Back Street Heroes - December 2018 - Preview

(UK O NLY )

ISSUE 416

DECEMBER 2018

UK OFFSALE DATE: 06/12/18

£4.20

accessories

clothing

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6: NEWS all that’s new and happening in the custom bike world 8: PRODUCTS loads of good stuff for you to spend your hardearned on 12: LETTERS sound off, one, two, sound off, three, four!

58: CENTRESPREAD Louise Limb’s latest artistic offering 60: SUBSCRIBE TO BSH see here for the best subscription offers 80: KATANA PROJECT our new build is not your average project bike build…

84: TECH BSH’s resident spanner monkey twirls his implements… fnurk 88: MR BRIDGES the guru imparts more of his knowledge of mechanics

94: (ALMOST) A ROADTEST the new Triumph Bobber Black 97: MAG NEWS our regular column by the MAG chairnongenderspecificperson 98: EVENTS your essential guide to the best rallies, shows and parties

TO GET THE DIGITAL EDITIONS APP, SIMPLY SEARCH FOR ‘BACK STREET HEROES’ IN THE APPLE APP STORE FOR iPAD OR ON GOOGLE PLAY FOR ANDROID CHECK OUT THE BSH FACEBOOK PAGE (BACK STREET HEROES) AND THE BSH FACEBOOK GROUP AT BACK STREET HEROES – THE OFFICIAL GROUP

102: SMALLS sell your bike here for free!

104: READERS’ LIVES your pictures and our silly captions... yeah, sorry about that 106: NEXT MONTH just to whet your appetite…

113: RICK HULSE the musings of one of the most eloquent thinkers in bikerdomerd 114: BACK IN T’DAY retro choppers from the depths of timeeom

BE PART OF THE BACKSTREETHEROES COMMUNITY

92: INDIAN LONG-TERMER Wor Davie’s been putting the miles on it

DECEMBER 2018

3

editor:

NIK SAMSON

nik@backstreetheroes.com

07884 052003 staff writer:

DAVE MANNING

The summer past I did a fair amount of travelling, as I try to do each year, including a two week, seven country, blast down to Croatia which you’ll be able to read about in the mag soon, and (one of) the thing(s) that struck me was how little discrimination towards bikers there is sur La Manche.

dave@backstreetheroes.com

Pic by Alex

Just about everywhere I’ve been in Europe, on a variety of bikes from brand new to old, matt black and scabby, I’ve been treated by people in petrol stations, and at hotels and restaurants, like anyone else with any other forms of transport; the same, however, can’t be said about this fair land of ours, this sceptred isle, this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England… well, not just England, actually, but Wales and Scotland too.

Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m just being oversensitive, showing my snowflake tendencies, but I’ve noticed it a lot. In petrol stations, for example, I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve stood in the queue to pay, watching the cashier being all chatty and pleasant to the people in front of me, only to have them turn colder than a White Walker’s jockstrap when it’s my turn to pay. Then, as I turn away, après transaction, I hear them being chatty and friendly again to the person behind me who, surprise, surprise, isn’t dressed in bike gear. Now, I usually wear a flip-front lid and always flip it back so that my face is clearly visible or, if I’m wearing a conventional full-face, I quite often take it off so it’s not as though I’m deliberately trying to obscure my fizzog as though I’ve got something to hide, and I always say ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ so it’s not as if I’m the one being unfriendly or indifferent to start with, but it still happens time and time again. Okay, so, no, not every time, obviously, but often enough for it to be A Thing. I dunno, maybe it’s me, but usually it takes people a little while longer than 30-odd seconds to realise I’m an arse’ole, y’know?

Similarly, I’ve also lost count of the number of B&Bs over the years that’ve turned me, or me and a mate, away because of the bike(s).

Scotland, I’m sorry to say, is particularly noteworthy for this, although it’s happened in Wales and England too; on one memorable occasion, while trying to find somewhere to kip out of the absolutely torrential rain in Inverness, I had four B&Bs in a row turn their ‘Vacancy’ signs round to read ‘No Vacancy’ in the time it took me to turn from the road into their car parks.

Now, I’m willing to believe that one, possibly two, might’ve taken an internet or phone booking in that time, but four in a row? Really?

It happened again, twice, the same day after I’d thought ‘f**k it’ and pressed on to Ullapool, and I eventually found a room in a ‘real’ hotel where not only did they not bat an eyelid at my damp and bedraggled appearance, but also gave me a robe (posh name for a big fluffy dressing gown) and told me to take all my kit to their drying room so that it’d be ready for the morning. It happened again in Dundee, and again at Mallaig, and now I don’t bother with

design:

GARETH WILLIAMS publisher:

TIM HARTLEY advertising contact:

RICK NICHOLS

B&Bs and just book into hotels to save having to go through all that shite over and over again.

Contrast that with the fact that everywhere I’ve turned up at on the Continent on the bike, they’ve either not taken any notice of my mode of transport or openly welcomed me, making sure that the bike is securely stashed away from prying eyes. On one trip across Spain, me and my mate Budge, both mounted on particularly scabby rats, were shown into an underground car park full of Porsches, Mercs and Rollers, by a bloke in a full concierge’s outfit, egg on ’is ’at an’ everything, in the Caceres Hilton (there’s a longer story of this, maybe I’ll tell you one day), and on the recent Continental run the receptionist at a very quaint little hotel in the Italian Alps opened up an enormous garage, ’specially for bikes, under the building for us to park in. Likewise, I’ve heard so many tales from people who’ve travelled abroad of hotels telling them to bring their bikes into back courtyards, or actually into the foyer, that it appears to (almost) be the rule, rather than the exception. On our run up the Stelvio pass, in both Italy and Austria, we passed place after place after place that advertised themselves as bike-friendly and with secure parking – almost unheard of in the UK.

rnichols@mortons.co.uk 01507 529357 divisional ad manager:

BILLY MANNING

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PAUL DEACON circulation manager:

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CHARLOTTE PARK publishing director:

DAN SAVAGE

commercial director:

NIGEL HOLE

freelance contributors:

GARRY STUART, LIN JEFFORD, MR BRIDGES, DAVE WIGHAM, LOUISE LIMB, SIMON EVERETT, FAZERDAZE, PAUL MARLTON, SELINA LAVENDER, RICK HULSE, IAN WIGHTMAN, ERIK STIGSSON editorial address:

BACK STREET HEROES, MORTONS MEDIA, MORTON WAY, HORNCASTLE, LN9 6JR subscriptions:

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ On a slightly more cheery note, in just a few days’ time Motorcycle Live! opens at the NEC in Birmingham where, as I’m sure you know, we have an enormous Custom Xtreme stand showcasing the very best in British custom bikes, including the five winners of this year’s BSH Custom Champs. There are some truly stunning machines on display so if you’re going, pop along to Hall 3 and have a gander, why don’t you?

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archive enquiries:

JANE SKAYMAN

jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ Just before I go this month, I’d like to just say a quick Get Well Soon to our mate Herbie, the intrepid long-distance 125 rider, who was knocked off his bike a few weeks back, and has had to undergo extensive surgery on his hand.

Hope you’re not in too much pain, mate, see you back out on the road soon!

Independent publisher since 1885 Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Why not just ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

The Professional Publishers Association Member

NIK

Distribution by Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001. Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton. ISSN: 02679841. BSH is copyright to Mortons Media Ltd 2018 and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you send material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include an SAE. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. BSH UK subscriptions £45.00, European subs £55.89, all other countries £67.89, from BSH Subs, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle LN9 6LZ. USA subs $60 per annum from Motorsport, 31757 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600 and additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage is paid at Jonesburg, Missouri, USA. Postmaster: send USA address changes to BSH, Motorsport, 550 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600.

NEWS

Fatbob Crafts is a well-established leather-working business from Cambridgeshire offering a huge range of very nice leather goods.

These seats are handcarved and coloured, and can be made in almost any style or pattern, whatever your heart desires. Prices start at £190, but you can get a 10% discount if you mention BSH when you order.

Ring them on 07495 901012 or check them out at www. fatbobcrafts.co.uk

The new Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber Sport is the latest addition to their V9 range. It features numerous black details, oversize tyres, a lowered single seat, low drag ’bars on lower risers, Öhlins shock absorbers, matt black exhausts, and a new colour scheme – a gritty orange with the Moto Guzzi eagle in a particular burnished finish. The front mudguard’s been shortened, the lowered headlight’s framed by a tight black aluminium top fairing, and the fork tubes are protected by classic dust boots.

Further pricing and availability information will follow later, but you can get more information from your local Moto Guzzi dealer or www. motoguzzi.com

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DECEMBER 2018

The latest three-wheeler from Can-Am, the Ryker, joins its bigger Spyder brother, but starts at a much more affordable price.

Starting as low as £8,699, it’s very easy to ride with twist-and-go technology, and is available with two engine options; a two-cylinder Rotax 600 ACE or a three-cylinder Rotax 900 ACE. There’s automatic transmission, Can-Am’s Y-shaped chassis with two wheels in front and one in the rear for superior stability and stopping power, an electronic Vehicle Stability System, and a whole host of custom accessories (75,000 plus, they claim!). There’s also a Rally Edition for riding unpaved roads, with longer travel suspension and Rally Mode, which allows you to break the back end loose and perform drifts on gravel or dirt while staying in control.

For more information, go to your local Can-Am dealer or go to www.uk.brp.com/ on-road

Herald Motor Co are soon to launch the British designed and engineered Brute 500; their own modern take on the streettracker, which’s been engineered and built in-house from the ground up at their site in Huntingdon. Featuring a single four-stroke 449cc engine, the bike also has adjustable Racetek front and rear

suspension with Herald’s own unique floating-shock linkage system.

The new bike will be launched in the UK at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on 17-25th November, and prices will be released then. Get more info from your nearest Herald dealer or www. heraldmotorcompany.com

Well, the line-up for the BSH Custom Xtreme stand at Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham from Saturday 17th November to Sunday 25th November is finalised and, by the Lord Harry (whoever he is), we’ve really got some crackers for you to see!

Among those you can view will be (deep breath) the project GSX600 built by Mr Bridges in this issue, Smiley Monkey Custom Cycles’ swoopy-framed CB900, Nick Lord’s streetfighter (as featured this issue), Will’s Shovel (from last issue), Marcel’s XS650 (ditto), Death Grip Cycles totally Seventies’ Pan, P&D Customs’ Triumph cafe racer (another from this issue), the partly built Bloodrunners-style Katana project bike, and Big John’s stunning Swedish-style Triumph (last issue) and his new Minx Norton too.

There are others too, including the five winners of the Custom Competition we’ve been running all year, but I don’t want to get you too excited (as it’s not good for the carpet).

Advance tickets cost just £19.50, or £25 with an Oxford disc lock worth £24.99 on its own, or £25 (with no lock) on the door, and you can get more info from the event website at www.motorcyclelive. co.uk

DECEMBER 2018

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pics by John Lingwood Photography

Rally Vietnam, established in 2010, is an organisation that raises funds on behalf of the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. Blue Dragon has, since 2002, assisted street kids, victims of trafficking and the rural poor, helping to rebuild their lives.

Each year Rally Vietnam runs a 900km motorbike rally, over nine days, through the spectacular scenery and winding roads of northern Vietnam. It’s highly popular with adventurous riders, but also suits the less experienced too as each section isn’t too difficult, and there are plenty of photo opportunities along the way, including visits to the children of the foundation, and ethnic mountain tribes. All money raised goes directly to the foundation.

For more information go to www.rallyindochina.com or email info@rallyindochina.com

Circus Insane is the world’s most extreme circus and, as the publicity says: “There are no illusions!

Uses no fake blood! Everything you see is very real!”

Fronted by Doc Insane, along with his assistants Looby Lou, Strange Kitten, Camille ‘The World’s Worst Transvestite’, and Emily, the Chainsaw (a genuine Bosch chainsaw), this really isn’t something for the faint-hearted as it features, among other things, a kilt pin swing (swinging a car battery from kilt pins piercing his arms), the human chopping board (using a samurai sword to chop a melon on the back of his neck), eating lightbulbs, escape acts, the human dartboard, power-drills up the nose, and much, much more.

Banned from every TV station in the land, the circus has performed at various festivals, including Download and Bearded Theory, and is looking to play bike rallies too. They have videos on YouTube as tasters if you’ve not seen them (Circus Insane), and you can contact the Doc at the_madfreak@yahoo.co.uk or www.circusinsane.com

PRODUCTS

These comfortable new deerskin gloves mix modern techno-function with old-school style; rows of electroconductive stitching in the fingertips let you scroll, dial, pinch-zoom, browse and navigate your smartphone or sat nav on the go.

Available in a choice of gold (tan) or black, you can get them from anywhere that stocks the W&W Cycles range – check out www.wwag.com to find your nearest place.

These very accurate reproductions of the OEM Rocket-style exhausts, as found on 1941-49 Harleys, are available in black or chrome, and will really look the part on classic-styled bikes or customs.

They’re available at your Zodiac dealer – go to www.zodiac.nl to find your nearest place.

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DECEMBER 2018

Oily Rag has launched a range of stylish trucker and baseball caps, and there are four new models, with designs to suit everyone.

There’s a Motorcycle trucker cap (denim, blue cotton front panel and cream mesh), a British Motorcycle Speed Trials baseball cap (suede front panel and Melton rear), ORC Motorcycles trucker cap (white front panel, black bill and mesh), and the Original Corduroy baseball cap (brown corduroy and flat bill). All come with custom Oily Rag Co tape inside, an adjustable Velcro strap, and the words “Offerings to the God of Speed” inside the front brim.

Priced at £27.50, you can get them from anywhere that stocks the Oily Rag range – go to www. dot4distribution.com to find your nearest stockist.

Milestones has become something of a cult calendar.

The brainchild of Rachael Clegg, it’s a visual celebration of the IOM TT races in that every single image tells a story of an event in the TT’s history. Shot on the course itself, the calendar features her modelling at

The new Premium J501 Heated Jacket from Keis brings comfort and controllable warmth to winter rides. Heating is provided by micro carbon fibre panels that deliver an even spread of heat around the body, helping you to stay comfortable and focused on the road ahead, and they’re covered by a lifetime warranty.

Designed to be run direct from the motorcycle’s battery, it comes in sizes 36-50” and retails for £199.99. For information on the Keis range of heated clothing and accessories, call 01256 704909 or visit www. keisapparel.co.uk

various locations, accompanied by text explaining the story behind it.

She said: “I was listening to a recording of the press conference in which Guy Martin was cracking really good gags, which just summed up what the TT’s about – sensational speeds and quirky characters. I wanted to embody all these qualities in the calendar.” And she did, naked, at 4am every morning…

Milestones is available from www. rachaelclegg.com

The new Walton leather jacket is a tough, 100% leather, supple and lightweight, yet protective cowhide jacket that’s triple-stitched for strength, and has CE armour in the elbows and shoulders.

Available in all the usual sizes, it costs £199.99 from anywhere that stocks the Oxford Products range – check out www.oxfordproducts.com to find your nearest place.

PRODUCTS

These cool new baseball shirts have white bodies with red sleeves and collar, and a large Speedfire logo, and are available in sizes M to 3XL. Get yours from anywhere that stocks the W&W Cycles range – check out www.wwag. com to find your nearest place.

A Biker’s Life is the new book from Henry Cole, subtitled Misadventures On (and Off) Two Wheels, and is the dramatic, humorous and candid memoir of one of the most recognisable names in motorcycling.

His passion for motorbikes began when, at the age of eight, he was first introduced to a ‘man cave’. His great-uncle Redbeard’s corrugated iron shed was ‘stuffed to the gills with old motorbikes’ which Henry helped rebuild and ride.

Since then, his life can be charted through the bikes and journeys he has been on – from a stifling publicschool education, via many years battling addiction, to the big-sky iconic routes he’s ridden for more than 20 series as presenter of numerous TV shows.

It’s available now in hardback priced at £20 from all book stores and online retailers.

The trumpet horn was standard on 1954-1964 H-D Panheads, but this new one is available with both six and 12 volt H-D Sportsters (1957-85), 196684 Shovelheads, and 1984-99 Softails, and may be adaptable for other models/customs too.

Great for those who’d like a classic look on their later models, the kits have a chrome horn and chrome Power Pack cover, and include all required hardware, and are available at your Zodiac dealer – go to www.zodiac.nl to find your nearest place.

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DECEMBER 2018

Revitalise riding kit quickly and costeffectively with SDoc100 Technical Fabric & Leather Wash and Reproofing Spray. Over time, dirt and grime clog up the waterproof membranes used in motorcycle clothing, reducing their ability to repel water. The Fabric & Leather Wash removes contaminants from membranes and restores breathability, and the Reproofing Spray reproofs fabrics (including leather) that’ve lost their water resistance, and forms an invisible barrier against the elements.

SDoc100 Technical Fabric & Leather Wash retails at £13, and the Reproofing Spray costs £10.

For details on the complete SDoc100 Motorcycle Care range, visit www. motohaus.com or call 01256 704909.

Insurance solutions for classics and more. *

Did you know with FJ+ you can tailor your policy from a range of cover options, including; breakdown, agreed value and salvage retention?

Call our friendly UK team for a quote.

0333 207 6284

or visit: footmanjames.co.uk

*All cover is subject to insurer’s terms and conditions, which are available upon request. Footman James is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England No. 4043759. Registered Address: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Telephone calls may be monitored or recorded. FP ADGE.1076.5.18

WORDS: LIN JEFFORD PICS: NIK

THE YEAR 2014 WAS A GOOD ONE… YES, I DO KNOW WE’RE ALMOST AT THE END OF 2018 NOW, BUT PLEASE BEAR WITH ME, IT’S ALL RELEVANT.

saw the finish of the Lucky 13 Shovel chop (issue 361 cover bike) which we built for a guy called Lyndon from Derby way, and it also saw the finish of our own two Swedishstyle chops (also featured in BSH). Now, unbeknown to us, Lyndon had a good mate called Nick who saw the bike we’d built him and wanted to speak to us about a build he had in mind. We rode down to the Rock & Blues in Derbyshire that year, put the bikes in the show, and went for a beer. As you do...

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DECEMBER 2018

DECEMBER 2018

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#48

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Forty-eight Autumn 2018

OCTOBER 2018

No. 330 October 2018 £4.30 UK Off-sale date 31/10/2018

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