Sorry (not sorry)

Off-topic on a Wednesday? You betcha.

When Sideburn goes to a show with a booth the first rule is to entertain ourselves, and the best way is to have a great soundtrack. Luckily we have friends with incredible taste in music that are often happy to come to a launch or a bike show and hang out. Dave Taylor, Katie B, Johnny Alpha and jack of all trades, Dave Skooter Farm all man the decks from time to time.

I know Dave Skooter Farm's show selection records back to front and this one by The Easybeats stuck in my mind after our recent outing to the Revival Show in Rotherham. I always thought The Easybeats were one of the Liverpool explosion, but they are cited as being the 'greatest pop band to hail from Australia' (talk about damning with faint praise...).

The band formed in 1964 and had some great hits, including Friday On My Mind, and were all first generation immigrants. Three of the band were born in the UK, the other two were born in the Netherlands.

Enjoy lead singer Stevie Wright's chimp-like posturing, while not entirely mastering miming, and the chainsaw strum of the twin Gretsches while the studio dancers frug wildly. Yeah! G

Never Go Back: Snake River Canyon

Dave Skooter Farm reports...

In this modern age, there seems to be an insatiable quest to revisit the good old days. The ‘rebooting’ of classic movies, old bands you thought you would never, ever get to see, reforming and long-discontinued chocolate bars once again available in the newsagents. However, maybe some things should be left in the nostalgic mind’s eye.

On September 17th 2016, as tribute to his childhood idol Evel Knievel, Hollywood stuntman Eddie Bruan will attempt to recreate Evel’s 1974 career highpoint (pun intended) and jump the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho. Regular readers of Sideblog won’t need me to point out how Knievel’s effort played out.

Bruan will be piloting an exact replica of EK’s ‘X-2 Sky-Cycle’ built to vintage blue-prints belonging to the builder of the original, NASA rocket scientist Bob Truax. The new version of the Sky-Cycle has been co-built by the late Bob Truax’s son, Scott. The craft has been christened ‘Evel Spirit’

Just like Evel’s ‘bike’, it’s steam-powered. 

Steam is superheated to precise temperature and pressure and when released, produces 6,000 pounds of thrust and 10,000 Horsepower! Expected maximum speed is in excess of 400 mph in 3.0 seconds with a calculated altitude of 3,000 feet. 

In keeping with exact specifications of Evel's X2 Sky-cycle, all of that temperature and pressure is being held in the rocket by THE LID OF A DOG-FOOD CAN!

'Evel used it—so we're using it! That's right, we actually cut off the tops of dog food cans (just like Evel did) and place the lid inside the rocket engine to keep all the pressure at bay until we are ready to release it!' 

For some reason, live spectators at the launch site have been limited to 500 people. We could speculate that it may have something to do with Evel (above) leaving behind a trail of unpaid bills with vendors and the local services his team used during their stay 42 years ago. A city councillor in Twin Falls said the town was wiser about what to expect from a daredevil attempting to jump their canyon.

Happy landings to the ‘Evel Spirit’ team.

Dave Skooter Farm

(Above) This post's author, Dave Skooter Farm, with the original Sky-Cycle in 1999. It prompted me to ask, 'Where was the photo of you taken? And why do you look like you’ve just taken one to the nuts?'

Dave replied, 'Daytona Bike week 1999, Met Evel that day too. Can’t explain why I’m in that position….soz'

Sideburn presents Force of the Moto-Ninja

Sideburn: Force of the Moto-Ninja from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

When the Moto-Ninja calls in at his local Sideburn stockist, Static Records, to buy the latest issue he manages to snag the last copy in the shop. This upsets the local literature-loving bikers and that spells trouble.

If you're in Wigan, or passing through, Static will be stocked up with Sideburn 24 before the weekend. G

Deep Space Deviants

INCOMING TRANSMISSION:
As we speak, Dirt Quake anchor-man DAVROS, is travelling across the galaxy from the planet Skaro for a rare visit to our puny planet Earth. Ably assisted by his backing band THE DEEP-SPACE DEVIANTS he is plotting audio terror strikes on the unsuspecting people of London and Liverpool.
Unimpressed with what passes for ‘entertainment’ here on earth...the leader of the Daleks is threatening to destroy our culture and show us how it should be done...ENJOY IT OR BE EXTERMINATED!!!
Any willing Davros disciples should present themselves on Sat 31st Jan at WEIRDSVILLE, The Fiddlers Elbow, 1 Malden Rd, London NW5 3HS Doors open 8pm and tickets are £5.50 in advance HERE or £7 on the door.
There will be a second strike 7 days later on Sat 7th Feb at THE GOGO CAGE, the Cabin Club, Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4DH Doors open 9.30pm. £3 entry
Dave Skooter Farm

Trash N Treasure

Sideburn's entertainments officer, Dave Skooter Farm, decides to sell off some of his extensive 'Pop Culture' collection, amassed over the last 40 years, sets up his own
retro market and invites 25 like-minded friends to join the TNT conga line!

Laidback, afternoon velvety sounds from SB house DJ Johnny Alpha and mid-tempo beat ballads and floaters from WIGAN YOUNG SOULS founder, Jordan Wilson. These guys were in the dance sequences in the new NORTHERN SOUL film.

Sun 23rd Nov, 10am until 4.30pm

The Old Courts, Crawford Street, Wigan. WN1 1NG

Mid-century curiosities;  women's vintage fashion; toys, records, furniture; films, men's fashion; retro computer games; 70's memorabilia, board games; hand crafted accessories...

Earn Brownie points and bring the missus on a fab, non-motorcycle-related day out?

I ♥ Wiltshire

Saturday afternoon blat down the fields with my 17 year old nephew to blow the cobwebs out of my CCM in eager anticipation of Rye House (yesterday - which was fantastic). I rode his classic CG125. Frustratingly the law states that now he has passed his test, he will have to wait until he is 19 until he can get a big bike. BP

Cheese Quake

Dirt Quake, Dirt Quake II, Dirt Quake USA, Dirt Quake III and next up Cheese Quake. Oregon is a progressive state but this new 'Blizzard Treat' is verging on avant-garde. On our drive up to Portland from LA, we pulled off Interstate Highway 5 into Cottage Grove, and were promptly given the bird by a local pick-up driver for no apparent reason (the rest of the population was very, very friendly) so cautiously overtook him. Then came across the local Dairy Queen and were given a second salute, as we pulled in. We re-energised on synthetic 'creamy vanilla soft serve' (they are evidently not legally allowed to even call it ice cream). BP

Dave Skooter Farm, Southport 1980

I was up in Wigan a while ago, visiting one of the best friends a fella could wish for, Dave Skooter Farm. We met at Static Records and I mentioned to Dave that I needed some new tyres for my boy's BMX, so we walked to the nearby, World famous Alan's BMX - possibly the oldest continually operating BMX shop in the world. As we walked up the stairs, Dave stopped by a mural and said, That's me.
The painting (below) was taken from a photo (above) taken in 1980-81 at Southport Skate Park.

Dave was one of the first 'team' riders in the whole of British BMX and, as a youth, his team even took him to California to race. California is still exotic to Brits now, but it was another world when Dave was a youth. All the vast majority of Brits knew about it was Hollywood and CHiPs.

Dave, above and below (in yellow), again at Southport in the very early-80s. Photos: Stefan Faulkner

33 years after Southport Dave is still up for hanging it out.
He's one of the Sideburn delegation coming out to Springfield and Dirt Quake USA.

He also came up with the concept of Sideburn 15 Cover 1 and rode the Honda Dax in the pool he himself designed and built in his own backyard. That's him, again in yellow, still in Vans.

The Dax belongs to his good mate, and fellow Brit BMX original - John 'Captain Highside' Lee, who also took these behind the scenes photos. Our very own Ben Part took the cover shot.

Anyway, it's Dave's birthday this weekend. Happy Birthday Dave. G

Get Sideburn 15 here. G

Mini Highside

Captain Highside's Honda Africa Twin in a KTM chassis featured in Sideburn 2 (see a post on it here). Highside is a very talented motorcycle engineer and racer and was one of the first pro BMX racers in the UK (for the Raleigh Burner team in the early-80s). And a couple of crashes he's put his own racing on hold and take his three kids BMX racing. Georgie is the the youngest and has a flat track bodykit on her balance bike, complete with tiny replica stickers. He says...

'I was given the bare bike but it needed the Skooter Farm treatment! I made a buck for the tank and seat unit and then vacuum formed them out of ABS in the 'shop. I made the stickers on my PC and printed them on vinyl. If anyone is interested in a tank/seat they could be available.'

Sideburn Cover Pool

One of the world's most famous BMX riders was asked to film a short to promote a smartphone. His name is Harry Main and he lives in Liverpool. Our cover star and Entertainments Officer, Dave Skooter Farm built his some ramps, that's his day job, and Harry used the same pool on the cover of Sideburn 15 for a sequence in this short.
And if you like that, you'll love Harry Mainia, below. Incredible. G

Sideburn 15: Available to pre-order

Sideburn 15 is nearly here. Yes, you heard right. It's now available for pre-order. If you pre-order it will be sent as soon as possible after it arrives with us on November 18th.
Choose from:
Cover 1: Dave Skooter Farm doing a vertical pool ride on a worn-out Honda Dax.
Cover 2: Sleaze Bandit on the Sideburn x Stevie Gee Kawasaki Z200

Or, for the cheaper rate of £8 for two, both covers (this is only for the collectors. The magazines are identical inside).

100 heavyweight pages of motorcycle inspiration.
ROAD CONTENT - Slacker -Stevie Gee's Kawasaki Z200; Chopper Dave's Turbo Harley Sportster; Rive Gauche Honda CX500; Honda Dax in a swimming pool; 1956 Gilera 300 street tracker.

RACE CONTENT - Bryan Smith and his Crosley Howerton Kawasaki 650; tech insight on Kenny Roberts' Yamaha TZ700; UK flat track special; Nicky Hayden Interview; Stacie B London's Bultaco; Death Spray Custom Rotax framer.

PLUS Race poetry; Skip Van Leeuwen's Trophy Queen.

Go to the Sideburn webshop to pre-order. G

Do-er

Dave Skooter Farm is a Do-er. Some of the ideas that are thrown around the Sideburn camp are a little crazy-peeps. In a normal environment, a delusional philosopher's 'genius' idea would be laughed off and they would be ordered to buy another round of drinks. Who'd have thought a motorized steak 'n' kidney pie would make a 'suitable' pace-car? Dave would. Dave did. And so Dirt Quake is blessed with the adoption of said vehicle.

A couple of months ago, when the best of the summer had already moved on, the idea surfaced of riding a motorbike in a skateboard bowl. Dave had built his own bowl in his back garden (its footprint is bigger than that of the bungalow itself), John Highside offered up a ropey old Honda Dax, and faster than you can say "Jack Robinson" I was on my way to Wigan with my camera. "Oh can you get a couple of leggy models too?". We were truly blessed with the weather. Gt Man (aka Greater Manchester) has never looked so So Cal.

Sideburn #15 coming soon. BP

Sidebottom Bronze

Sideburn's very own Entertainment Officer Dave Arnold (Left in the photo here), is a very busy bod. Amongst many different hats he has worn is a Fez, as chauffeur, handy-man, gofer, and tour manager for comedian Frank Sidebottom RIP. A bronze statue has just been erected in his honor in Timperley (Frank's not Dave's - although I'm sure Ashton in Makerfield will one day errect a bronze of Dave). Full report on the Manchester BBC. BP

Wingboot, Buzz or Howl

New products in the Sideburn webshop.
First is a gorgeous new rub-on sticker- the Wingboot. Each letter is individually cut out, like our logo/subs stickers. £3.50 plus post.
Black, white or red.

250mm (10in) long. BIG!
Perfect for vehicles, helmets, toolboxes...

We bought a few of these Buzz or Howl 7in singles to sell on because...
A) Our entertainments officer David 'Skooter Farm' Arnold plays bass in this 3-piece.
B) One of our favourite artists, Maxwell Paternoster (Prez of the Corpses From Hell) drew the artwork.

We have a handful of these at £5 plus post.
The style is a lot like Freak Scene-era Dinosaur Jr and Mega City Four, late-80s indie punk. Anyway, there were 500 made and the record company has sold out of them already.
Vinyl fans should also check out the one of only release on Sideburn Records, by The Stags. G

The Shook Ups!

Tonight in Bristol, Skooter Farms Dave's other band are headlining a Frathouse night, organized by the Hi Class Joe's, at the Stag and Hounds pub 74 Old Market Street, BS2 0EJ.
Beloved DJ Johnny Alpha will be spinning vinyl too. Twanging Surf Garage Wahwahliciousness. BP

Any Old Iron

Not available from Snap-On. Here (via DSC) the Kawasaki WSB team use a length of galvanized scaffold pole to straighten out the back-end on one of their ZXRs - an art they robbed off Skooter Farm. BP

Once in a lifetime find...

 

That's what it says on the advert for this XR750, in road trim, for sale on UK eBay. The salesman obviously doesn't know that Skooter Farm Racing boasts not one, but two racing XR750s in the team (seen below in action at Scunthorpe). Ridden, not hidden...

Anyway, if you've got 30 grand burning a hole, you can find out more here.
Thanks to Greg Benzina for the tip-off. G

The Shook-Ups

From our good friends, The Shook-Ups (with Sideburn contributor Dave Skooter Farm on bass)

The Shook-Ups will play Dublin Castle, Camden as the opening night of their European tour to promote the release of the new record on German label SOUNDFLAT RECORDS" 
Monday 22nd October 
94 Parkway, NW1 7AN London Borough of Camden

Jason x Racefit

Jason's UK short track, Skooter Farm C&J Rotax, with Racefit titanium pipe. This bike featured in Sideburn 5 in a previous (gold leafed) guise. Photos lifted from Racefit. G