Reilly Rocket

This neat cafe, Reilly Rocket, in the East End of London now stocks Sideburn. We haven't been yet, but they're hosting a bit of a Sideburn knees-up there in July, probably a Thursday night, you're all invited. Watch the blog for details.
They're behind a Suzuki dealer on 507 Kingsland Road. The corner of Tottenam Road & Kingsland Road London, Hackney E8 4AU. G

Hartford Half-Mile photos

Johnny Lewis styling. He came fifth in the Main, last Saturday, and is 7th overall in the GNC combined championship (combined singles and twins, that is)The 2009 Champion (and Sideburn 3 cover star) won the first GNC visit to this Michigan half-mile.Shaun (Shawn?) Russell and JR Schnabel on the Werner/Springsteen Kawasakis looked great, but didn't make it beyond the semis. There were two Kawasakis in the main, 10 Johnny Lewis and 37 Jimmy Wood.Chris Carr - on his Farewell tour and still on it. Came fourth in the 25-lap main.
Lewis (Kawasaki, see), Coolbeth, Johnson.

UPDATE: As Nick pointed out in the comments (and I meant to note when I downloaded these photos), this is a textbook blue groove, if new fans had heard the phrase but didn't know what it meant. Certain kinds of surfaces allow rubber to be laid down to make a racing line. It makes it hard to overtake (though on a half-mile or mile at least there's a chance to draft down the straights - not so easy for evenly matched machinery on a blue groove short track). Get off the groove and the grip is diminished.
Sammy Halbert and 58 is Adam Carpinello. In the main, Sammy came sixth, Adam was 10th. I'm digging Adam's Spencer Rep Arai and his body position. I dream about looking this good on a race bike.
Another view of that battle. 73 is Doug Lawrence.
Bryan Smith (Sideburn 7 cover star), back on an XR750 after a season on Kawasaki. He came 3rd overall.

There are two men in this photo - J Mees and J Lewis. Only one of them has won $1000 in the four-lap, six-man Dash for Cash. Can you guess which one?

Pro Singles podium -1st Mike Avila, 2nd Gerit Callies, 3rd Michael Martin. Does Michael look a lot like Leo Sayer or is it just me? G

Photos: AMA Pro Racing

Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Honda RS750

Larry Weiss Memorial Race- RS750 with Bubba from Johnny Lewis on Vimeo.

Don at Metro Racing has rebuilt/restored one of Honda's almost mythical RS750 flat trackers that won the GNC, first with Ricky Graham, then three times with Bubba Shobert, from 84-87.
Shobert is racing this bike at Harpursville, NY next weekend. It'll be something special. Got and support it. It'll be historic. G
PS The Johnny Lewis that made this video is the same one that's been scoring podiums in the GNC all year. He's our kind of racer - he dresses like the Cookie Monster and still wins. Don't believe us? Check here

Amman Valley

Next weekend, June 24-25. Big track, fast bikes plus a slew of novices (including Sideburn's Ben) tackling this 500m oval for the first time. Racing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
AMMAN VALLEY TROTTING TRACK,TAIRGWAITH,AMMANFORD, S.WALES, SA18 1UU.

Double Tops

via CFH

UPDATE:
Guy, the theme tune is UFO. Mick beat me to it in the comment. I played it in my 2nd Killer Diller.

Helmet

Taking body armor to the next level, a new line of helmets from our favorite painter Death Spray Custom. Masterpiece. BP

New leathers, Old leathers

Patches covered in plastic to keep them fresh.

All the US flat track racers wear two-piece leathers (though they wear MX gear on the short tracks), but most UK short track racers who wear leathers have one-piece suits. When it came time to change my race kit, a two-piece made more sense. I got hold of an Icon Overlord zip together two-piece, with over the boot Overlord trousers. They look and feel good, well ventilated, comfortable and snug. I haven't had chance to crash in them yet. It shouldn't take long though. I had the Skooter Farm and Sideburn patches stitched on the front, my race number and Sideburn logo on the back and 4in cut off the bottom of the leathers. Zak Leathers in Northampton did it for £95.

My old Hein Gericke suit is retired. I can't remember the name of the style and they don't sell it any more anyway. I loved it. Well made for the price, crashed well, though the actual armour was from the budget end of things. It has a zip out inner suit I ripped, but all in all, it stood up to over two years of abuse, crashing, dirt and sweat better than expected. G

Cuddebackville,NY

Rain didn't put off the AMA Vintage racer at Oakland Valley Raceway Park (OVRP), NY. Don from Metro Racing, Greaser Mike, Fumi and Hugh Mackie of Sixth Street Specials.
Next race at OVRP is June 24-25 and Bubba Shobert's going to be racing! G

Correction - Bubba and the boys are racing at Harpursville on the 24-25, not OVRP.

The Japanese Patient

STOP 'n' Go, is as important as Show 'n' Go, but Drogo's pretty XS650 wasn't even slowing down without the aid of a hill. No fault of it's recent rebuild, those single sided 1 pot calipers are about as useful as a wooden anchor. Does anybody out there have an immaculate XS-1? Were the brakes shite as standard? The fork leg lugs suggest this 1978 bike would have originally had twin front brakes, so who ever junked one along the way hadn't helped.
During a lunch-break from editing ROOSTER, I casually said I would check out his bleeding banjo, and ended up stripping the caliper. But as Drogo's toolkit comprised of a selection more useless than that of my Aunt's kitchen draw, human knees (wearing best up-town trousers) were used as a vice, fingers as spanners, and much swearing acted (but failed) as penetrating oil. We bought some transparent rubber aquarium tubing from the pet shop and I sucked at the Dot4 like it was snake venom after failing to get the bastard to bleed in the usual manner - is brake fluid the worst taste on the planet? Even a high-pressure airgun failed to fire out the seized piston.
It's demoralizing to be beaten by hypercondriac motorcycles, but here was a case for out with the olde and in with the new, so I recommended an up-grade to 4 pot gold Brembos as fitted to Ducatis throughout the 90s and 00s. But a modern Yamaha R6 caliper seemed like a more obvious; and probably cheaper, choice, so Drogo bid for one on eBay. Sods Law, there was zero clearance due to the wire wheels. Balls. So back to eBAy and a 2006 Ducati Monster 4 pot Brembo that does have clearance - and with a simple chunk of tailor-made aluminium as an adaptor, fit, but...

D: Cocking hell, the Brembo fits like a glove, loads of room between rear of caliper and spokes, trouble is it fits like a kids glove on an adult hand! Bloody ancient Yam disc is 3mm thicker than modern discs....So now I have to change the disc as well....but the alignment of the bolt holes will be guaranteed Not to match that of the Yam hub...WILL THIS NEVER END?!

B: Yes but in a galaxy (not so very) far away...How about skiming the Yam disc? It's thick plain steel, you could safely skim a milimeter off each face and you'll end up with a better braking surface than even modern stainless-steel. True to their 70s origin they are chromed, which has the grip of a frying pan. People laugh at my Guzzi discs that rust even if the sky is just overcast, but they have great stopping power.

And this is the result. BPD: Ben I've an idea for another film, well more like a day time TV teleplay...
So, two main characters, Dr Ogo: Nigerian gynecologist (gay, played straight). A bombastic self promoting moron, oft mistaken for the real deal. However he is a retard and unable to perform the simplest of tasks......
Nurse Ben: quiet genius (straight, played gay) who forever saves the day by steadying the ship and making sound, practical suggestions.....

Which is all a roundabout way of saying thank you for the nursing the Japanese patient back to life with your wise words.... 0.5mm skimmed off both faces of the disk, original Cyberman master cylinder updated to a Yamaha Fazer one. It stops like a progressive lover the moment I have just the thought of stopping, let alone go pulling levers!
Cheers man
Drogo