Lorenzo Buratti Bol D'or Chair

You might remember Lorenzo Buratti's SWM Guanaco from Sideburn 14. The Italian also makes moto-themed one-off furniture. This €1500 1970s endurance-themed seat his the latest work. Check out his website for more details. G

www.lorenzoburatti.com

BMW Spezial

Hi Ben,
We're working on a beemer project for a German customer which includes a couple of major changes:

GSX-R rear wheel adapted for single-sided BMW shaft-drive,

aluminium tank & rear end,

upside down front forks. cheers Weiger

Star Twin.

The Thrill Is On

Dave Skooter Farm has had this on DVD for years. We even showed it the Sideburn David Aldana Night back in 2011, but it has just appeared on YouTube.
This film, The Thrill Is On, was never properly released because, according to what David Aldana told us, the deal was he would get a cut of the profits from the makers if it ever sold over a certain amount. Once it got close to that amount it stopped being sold, so the filmmakers never had to pay the rider.
I bet they never realised, back in 1971-2, that YouTube would be invented and loads of flat track fans would see it and no one would get any money.
Anyway, enjoy it. Some great period footage of the season or two straight after On Any Sunday. G

The Monks

By now the over-commericalisation of Christmas might be sticking in your craw. This is, after all, a deeply religious festival. To redress the balance we deliver this rousing performance by men of the cloth, The Monks.

These spiritual individuals were US Army personnel serving in Germany, where they had the idea to form a band and, later, shaved their heads in the stereotypical monk fashion. They gained a level of popularity in Germany, but were ignored outside the Bundesrepublik, until their truly deranged, avant-garde garage racket found slack-jawed fans years later.

Their output defies description. One thing's for sure, the young Germans dancing in the audience, some of whom must have been born during the war, wouldn't have been dancing to a bunch of delinquent GI's with self-prescribed bald patches if Hitler had his way. Thank God he decided to take on Russia too, the fricking nutcase.

Sit down, listen to this and remember this was recorded in 1966.  It's probably the most unhinged music performance you'll see for some time, but nothing says 'Festival celebrating the birth of Christ' quite like The Monks on German TV.

Of course, you may not have had your fill of rampant spending, or may just be heartily disappointed that your so-called 'loved ones' totally failed to buy you any Sideburn goodies for Christmas. In that case, can we point you to the always open Sideburn webshop. G

Australian Sheds by Jasper White

Thanks to my old friend Alex for sending a link through on the work of Jasper White. This is what the English photographer says about his project...

I’ve recently completed a project shot in various locations throughout Australia that takes you into the private world of working men’s sheds. These sheds are the personal retreat of their creators, filled with the various ephemera of their lives and interests. Viewed as a whole, each shed becomes an extreme focal point of human individuality in what could be described as the barren wasteland of rural Australia. The shed frames an individual portrait of its creator, and this visual impact of the unusual and the unpretentious is what I find so interesting.

Happy Christmas

Thanks to the ever tasteful Katy B for sending this link.
Have a good Christmas everyone. The Sideblog never has a day off, so don't forget to come back over the holidays. G

JL10 to ride KTM Twin in 2014

Exciting news in this press release...

With a new year and a new season just around the corner, the Waters Autobody/Project K Racing team supported by KTM & GE Capital announces their partnership with National #10 Johnny Lewis. 
Lewis, a former Factory KTM Supermoto racer with 8 career podiums and a win in the AMA Pro Supermoto Unlimited class, has joined the Leo Vince supported team on the KTM powered 990 V-twin for the AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Championship in 2014. 

Lewis has opted to not re-sign with the Latus Motors Racing Triumph program for a second season, where the season’s best result came at Virgina’s Colonial Downs Mega Mile with a second place Dash for Cash finish and an 8th place finish in the main event after coasting to the finish line with engine issues. The 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Daytona winner is excited to help Project K Racing owner Dave Waters further develop the KTM 990 and hopes to bring it to the next step with a first-ever podium finish in the AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Championship next season.

If you want to read to more about the Project K KTM V-twin there is a big feature in Sideburn 12 (that we've sold out, but some of our loyal dealers might have. If you want to find one, leave a comment telling where you are).
Johnny Lewis, one of the most erudite and amusing riders in the GNC, is interviewed in Sideburn 9.

And this all means talk that Shayna Texter will ride the Latus Triumph twin, a team managed by former champion Joe Kopp, is more than a rumour. Though, I'm unsure if this in in the top Experts class or the 'support' Basic twins class. The Inslide Line stated Joe Kopp is going to ride the Triumph twin at some rounds, too. This is likely to help the young rider with set-up. G

Ducati Single Flat Tracker

Ducat flat tracker for sale on US eBAY in the Mid-West, but you're going to have to be quick, the sale ends today. Thanks to Jan-Willem Dutch Brother for the tip-off. G

All I Want For Christmas

Marx Big Wheel. I had one in the 70s.

And fantasize no longer as Orange Bones in Spain now make an adult drift trike. Me and Anthony Co-Built tried them out in the Noyes Camp pits. The small rear go-kart wheels are inflated inside a short section hard PVC pipe to produce a rear end with virtually no grip. More slippery than a greased eel.

They also make a motorized version. Here Kenny Noyes shows us how it's meant to be done. BP

Killer Diller x The Stags x Cherry Wainer x Don Storr

So, perhaps you have a party and no soundtrack. Perhaps you have no party. Perhaps you're washing dishes in the back of a restaurant this holiday season, working in a petrol station, guarding a warehouse, nightwatch in an old folks home or you're a Sikh (or one of the many other religions that don't celebrate Christmas). Perhaps you are just a music fan with similar tastes to me. Whatever you may be, animal, vegetable or mineral, your life will be enriched, by following the link below to listen to the latest instalment of Sideburn's official DJ, Mr Johnny Alpha's radio show - the Killer Diller Christmas Special. He has, as his guest, the partially-drunken Stags.

There are a few familiar (to me) tracks on the mix, but I was turned on to a new name - Cherry Rainer. I googled her and found this amazing film from a German TV show from the 1960s Beat! Beat! Beat! Cherry has a Sassoon bob so sharp it could cut 10mm MDF and her drummer, Don Storr, looks like a prison amateur dramatics society's casting of Richard Nixon. I have imagined whole back stories for Cherry and Don, but I know nothing of their real lives.

The show also includes The Stags playing Rollergürl, a 7in that was released by Sideburn. We have a few left... Follow the link to get your own ltd. edition Stags single. G

UPDATE: The Stags are playing Camden, London on December 28th, and the Hipsville Christmas Party. They're on first, so don't be late. More details here.