Sideburn 28: Out Now

The 28th issue, and the first of 2017, our tenth year of existence, is a solid chocolate bunny of moto goodness. This is a Harley heavy issue, but it's not one-dimensional. There are stories of riding across the USA on a 1915 board track racer; a blueprint and history of the '52 KR750; the highest of high-tech XG750s built by Suicide Machine Co in Long Beach, Ca; we have a bunch of racing V-twins from 1930s VLs to the hottest hooligans; a great survivor WR and an exclusive interview with the head of Harley-Davidson's design studio about the XG750R factory racer.

Buy SIDEBURN 28

Sure, that's a lot of Harleys, but on top of that SIDEBURN 28 has poetry; desert survival gear; Icon 1000's mean Dethgrip Kawasaki Vulcan (yes, really); the wonderful photography of Götz Göppert; a shop profile of See See's new Reno outpost; Dave 'B-Movie' Bevan's reappraisal of The Northville Cemetery Massacre; our regular Ask Guy Martin page, and last, but never least, Wayne Rainey's Trophy Queen.

Buy SIDEBURN 28

Remember, the Sideburn blog is now at www.sideburnmagazine.com

See See Motorcycles: Empire Building

The See See Motorcycles family has been busy over the last few months. The hard riding makers of the wonderfully inclusive, beautifully decorated moto-coffee shop in Portland, Oregon not only organise the annual One Motorcycle Show, the annual (and oft-copied) 21 Helmets show, they are a huge help in organising Dirt Quake USA and also promote a winter series of indoor flat track at Salem plus they sponsor a variety of racers and riders. So how the hell they have found time to open See See KTM, a dealer in all things orange, just 100 yards from their coffee and clothing/moto parts store is beyond me.

If that wasn't enough, they're about to open their second See See coffee shop, this one in Reno, Nevada. They're launching the Nevada branch with a 21 Helmets show. See the details above.

Good luck See See! GI

SEE SEE NINJAS - QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN SPROCKET from Neil DaCosta on Vimeo.

Dirt Quake USA: Iron And Resin Report

Our old mates at Iron and Resin had a friend in the Dirt Quake USA race. Erik Askin drove up from San Francisco (690 miles, 11 hours) to race. He returned home and wrote a piece that sums up the kind of spirit we have always tried to encourage at Dirt Quake. That's him above, racing Jackass star Danger Ehren. This is one passage of Erik's report...

One of the highlights of the weekend was sitting on the starting line for the 'street tracker' main. The sun setting in the late June sky, the stands packed with people, a Harley Sportster to my right, a crazy CB750 to my left, the track illuminated with glowing dust, and an announcer dressed as a clown. Just before the from-a-movie flag girl dropped the green, fireworks exploded above and I had the largest smile on my face. If you love motorcycles, this is an event you can't miss​.

Read the full story at the Iron and Resin blog.
Don't forget (and we're not going to let you), Dirt Quake V is this weekend. G

One of the killer IRBs from Dirt Quake USA. Photos: Eric Fields

Dirt Quake USA Style Contest presented by Fox Shocks

So it's just one week since the campers started packing up and rolling out of the third edition of Dirt Quake USA and the Sideburn x See See x Harley-Davidson two-wheeled party was a success. There were a couple heavy crashes on track and a couple of morons ignoring the 5mph campsite limit (one of whom got disciplined), but considering how many races, on how many inappropriate motorcycles, how many people determined to whoop it up, how many camp fires and people haring around, and how much those Pacific North-Westerners drink, well, it was super-cool.

Part of the Dirt Quake USA mix is the style contest. It's kind of a jump contest, but judged on style, not height or distance. That means appropriate bikes, anything with more than 3in of suspension travel, get marked down. Oh, and the crowd judge it by cheering.

The contest is over the Castle Rock TT jump, it's long, few of these amateurs can clear it, anyone ballsy enough can enter and the winner walks away with a $1000 token to spend with Fox Shocks. Any guesses who was the crowd's favourite? G

Photos: Yve Assad

El Rollo Report

This post is now over two weeks late for a variety of reasons, one being that I inadvertently deleted it after nearly finishing it. The other being Dirt Quake USA, new magazine, book to write, Greenfield TT to race...

Anyway, A couple of weeks ago the excellent Wheels and Waves festival of stylish motorcycling took place in Biarritz. Every year the event has developed, introducing the Punks Peak hillclimb a few years ago, the Village dealer area and, for 2016, Vincent and the Southsiders wanted to introduce a flat track race. They contacted Sideburn to help make it happen.

The Wheels and Waves organisers employed Spanish motorsports promo company, Fly Group, to create the track and staff the event. Fly Group are more used to running international MX events and spectacles like Red Bull X Fighters, but both agreed they wanted some grassroots dirt track involvement and expertise and that's where Sideburn came in.

Wheels and Waves has expanded from a 2-3-day event into one that runs from Wednesday to Sunday.  The El Rollo flat track race was set to open the event on Wednesday. I arrived in Biarritz on Tuesday evening. It was the first time I'd been back to Wheels and Waves since 2013 and there seemed to be more bikes in town on this Tuesday night than at the height of the 2013 event. It really has grown massively. That growth has led to the organisers using venues all over the basque region. This year more happened in Northern Spain than in Biarritz.

The El Rollo race was held on a brand new track formed within the middle of a mile-long horse track at San Sebastien's Hippodromo. On a good run the track was just 40 minutes on the autoroute from the centre of Biarritz, but the motorway often gets chewed up with lorries stuck in the toll booths and at the border. I had been loaned a fire-breathing BMW S1000XR for the couple of days I was in town. This is the unholy alliance of S1000RR superbike engine and R1200GS ergonomics. Wicked machine. I met up with UK DTRA regular Frank Chatokhine, his mate Treust and the Bike Shed's Ross Sharp who were all racing. I followed their van and we were the second racers to arrive at the track, shortly after 8am.

There were slightly too many cooks with Fly, various Southsiders and Sideburn all trying to make the right decisions and sometimes standing on each others toes, unintentionally, but for a first event, on a track that didn't exist two weeks previously, it went pretty smoothly. The classes could have been organised a little better, but the Southsiders had specific ideas on that and it was a fun race. Riders came from all over the world and seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone deemed it a success and it was good to be a part of it.

Early arrivals - Cristian from Yamaha, Ale from Deus Milano and Jason from Leicester. Jason's tasty TR6C.

 Neat Yam 500

 And another

Thor from See See was a guest of Harley-Davidson. He rode the gorgeous Shaw H-D Mert Lawwill replica harder than anyone should be able to.

Tasty Trackmaster Triumph had just been imported from the US.

 BMW beast

 El Solitario's girder fork Zaeta.

 Sideburn 21 cover bike, Olivier's 1949 WR racer.

 Roland Sands was over racing one of his Indian hooligan bikes. Read all about them in Sideburn 24.

 Jason, ready to race. He was second vintage race bike in the combined race bike final.

 Hugo from Blitz and Treust.

 Road legal XR750 from Italy - Wild Hogs/ Holy Freedom team.

 Yamaha Faster Sons promo girl. Notice the Sideburn logo on her shirt arm.

 Jacopo Monti on the New Brutalist KTM 690 Duke we featured in Sideburn 21

 The setting was glorious. The weather baking hot.

 I got to race Go from Bratstyle in the Faster Sons Yamaha race.

Marco Belli race this Yamaha XSR700 twin. He and Thor had a hell of a race, Marco just edged it. Here Marco is getting a man hug from an emotional Jason.

 Good bikes, great people, fine times. Thanks Wheels and Waves. G

Dirt Quake USA

Dirt Quake USA was another success, lots of happy people, some very fast (and not so fast racing), good bands, great weather.

We have lots of photos coming up soon, but this one, by @seaunicorn, captures the spirit. Click the #dqusa link to see lots more photos and some great videos people have posted on instagram.

Thanks to everyone who came from far and wide for this event. Big thanks to See See Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson for partnering up with us.

Next up is Dirt Quake V at Kings Lynn in the UK on 15-16 July. Buy a £15 ticket in advance for Saturday and be in with a chance to win a brand new custom Mutt Motorcycles street tracker. G

Dirt Quake USA Schedule

We've finalised the schedule of events. Well, I say finalised, Thor has typed it out. It could change. It's Dirt Quake USA, it's a guideline. We reserve the right to change it. Go with the flow.

Friday June 17th

11:00 Gates open for everyone.

15:00 night racing sign ups open.

17:00 Riders meeting

17:30pm practice starts

19:00pm racing starts

21:30 Holeshot contest

22:00pm Awards

22:30pm Camp fire

Friday racing: Each group equals 1 gate unless we have more than 14 racers. 1 practice per class, 1 heat per class, 1 main per class.

We have classes for every race bike from juniors on PW50s to Hooligans. Friday is for race bikes. Saturday is for Dirt Quake road bikes.

We're going to merge classes more than usual at US races, so we have good full grids and get lots of racing into a short time. We don't want three bikes in a race, we want a grid of 12!

Friday Classes

• 50cc Junior (50cc DTX Senior (7-8);  50cc DTX PW (4-8); 50cc Open)
• 65-85cc Junior (65cc DTX; 65cc Modified; 85cc DTX; 85cc Modified) 
• 125-250 Junior (125cc Modified; 150R;  201cc-250cc (12+); 250cc (12+))
• 450 - (450cc Mod (14+); 450cc Open Singles & Twins (14+))
• Lady
• Geezers (Veteran 30+; Senior 40+; Super Senior 50+)
• Twins and Vintage
• $ Pro 16 and up
• $ Pro Am 14 and up
• $ Hooligan

Plus a special holeshot competition for DTX and Dirt Quake bikes. 

Friday Prices: ENTER AT SIGN-UP FOR FRIDAY. (DQ Saturday requires entries in advance)

●      Gate Fee $10.

●      1 Race class $30.

●      Additional classes $25.

Saturday June 18th

Dirt Quake USA  (Night Races!)

9:00 Gates open for everyone.

11:00 - 14:00 Free Custom Bike Show & Swap Meet (see below)

14:00 - 14:30 Style contest and Bike show awards (TT Jump)

15:00 Night racing sign ups open.

17:00 Riders meeting

17:30 Practice starts

19:00 Racing starts

22:30 Awards ceremony and after Party! (bands, buddies, brews, and chicken!) 

HOW TO ENTER: Send a photo of your bike and which class you want to enter to dirt@sideburnmagazine.com with the subject Dirt Quake USA Entry. Once your bike is approved you’ll be sent a link to pay. Entry fee is $75 (includes gate entry and camping). First come, first served. No entries on the day sorry.

CLASSES
Dirt Quake is for the kind of bikes that don’t usually get a chance to race anywhere else. Dirt Quake race day is Saturday. One rider per bike. One class per rider. We will be having a good, tight program of dirt track racing for real race bikes, and all abilities of rider, on Friday night.

CHOPPER: For choppers! Not factory customs or baggers, just choppers.
STREET TRACKER/STREET SCRAMBLER: Road legal street trackers and scramblers NOT race bikes or modern enduros.
INAPPROPRIATE ROAD BIKE: Harley Fat Boys, Trail 90s, Ducati Panigales, virtually any road bike. If it shouldn’t be on a dirt track, it’s in.
LADY: Women racers on any of the above bikes (not real race bikes please). Women can enter any other class if they prefer.
TRIPOD: Three-wheelers (and snowmobiles, of course)
MINIBIKE: Pull-start Taco-style and 3-speed autos only.
HOOLIGAN: 750-plus cc multi-cylinder beasts.

KITCHE SINK: Race bikes that don't fit in the other classes.

DQ USA FREE BIKE SHOW. Drag out that ol chop, Custom tracker, or wild stallion. It’s free to enter. Park bike in bike show lot,  fill out info card. Bikes in lot will be judged on the same classes as Dirt Quake. Awards given at 2pm sharp. (11am- 2pm)

SWAP MEET. Bring your junk, Buy some junk. All day Saturday. Free with gate entry.

STYLE CONTEST. Held on the TT jump from 2:00-2:30. Entries on the day. Proper equipment required.

Rules

1.     Pit speed limit 5 mph.

2.     No alcohol and riding. (respect the safety of others)

3.     Clean up your own mess.

4.     Proper equipment required. (boots, helmet, long sleeve shirt/pant, helmet, shatterproof eyewear)

5.     Have fun and be safe.