Aprilia x Burberry, African style

From Roberto in Rome...

Check this picture the Finnish photographer Joona Petersson shot in Western Africa. It's an Aprilia Tuareg 50, revamped with a very original British trench coat style. Here, the article on the Guardian
Cheers, 
Roberto Politi, Rome, Italy

Revolutions by El Solitario

Revolutions from El Solitario on Vimeo.
Nice, short film with a twist in the tail, by our Spanish friends, El Solitario.

El Solitario are coming to compete at Dirt Quake II and have also signed up as sponsors.
If you want to become a sponsor, email us at dirt at sideburnmagazine.com

Z Sled

From Graham in Merseyside.

The bike started as an idea, three years ago, based on a Kawasaki Z750B twin, a mix of old and new components, and with the help of John from Trubikes in Neston and favours from mates, we managed to pull the project together.

We started with the original frame which was looped & modified to take a ZZR swingarm, which in turn was welded to suit the 80s piggyback Marzocchi shocks. The OZ wheels and the forks were sourced from an Aprillia RSV sports bike, the yokes were machined to mate everything together.

Flat track bars and controls from a sportsbike with modified reservoir & cnc levers, plus an electronic speedo with cnc mount with led warning lights, suspended from the bars to keep the yokes clean. A short front mudguard was fabricated to fit the front fork mounts. 

 The tank was a big job, chopped and then machined finned plates bonded to it and shaped to blend in, also aircraft style filler added.

The tailpiece was custom made from sheet metal and was inspired by the old Norton racers. It houses the battery, rectifier and some electrics, seat and bum pad are leather with diamond stitch pattern for that retro look. 

 The engine was stripped rebuilt, and treated to nice matt paint. I decided to use a SU carb from a Mini, coupled with a custom stainless 2 into 1 manifold running a big K&N oval filter. Exhausts were fabricated using stainless dairy pipe, fitted with imported Supertrapp shorty mufflers, all brush finished. 

Lighting is provided by small Bates up front,within a slotted number board,while at the rear a led brake light is hidden under the tailpiece. The paint was provided by a mate who blended it a few years back from a BMW Schwartz Black with aluminium metalflake and a few other colours thrown in. Rubber is a Dunlop mutant front, and a Dunlop D616 imported from the States at the rear. The bike runs & sounds great, and stops and handles a lot better than the original. 

I live in Birkenhead and am trying to set up a Retro meet locally for trackers, cafe racers, bobbers, chops & classics and would eventually like to put on something like the One Motorcycle Show,which the SeeSee guys have done in Portland. 
Graham 
Street Tuff Customs

OMG! Ohmori Masatoshi

Watch this. It's incredible. It makes me want a DTX bike and a tarmac oval in the backyard. Thanks to Graham Monk for the link. G

UK Indoor Flat Track: This weekend.

Indoor flat track returns to the Newark on Saturday.

International riders in the Rest of the World Team, against eight of England's best shorttrackers, which will be the first part of the days racing at Arena UK on the 23rd of Feb (this Saturday). 

Speedway stars include Rory Schlein (above) and his King's Lynn Team mate Mads Korneliusson, England's Edward Kennett, Mark Lemon, Kevin Doolan, Damien Koppe, Robbie Kessler and Tony Primmer. The Shorttrack Star riders are UK's number 1 Aidan Collins, FIM World Flattrack Champion Fabrizo Vesprini, Peter Boast, Tom Woolley, Tim & Tom Neave, and from the world of Road Racing, Superbike Rider Barry Burrel, Supersport Stars Ben Wilson and Richard Cooper plus many more... 

The action kicks off at 1pm with England Vs Rest of the World, supported by the Shorttrack Youth Class, followed by the International Shorttrack Arena Championship starting at 6.30 pm, supported by the Mad Mini Bike Class. 

Doors open at 11.30am and 5.00pm with limited tickets available on the day. To book in advance for either meeting (or both at a discount) please visit www.shorttrackuk.com or phone 016783 878426. Adults £12.50 standing, £15 seated, £25 seated for both meetings, concessions and under 16's for less. 

It's easy to get to at Arena UK, Allington, Grantham, Lincs NG32 2EF (just off A1).

DSC Formula: 想像

One in an on-going series; eight so far, of micro-shorts (films not tight Lycra) where the enigma that is Death Spray Custom, explains the philosophy behind his working practice. BP

World Class Enfield

The Sideburn Royal Enfield picked up second in the Performance Custom Class in the British round of the AMD World Championship of Custom Building (the class definition is below).

Thanks to CFM who actually built the bike; Co-Built for the exhaust; Jason for various parts; Revolution for the basecoat; Ornamental Conifer for the signwriting; Steve Adams for the stingray seat covering; Lowbrow Customs for the hardtail; Rupert and Josh for helping convert the electrics and, biggest thanks, to Royal Enfield UK for working with us on this project.
Read all about our Enfield in Sideburn 10. G

Street Performance 
A class designed to showcase customs where the primary intention of the customiser is to improve the street-use performance of a motorcycle, and showcase the customiser's streetable performance engineering, tuning and handling skills and techniques. Open to all or any kind of motorcycle, of any platform or drivetrain, air-cooled or liquid-cooled (or even alternative energy). Open to 'metric', Whitworth/AF, and SAE measure bikes. Open to all kinds of performance engineering and enhancement/tuning techniques, including super charging, turbo charging, NOS, fuel injection etc.

Ace Cafe Next Sunday

Don't forget, annual Ace Cafe flat track day next Sunday. We'll be there with magazines, T-shirts, etc; Redmax; Co-Built; DTRA... G

2012 AMA Highlights

Thanks to Bob Metz for the tip

Satnav My Arse

Now that's what I call a road-book. Nottingham to London on A-roads and B-roads riding a BSA Bantam, by Dave Bevan.
(via Eat The Rich (you don't want to get lost there, I do and there aren't even any roundabouts)). BP