Giuliano Segoni

Having invented the beard in Florence in 1969, Giuliano Segoni went on to design this exciting stressed-member Laverda. pictured here in 1971 with his architect brother and test rider Augusto Brettoni.

In 1973 he went crazy and came up with this monocoque frame for the SFC.

Ohh err on the engine turned finish

Then in 1974 he discovered funk, and things calmed down a little. This Kawa Z900 (he mysteriously badged K900 - maybe discovered pipe smoking?) was shown off at the Milan show.

He gained some endurance success. Beating the official factory team in 1975 at the 24hour Bol D'Or - even being the sole Italian team to finish. Dude. BP

Deus Does Endurance Rep

The latest bike Deus Milan have built in conjunction with Yamaha. It's an XJR1300 with a heavy endurance influence (I'm going to have to finish The Black Arrow before this look is the next big thing and I've missed the boat). It's called the Eau Rouge, a corner at Spa Francorchamps.
The bike is fitted with the lovely new Campagnolo-pattern Marvic and Deus branded Discacciati calipers. They're the same make as the one-off discs we had made for our Royal Enfield (see previous posts) and also the master cylinders I've fitted to the Black Arrow. They're a little family company from Northrn Italy.
Read more at Deus Ex Machina. G

We're not like Morrissey...

...because we love it when our friends become successful (or more successful in this case).
Guy Martin, second overall in the Le Mans 24 hour with the privateer team Suzuki team R2CL. G

Classic Endurance at Imola

 Our good friend, Peter from Hungary, sent this email and his photos.

Just saw on instagram site (search for @sideburnmag) the Phase One Kawa (#4). It's not just a beauty, it's terrible fast too. I was in Imola at 200miles revival in last year, and I made a few shots about that bike, and about your friends too, with that nice guzzi nr.21. I send you these 
best wishes 
Peter

The Guzzi, 21, is Andrew Guzzi Nerd, an Englishman in LA who races a Guzzi in Europe. Nut. There's seems to be a 4-cylinder GoldWing racing in this lot too. Double-nut. G
All Photos: Peter Guld.

UPDATE: Peter's been back in touch. It is a GoldWing. See the new Peter Guld photo below.

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

The Asahina Monster

Love this thing. G

TW+

I still trawl blogs every day. One I always return to is Two Wheels Plus from Norway, for its well-curated mix of bikes, design, architecture and petrolalia (is that a word? It is now). G

Deformity Endurance

You get this kind of posture from riding Moto Guzzis for too long (more than 10 minutes). Our friend Andrew Grey shipped his Lemon special all the way from LA to the often wet micro-climate of Spa Francorchamps, Belgium, for a spot of endurance racing. He must love it as this was his second year of self harm. This time co-riding with Rick Redick, Team Guzzi Nerd finished 30th out of 70 - with 20 DNF (Deformity Not Feasible). Down on last year's result but still mighty respectable.

Thankfully Belgians' audio tolerances are much higher than that of Britons - and Americans, and one is still permitted to trumpet with open megaphone exhausts (it would be incorrect to call them silencers)

above photos courtesy of Sébastien at Truebikerspirit

These Spa lovelies are from Jano2106's Flickr album. The hunched wild boar stance of this Japauto Moto Martin is honking all my hooters.

This is obviously from a different race but in the same album. Now if I was about 7 stone lighter and about 2 foot shorter, this would be my weapon of choice (for maximum deformity pleasure). BP

Spa

Andrew Gray is on his way from LA to Belgium for the 4 hour Classic endurance at Spa this weekend. His Guzzi has been crated and shipped out. I wish I was going too. This year it's Guzzi's 90th birthday special, but there will still be all those fabulously fugly Kwackers with chunky tanks, bug-eyed spotlamps, and over-size ducktails.
BP: "Ride with style and grace Andrew"
AG:"What about guile and pace?"
UP DATE:
Andrew and Kristina post race in parc ferméResult: 18th place out of 70 starters. 1st Guzzi home (after the winning Guzzi of Moto Box was disqualified). The Guzzi ran brilliantly. We only saw the track the previous afternoon.The best part of the event (except finishing) was sitting Kristina on the tank and riding back to the garage from parc ferme, scattering the assembled party and revving the tits off the Guzzi in celebration. Nothing like a Guzzi on open pipes at 8K in an enclosed space. Heaven!!

Classic Bol d'Or

A fella I met through Performance Bikes, Bob Sparkes, who I think had an old Harris, sent these shots in from his trip to the Classic Bol d'Or, at Magny Cours. He spannered for the ARSE team who scored a good finish. They're nothing to do with the oval racing we focus on, but they're just too good not to share. There are no rules here. Or not many. We post what we like. We know 99% of you will like them too.
Go here to see more.
Thanks Bob! GI