DIY Hot Shoe

We thought we'd share this how to on the blog. Skooter Farm's Captain Highside wrote it for Sideburn 3. We put it up now, so Dirt Quake gladiators can have a go at making a hot shoe if they fancy one (no, it's not mandatory, some quick lads have raced without hot shoes in the UK). Click the image a couple of times and it should be readable.

Sideburn 3 was a mighty issue. We have some in stock. G

Mule Video

Nice video to advertise the fact Mule has gone into full-time bike building after years of building some of the world's finest street trackers purely at weekends and during evenings.

Read the Mule Story in Sideburn 3 and Mule's incredible Streetmaster Bonnevile in Sideburn 8.
Good luck Mule. G

I will race at Lodi

Craig Randall (in the dark shirt) is the subject of one of my all-time favourite Sideburn features (A life Less Ordinary in Sideburn 3). He got in touch to say the dirt track bug had bitten again.

'It is all settled now. I will race at Lodi in California on 21 May 2011 with my BSA B50 framer. I will ride the 60+ (age) class and the vintage class. The roll call of 60+ guys at Lodi is pretty tough. Steve McCants and I will be reincarnating the Hi Hats Motorcycle Club of Martinez, patch included, of which we were members in the 60's. My race bike is being set up now and I will forward a picture when the number plates are on.
Best, Craig'

The Wisdom of Rupert Paul

A thought to end the year with. I've been doing quite a lot of work with Bike magazine in the last few months and I found this short piece while I was doing some research. It was written by one of my favourite bike journalists, Rupert Paul (above). As the former editor of Performance Bikes (in its late-80s, early-90 cultural heyday), Rupert was instrumental in reinventing British bike mags. He also helped me get a job once and wrote about Mablethorpe beach races for Sideburn 3.
Anyway, I like this a lot (I retyped it, so if there are any mistakes, they're mine not his). G

It was the Buddha in one of his far from idle moments, who said that a meditation on death is the greatest meditation of all. Only when you are aware of how fragile and transient your time here is, can you truly and fully engage with life.
Riders love a risk or we'd live in jars packed with cotton wool. But are we that aware? Control freaks, more like. I love riding fast — don’t know anything else, really— and the kick comes from endlessly balancing skill against risk. But whenever I’ve crashed, the two or three seconds before show me who I really am - a very fragile, very mortal bag of skin, muscle and bone feeing deeply, deeply regretful. Thus, as the trajectory towards the car/ditch becomes obvious:
Myself (to imaginary omnipotent being): Could we start again, please?
Omnipotent being (in the guise of reality): Crunch.
Equally revealing is that, as soon as we feel able, we forget how scared we were and put on the bravado again. I once crashed in a busy street while carrying a giant thermos of tea in my rucksack - with the result that, as I got up, gushes of brown fluid splashed onto the floor. A small girl was horrified: ‘Oh look, mummy – blood!’ In seconds I went from total panic to laughing out loud as I explained.
The truth is, we kid ourselves that it’ll never happen. If we didn’t, we’d never get on a bike. RP

Scorpions return

Great news. The Scorpion Vintage Dirt Track team have made their racing comeback. Read about the Scorpions (shot by Scott Pommier) in Sideburn 3. GI
These photos are from Norm at Motorcycho

Wood-Rotax Next Generation

This is Matt Weidman on the Wood Rotax twin. Yes, it used to wear a roundel, but the engine was made by Rotax in Austria and the chassis by Ron Wood in California, so it's a Wood Rotax and that's the name it entered the first GNC twins race of 2010 under. Weidman rode the bike for the first time on the Friday of the Yavapai, Arizona round and made the main the next day. That is pretty incredible.
BMW? Nein, nein, nein (not till they give Ron some support). GI
Read Ron Wood's story in Sideburn 3

Mule comes running

We asked Richard at Mule Motorcycles (as featured in SB3) a few questions about XS650s. In case you missed the answers, here they are...

Front wheel- Yes a 19" will bolt right on. Just locate a stock wheel and you're done. Always try to go with wire wheels on the 650 as the stock mags are probably the heaviest mags ever made by any manufacturer! Building a streettracker is more than just "The Look". It's also about the "Feel" and light is the feel you should try to acheive. With the stock wire wheel hub, you can lace up any size or width of rim you want and there are a variety of Yamaha and Ducati brake rotors available with that bolt pattern. Good stuff out there!

Swingarm- A stock swingarm will accept the an Omars front wheel conversion kit if you want the cheapest way possible. You end up with a very narrow rear wheel. If you want a correct rear wheel of 2.75"-3.00 rim width, you'll find that a Radian swinarm will do the trick. They are available on EBAY and bolt right on. Caution though, if they are selling for more than $150.00, you can get a nice custom one built out of cromoly. But it does save a lot of running around. I use a stock Sportster aluminum rear hub for the rear wheel and lace up a rim of the proper width. I remove the stock (heavy) double row bearings and replace them with a single row, normal bearing. Then you can get any sprocket size you want from Sprocket Specialists. For a rotor, you could make or adapt just about anything you wanted. I use a stock Sporty rotor after thinning and reducing the diameter. This provides a nice light rotor that bolts right on. Wheels usually take a lot of thought and work, but give the bike the majority of its look and ride.

Chesapeake Bay

From Tim White, the photographer who shot SB3's cover...

'My day job took me this week to a rather posh inn on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The place had a very nautical theme so imagine my surprise when I happened to spot this hanging over the lounge.
It's signed by Bartell; a bit of googling turned up a George Bartell who painted a number of auto racing scenes in the '60's. Maybe it's the same guy. I'll keep digging.' -- Tim White

Flying Dutchman

PB collaborator and top fella, the Flying Dutchman has been in touch to say this is his new blog address Dutchman photo blog
Here he is on the shoot of Frank's Harley WL/WR that appears in Sideburn 3. GI

Belladonna Trackers

Nice shot of the Patric from Belladonna Trackers, Stockholm on the SR500 featured in Sideburn 3. He's in his old Stockholm Rockets Speedway kevlars.
More Stockholm news - Sivletto are now stocked up with SB3. Here's Per and Fredrik getting high on the supply. GI

Meeting Craig Randall

I had to do some work in London last week so I arranged to meet Craig Randall for breakfast at the Ace Cafe. He's the amazing guy whose story and scrapbook is in Sideburn 3.
I asked for tips for my next dirt track race. He told me I should brake deeper, keep the front tyre on the blue groove, but have the rear wheel in loose dirt making it hard for anyone to pass. He even had some shots of him on his old Suzuki doing exactly that. I had to explain that I understood what he was saying, but there was no way on earth I have the skill to do it. It was great meeting him again though.

Mule Power

From Richard at Mule Motorcycles (he's in Sideburn 3, remember). HE seems to be racing in a prison exercise yard.

'I liked the Velodrome being built pictures! I ride 1-2 hours a day and race twice every weekend. Here's a couple pictures. Downside is, I've been hurt worse and more often on bicycles than motorcycles!!' :-( Mule

Paris Trackmaster

This just in from Bertrand Busillet in Paris. BB and SR Labo supplied the unforgettable shots of Roberts' TZ750 for SB2 and the Wood BMW for SB3. He had Justin at Glory /Rank and File motorcycle build this Trackmaster Triumph for him. We told you about it here. Now it's landed in France.

Thanks for the last issue of SB : once again you did a great work !
Yesterday I went to Le Havre to pick up my bike. I went there with a friend of mine, Dimitri Coste who's a great photographer. He bought to Justin a TR-6 that was built for Jason Lee.
Both bike are in Paris now : we have to get a license plate, and then go to a ride !
I tought you could enjoy some pics for your blog. Just don't forget to credit Dimitri for the pics.
See you soon
BB

Stuff I love. Pt 2.

Speed Junkies blogspot. Giannis never posts a dud.

British Short Track ingenuity.
This is Trappy on a 450 (don't worry about the scale, he's a Man Mountain). This photo is included because it shows Brit racers are more concerned about getting out there and racing that aesthetics. That wheel is a lowly Honda Comstar, bought cheap from an autojumble (swap meet for our American readers). It ain't too pretty, but it takes a 19in Maxxis. And that means Trappy's lad gets to race with proper rubber.

Poppa Wheelie blog, because he unearths shots like this.

Steve's Katana, with Dymag wheels, Racefit pipe, GSX-R forks. I rode it and wrote about it for PB. It's the only Katana I've ever really fallen for.


This amazing hauler. I found the photo on one of our follower's sites - Cheap thrills and good times
Anyone know anything about it?

The Dynotones. Hot rode-themed surf music of the highest order. With covers by Rockin Jellybean. Thanks Dana.


This painting sent in by Sideburn collaborator, Chris Watson who said 'I don't know anything about it, but I like it' Amen

The photography of Scott Pommier. He shot the Scorpions in Sideburn 3. I still haven't had a go at bike surfing. I've got to man-up or shut up.

Motorcycho - the original lame-ass bikerzine.

Chicken: Love for sale on the streets of Hollywood by David Henry Sterry. The wonderfully written true story of a poor lad who gets ass-raped on his first night in Hollywood and becomes a 'chicken', male prostitute who services women. Brilliant, brilliant and for sale for 1p plus postage on Amazon.
“I walk all the way up Hollywood Boulevard to Grauman’s Chinese Theater: past turistas snapping shots; wanna-be starlets sparkling by in mini-skirts with head shots in their hands and moondust in their eyes; rowdy cowboys drinking with drunken Indians; black businessmen bustling by briskly in crisp suits; ladies who do not lunch with nylons rolled up below the knee pushing shopping carts full of everything they own; Mustangs rubbing up against muscular Mercedes and Hell’s Angels hogs.
It’s a sick twisted Wonderland, and I am Alice.”

My Grenson brogue boots. Made in Northampton.


Cheers, GI

Mule 916

Mule Motorcycles created this Ducati back in 2000 or so. I've got to say, I think it looks better with clip-ons rather than dirt track bars. Mule rule. We've have the story behind the world's best street tracker builder in Sideburn 3. Adam Wright drove down to San Diego to photograph Mule exclusively for us.

Autobahn

Many Thanks to all of you who have already placed orders for SB#3.
The first batch to faithful subscribers has already gone out, but GI is now motoring at high velocity somewhere in Germany heading towards the Italian Alps in a flash new £100,000 Audi. No he didn't nick it, it falls under his 'day job' title. But this does mean the next mail-out wont be until Thursday. I'm holed up in Holland and haven't even seen a copy either. Sorry for the delay. Please sit tight.
The new T-shirt designs are at the printers too.
BP
(I doubt very much if GI will be listening to Kraftwerk on the quad surround-sound. He's more likely to have the windows open and King Kahn cranked up)

The Wait is OVER!

Sideburn 3 has landed!
Here is photographer and Sideburn contributor Fly enjoying a cheeky Grolsch and a hot off the press SB3 outside Sideburn HQ. We've been feeding you tasters, but for a fuller (but not complete) list of what's going in and to order, click here.
It couldn't be simpler. If you have a Paypal account, just send money to dirt@sideburnmagazine.com
Or send a cheque.
Subscribers issues, and pre-orders, are parceled up will go out tomorrow. So don't panic.

If you want to get one of the last 40 issues of Sideburn 1 we have left, plus 2 and 3 and a laser cut sticker, you can subscribe and have your THREE ISSUE subscription start with issue 1. It's a no brainer. Think what a great day you'll have when those beauties land on the doormat. Subscription details

Freshly Made Donuts

Cold, wet, and salty, but a whole lorra fun. Beach racing in the north of England, laps limited by the encroaching tide.
Story Rupert Paul, photos Redeye. SB#3 out this Friday.

Aldana's new lid

From Don at Metro Racing. Thanks, Don. By the way, there's a great, unseen shot of Aldana, that even Dave himself hadn't seen and couldn't place, in Sideburn 3.

Hey Guys
Here's some top secret spy photos of David Aldana's new Arai Corsair 5. I just finished painting it. He will debut it this weekend at the Neeses, SC and Aonia Pass AHRMA races this weekend.
Ride fast, take chances, Don

I hope he didn't mean 'secret' as in don't show anyone. Too late.

Tangerine Dream

Sideburn 3 aint just sand blasted golden oldies, we got shiny new stuff too. This Italian Drags And Racing chrome will get you home.
BP