Go to the special Motorcycho section on the Sideburn webshop. G

SPECIAL OFFER: The first person to order the new Motorcycho from us gets a free Motorcycho key ring.

Grant Robinson: Photography Looker-atter

Sideburn friend and contributor, piano-botherer, Canadian, Dirt Quake survivor and fantastic photographer, Grant Robinson, is the subject of this film. That's him below - looking like a shoe-in for The Stags sickness cover, should Spencer Chess ever break his scaphoid.
Motorcycho Norm cameos in the film too.
Well worth a watch. G

(Warning: There are a couple of f-bombs dropped in this film so perhaps don't watch it with your seven-year-old...).

Norm Zombie

Motorcycho Norm (on Vicious Cycles theremin duty) sporting the Sideburn Zombie McQueen shirt illustrated by the genius Maxwell Paternoster.
We have a few of these left in Small, XL and XXL. £15 plus post.
Head over to the Sideburn webshop to snag one. G

Free Vicious Cycles MC song!

This fresh in from Norm, the creator of Motorcycho magazine and the theremin-wrangling Bez of The Vicious Cycles MC.

Check out the brand new video for 'I Roll The Dice' and download the song for FREE via www.theviciouscycles.bandcamp.com From the new album 'Bad News Travels Fast' coming out April 1 on Teenage Rampage. Tour dates for Canada and the West Coast USA coming real soon...get stoked!

Motorcycho Norm's Vegas Vacation

Norm from Motorcycho flew down to Vegas to watch the indoor short track and to snoop around the Mid-America Motor Auctions. In the pits he took photos of this tough Yamaha TT500 with an old Sideburn sticker on its tail. It was being raced by Mitch Gallagher of the Reno Wrecking Crew.

In the auction room, housed in the same hotel, Norm even got to try on one of his hero's helmets - one of Evel's last jump lids that the current owner bought for $80,000. The owner let him try it on because Norm has that very helmet design tattooed on his arm.

If you like the cut of Norm's jib (and if you don't I fear you're in the wrong place) check out the Motorcycho blog or buy the Motorcycho fanzine from the Sideburn webshop. G

All You Need Is Ride

We are now stocking the new French indie magazine ALL YOU NEED IS RIDE. 126 pages, A5-size,  nice paper and print, very limited edition and tons of content from 2013 events. It includes features on Chimay Classic bike races;  4H10 crew Mud Ride;  Artist profile: Lorenzo Eroticolor; French mopeds;  Dirt Quake II;  Sunday Speedshop;  Wheels & Waves;  Iron Bikers Circuit Carole meeting;  500cc Dirt Thumper club;  Radical Ducati;  Shannon Brooke pin-up photographer;  Drag Racing.
Click All You Need Is Ride to buy.

We also have the last delivery of these beautifully handmade British leather keyfobs. You'll find them here. They'll make a great Christmas present, but don't hang around. They'll sell out.

We have a load of Motorcychos back in stock too. G

Toque!

That's what Canandians, like Norm McFuzzybutt here, call woolie hats. And boy, do they like them. Get your super Sideburn toque at the Sideburn webshop. G

Norm!

 This is Norm on holiday (in an old Sideburn shirt).

This is Norm's place.

Norm makes Motorcycho magazine and stuff. We have the latest issue and back issues in stock, plus more of the Death Rider patch (below) that sold out in seconds. Go to the special Motorcycho section in the Sideburn webshop to find out more. G

Motorcycho 27 is here!

The new issue of Motorcycho has just arrived from Canada!
It's a mix of vintage motocross, budget dirt track, art, film and choppers. 40 full colour pages for £3.50.
We have a stock of back issues too.

Norm has also made some cool patches we're selling, £3.50 each, two designs.

SPECIAL OFFER: The first five people to buy anything Motorcycho from us gets a free Motorcycho key ring (and the free Sideburn sticker that we send with every order).

Get your at the Sideburn shop. G

The One Motorcycle Show

THE ONE MOTORCYCLE SHOW from see see motorcycles on Vimeo.

Funny ad for the show we're going to in Portland in February. We're sharing a stand with Motorcycho. There will be bikes by Shinya of Chabott; Roland Sands; Icon; Hammarhead... Plus the whole 21 Helmets show, if you missed it last year. It's going to be great. G

(Sideburn + Motorcycho) x SeeSee = OMG!

Yes, it's true Sideburn is sharing a booth with the mighty Motorcycho at February's One Motorcycle Show in Portland, Oregon. It's organised by that hero to all, Thor Drake of SeeSee Motorcycles.
Now I've just got to work out how to get all the shirts and magazines to Portland (or Motorcycho HQ in Vancouver) without going bankrupt. Any ideas? G