One of a zillion classic photos caught trawling the interweb with no recollection of Who, What, Where, or When. But what a champion?! BP

Flexi-studio

Hanging baskets that are a popular adornment to English pubs, spell ye olde kitsch to me, but they do make excellent tripod ballast for silly Gitzo carbon-fibre tripods.
SB#4 has a couple more family archive stories, it's always such a treat when people step forward with dusty photo albums and share biking stories from yesteryear. BP

Rouser

This is Rob Rouser and his bike, shot by Gary Good Luck Photo. Add Dan Walsh into the mix and you have a feature for Sideburn 4. GI

Chris Carr Race School

Is nearly sold out. Sideburn's Ben Part will be making his way back onto the dirt oval for a baptism of fire. If you want to join him contact the CCM Flat Track Experience pronto. GI

Shayna Texter

Styling it...
God, I wish I could ride like Shayna. GI

Got rid of the bobber look...

Remember Halfway between San Jose and Laguna Seca? Well, it's been updated.

Got rid of the bobber look and evened it out with a 18" spoked rear wheel and added a front brake TT style. Waiting on some new mikuni carbs and then will tackle the exhaust system and foot controls.
Cheers, Willie, Santa Cruz

Small World

So I finally make it to the Lewis Leathers HQ in London. But they were closed, or having a Mediterranean lunch-break. I get chatting to two motorcycle dispatch riders who are also looking to fulfil their own leather fetish. After twenty minutes chewing moto-chud including whats the best animal skin to slide down the street in, and how should it be tanned, one of them says out of the blue "Oh I've got a CCM flat tracker for sale"-"Oh Have you heard of Sideburn?" I ask.
"I've got all three issues" he responds, and opens the top-box on his shitty CD200 Honda Benly. I think he's about to offer me a sandwich, but he produces a set of work-in-progress photos of his jaw gagging Yamaha R1 street tracker. Which bizarrely enough we have been keeping tabs on for over a year. It's being built by Steelheart Engineering in Kent.
Streetfighters magazine are desperate to do a feature on it, but Dave has already promised the honour to Sideburn. We've made it clear that we can't live up to the perspex go-go booted, silicone-chested scorcher that they would have straddling its svelte saddle. But Dave is adamant. The bike has had more than one identity crisis adding further delay to it's compleation. The latest news is that engine block was sent to America for some specialist Nikasil of its over-size bores, but mistakenly got sent back to Australia instead. In contrast to the photo here, It's now sporting wire wheels, carbon brake discs, different pipes, and a more flat track style number-board headlight cowl. He also reassured me he won't be fitting a top box.
BP

Iron Horse Saloon and Social Club

Worth looking in if you're out at Springfield, I imagine.

Here are some snaps taken at the Iron Horse Saloon and Social Club in Savanna, Illinois.
The place is run by a guy called Gerry who has a fantastic collection of classic and vintage dirt and hill climb bikes. My camera is not the latest so I apologise for the image quality.
If you are ever out that way, it is worth a detour.
Keep the shale flyin'
Best regards,
Mike Allen, UK

Nerd alert

Back before the internet and dedicated sports radio channels I used to watch football (or soccerball to our US readers) on Teletext. If you're not British you won't know what the hell I mean. But I mention it because I've now found the modern day flat track equivalent: The AMA's live timing. Basically you're watching the race bikes' transponder feeds. I was 'watching' this weekend's Grove City GNC round when I should've been catching up on much-needed sleep. But it seemed to be all weird. Smokin Joe Kopp was 15, 20, 30 seconds in the lead, and lapping riders on the mile. It looked like he lapped Chris Carr, so I thought the computer timing gubbins had a glitch.
Then I read the news. He did lap everyone up to and including eighth in the GNC main on a mile track! Wow. GI
PS 18 finalists, 16 XRs, 1 Aprilia, 1 Suzuki.

Not got enough insanity in your life?

Well buy this. TL1000 flat tracker. It's in Lincolnshire. It would probably make a better street bike or UK (tarmac) hillclimber, than a short tracker. Well, it would be a crazy street bike, but fun (while your licence lasted).

The details...
Cotteral frame, new wheels, suspension, bodywork, exhaust, fresh motor etc.
£3499
Too much too list ring Glyn on 01754 767879 or 07941 727858 thanks