Sweden: Tomorrow!

Short notice, but we only just found out about this. Tomorrow is a public holiday in Sweden and some folks have organised a dirt track day, ride whatever you like.
Find out more at Dirty Motorsickles. G

W and W Cycles Ice Drag Racing

I'm getting pretty excited about Snow Quake and searching around the internet for other ice racing shenanigans. I remembered this adventure that Dirt Quake sponsors, W and W Cycles of Germany went on a few years ago.

The race is in Sweden in February, on a frozen lake. Thomas Wiegl, who is the only person, other than Ben, to race at Dirt Quake UK and USA in the same year.

Thomas raced the Big Boar, a modified Sportster.

From a distance, a frozen lake looks like the ideal track – no bumps, no holes. But, the reality is different. When we watched others go down the track we were kinda puzzled by the engines periodically over-revving. Out there, we quickly find out what’s happening. The surface is undulating to the point that vehicles just lose traction as they partially lift off. Plus, the spikes are following every crack, track or step in the ice. Trust your bike in moments like this, keep open that throttle, keep your eye on the part of the track where you want to be and hope for the best.

Read more at wwag.com. G

Highland UPDATED

What ever happened to the Highland flat tracker? Did any complete bikes make it to the competition circuit? The American owned company, born from the original Swedish brand in 1997, now only makes engines rather than whole bikes. BP

UPDATE:
From Jan-Willem and Tom of the Dutch Brothers...

Tom did some research on this and more know more details and accuracies 

I spoke to the owner at the Intermot or EICMA during the period the XR1200 was launched (2009?) This prototype was build by Dale Lineaweaver, the same person who build Kenny Noyes formula USA-winning Husaberg. 

That's most likely the connection for this project. 

Highland modified the bike, put it on 18" (streetlegal) tires and made some ugly bodywork on it.

At some point the found an American investor and made big plans. They built a new factory in america and shortly after all key people crashed in a little air plane.

Swedish Rat Tracker

From our old friend Marcus Moto Design in Sweden.

The photos included are the one from this summer's Norrtalje Custom Bike Show and a rusty Sportster tracker that I think is worth a sideblog.

UPDATE
From Jan Leek
Loved that photo of the Swedish Rat Tracker. Look at the air filter box and the tank emblem: Röda Ulven: it’s best-known brand of that Scandinavian speciality SURSTRÖMMING, rotten, canned fish. You have to open the tin outside, but the fish is actually delicious if you can stand the smell! I feel that the owner/builder of this bike has a certain sense of humour.

"Transformers...

Honda Goldwings in Disguise".

This is actually a clever Swedish invention, but I can't find much info on it. BP

This Weekend in Stockholm

Bjorn says...

6/5/4 Motors is hosting their first annual Motor Summer Sesh, 7 June. A summer chill with motorcycles in focus.

During the day there will be a nice vibe with live DJ, Food Trucks etc... We are bringing our motorcycles so bring your Café Racer, Scrambler, Tracker or other Brat like bike. 

Together we create a lovely summer day! Invite all your friends, everyone is welcome!

The Swedes are at it too...

From Per in Sweden

'This is our Swedish answer to the Russian unimoto. Ducati 750SS/ 140 km/h'

Swedish Flat Track

From Patric at Belladonna Trackers:
"Saturday, September 22 Mellan 1400-1700 runs Sweden's first sanctioned Flat track racing at Nyköping. FMX daredevils meet MX riders face Long the bane World Champion, Ice racing drivers, back champions, speedway pro, motard elite. Ultimate racing that will prove who is the meanest drivers on two wheels. There are 24 riders running 3 heats each, 8, in each heat for 6 laps, concluding with an A, B, C, finals. During the day Rack Arty trail display and Sweden's leading FMX team Skilled FMX showcases its spectacular mini flips landing on flat ground after a backflip. Flat-track and FMX Sweden are working to pave the way for two outsider sports in Sweden. The aim of the events is to create a platform for future Swedish championships." [apologies for any lost-in-(Google)translation info] BP

Swedish Flat Track

The Belladonna Trackers guys stopped romping in their underground Stockholm dungeon long enough to go out to one of Sweden's many speedway ovals for some dirt track fun. And Jan-Willem and Tom from the Dutch Brothers drove all the way from Switzerland (a loooong way) to give them lessons and tasters on their bikes.

Our friend Marcus, of Marcus Moto Design, went along and said this...

It was cool to see a real flattrack bike ride a track! Thanks to the Dutch Bros who brought 2 bikes, did some races together with speedway and motocross riders on 450 crossers. They let the riders try their bikes and everyone had a blast! My 4 year old boy was stoked! 
 I hope that this is the start for the sport in Sweden and we can see built-it-yourself bikes as the ones in the UK. 
 Hopefully we will have more of these official training sessions for flat track in Sweden this year. Belladonna will then have their bikes ready and hopefully a handful others!
Marcus

Photos above by Belladonna, below by Marcus.

DucRat

From our friend Marcus Moto in Sweden...

Here is my daily ride of 2012, DucRat. Scratched and leftover bits from the F1 Tracker build (see below) added to my basic yellow 748 I bought off a friend last year. It is a UK bike from the start. 

It could use a proper paint on the plastics and a proper carbon fibre repair instead of the patching up with leftover carbon bits of the workshop floor. But it is freedom to put something like this together once in a while! :-) 
 Cheers, Marcus

Burn baby burn

Fresh from Swedish imprint Heptown Records is the debut album by funereally-monikered The Cremators. Psychobilly? Punkabilly? Hard rockabilly? Oh blimey, I dunno, but The New Breed is along those Guana Batz/Meteors lines. I'm a sucker for most things with an upright bass and there's slap-plunk aplenty. At times it sounds like, well, imagine the bastard love children of Lemmy and Wanda Jackson, violating their parole to get out and make music. And the gravel-gargling lead singer is called Lucas Arson, which I thought was a term used in insurance circles for dodgy claims blaming the unintentionally incendiary products of those now defunct automotive electrical jokers in Brum. MP

Swedish Sauce

Belladonna have been making a raucous noize for some time and finally the country that has a L o n g history of speedway has woken up to the fact that flat track might be fun too. Belladonna have just built their first budget flat tracker - based on a Honda XR600, and plan to baptize it with fire at a new practice series they are setting up this year. Contact partscreative@gmail.com if you're up for it. BP

Marcus Moto New Project

Marcus Moto Design is working on a new project.

I finally decided on the Co-Built yokes, thanks for the advice! Here they are matched with my Ohlins RWU forks.
Cheers, Marcus

Killer wheelie bins

Spotted in an elevator in Sweden.

For other examples of when wheelie bins go bad click here. G

Before it's too late...

I feel terrible today, like my head's in a vice, but it looks like Spring outside. So, if you don't already own a motorbike, buy one. G
Above: Is Marcus Moto Design's Sporty 'Daily Dirt', on sale in Sweden.
Below: Suzuki GN400 board track-style street bike on Uk eBay. Thanks to Mike for the tip-off.

We should add, when Sideburn links to bikes on sale we have no connection with them, we're not vouching for them and we often know nothing about their history, we just find them interesting. OK? Buy beware and all that.

Svelte Swede

Ever sucked water from a fist-full of mountain snow? David Andersson took a Husqvarna 570 and did the same. It's so pure and refined it makes a coat-hanger seem over-complicated. Read the full story on the Krook Street tracker in SB#7. BP

Swedish Mud

Hello!
Last sunday 4 members of the vintage café racer club Ton-up Club Stockholm (Swedish chapter of Ton-up Club International) tried out some mud wrestling with our old Brits. Getting dirty: Triumph 6T 1953, Triumph T110 1954, Triumph TR6 1968, Suzuki
?? 1970.
The Swedish champions classic motocross sidecar team joined us with their Husqvarna and Yamaha XS and made the track soft and juicy for us...
Pictures here
Cheers, Magnus

Krook Street Tracker

The Husqvarna street tracker is finished! It was sprayed by Death Spray (to David, the builder's design). Racing PM wheel in the back. Fancy-dan ISR master cylinders. Check out the full story at Krook Street Racing, a great place to get tips if you're building your own. G

PS I hope David realises that Sideburn Soul sticker isn't waterproof. Maybe we should do some proper vinyl replacements. It was an ordering cock-up on my behalf and they were just freebies for our Wigan Wig-Out.