The Stansfield Effect

The latest instalment from Sideburn ambassador, John Harrison.

I first encountered Sideburn mate and perennial Dirt Quaker Pete Stansfield at the 2011 Hotrod Hayride, where he had ventured south to run his Triumph sprint/drag bike at the 1/8th mile Detonator Drags at Dunsfold in Surrey. He told me it was the first time the bike had been out since 1972.

I was racing my Harley 45 and drew Pete in my first race. Needless to say, he had blasted across the finish line before I completed my first (hand) gear change. The pic shows him warming the motor prior to changing to race plugs. I think he was running on methanol. I remember being impressed by his bib 'n' brace leathers and suffering severe tyre envy over that historic M&H slick. Yes that is a Dakota in the background and yes, the legend is true, it did race down the runway against Chief Detonator Langley Gifford in his 1940s period-correct '32 Roadster Hotrod, which was a lump-in-the-throat sight as they both thundered away into the late afternoon sun before the Dakota lifted off and banked hard right. Could it be the same plane that overflew Dirt Quake IV?

Pete also brought his sweet, hardtail pre-unit when it was in reverse-head incarnation. It has since seen Dirt Quake action, though in a different guise.

He raced Dirt Quake this year on a bone stock, low-mileage CCM flat tracker in the Street Scrambler class (I thought the stars on my leathers were neat, but Pete's were big 'n' GOLD)...

...while his daughter, Ellis, raced his stock ('cept for whitewall tyres) Suzuki B120 Loanaladyaracer.

Deus + Sideburn x Michael Schmidt

Atmospheric photos from Michael Schmidt made at Perris Raceway at our Deus + Sideburn evening jolly back in June while on our way north for DQUSA. BP

The complete set on his The World is Flat blog.

Perris Friendly

Thanks to Julian of Deus LA for organising a private soiree at Perris, for the usual suspects plus some new faces, as a warm-up to DQ USA II. BP

GI on Julian's Triumph

Rusty Butcher's Sportster

Troy Critchlow and his lady

Deus Andie, Jason, Chopper Dave

All colours and creeds welcome

Stacie Bultaco tune up

her Bultaco 250 Sherpa as featured in SB#15

Minibike muscle - read more about them in them in our current issue #21

Andrew Honda XL350 street tracker - behaving very well on German Heidenau K34 tyres (same as Dimitri Coste's BSA C15)

Smiling Jen

Even more smiling Jen

Edwin Europe Sale

Get some tasty denim (from good people who support Sideburn and the DTRA) at half price... Edwin Europe. G

S-I-D-E-B-U-R-N We Are Family (a very closely knit one)

Would you let any one of these freaknuts marry your daughter? Or ride your motorcycle? Or even feed your cat?

Gary - Conway - Dave - Anna - Ben - Thor - Geoff - Anthony

We had a Lot of fun at Castle Rock Speedway for Dirt Quake USA. We suspect Dirt Quake III in Norfolk next week is going to be a lot more sensible. Right? Thanks to Dustin Aksland for the photos. BP

Perris

Julian of Deus LA kindly organized a run-what-you-bring at the Perris track, two hours east of LA (crawling in rush-hour traffic), a loose rabble of Hell On Wheels, Deusites, Co-Built, a big Biltwell crew and other friends of Sideburn came out. Everything from crappy plastic scooters to a fully accessorised RGS1200 BMW was throttled around the short track until the sun went down. Iced Beer. Good times.

Co-Built Geoff on Conrad Leach's desert sled.

Dave Skooter Farm in his sparkly new Biltwell Gringo and Jeannette.

Dorinda ripping it up on her Triumph.

Nevin wing-ning-nign

Hayden's Hell On Wheels Triumph.

Mule showing the kids how to do it on his Yamaha TT500.

Bixby Moto showing us that your Mum's 150cc Amstar is all you need.

Gary on the Mule TT500.

Always good to have a seamstress on standby for every eventuality.

Homer Knapp bought his 1928 hand-shift Harley JD (featured in SB#7) along for us to try. An awe-inspiring bike - and man.

Put knobblies on anything and it's legit. Kiyo's CB750/4

Great to finally put names to faces and meet Richard 'Mule Motorcycles' Pollock.

Jen McClain of Deus. BP

UPDATE: some great photos by Shadra Wilson on the Biltwell blog

Newbold's Motorbike Shop

Newbold's Motorbike Shop from Waylon Trostel on Vimeo.

Travis Newbold is an old friend of Sideburn. We first met up at the Las Vegas indoor short track back in 2010. I was there working for GQ Italy, Travis was doing what Travis does - racing on a shoestring, kickin' ass, taking names and sleeping in his van with his dog, Baja. He stuck out.

Anthony Co-Built liked what I told him about Travis, so he invited him over to the UK, saying 'You get yourself out here and we'll get you a bike to race and ride around on.' Travis did just that, raced short track with the UK series, went out to Holland to watch Anthony (Travis's permission to ride didn't come through), rode around on Doug's KTM, came to the Reilly Rocket Sideburn party and generally had a blast.

He's been back once more, for last year's Dirt Quake and Isle of Man TT. He is also Sideburn's poet, with a page in every issue since Sideburn 12.

Travis also opened his own bike shop, in the Wheat Ridge area of Denver, Colorado, with prize money from winning his class at the Pike's Peak International Hill Climb.

Recently, a local film student, Waylon Trostel, met Travis and said he'd like to make a film about him. This is the result. It wasn't commissioned by Travis, hence the somewhat at odds inclusion of the famous On Any Sunday clip, but it's still a nicely made film. It turns out Waylon didn't know On Any Sunday until Travis suggested he should watch it, and the student reacted the same way any sane person does the first time they see the film and wanted to tell everyone about it - hence the clip in this film.

It's well worth a watch.
Travis is a real hero.
See more about what Travis is up to at his blog 747 Rider.

Oh, and Newbold's Bike Shop stocks Sideburn. G

El Solitario in Yokohama

Our good friends El Solitario have been on a mission to the Mooneyes Hot Rod and Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan. This tidy Sportster is from their report. Does anyone know what this chassis is or is based on?
Check out their take on the show at the vibrant El Solitario blog. G

Dirty Needle Embroidery

So this there's this guy, who looks like the ghost of Bobby Gillespie, in jeans so tight they appear to have to have been painted on. His hair makes him look like he narrowly escaped being tarred and feathered. They only got the first bit done. He's wearing Chelsea boots too.
His name is Cody.
His other-half appears to be the polar opposite. Tierra looks as healthy as muesli (but tastier). They're an odd couple, for sure, but are obviously madly in love. It's Portland in February. They are both used to the desert squelch of Reno, Nevada, so they buy a couple of Sideburn scarves to keep warm and wear them for the rest of the One Motorcycle Show weekend.
We keep in touch via instagram. Then something weird and unsettling keeps popping up on their feeds. It's sudden and matter-of-fact. Tierra's in hospital. A freak auto-immune disease has attacked her and both (BOTH!) her kidneys failed. They organs have had it. Never working again.
Now Cody is doing anything he can to make money to help pay the bills. One of his ideas is to make custom patches to sell. They're the best patches I've ever seen. He makes them with a single needle sewing machine, like he's tattooing the fabric. It's a crazy process. I'm commissioning one.
He'll make you one.
Go to http://dirtyneedleembroidery.bigcartel.com
Follow his progress through instgram using @dirtyneedleembroidery

Wheels And Waves Ride-Out

Even more bikes than last year (which was happy chaos) so we we hung right back to the last group and had a mellow ride into the Spanish Pyrénées

 Celine of Blitz on a Kawasaki W650

Bixente on my fave BSA Road Rocket - sporting Norfolk mud from its Dirt Quake II racing

 David El Solitario in his signature overalls

GI, Thor (pronounced "T----o-r" if one is to be Norwegian correct), David El Solitario

 Yes love, I am infatuated

 Best Dressed Chicken In Town

Julien stepped up from the pocket-sized monkey he was racing at Dirt Quake II to this Hog

The El Solitario Baula in its element

Christophe also just back from Dirt Quake II on his SB#12 cover Triumph

Tapas o'clock

dump o'clock in the town square

Ruby Jean-Etienne, never out of a floppy hat Thor

me on the just finished El Solitario Ducati which is off to its new home in Corsica. Many Thanks to Vincent Prat and the SouthSiders crew for another great weekend.
BP