Jim's BSA Desert Racer

Jim's dad styling!
Nice Land Rover Defender.
Here are those photos of the desert racer. I think all I am going to change is the rear tyre to something a little more aggressive.
I heard about your mag from the guys at Red Max racing. I found them whilst lookin for some bits for a B44 VS desert racer I was making. It all started after seeing Dave Aldana's BSA in the national motorcycle museum when I was about 15, I'm 25 now.
It started out life as a scrambler, but after a couple of seasons racing i couldnt commit the time or the money into keeping up! After a bit of digging around i found out that the bike was originally imported from California. After that there was only one option!
The idea was to convert the bike with whatever we had kicking around, hence the bantam tank, and the enfield forks (which was perfect as Hitchcocks did me a brand new twin leading shoe front wheel for £110!). I just made it to cruise around look cool basically. The only changes i have made since completing the bike was a new number board.
Oh yea, the guy jumping it is my Dad. I hadn't rode the bike after I finished it because i had to go away to Belgium for work. And while i was there I got that photo from my dad with a message saying he had to "test" it. I was really peed-off considering I hadn't even rode it and he had got airbourne already!
Enjoy the pics.
Jim, Devon, UK

Red Max at Kempton

The mighty Red Max Speed Shop have a stand at Kempton Park autojumble, Sunbury TW16 5AQ tomorrow. Go buy some stuff for your project! G

Sideburn on facebook

I don't know if you've heard of it, but there's this new web thing called facebook. We don't think it's going to take off, but we're dipping our toe in the water. We're still going to do the blog. It's fun, but people keep telling us facebook might help us spread the Sideburn gospel further and we're all for that.

If there are any facebook fans out there who want to give us advice it's all welcome.

Oh, and me, Ben and Mick are plums deep into Sideburn 8 after a slow start.

Here's a link, Sideburn Magazine facebook and there's a widget thing at the right side of this blog. G

Hook Motors: Opening Soon in Bologna

Another cool shop is about to open. The Hook guys are selling a bunch of tasty clothing, boots, helmets, goggles and their own designs and also Wrench Monkee bikes including a Monkee'd Hinckley Bonneville (below). Check out more at Hook Motors. Good luck Cedric! G

Spot The Flat Tracker

Who is Drogo Michie?

Is he the baddie from The Usual Suspects? Nope.
Is he Blackburn Rovers reserve goalie? Nope.
Is his name an anagram for I'm Heroic God? Well, yes.

But, Drogo (named after a castle in Devon - hippy parents) Michie (pronounced Mickey), the man behind Rooster, is like Ben and me, a man of a certain age, with a wife and kids, a couple of motorbikes and an itch to do something more fulfilling out of work hours, than sit staring at the TV or leaving inane comments on forums or typing a bloody blog (er...). He's a do-er. We love Drogo Michie.
And he caught this pike last weekend. G

0.5 facts about Seb's XS

In Sideburn 7 we have Dimitri Coste's great shots of Seb Lorentz's beautiful XS650. The story is 6.5 Facts about Seb's bike. Why 6.5? Because it's a 650. And we like doing things differently. If we followed all the rules we'd look just like a normal newsstand bike magazine. We have nothing against them, but we aren't one. So, sometimes Ben makes strange design decisions and sometimes we cut a story mid-sentence. So, here's the missing 0.5 of a fact. To get the first 6.5, buy Sideburn 7.

...master cylinder (maybe foot controlled). I would love also to find a spool hub when I do not use the front brake for a cleaner look.
Another DT360 tank is in preparation with a special paint but also a new seat so I will be able to swap them quickly and to change the complete look of the bike very quickly.
Why not having also a 2 into 2 low exit RHS mufflers ?
Dream for the XS would be a 750 or 1000 side car cross tuned engine or a 270° Heiden Tuning modified engine to put it on wheelie easily and burn the Firestone rear rubber faster!

Check out Seb's blog - Ze Last Chance Garage. It's formidable! G

ROOSTER

Drogo Michie is an acclaimed art director. He picked up the gauntlet I chucked on the floor here on the SideBlog last month, challenging
'ad-land types' to produce a feel-good movie inspired by the Deus clips we love so much but centred around the UK short track scene. He is normally off-screen, in the wings; one player in a large team involved in big money commercials. This was his first time behind the lens. No budget and no team (except me as gopher). Suck it and see. BP
(click on the tiny 4-arrow button to see it full-screen)

Rooster from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

Joe liked speedway

From the photographer Grant Robinson - that's his lad wearing the Sideburn 9 Lives.

'Then last week my boy Jonah comes in from school and says "I got this book to read like yours in the toilet!"
He proceeded to pull this gem from his bag...why didn't they have this in my school?!
And he says it's not fair you don't do kids sizes in your T's.
I am now a hero in the playground at picking up time, thanks to you and Stevie Gee.' Grant

Chorley Bombhole

Dave Skooter Farm is my second favourite thing about UK Short Track (after the bikes) and, to repeat for the hundredth time, I probably wouldn't be racing if it wasn't for him. Anyway, he posted these great photos of himself, back when he was sponsored BMX rider from 1980-82, that have just resurfaced. Check Dave's blog. Full Frokkul Fiasco!>

More vintage BMX coming soon. G