Extreme Weight Loss

This stunning liquid-cooled Harley XG750 Street is featured in Sideburn 25. It was built by Asterisk of Japan, whose Kawasaki KX500 was previously featured in SB13.

It has a custom frame and hand-formed bodywork. The stock bike weighs 223kg (492lb). The Asterisk bike weighs 152kg (335lbs). Those Roland Sands Designs 19in wheels look the business too. G

Dirt Quake V Merch

 

This Dirt Quake V event merch is so good we're even giving the infidels who can't make it to King's Lynn next week the opportunity to get hold of some.

All the designs are elements of the wonderful event poster made by Lennard Schuurmans, the Dutch master. He could well be my all-time favrouite moto illustrator, and I see him as the new Richard Scarry. I'd love to see his version of What Do People Do All Day or Lennard's A to Z.

We have two adult T-shirt designs, one kids T-shirt and a super sticker pack.

Go to sideburn.bigcartel.com to order yours

Sideburn Coach Jackets & Bags

We've been looking for good quality coach jackets for a while and finally found these very good Dickies jackets.

Sideburn Engine Coach Jacket is navy blue and screenprinted in the UK with Sideburn engine.

 

Sideburn label detail on pocket. Jacket by quality heritage workwear label Dickies is a classic style, constructed from a lightweight fabric and finished with elasticated cuffs for a contemporary edge. Stud fasten front. Showerproof and breathable with taped seams.

Sizes: Small to Large. Check the sizing chart in the item description. These jackets come up large. 100% polyamid.
£50 plus post. Limited edition from sideburn.bigcartel.com

We also have a new Sideburn Engine tote bag, 100% cotton, single-sided print, designed by Ryan Quickfall, on a dark grey, ethically produced, bag.
£5 from sideburn.bigcartel.com 

Lots more new products coming soon, so keep checking the blog and the shop. Cheers G

Carl Fogarty coming to Dirt Quake

This absolute legend is coming to Dirt Quake as a guest of main sponsor, Bikesure.

I remember watching this race live. He was highsided to the moon and still won the day's second race.

It's going to be the best ever Dirt Quake and it's on 15-16 July at the Adrian Flux Arena.
Advance tickets, with the chance to win a Mutt Motorcycles custom 125 street tracker, are still available from http://adrianfluxarena.co.uk/dirtquake-5-ticket-sales/

BOTT XR1R

We have been big fans of Spanish company Bottpower since we first saw their computer modelled concept in 2011 and we were the first magazine in the world to featured their first production bike, back in Sideburn 13, 2013. Now they've developed their niche furhter with this titanium framed, XR1R. Bottpower are MotoGP level engineers, working in Moto2, World Endurance and top Superbike series'. This Found David Sanchez says about their new flagship.

The BOTT XR1R is a special version of our BOTT XR1. The XR1 is a street bike, while the XR1R is a bike that we are developing to use only on the track.

We see it as a big supermoto bike, which feels at home on twisty tracks. This XR1R unit is a Bottpower laboratory bike, that we are using to test and develop new solutions for our bikes and customers.

We have a very good customer who ordered us a BOTT XC1 cafe racer with titanium frame and racing electronics and one of the targets of the XR1R is to develop those components, so the BOTT XR1R has a titanium frame and also an EFI Euro4 ECU which allows to use adjustable traction control, launch control and 3 different engine maps.

I have been working for 10 years as data engineer in different championships and categories, so for us to add a data acquisition system was a mandatory step to make a good development work. With this bike we will measure things that we do not measure normally, like the stress in different points of the frame using extensometry gauges.

We have a testing program for this year with several tests on different tracks. We will also organize a test in which some journalists and some of our best customers will test the bike.

And as culmination of this project, we are working to race with the BOTT XR1R in next year Pikes Peak race. In principle we won’t be able to use the titanium frame because it is not allowed by the technical rules, so we will need to look for another solution (probably an evolution of our XR1 steel frame). Our target with this bike in race configuration is to achieve a power to weight ratio better than 1:1. This is, more than 150 HP and less than 150 kgs.

Bottpower is a very small company with very limited resources, so in this case the first challenge for Pikes Peak will be to find the necessary sponsors and supporters to complete the budget. We plan to explain the whole process in a very detailed way on our blog, so we invite everybody to follow us in this great adventure!

BOTT XR1R Technical specifications

Engine
Air/oil cooled 1203cc Buell Thunderstorm V-Twin, 1203 cm3.
Fuel system: 49 mm downdraft DDFI II fuel injection
Gearbox: 5-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate, compensated
Final Drive: Belt
Electronics: EFI Euro4
ECU

Chassis
Titanium central Spine Bottpower frame, with vibration isolation system
Front Suspension: Showa inverted fork from a Buell 1125
Rear Suspension: Öhlins shock absorber
Front Brake: 8 pistons ZTL2 type brake, 375 mm stainless steel floating rotor
Rear Brake: 240 mm stainless steel rotor, single piston floating caliper
Tyres: Slicks, Front 120/70xZR17 and Rear 190/55xZR17
The bike has a top fuel tank and 2 secondary fuel tanks.
Original Buell fuel pump located in the left secondary fuel tank.

Dimensions 
Wheelbase: 52in / 1321 mm
Seat Height: 30.1 in / 765 mm
Ground Clearance: 4.3 in / 109 mm
Weight: Not declared yet.
Fuel Capacity: 13 liters.

www.bottpower.com
http://twitter.com/bottpower
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bottpower-Project/117279678290426

Dirt Quake V: Schedule

We've had word from the Adrian Flux Arena, King's Lynn that Dirt Quake V has pre-sold more tickets than any event in the stadium's history. It's hardly surprising when you see the line up and realise there's a chance to win a custom Mutt Motorcycle!

You still have chance to buy a £15 advance ticket.

FRIDAY 15 JULY
12:00 Campsite opens
17.00 Turnstiles open
18.00 DTRA racing starts. Classes for the evening are: Pro, Thunderbike, Vintage, Hooligan, Restricted
22.15 DTRA racing ends
22.30 Live band TV CRIME, Wall of Death and DJs
00:00 Bar closes

SATURDAY 16 JULY
10.00-11.45 Dirt Quake riders sign-on (racers will receive final instructions this weekend)
12.45 Rider’s meeting
13.00 Turnstiles open Dirt Quake practice
15.00 Dirt Quake main event opening ceremony
+ Dream Themes
+ Kids bicycle race
+ Wall of Death shows
+ More
18:15 Mutt Motorcycle Winner announced
18.30 Dirt Quake finals
19.15 Awards presentation
20.00 Wall of Death shows, DJ’s
22.00 Live Band The Fuzillis
00.00 Bar closes

SUNDAY 17 JULY
Hang around for stock car racing at the arena.
Tickets available separately
15:00 Campsite closes

Dirt Quake V: The Fuzillis

We have a few great bands lined up for Dirt Quake V. Friday night is TV Crime, punk/ power pop from Nottingham. Saturday, in the middle of the track, are Dirt Quake regulars, Dream Themes, supplying the soundtrack to the race action and for Saturday night we have these instr-o-mentals, The Fuzillis!
Plus The Fuzillis will be joined by a very special TV star live on stage.
AND we have the greatest DJs - Dave Taylor, Katy B and Sir Johnny Alpha - spinning delicious 7in vinyl ONLY on both Friday and Saturday night.

Remember, up there for thinking, down there for dancing.

Book a Dirt Quake ticket in advance and be in with a chance to win the Dirt Quake Mutt brand new Mutt Motorcycles custom 125 street tracker (below) G

Matt Helders and his Mule

Drummer with the Arctic Monkeys, collaborator with Iggy Pop, a man with fine taste in motorcycles, Matt Helders is all these things. We flew to Los Angeles to photograph the Brit's mean Mule-built Bonneville. 

Read about the bike, and the man in Sideburn 25. 

And if you like the Not For Aircraft Use T-shirt Matt is wearing you can get your own at the Sideburn shop for just £15 plus post from sideburn.bigcartel.com

Photo: Ben Part

Boss 1974 Yamaha 250 in UK

Not one single interesting flat trackers being sold on UK eBay gets past Kev H. He combs the online auction site with a fine-toothed comb and clues us up when he finds one.
His latest find is this Boss Yam 250. Non-runner parts missing, but has potential. It certainly looks the part. Bultaco Astro botherer? Could be. G

Buddy Custom Cycle Racing Flathead

When I was looking for photos for the FEVHOTS Post, I found photos of this gorgeous handshift flathead. I don't know if it's an original or new crate motor, but I love the mix of old and new. 1940s tech engine, in a monoshock frame. Handshift, but 2015 Maxxis rubber. Even the rider is mixing it up, white jeans and modern helmet.
It was built by Buddy Custom Cycles and if we can get a feature on it, we will. G

Photos: Jun Saitoh