Kopp wins Hagerstown

Yup, he's still there.
It wasn't a one-line track...
Joe Kopp won the main, just, from Coolbeth. Mees third. Kopp waved the Union Jack in remembrance of race fan David Kessel. Read the story here. Kopp leads the K&N-sponsored combined championship on 193pts with Jake Johnson and Sammy Halbert tied on 175, behind him.
Even before the season started Jake Johnson and Sammy Halbert knew they'd be banging bars all year. And they have. Jake's white hot shoe looks like he's racing in Converse All Stars.
Ugly crash. I think that's Jake Johnson on the deck. Johnny Lewis (10) collected his bike. They all made the restart. How tough?
Fancy your chances against this crew in the Dash for Cash? Wiles, Kopp, Johnson, Mees, Coolbeth, Halbert (S)
Jared Mees came out on top.
Mees in action. I love those pull-back risers.

Photos:

M&M's From The Horse's Mouth

You'd be forgiven for thinking we had some sponsorship deal with M&Ms (the Japanese bike builder not the chocolate confectionary), what with how we rave on about them on the SideBlog. Lots of photos floating around on the interweb, but again no details or hard facts. So we sent Italian photographer Carlito Schilirò on a mission for SB#6. BP

Vicious Cycles Party

Vancouver BC Canada

Danuvia

Hungarian. Part supermotard, part cafe racer, part street tracker.This is the man that built it.This is the art he hangs on his wall.This is what his factory made previously.Don't fuck about on an eastern European bikers forum with Google Translate as your only friend (like we already tried), employ a native to go deep cover and find out what's what. Put the kettle on and read about it in SB#6. BP

Fist Fight

'How To Win A Fist Fight In A Phone Booth'
is the opening story in SB#6. Sammy Halbert defies his 1/2 pint measurements (or is that because of ?) to give us a few tips on close quarters combat, on and off the circuit.
I used to play Rugby and so learnt to appreciate the dark art of flying boots; and how to avoid them in a ruck. BP

Crash 'n' Burn

My G5 iMac has been on operating on borrowed time since before the production of SB#5, it crashes with more gay abandon than Randy De Puniet, and it's as retarded as a village idiot fully tanked-up on Scrumpy. I hereby promise myself to take it to the end of the garden and to schnitzel it with a sledge hammer before burying it in the concrete foundation to my new shed before work on SB#7 begins.

GI's laptop also highsided recently, and was deemed a write-off. It's frightening how much computers have become so pivotal to our everyday lives, and yet how fragile they are.

The good news is SB#6 is DONE and the HiRes PDFs are uploading to the printers as we speak / sleep / swear - the bastard has only crashed 3 times so far today. Each new issue should be easier and faster to churn out - even with computer glitches, but maybe we're getting more fusy, cos they certainly ain't. BP1) G5 iMac jet trash. Built in absolesesnce at it's most frustrating. A single defect component calls for a whole new circuitboard. There is no such thing as repair. When just a couple of components go down 'it is no longer ecconomically viable' to buy replacement circuitboards.
2) Lacie Rugged hard-drive back-ups. My life and magazine depends on these.
3) Waccom tablet this can turn anybody into Bob Ross with electronic powers.
4) Note book full of all the various fonts, point sizes and other layout notes for each issue.
5) Unopened = unpaid bills. Hopefully they will just go away.
6) Coffee mugs x 4. Without their lubrication my rusty engine would seize up.
7) Epson Stylus 2100. This used to be the Daddy of DIY pro printers. I printed my portfolios on it, but haven't used it in a while and now the nozzles are clogged. The individual ink cartridges cost an arm and a leg. More jet trash.
8) Experimental photocopy effect crap test print from printer 7) for opening SB#6 story (see next SBlog post).
9) 'Speed Choice' I got done for speeding, so had to go on a 'speed awareness cource' to learn to drive slower - or get points on my licsense + a fine. Every time they said "Any questions?" I didn't have the cheek to say "Can we instead be taught how to drive faster?"
10) Original Stylophone. When it all gets too much, a quick session on this noise box normally calms me down.
11) Stabilo Boss. Aeons before laws made HiViz not funny anymore, this marker pen has been lighting up dull text.
12) Rye House Rockets speedway bib I bought at Allan Bellham's shop.
13) New SB#6 special offer T.
14) step ladder upon which Mrs is tiptoed to make this photo.
15) Moroccan carpet I bought in an Amsterdam flea market. Smells like damp Labrador, used to be on the floor of my Peogeot J7 camper and has travelled all over, so it's a sentimental carpet.
16) Suomy MX lid I painted in the style of Van Gough's Japanese garden.
17) Davida Speedster painted copper Metalflake by K-A-R-S Tristran in Belgium.
18) Marchal spotlamp as fitted to my XS650 chop. It's sat there to inspire me to get back in the garage. Supposedly.
19) Db killers from my Guzzi. See previous note above. Likewise.
20) Computer ornaments. A ridiculous idea. You dont do anything with them and they just gather dust.
21) Man in need of a holiday
22) Sesame Street DVD show compilation 1974-79. Fabric of my youth.
23) Beyond the darkness, there is light.

Norton P11 lust

Dynamite on Wheels indeed. Perhaps an unfortunate moniker for a bike based around a rigid-mounted Norton Atlas motor, an engine renown for its ability to shake the living tits off anyone cheeky enough to ask it to do any work whatsoever. That aside, the P11 is one of my all-time objects of desire and I can't think of a better way of getting my tits shaken off. MP

We've found a new god to worship 4

CHILD MOTORCYCLIST

We haven't been actively searching for a new focus for our worship because Sideburn's last god was so excellent, but George Howard Cole is our new one. A child deity. Thanks to Grant for enlightening us. GI

2010 555

From Travis in Portland...

i *ucking love your guys' style. Thanks for the tip on Johnny Alpha, he plays the best music to ride to. Anyways me and some mates are doing this trip called the 555.
Older than 1975, under 500cc and under 500 bucks. Last year we made it all the way to the east coast from Portland, Oregon. heres the link from last year's trip
motonw.com trip.
Heres the one for this year's trip. It's a little different however. we are flying into detroit with out any bikes bought yet and trying to ride them home. gonna be awesome.
it would be cool if you could post a link for our blog this year. we will be updating daily about how many plugs fouled and fuses blown! (see one rider's toolkit above. Love the Famous Grouse.)
2010 555
Cheers, keep up the awesome mag! -Travis

Thor from the Smoking Seagulls (pictured below) is doing it too.

Boss Rotax street tracker

From Donald in South Australia...

Thought you might be interested in this. My friend in my home town of Toronto saw this Rotax on the street the other day and spoke to the owner. It's a Boss frame, apparently similar to a Knight. Lights from a Honda and a little bit of creative thought went into getting it registered I'm sure. Can you think of anything more fun on your ride to work?!

Looking forward to the next issue. Since SB#1 they've taken pride of place on the coffee table and I am impressed with how high the stack is becoming! My wife is not so thrilled however, I think the vibrant colours are the only thing keeping her from tossing 'em in a random drawer. I haven't the heart to take 'em to the shed where I do my best bike thinking, they'd get too dirty.
Donald Hosier

Thanks Donald. It has the exact same exhaust as my race bike. GI