Stick

From the occasionally genius one-series-only Snuff Box. MP

Twig

Choosing the 'right' kind of door fixtures for your modern home (or shed) can be such a nightmare. So much choice in materials these days; brass, stainless steel, aluminium, titanium even, marble? For me a large twig was the obvious choice. BP
UPDATE:
Seems like my engineering capacity has been called into question, so here is some cinematic evidence of the twig in service. BP

Mule XS650

I've had these photos on my desktop for about a year. Mule Motorcycles does things right. And this street tracker has 18s and road tyres, proving they do look right with that spec. Love the licence plate hanger welded to the rear loop too. More Mule coming on the blog soon.

Read about Mule in Sideburn 3 and Sideburn 8. G

Dan Walsh: Our man in Mablethorpe

Dan Walsh, one of the most original and readable talents to have written about motorcycles, has supplied an exclusive story for Sideburn 10. While his creative juices were flowing he wrote this about a recent visit to Mablethorpe. Thanks Dan (and Hayley for the photos).

Everyday is, like, Sandy....

Sunshone two-stroke smoke, salty north sea spray and sandy smiles for miles. Sunday's beach race at Mablethorpe was an English spring delight. Open pipes, open faces, wide the fuck open throttles closed the Golden Sands to dogs and walkers, opened them for thumpers and dirty scramblers.

Round and round, round after round, ran fluoro-dressed crossers, tartan-trousered kwackers and triumphant scrapyard knackers. No blink and you miss it one-hit wonder, like the sunday papers this shit goes on for happy hours. Time to watch, chuckle, stroll with ice creams, let on to passing aunties walking dogs and slinging swag - to some Mablethorpe's nowt but a chip wrapper, greasy old rubbish, but it's also a travelling showmen wintering ground, home away from home for our inlaws and outlaws.

Blow on a chip, pick a favourite. Old man(c) Lomas was the smoothest on his Conti'd Honda, and had the slickest set-up with his missus in her van-powered starter rollers. The grasstracker boys seemed to circle fastest, Barrie Gammidge's Dirty Thirty Triumph 900 seemed straight-line quickest, mid-corner slowest, carving curious over-shot spiraled lines. The elbows-out motocross kids were the most competitive, the balls out-unlimited roadsters the most joyous - for no good reason nor bad reason, we cheered loudest for prettiest twin-shocker Bonnie Number 22 and ugly bug Green Fifteen.

Open pits, open access - stand where you like, go where you want. Hang out behind the vans with the parents and partners leaking anxiety & pride, sit on the stone steps with the high-viz Sunday riders, sip in Sharky's bar with the old local soaks. Just remember this shit won't be there forever. Next rounds are on the 11th and 25th March. Support your local beach race!

Read more about Mablethorpe Beach Races (and Daytona, when it was still a beach race) in Sideburn 3. G

Plastic biker

The Inman household has been after this fella for a while. My lad doesn't play with his Playmobil as much as he used to, but when this chopper rider was re-released and spotted by Mrs I we had to have him to join all the other riders in the toybox. The rider wears Fiddy-esque cowboy boots, trousers with metal discs up the seam (conches?), a black waistcoat (no back patch), skull shirt (perhaps from Iron & Resin) and a Centurion full-face. He's also sporting a fantastic Chesterfield Kings-style, page boy mop (below).

His bike is an innovative V3 (maybe Honda NS400) with girder front end, apes and twin lights.

There are five other bikes in the re-released Playmobil riders series. G

UPDATE: Check out more Sideburn Playmobil fun and here too.

The Stags in London

The Stags (and Dave Skooter Farm's other band, The Shook-Ups), Saturday 10 March. Not to be missed. G

Sideburn in TriCo

That's right, Sideburn is now stocked on Hollywood Blvd at the new TriCo store (co-owned by Dice, Dixie and the Great Frog). Thanks fellas.

Also, Hip in Leeds have been restocked and Jumbo Records, Leeds now have stocks of The Stags 7in single on Sideburn records. G

Rive Gauche CX500

A Maggot! Who'd have thunk it? When I started riding, the CX500 was just about the least desirable motorcycle on British roads, but 21st century fresh thinking is making virtually any bike ripe for a make-over. Of course, people have modified CXs for years, but they've all looked hideous. The Wrenchmonkees built a handsome one using loads of stocks parts (WM27, below), and now French start-up Rive Gauche Kustom has built another tasty Maggot, even with a yellow engine. Tres bon, monsieurs! G

Lewis Wharton Jnr.

Ford Capris, Bay City Rollers barnets, chunky cork soled sandals, nostalgia is everything. I also love that crystal ball thing, whereby you can look at this old photo and know what that little baby doesn't
- He can't yet wipe his own arse, but he will be come a bassist in a rock'n'roll band, he will (have no choice but to) love motorbikes. And in 37 years time, he will write an article about his Dad's antics as a grass-track side-car monkey for a motorcycle magazine called Sideburn. His band is called Little Barrie. They have a new album out in the here and now, today. It's called King of the Waves. They're playing at Bowery Electric in New York tonight. BP
UPDATE: You can see a special recording of Little Barrie playing live on Breakthru Radio. It's good. G

Sideburn x El Toro Release Party

We're having an intimate little bash with our Liverpudlian friends El Toro and Davida to celebrate the release of Sideburn 10.
All the details are on this Maxwell Paternoster-penned flyer.
There are three bands and DJs so if you want to see El Toro (and you should) don't expect to get the last bus home.
See you there? G
UPDATE:
The amazing neo-classical location in this video, with its massive Corinthian columns, is the St Georges Hall in Liverpool. Designed by a 25-year-old architect Harvey Lonsdale Elmes. It took from 1841 to 1854 to build it. Aren't the olden days awesome? I bet the O² Arena in London is not still standing in 2170. BP