Dick hoods? Perhaps we could've thought of a better name, but not a better looking hooded sweat. The classic Dick design, but on the back of a heavyweight Gildan hooded sweat, with Sideburn's logo on the front. Printed right here in the UK.
Available in blood red, steel grey, navy blue, chocolate brown. Sizes S to XL.
UK £30; Europe €40; USA $50; Rest of World £40 (all prices inc. shipping)
Dave T-shirt
Crazy Dave ready to wring his BSA's neck. Sideburn logo on the back. Heavyweight Gildan T-shirt that'll survive a LOT of washes. Not cheap shite or even expensive shite. Screenprinted in the UK.
Electric Blue, knuckle white, blood red and dirt brown.

S to XXL.
UK £18; Europe €25; USA $35; Rest of World £25 (all prices inc. shipping).

They're due in any day. Order now to ensure delivery for Christmas. And, as you'll know if you've tried to get a shirt and been out of luck in the past, we make in limited numbers and don't reprint. Once they're gone, that's it. Here's how to pay - no, the Paypal button doesn't work. It might. One day.


And talking of Christmas - Don't forget Short Track UK's indoor extravaganza on December 27.

Holy sheee-it! Not one, but TWO lobotomised stunters have backflipped Harley's XR1200. How in the hell? I don't know. It takes some effort getting that pig off its sidestand. Head over to Hell for Leather to check out the video evidence. These nutters, and their names - because they deserve respect - are Kain Saul and Chuck Carothers, were channeling Evel.

I couldn't resist. I've been a sucker for biker films since I saw The Wild Angels on a bootleg VHS in 1988 or 89. And I've been a fan of Quentin Tarantino since I saw Reservoir Dogs in Bradford before it went on general release (I've just found out Bradford is the world's first UNESCO City of Film. Take that and shove it LA and Bombay). And I like Madsen (below, as 'The Gent'). So, when I walked past the local rental shop (yes, Spalding has one) I was drawn in.
BUT... No one warned me about this stinker. Or if they did, I wasn't listening. Tarantino's only the executive producer (I think that means he makes the film happen and has creative input but obviously isn't the director), but his name is bigger than the director's.
The plot is kitten-weak; the acting beyond cliched; Vinnie Jones' accent is unfathomable; Dennis Hopper defies description...
And why has the lead got a false beard? Couldn't he grow one? At least, because it's only 1hr 15 long, I didn't waste too much time.
Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it. GI
PS Yes, everyone's a critic, I'm just warning you, my friends.

I got all my Dutch Brothers mixed up. Tom is selling the Wood-style Roller. He's in Switzerland. He's already built this J&M Sportster 1200. And now he's building the yellow framer. That's Switzerland in the background. Pretty, eh?
It's Mick who's bought the Mule racer. Richard at Mule got in touch with an updated shot of it (below). Mick's short track bike has the white rims. Jan-Willem's built it for him. They're real brothers. Tom is a Dutch Brother, but neither Dutch nor a brother. Mick and J-W are brothers. I think they're Dutch.
And Jan-Willem is building this metalflake framer.
You are fully up to date on Dutch Brothers' movements. Confused? That makes two of us. GI

Borders the large UK chain bookstore has gone into receivership. Tomorrow (Sunday 29th) is the last day of their 20% off sale. They stock DVDs and music too. I picked up The Jam, Sound Affects (1980) for £3. It includes the classic That's Entertainment, but it's good to hear all those lesser know ones that never got radio play. BP

Says Mr SR500 project. Nice sketch.

Then I found this here. GI

Serial bike builder Roberto Totti got in touch to buy some magazines and talk about future features. It reminded me how much I love some of his bikes. Especially this reverse head Triumph T120 he built in 2008. Bella! GI

Seen on Short Track UK, but the rolling chassis is in Switzerland (see new note below). This looks a bargain. It says 'Wood frame', but this one looks different to my twin shock. The Dutch Bros know their stuff though. Come on Britain, buy it.

Wood frame, oil tank in frame, Showa shocks (I think he means forks) but bent, extra shocks (forks?) available (will not fit triple clamp), comes with exhaust, central stand available
Asking 1000 Euro (£900), contact tom@dutch-brothers.com
UPDATE:
the rolling chassis is in CH at the moment. Delivery to NL or D aren't much a problem. UK is a bit harder. We are looking for some good Honda CRF100s if anyone wants to trade. We also have a nice kiddies Yamaha PW50 available

This is because, I think, Tom has bought a Mule-prepared C&J 1200 V-twin race bike. GI

Now living in Bristol, I have a new soft spot for Douglas bikes. The red brick Victorian factory on Hanham Road, in the suburb of Kingswood, still stands. This lovely 1930 shot of Wally Kilmister is from the excellent New Zealand national library collection. Speedway was started by Ozzy brutes in 1923, then quickly picked up by the Kiwis, before being introduced to the Brits four years later. BP

In case our foreign friends - or those of you born after 1980, have never heard of them before, the Teds were a peculiarly English phenomenon of the 1950s (originally). Ted is short for Edwardian, which is supposedly where their historical vein runs back to. Check Wikipedia if you are lazy, or for entertaining tales of infamy, speak to any man down your local boozer in their late 40s (or older) whose towering quiff is still held in place with 1/2 a tub of Brylcreem, has brothel creepers with a 2" crepe sole, sports an American style bootlace tie, but who most crucially is wearing a drape jacket
(see photo). Teddy Boys went through several make-overs, but even with the advent of Mods and Rockers, they always maintained independence. Crash helmets and big hair don't mix so their preferred mode of transport was the bus, or for the more well-to-do, the likes of the American styled (but English) Ford Zodiac, or Vauxhall Cresta. I first came across the writings of Mick Phillips in the pages of Performance Bikes magazine. I was on an aeroplane, and spat my powdered orange juice on to the neck of the passenger in front with an uncontrolled splutter. I immediately texted Gary that this man should be on the staff of Sideburn magazine. It turned out they were already best mates. He now lives in Rome, and although I have never met him in person, we have become pen pals. He has become a crucial pin in our operation; not just writing funny stories, but dotting our 'i's and crossing our 't's as a medically meticulous proof reader. But not until tonight when he emailed me this transparency, did I ever suspect he had been a Ted. BP

Stevie Coles, UK's short track #28, IS Rollerball. His bollox are bigger than those stainless steel lumps used to score points in the 1975 film of the same name (judgement here is made from witnessing his riding style rather than peeking down his frontage). I made some snaps of him and his machine that runs on a fuel mix of pink diesel and Nitromors paint-stripper, last year at Scunthorpe, intending to do a Sideburn magazine feature, but his mutoid Honda Bros (or Hawk as it's called in the States), has since morphed into something even more brutal. We've already got enough material for SB#5, so it will have to be SB#6, by which time it will have probably grown teeth and three heads. BP

It can't be far off. This is the latest work in progress over at Co-Built's UK HQ. Geoff, one-half of Co-Built, welds Formula 1 exhausts for a living. If you've ever seen one, I have, you'll know the quality demanded by those F1 freaks.
Order your Co-Built frame now to ensure delivery for next season. GI

On Saturday I took the kids to the Carnival of the Strange roller derby festival. Met up with Minx a'Matosis (who used to puts together Wrench magazine and is one of the forces behind the Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Derby team).
I'd never seen it before, but something about the ingredients had me intrigued...
Tattooed, face-painted, hot-panted, fishnet-stockinged women on roller skates, everywhere. Live bands, kids' facepainting, fairground games. Then the roller girls own brand of 'Go fast, Turn left' started. It was nearly as brutal as a short track first corner. It took a while to get my head around the rules and longer to understand the scoring, but it hardly mattered. It looks fun.
And the names are great too - She'za Payne; Fight Cub, Kym Tensive-Care... And now, three days later, everytime I close my eyes I still see athletic thighs pumping...
Great day out. I'll keep you posted on more derby action. G
Photos: Adam Rhoades, In-Depth, Darren Bannister, Jason Ruffell

Trawling the small ads looking for a new 'family' car, but as usual very tempted by all the bike catering classics. Came across this '65 A60 Morris for sale. Gorge. BP

Crazy Dave Aldana being interviewed, plus a Sideburn logo badge.
Set of four, handmade in England, very limited numbers. 36mm (1.5in) diameter, so slightly bigger than your common-or-garden button badge.

UK £5.50
Europe €6.50
USA $8
Rest of World £6.50

Price includes shipping.
Paypal, cheque, cash, grazie! GI

We were sent these images from Indy 09 by Chris Pedersen. Love the first corner shots. Thanks Chris.

Larry said 'Sure. Here are a few shots of me racing my 1971 BSA B50MX at Devil's Ridge in North Carolina.'
Cheers, Larry
Cool, eh?

I was checking out one of my favourite blogs, Poppawheelie, when I saw this photo. The inked-in arms and beard aren't that unusual in the world, but they are in the world of flat track. I knew I'd seen him before. We posted a photo Tim White took of Mark, because that's his name, on his Wood Yamaha 450.
Cool dude, great bikes, fast racer. G

Thanks for the lead, Krumple.
Loads of fresh events, Arizona, California, Kentucky, a TT at Daytona (normally two nights of short track). We never profess to be plugged into the politics of the GNC, but surely this calendar is a sign for some optimism. Right? G


March 3
DAYTONA (Daytona Beach, Florida) TT
March 4
DAYTONA (Daytona Beach, Florida) Short Track
May 1
Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Mile
May 29
Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) TT
May 30
Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) Mile
June 5
Gas City I-69 Speedway (Indiana) Short Track
June 19
The Red Mile (Lexington, Kentucky) Mile
June 26
Allen County Fairgrounds (Lima, Ohio) Half-Mile
July 10
I-96 Speedway (Lake Odessa, Michigan) Half-Mile
July 31
Calistoga Fairgrounds (California) Half-Mile
August 7
Hagerstown Speedway (Maryland) Half-Mile
August 14
Beulah Park (Grove City, Ohio) Mile
August 22
Peoria Race Park (Illinois) TT
August 28
Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis) Mile
September 4
Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) Short Track
September 5
Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) Mile
September 11
Canterbury Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Mile
October 9
Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Short Track
October 10
Yavapai Downs (Prescott, Arizona) Mile

Additional dates are expected to be added. (And we know Coolbeth isn't the champion, but it's a nice photo, right? From AMA Flat Track)

How beautiful? Can't recognise the engine, sorry. But I love how the number plate's been mounted to look like a deflector. What a piece of work. No idea what it will look like with a rider on it though. Maybe a disaster.
Reminds me of Project Long Time 'Ospitalised.
From Free Biker Taiwan

A mix of styles. Like it though. From Free Biker Taiwan

Another glorious machine from the forthcoming Deus auction bought to our attention by Spanish John. BP
"It reminds me of a tale my pal, Roger Kent used to tell at Uni about his Italian landlord who had a pesky yapping dog that made Rog's life a misery. Roger would spend slices of his day trying to get the dog to go away and eventually the cry would come up the stairs, "Roger wot fora you calla my dog Fuck Off? his name's aRova!"

'Selling like hot cakes' a message to our Dutch friends. Less than three weeks ago the American Book Center Amsterdam re-stocked on SB#3 and SB#4, but has already sold out. New stock is on its way. BP

Deus Ex Machina NZ are hosting an auction at their new Wellesley Street shop in Aukland, on the 25th November. I WANT this one. Thanks for the tip Blair. BP