ISSUE 392 DEC 2016 £3.99
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TO GET AL IT THE DIGP, SIMPLY AP S N CK IO IT ED FOR ‘BA E SEARCHEROES’ IN THAD IP TH STREE PP STORE FOR Y A LA APPLE ON GOOGLE P ID O OR R D FOR AN FACEBOOK PAGE E BSH HEROES) OUT TH T P CHECK(BACK STREE K GROU – CEBOO BSH FAEET HEROES E TH D AN OU P K STR AT BAC OFFICIAL GR THE
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BACK STREET HEROES decEMBER 2016
6OPENFACED
– all that’s new and happening in the custom bike world
8PRODUCTS
– loads of good stuff for you to spend your hardearned on
12LETTERS TO 34SUBSCRIBE BSH
– have your say about ... well, owt really!
– see here for the best subscription offers
A) ROAD 44(ALMOST TEST
– the 2017 Touring bikes from Harley-Davidson
DESERT 92PROJECT RACER
78MAG NEWS
– our regular column by the MAG chairnongenderspecificperson
the bash plate
96EVENTS
–our guide to the best rallies, shows, parties and runs!
STREET 84PROJECT MUTANT
– part five of our new Yamaha XSR900 project
100READERS’ LIVES
MR BRIDGES’ 88 MOTORCYCLE DIARIES and tricks
– bashing out
– four pages of your pictures and our silly captions ... yeah, sorry about that.
– workshop hints
105SMALLS 113NEXT MONTH
– sell your bike here for free!
–what’s in the mag next month … obviously!
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RICK HULSE – the musings of one of the most eloquent thinkers in bikerdom!
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PROJECT RAT ROD
our maddest project bike is finished and running!
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ILFRACOMBE BIKE SHOW
Dave M and The Mutch out and about
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22 TRIUMPH BOBBERS 62 almost identical bikes, almost identical riders
SWEDISHSTYLE SHOVEL
glorious Harley from the east
NORTON ATLAS CAFE RACER
wonderful old school classic
BULLDOG BASH
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this year’s Bash in all its glory
OGRI RALLY
gin and tonics ‘n’ cheese and wine a-go-go!
H-D SPORTY
stonking Sportster bobber
CCE SHOW
Custom Chrome’s megabunfight in Austria
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HALF ON A HARLEY, HALF ON A HONDA the first part of our new touring Scotland series
STAR & GARTER BIKE SHOW
cracking Sunday out in Metheringham
Z650 KAWASAKI
built using the combined talents of both P&D and Twizzle Customs! (pictured)
MABLETHORPE SAND RACING
going sideways in the surf…
SINS & STRIPES
win a wooden leg in a bike show!
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FOR THE BEEN RU LAST FEW ISSUES THIS BIKENNING THE BUILD WE’VE IN IN THIS, LAD THE MAGAZINE G OF IS THE FIN IES AND GENTLE AND M IS YOU CAN HED THING. IT IS EN, NORM A SEE, NOT QUITE , AS S CUSTO M BIKES THE GO…
r in the ca be ca lled t s ld r u fi o t w a t is wha a term th ’; d o r e t a in r gaz world ‘a t rod ma d d in a ho inted an a p e appeare r e w t to a n th o s ti r in rela about ca cles r. It was y e c r im r to p o left in bikes’; m t of ‘rat enjoyed quiva len e ts to be r r a a c p e e e r th a p s p m is lay th d fro rily to d a s , s s e assemble e c e h rat bik en, not n like w it and ridd have ls. And, il k likely to s is ’s r m r te e builde r o th gatory ved that in a dero d it’s belie among e e s s u a n c y bee ains the m e r t the origina ll s u a b , munity, ve sense light rod com pejorati t e o iv h it e s of th d in a po te p , o sections h d a a e lture. Y lso been e sub-cu dow n term’s a k th o f o lo o ts par ere wh by other a nd lk out th o-wheel e still fo r a tw e r th e o b th , t up ts o n ra t ’s ses a se head their no one who l. y o n o a c s e a r t ds a four, bu s, rat ro se know theiir ar
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I BOUGHT THIS NORTON AS A NON-RUNNING PROJECT SOME SIX YEARS AGO INTENDING TO RESTORE IT, BUT AS I STARTED TO STRIP IT I REALISED HOW ROSE TINTED MY SPECS WERE… WORDS: GARY CURRIER PICS: SIMON EVERETT
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DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH – GET OUT THERE AND RIDE ONE TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF
D Dual Bending Valve forks provide th he linear damping performance of a cartridge-style fork, but at a lower w weight. The new emulsion rear shock, also a made by Showa, features a larger piston p as well as a ‘set and forget’ re emote preload adjuster that provides 15 5-30% more range, depending on the model. m Improvements in suspension performance p also allow Harley to re ecalibrate the ABS system for more sensitivity as the wheels stay in b better contact with the road. All of th he Touring models are also equipped w with the hydraulically actuated Assist & Slip clutches, which are lighter at th he lever and provide a more positive e engagement. So, that’s the technical side of itt – what are the new bikes actually liike to ride? In a word – amazing! T The new engine is, exactly as they said, smoother, cooler, faster and less v vibratory. No, really, it is. From the m moment you swing a leg over and th humb the starter, the improvement in v vibration is immediately obvious. The to orque, when you release the clutch (w which doesn’t go in with anywhere n near as loud a clang as on previous m models), is hugely improved – the bikes
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positively leap forward. It’s really noticeable out on the road too; rolling on the throttle out of corners has the new bikes charging towards the horizon like no H-D before. On the usual mad charge across the country trying to keep
H-D’s press supremo Trevor Franklin in sight, I didn’t scare meself anywhere near as much as I did last time I had to do such a thing – the new bikes go and handle really well. The new suspension really works too, and it’s now quite difficult (although not impossible) to scrape the footboards due to the fact that the bikes no longer ‘sag’ quite as much as they used to. Don’t take my word for it though – get out there and ride one to find out for yourself. During November, H-D are offering test rides on the new Touring bikes, and anyone who books one will also be entered into a competition to win a week-long riding holiday in the far sunnier climes of South Africa – go to their website at www.harley-davidson.com to book yours.
EUROPEAN BIKE WEEK AND THE CROWD WAS HAPPY! FOLLOWING A WEEK OF GREAT SUNNY WEATHER, RIDING AND PARTY TIME, THE CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE RIDE-IN SHOW AT FAAKER SEE EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS WITH 66 PARTICIPANTS OF OUTSTANDING QUALITY.
CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE RIDE-IN SHOW WORDS & PICS: HORST ROESLER
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udging was extremely difficult and tight, but was aided by surprise special guests from the US, Paul and Michael Teutul. Their votes made the difference in the Championship class bringing Reini of Lichtenstein’s Bobber Garage into the winners’ circle. Harley-Davidson Würzburg were second with a super-radical 1000cc (ex-Twin Cam!) single, and BSL’s Habermann-built chopper with sidecar scored the top prize. World class customs won all the categories, underlining the outstanding standard of this year’s show. Hard Rock Cafe by Game Over Cycles of Poland premiered and won its class, and a
IN THIS M ASYMME THE PHRASE ‘IN ODERN AGE nd sadly TRY’ IS A FORMAT QUITE A I know fr MO ION LO om persona l experie THE AGE T MORE CONFU RE UP-TO-DATE, IF nce exactly SING, VE -OLD WA what it R THE LATIN RNING ‘C means – it was d AVEAT EMSION OF emonstr F O R ‘L ated to m E in Nove T THE BU I’M SURE P T O e mber 20 R’ – YER BEW Y O 0 8 when U b K o u N ght a Ka OW, THE ARE’. AS a runn AS A DISC I wasa ki Z PHRASE ing, ridin LAIMER 650 as g lling res toration ANYONE OF RESPONSIBIL IS USED hparoject. It looked li, ro k e a barga d a lot of BUYING A ITY FOR in and promise home sh , but the owed it to MAY NOTNYTHING THEY re ride b e less “roll storation HAVE AL ing pro INFORMAL THE “bugger me, whjeatct” and more h TION a ve I done Once I h ?” ad it hom and very e, I imm ABOUT. ediately rapidly p ulle a ll
A
d it apar the unw anted pa t a nd there w rts, of w ere quit hich e a lot, w sold on e ere duly Bay. A ll that wa the engin s left wa e and th s e frame restorati , and th on plan e went ou w indow t of the (a long w ith a fair of partic number ularly sh itty par plan now ts) – the was to b uild a cu had an id stom.I ea of wh at I wan so new c ted, and omplete front an d rear
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Sandpaper, dual action sander, and the Scotchbrite pads
Tank sides prepared
AS WE’VE SAID A FEW TIMES NOW, YAMAHA HAVE GIVEN BACK STREET HEROES A BRAND NEW XSR900 TO USE AS A PROJECT FOR A BUILD (THE ONLY MAGAZINE IN EUROPE THEY’VE DONE THIS FOR APPARENTLY!), AND THEY’VE APPROACHED US TO TURN THE STOCK BIKE INTO SOMETHING SUITABLE FOR A CUSTOM BIKE MAGAZINE. his issue, the last before the great reveal next issue, we’re going to be looking at painting parts at home. For a lot of folk, doing your own paint, like doing your own electrics, can be quite a scary thing, but it really shouldn’t be as, as long as you keep your head and take your time, it’s a fairly straightforward process. The real key to doing it is the preparation that you do before you even start waving a can or a spray gun anywhere near your bike. The first thing you need to do is get your surface to be p painted flat. Getting the surface flat iss im mportant because you uw won’t get a nice finissh to your paint iff itt isn’t – it’ss as simple ass that. a Yo Y ou don’t
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Cheap dust sheets and staple gun to make temporary spray booth necessarily have to strip parts back to the bare metal, but it usually works out best if you do. Beware though – quite often, as you start to remove layers of paint from parts that’ve been previously painted, you
may find layers of filler that’ve been added to get the surface smooth. These may need to be redone. New panels may need some filler work too – you’d actually be surprised how many brand new tanks and mudguards aren’t remotely smooth even from the factory. Most of WORDS & PICS: PHWF what we needed to do, though, was fairly smooth as it was new parts that we’d made or brand new
PART FIVE
KE, YOUR LADY, YOUROK) TO SEND PICS OF YOUR BIER IS ISN’T FACEBO TH , NN DI UR YO T NO UT (B E OK BL NIK@BACKSTREETHEROES.COM
ABOVE: Charlette loves modelling with bikes… yes, that’s right, apparently there is a bike in the picture too. RIGHT: Stonking paintwork on Jon O’Hara’s tubby Bandit.. 100
BACK STREET HEROES DECEMBER 2016
Pete Walker sent in the great pic of Limehouse Lizzy playing on the BSH stage at this year’s Farmyard.
CALENDAR
2017
Howard Newcombe’s Shovelhead