Bike Shed Show Reportage

Nice photography of the Bike Shed show here by French photographer David Marvier. BP

Bike Shed Snaps

Thanks to Vikki, Dutch, Ben and the whole Bike Shed crew for putting on another great show in London over the weekend.

This is Benedict Radcliffe's crazy life-size wire-frame Gold Wing.

Great transformation of a Suzuki ST400 by Down And Out built in a matter of weeks. And (below) their well known CB450.

Marc Woodward's SRMaggedon.

Kingdom Of Kicks Honda.

My show favorite, the Shinya Kimura Fireball Sportster - an obvious choice. BP

Krazy Horse

Per square mile England has more motorcycle history and opportunities than any country on earth (but Italy comes close). We don't have the wilderness of Australia, Africa or the Americas, but forced to exist cheek by jowl means we have dozens of racetracks, speedway tracks, shops, specialists and parts manufacturers in easily drivable distances.
Still, we at Sideburn look at others countries' stylish moto shops - places like Deus Ex Machina; Kiddo; Iron & Air; Officine Mermaid -  and wonder why there's nothing like this in the UK.
Well, now there is - it's in Suffolk and it's Krazy Horse's new HQ.
After years of being housed in a very characterful, but small shop in Bury St Edmunds city centre, the Krazy Horse crew, led by Paul Beamish - above, have moved to a new industrial unit a mile out of town. We visited over the Christmas holiday and it's bloody impressive.

Krazy Horse are importers for Zero choppers, the TUV and EU-approved choppers that look the business but sail through MoTs and have all the kind of papers Germans and Italians demand.

The space is packed with a 20-year history of chopper styles, show-winning bikes Krazy Horse have built.

Display bikes, the Airstream caravan and a massive workshop, with dyno and everything you could dream of, is downstairs. Parts area, clothing department and cafe is upstairs.
Liz, below, runs the clothes side. They stock Belstaff, Deus Ex Machina, Dickies, Levi's Vintage, Roland Sands Designs, Davida, Red Wing boots...
The cafe is run in conjunction with the Ace. It wasn't fully open when we visited but it is now.

 The Shinya Kimura-built Zero Junkyard Phantom is on display.

 They also sell the new S&S X Wedge-powered Morgan three-wheelers.

Krazy Horse also import Storz products.
We're hoping to have a magazine launch party at this place in the coming year.
Good luck Krazy Horse! G

Junkyard Phantom

A few days ago we announced a chunk of the Rollerburn show bikes. Since then we've confirmed a bunch more we were chasing including the Junkyard Phantom - built by Shinya Kimura himself and, we're told, featured in the Iron Man film. Can't wait to see the bike close up. G

Just say No

I called in at an office that publishes a lot of Britain's biggest motorcycle titles. I saw this on the wall of one of the newest magazine's containment cells. It says 'Flat track - Just say No'
I didn't bother asking for an explanation. Underneath was a photo of one of Shinya Kimura's beautiful bikes. That was slapped with a slogan exclaiming 'Say No To Steampunk'.
I left wondering why can't there be more love in the world? G

Rebel Motorcycles Ltd.

We have stocks of another cool hardback book for sale - Rebel Motorcycles Ltd. It has a lovely spot varnished cover, is a large format 30x21cm and includes photos of builders, bike, events and shows including: Shinya Kimura; Wes White; Cole Foster; A Bombers, Sweden; Moon eyes, Japan; Jimmy Shine; Hard 9 Choppers; El Diablo Run...
Here's the press release...

Following 'The Electroline Diaries -on the road with the Burbank Choppers', award winner Laurent Bagnard is back with a new book: 'Rebel Motorcycles Ltd'. 'He's put together in this book some of the unsung heroes and also some of the more well known movers and shakers of the modern day bike scene. Laurent's photos grab a glimpse of these builders and riders, not the richest, nor the most famous, but some of the most influential of today's breed, building with a nod to the past and fueled by punk rock' Verne Hammond, Burbank Choppers. 'He brings a new light on something that has had a bit of a dark side, and reputation since the first 1%er quote. He brings back the sex appeal, and danger that has been dorked out by biker build-off’s and billet for years.' Jake Cavaliere, Lords of Altamont.

‘Rebel Motorcycles Ltd’, by Laurent Bagnard.
Cast Iron productions, 144 pages, hardcover.
Buy it at the Sideburn Webshop

Chabott Engineering

shinya kimura @ chabott engineering from Henrik Hansen on Vimeo.

Hero

Shinya Kimura x Troy Critchlow x GI x GQ Italy

Troy Critchlow got in touch a few weeks ago to say he had some great shots of his friend Shinya Kimura racing at Bonneville on a Harley he built for a customer. He asked if I knew anyone who'd run a story. It turns out Michele at GQ Italy loves the photos as much as I did and the story is in this month's magazine. Everyone's a winner. I don't think it's on sale much longer though so buy it today. GI

Shinya Test Run

Went to El Mirage dry lake beds about an hour north of LA yesterday. Was there to help a friend qualify for his Bonneville Salt license. Took some pix. Saw the crazy Ducati roundcase built for Brad Pitt by Chabott Engineering. Amazing. Ran into a friend who has built a Guzzi Land Speed bike. (171mph at Bonneville last year). Enjoy. Andrew Gray [our man on the ground in LA] Go Fast just Go Fast.

We ♥ Shinya

From his emergence as Zero Engineering in Japan, which phoenix'd into Chabott Engineering in the States. Shinya Kimura is the Don of steam punk SEX.
I'm a reformed blogoholic and too busy trying to nail down the long overdue SB#3 to be cruising the seductive ether highways and back-streets looking for nubile motorcycles just now, but when Troy Critchlow just Emailed me this snap of this 750ss Ducati caff racer Shinya is hammering out for a certain Brad Pitt, I just had to creep out and hunt it down. No other info yet - it's not even mentioned on his own site, I robbed this Motoyan photo from the Swastika flying No Future Krew blog.
BP