Back Street Heroes April 2018

accessories

clothing

editor:

NIK SAMSON

nik@backstreetheroes.com 07884 052003 staff writer:

DAVE MANNING

dave@backstreetheroes.com

Pic by Alex

design:

GARETH WILLIAMS publisher:

TIM HARTLEY

advertising contact:

RICK NICHOLS

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

BILLY MANNING

bmanning@mortons.co.uk subscription manager:

PAUL DEACON

circulation manager:

STEVE O’HARA

marketing manager:

CHARLOTTE PARK publishing director:

DAN SAVAGE

commercial director:

NIGEL HOLE

freelance contributors: GARRY STUART, SIMON EVERETT, DEATH MACHINES OF LONDON, IVO IVANOV, JIM ORD, COLIN STRONG, POPPY STRONG, VTR CUSTOMS, LOUISE LIMB, LAURIE, MR BRIDGES, RICK HULSE, KAI HALEY, FAZERDAZE editorial address:

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JANE SKAYMAN

jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423

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

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The Professional Publishers Association Member

Morning (afternoon/evening, delete as applicable), hope you’ve got yer woollies on?

Actually, March isn’t usually too bad, is it, not like feckin’ February which is always, but always, colder than a White Walker’s jockstrap? No, in March the Northern Hemisphere is starting to tilt ever longer towards the sun, and while it might not yet be time to dig out the summer gloves and take the thermal lining out of your jacket, it does mean, at least, we don’t, thankfully, have to worry about early morning ice on the roads any more… he says, crossing everything that, when this magazine is published, the country isn’t shivering under a blanket of snow.

two, but what feels like eternity, riding a 17th hand CG125 with about as much street-cred as a beige kagool.

I see it as encouraging that so many manufacturers are coming out with this sort of bike these days and, more importantly, that they’re selling well. As I’ve said in BSH probably far too many times over the last few years, biking is getting more and more to be the preserve of old farts like you and me, and if we want our subculture, cos that’s what it is, to continue in these ever changing times we do need to encourage kids into it. Up until a few years ago, learner-legal bikes were duller than Gardeners’ Question Time presented by Prince Andrew, Tim Henman, and Bono, but now there are 125s available that, as a kid, I’d’ve killed for… well, perhaps not actually killed, but given someone quite a nasty Chinese burn anyway – you get where I’m coming from…

Anyway, the first thing I have to do this issue is welcome our new/old staff member, Dave Manning, to the BSH fold. Like meself, this is actually Dave’s second bite of the BSH cherry; he started working for the mag far back in the mists of 1998 when we were still based at the now legendary Towers in the teeming urban metropolis that was Altrincham (actually, the Towers was in the more genteel Hale, rather than the more pedestrian Alty, but the powersthat-be back then didn’t want you to know that cos they wanted to be more ‘street’… man), and moved with it when everyone upped sticks ✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ and moved southwards to That London. In 2005, he was made editor of Streetfighters You also may’ve noticed that we’ve started and stayed working for the hooligan rag promoting the BSH Custom Bike Champs for until its demise in 2013, and since then he’s 2018. This year, following the demise of Race been a regular and prolific contributor to a Rock & Ride and the Bulldog Bash, there are number of custom-based paper and internet four rounds; BMAD Bike Festival, Paignton, magazines around the globe. He has a longDevon (4-6th May), the Farmyard Party, running turbo Kawasaki project that’s nearly, Helmsley, Yorks (15-17th June), NCC Diamond but not quite, been going on as long as my Day, Ace Cafe, London (30th June) and the HCS Katana, and is talking about doing Rock & Blues Custom Show, Pentrich, Derbys unspeakably chopper things to a poor (26-29th July). defenceless XS650, and will, I think, fit in just fine. Well, he did last time, didn’t he, so why If you’d like to enter your bike in any (or all) of should this go round be any different? these rounds, then all you have to do is turn up and put it in the custom show that’s running ✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ there – it’s as simple as that! Each winner from each of the five categories from each of the This issue, if you turn to page 26, you’ll four shows will go into a feature in the magazine see the first of a couple o’ three features where, you, the readers, can vote for their we’re doing on new and groovy 125s for favourites, and the winners of that go into the new and young riders who want to get into most exclusive custom display with the biggest biking, but don’t see themselves riding audience there is in the country – Custom Xtreme something that looks like it should be at Motorcycle Live at the NEC in November – doing a back-flip nac nac off a tabletop where there will be trophies and frankly bloody (gnarly, dooood…) or crouching behind amazing prize money too. Well worth it! the screen of something with more plastic than a Seventies bath suite. We’re looking ✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ at the latest cafe racer/flat-tracker/streetscrambler/cruiser style 125s to show that And that’s about it from me. I’m off to give the there are cool bikes out there for younger bike a last blast over with protective oil to make it riders, and you don’t have to spend last the next two months before the weather gets what is actually your first year or to summer proper. See you next issue!

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 £40.00, 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.

6 OPENFACED

92 MAG NEWS

8 PRODUCTS

94 EVENTS

all that’s new and happening in the custom bike world loads of good stuff for you to spend your hard-earned on

12 LETTERS

sound off, one, two, sound off three, four!

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TRIUMPH BOBBER

BUILT IN A SHED BY A MAN WHO DOESN’T SHED… IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD

THE TRIP OUT

THE MOST FAR-OUT AND FUNKY BIKE EVENT IN THE LAND

125s SEVEN OF THE COOLEST BIKES FOR YOUNG ’UNS AROUND

MOTO GUZZI CAFE RACER

AVIATION-INSPIRED ART DECO EXCELLENCE

66 68 74 78

TWISTED IRON – THE HAPPENING

THE GATHERING OF THE CUSTOMS IN OXON

46 50

SUPER DREAM CHOP BUILT ON A BUDGET OF BUGGERALL, FUNKY FRONT END AN’ EVERYTHING

ILFRACOMBE BIKE SHOW

DEVON KNOWS HOW THEY MAKE ’EM SO GOOD

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BMW STREETFIGHTER EDDIE LAWSON WAS FAMOUS FOR KAWASAKIS, SO THESE GUYS BUILT A BMW…

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NCC BEDS’ CUSTOM SHOW CHOPS AND PROPS IN A FIELD IN BEDFORDSHIRE

HONDA CB750

BARE METAL BRAT-ROD BUILT BY A TWISTED GENIUS

TWIN CAM CHOPPER

RIDDEN HARD AND FAST AND OFTEN (pictured)

LEEDS CUSTOM & CLASSIC

HELD IN A VILLAGE THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN INVOLUNTARY CONTRACTION OF THE DIAPHRAGM

TRIDENT CHOPPER A PIECE OF ROLLING HISTORY

our regular column by the MAG chairnongenderspecificperson the fullest listings of the best summer rallies, shows and parties anywhere!

100 2018 BSH

58 CENTRESPREAD

CUSTOM BIKE CHAMPS

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Louise Limb’s latest artistic offering

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all the gen’ on this year’s competition

LIVES

62 (ALMOST) A

106 SMALLS

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114 RICK HULSE

ROADTEST

84 PROJECT BUILD

once again, the last part of our new project bike build before the big reveal… allegedly

88 MR BRIDGES’ MOTORCYCLE DIARIES the best technical know-how anywhere

sell your bike here for free! the musings of one of the most eloquent thinkers in bikerdom!

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BACBE PA KS RT CO TREE OF TH M M T HE E U N RO I T Y ES

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TO G THE DIGET ITAL EDITION S SEARCH APP, SIMPLY FOR ‘BA STREET CK HER APP STOOES’ IN THE AP PLE R E F O OR ON GOOGL R iPAD E PLA FOR AN DROID Y CHECK OUT TH (BACK S E BSH FACEBO O TREET H AND TH EROES) K PAGE EB AT BACKSH FACEBOOK G S THE OF TREET HEROE ROUP S FICIAL G ROUP –

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DarkStar Leatherworks is a high quality leatherworking company who specialise in top class products for bikes.

Everything is designed and handcrafted at their workshop just outside Manchester, and they don’t do ‘conveyor belt manufacturing’ – everything is crafted in small batches to ensure they put the

Following on from all the furore over the Mayor of London’s ill-informed comments on motorcycle theft, and the proposed inclusion of motorcycles in the forthcoming Ultra-Low Emission Zone, MAG (the Motorcycle Action Group) and others have got together to hold a Motorcycles Matter London demo day on 21st April.

There will be meeting places on the outskirts of London at the Ace Cafe, Ryka’s Café, the High Beech Tea Hut (IG10 4HR), the Iron Horse in Sidcup (DA15 7AB) and the Blackheath Tea Hut (SE3 0UA), and then a marshalled ride to North Carriage Drive (Hyde Park) for speeches etc.

We don’t have departure times from meeting places as

yet as, at the time of writing, they hadn’t been finalised, but we will give you those next issue. In the meantime, please put this in your diary as it’s really important that we put on a good show of strength and solidarity because, as has been said on a number of previous occasions, if London goes ahead with the proposed charges and restrictions, then that gives other cities across the country carte blanche to adopt them too, meaning that anyone wanting to use a motorcycle, one of the least congestion-causing ways of getting around our ever more choked cities, will be, at worse, banned from doing so or, at best, charged the same rate as anyone in a car.

Put 21st April – MAG demo day in your diary!

DARKSTAR LEATHERWORKS We’ve mentioned the Keis heated waistcoats in the mag a few times over the years, and everyone who’s got one swears by them for making winter riding much less of a chore than it would be otherwise, but did you know they’re also a literal lifesaver too?

Long-time BSH reader and owner of the most gorgeous GSX-R streetfighters on the planet, Steve Conway was riding to work very early one morning back in January when he came across a man lying on the pavement, obviously in a bad way. Steve, who works in Brighton hospital, and a passing nurse immediately went to his aid, and found that the man was going into hypothermic shock and needed to be warmed up quickly. Steve put his Keis waistcoat on to the man and turned it up to full, and was told by the ambulance staff that arrived shortly afterwards that doing so probably saved the man’s life. Well done, chap!

To get more info on Keis heated clothing go to www. keisapparel.co.uk

The lovely people at Fastec Racing, the folk who make all those gorgeous billet bits for bikes, including top race teams all over the country, are having an open day on 29th April to launch their new showroom and range of clothing and accessories, and the new range of Bullit Motorcycles bikes that they’re now a dealer of.

Top stunt rider Mark ‘Vandal’ Van Driel will be there with his stunt bike, Bullit Motorcycles with demo bikes to ride, 121 Bike Training to advise with CBTs and further training, Aries Motorsports with the new

Typhoon car that Fastec’ve made a lot of component parts for, and they’ll also have all their bikes out, and their incredible CNC machines running to show people how they design and manufacture custom parts too. There’ll be refreshments of both the edible and drinkable kind, of course.

Fastec Racing are at 9 Studlands Business Centre, Studlands Park Ave, Newmarket, Suffolk (CB8 7SS), and you can get more info on 01638 672022 or from www. fastec-racing.co.uk

DIRT DIGGERS After the success, and apparent selling out, of Dirtquake, it was never going to be long before other crazy dirt-track events would appear, and the first of any size to do is this: Dirt Diggers at the Eddie Wright Raceway in Scunthorpe on Saturday 16th June.

Partly organised by the legendary Odgie, ex-editor of this parish far back in the mists of ancient time, Dirt Diggers is taking dirttrack racing back to its grass roots… err, roots. The event promises to be a great value-for-money day, and they’ve got classes

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same amount of care and effort into every bag or seat.

Their Lone Rider bobber seat is ideal for custom projects, but they also sell them as part of a bolt-on kit for H-D Sportsters and Softail Slims, and they also make matching swingarm bags, the Explorer and Adventurer, while their Nomad pannier bag is suitable for custom bikes and classic types.

To see examples of their work go to their website at www. darkstarleatherworks. com or ring them on 0161 706 0175.

for choppers and bobbers, Brit bikes, Harleys and cruisers, street trackers, inappropriate bikes, dirt bikes, kids’ classes, you name it.

Entry, for the racing, is just £45, and for that you get free overnight parking/ camping, entry for two people, cheap entry to the speedway on the Friday night, and more than 25 laps of track action during the day, plus an afterparty.

Entries are strictly limited though, so for entries or all info drop a quick email to dirtdiggers@rocketship.com

ROCK & BIKE FEST TICKETS

This year’s Rock & Bike Fest will once again be held at Carnfield Hall in Derbyshire (DE55 2BE) over the weekend of 12-15th July.

There will be 25 live bands on two stages (not all at the same time obviously) over the weekend including Big Country, Sham 69 and Zodiac Mindwarp, as well as, on the Saturday, the custom and classic bike and trike show with top entries from around Europe and trophies and cash prizes to be won. If you’d like to enter your bike or trike please email your details and couple of pics to info@rockandbikefest.co.uk for a free entry pass for the whole event.

As well as that, there’s a whole array of food and trade stalls, fancy dress and tattoo competitions, and much, much more too. To see full details turn to page 97 of this issue, or go to their

website at www. rockandbikefest. co.uk And because they’re nice people, we have two pairs of tickets to give away to you lovely lot out there, and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning a pair is go to the BSH website at www.backstreetheroes.com and follow the link there. Terms and conditions apply, as they say on the telly. Good luck!

If you’re not lucky enough to win this time (and you won’t be if you don’t enter, will you?), but you’d like to go, then get more info and tickets from their website at www. rockandbikefest.co.uk

Watsonian Sidecars offer a variety of modifications to allow riders with a disability to continue to enjoy the freedom and independence of motorcycling.

As well as the sidecar itself, which keeps the bike upright, they can offer combined brake/ brake or brake/clutch levers and push-button electric gear shifters, convert foot-rests into foot plates, and make wheelchair carriers for the back of the sidecar. The example pictured is a Watsonian wide-body GP700, colour matched to a limited edition Triumph Bonneville T100, fitted with Kliktronic and K-Lever2 controls.

For more information call 01386 700907 or visit www.watsonian-squire.com

They’re based in Gravesend in Kent, and cover all paint services and are happy to think outside the box. Ring them on 01474 815968 or 07498 353195, email them at bearknucklecustoms@ outlook.com or check them out on Facebook.

Bearknuckle Customs was established in 2017 by Ben Attwood and his wife Charlie, and specialises in airbrush artwork of all kinds. The quality of their work has won them friends very quickly, and things have got a lot

bigger for them than they ever expected. They’ve now worked with such luminaries as Raw Steel Choppers, Naked Speed and Altered Image, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Sickboyz Customs, and exhibited at Twisted Iron.

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WUNDERLICH GPS GLARE SHIELD Sunshine is almost always a great addition to a ride, but it can make reading a sat nav difficult – reflections and glare make directions, maps and distances tricky to make out. German motorcycle accessory specialist, Wunderlich, has a simple but effective solution, with a comprehensive range of GPS Glare Shields. Made from tough, impactresistant ABS and very quick and easy to fit (they simply clip on to the sat nav’s casing), they help stop the sun obscuring the screen, without hindering the operation in any way.

Available to fit a huge range of units, they cost £29 from www. nippynormans.com

British motorcycle control specialists Venhill now offer extra-long universal throttle and clutch cable kits, ideal for custom builders and riders looking to fit higher ’bars or risers.

Both the throttle and the clutch kits come with 2.35 metres of Teflonlined black conduit, available in a choice of 5mm or 6mm diameter, and both are supplied with 2.6 metres of galvanised steel inner wire strand,

BIKE IT DELUXE HEAVYDUTY RAIN COVER This heavy-duty rain cover is designed to protect your motorcycle from rain, snow, frost and, also, prying eyes!

Made from a PU-coated heavy-duty polyester shell, it’s UV resistant and fully waterproof, and the aluminised lower section prevents exhaust melt when the bike is still hot. It all packs away into a handy carry pouch for easy transportation.

Available in four sizes; Medium (up to 600cc) at £23.99, Large (up to 1000cc) for £25.99, XL (1200cc plus) for £27.99 and XXL (bikes with luggage or high ’bars) at £29.99, you can get one (or more) from your nearest Bike It stockist – visit www.bikeit.co.uk to find it.

Icon have come up with a new full-face helmet to add to the existing Airmada and Variant, and they’ve taken influences from motocross helmets and the bubble visors of the Seventies, and applied them to modern helmet technology.

It has a polycarbonate shell with a large chin vent, twin forehead vents and dual ‘exhaust’ vents at the rear to prevent misting, a removable and washable lining, a neckroll that improves aerodynamics and reduces drag and, therefore, fatigue. Inside there are pockets for Bluetooth speakers and a drop-down visor.

The most striking feature though is the long ‘Fliteshield’ visor that not only covers

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and a selection of fittings.

The 5mm throttle kits retail at £16.56, and the 6mm version at £16.99, and the Imperial and Metric clutch kits cost £20.64. Call Venhill on 01306 885111 or visit www.venhill. co.uk for details.

This new Weise Fury combines the comfort and style of a classic denim jacket with the reassurance of leather overlay panels, and the practicality of a waterproof liner.

It has CE approved armour in the shoulders, elbows and back, a fixed waterproof, windproof and breathable liner, and a removable thermal one too, and four external pockets and two internal.

The Fury comes in classic blue denim, with contrast stitching, in sizes S-5XL, and retails for £149.99 including VAT from anywhere that stocks the Weise range – ring The Key Collection on 0117 971 9200 or visit www.thekeycollection. co.uk

the eye aperture, but also extends down the chin bar – it’s not so obvious with a clear visor, but with a tinted (or, even better, mirrored or iridium) visor the effect is, frankly, stunning!

Available in sizes XS-3XL, it costs £199 for the solid colours, £228 for the more elaborate colour schemes or £248 for the top-of-the-range ‘Good Fortune’ model, and you can get one from anywhere that stocks the Icon range – check out www. partseurope.eu for your nearest place.

WEISE PIONEER LADIES’ JACKET

New to the Brühl range of motorcycle dryers, the MD2800 Pro Twin Turbine takes the hard work out of drying motorcycles.

Its twin turbines blow warm air at a speed of up to 80 metres a second, drying a freshly washed or rain-soaked bike quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of waterspotting and corrosion on paint and chrome, and helping to get moisture out of areas unreachable with a chamois or other drying cloth. And since there’s no need to touch the bike, it also reduces the risk of scratching or scuffing. It has an extendible flexible hose (up to three metres), allowing the air to be blown in any direction required without having to move the unit, and three interchangeable nozzles to tailor the air delivery too.

OXFORD HOLTON GLOVES These new Holton gloves come in black, brown or tan, and have a double layered leather palm, adjustable Velcro wrist straps, a premium contrast lining, and external thumb seams for comfort.

They cost just £39.99 from anywhere that stocks the Oxford Products range – find your closest place at www. oxfordproducts.com 10

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This stylish and subtle ladies’ jacket from Weise is made from sturdy 600 Denier polyester, and has a removable 120 gram thermal quilted lining, and is waterproof, windproof and breathable.

It has removable CE approved armour in the shoulders, elbows and back, zipped vents, an adjustable twin belt system waist and Velcro-retained cuff adjusters, popper-retained adjusters on the arms and collar, a storm flap on the main zip for total weather protection and a selection of internal and external pockets (including a large map/stash pocket on the lower back).

Available in black, in sizes 10-18, it costs just £159.99 from anywhere that stocks the Weise range – ring The Key Collection on 0117 971 9200 or visit www. thekeycollection.co.uk

The Brühl MD2800 Pro Twin Turbine Motorcycle Dryer can be powered from a standard three-pin AC 220-240V outlet and is priced at £184.99. Call Motohaus Powersports on 01256 704909 or visit www.motohaus. com for further

details.

SLINKY GLIDE SPEEDO CABLE REPAIR KIT New from Slinky Glide is this handy repair kit suitable for most mechanical speedometers.

Retailing at just £5.60, the kit’s an ideal solution for those who cannot find a replacement speedo cable for their machine, and offers a cheaper alternative to those who can but who’d rather repair than replace.

It contains a 1.5m by 3.2mm cable, three nipple adapters, a tool and instructions, all packed in a neat portable container which, after use, will make a great tub for storing other small items, and it’s part of the existing range of control, speedo and tacho cables and kits from Slinky Glide, now fitting more than 8,000 models.

Now available at Wemoto, you can get one from www.wemoto.com

Need to agree or even disagree with something you’ve seen in the mag? Heard a bloody awful joke you think we should groan at? Email nik@ backstreetheroes. com or send it snailmail to the address in the front (somewhere) of the mag!

Dear BSH, I have read your editorial in the December issue and feel I should add my half-assed opinion.

I first bought your mag in about 1983 or ’84 maybe. I’d ordered it through the newsagents, and I am sure it was bi-monthly, and’ve bought it now and then ever since.

I only mention this as a way of showing how long I have been fooling around with motorcycles, from learning across the farm fields to passing my test in 1981.

Remember that motorcycle test?

It’d be laughed at now.

Anyhow, my main point is the attitude of older bikers to young riders just starting out who need encouragement and advice – it seems to be similar to the treatment you mention of youngsters at rallies. I’ve seen youngsters laughed at for turning up on L-plated or small-capacity bikes at certain events and bike meets just when they need to be shown they’re part of something bigger than themselves – not aggressive abuse, not unhelpful piss-taking.

And now for my own prejudices to show, I’m pretty sure the pisstakers were late licence passers in their late twenties to mid-thirties,

with money to hammer out for an accelerated licence and a big bike – i.e. with little biker history in their life. This, to be honest, annoys the f*** out of me – when I started out, older riders’d help out with advice, and this included stopping to help as my CB175 leaked on to the main road. None of them laughed or took the piss, apart from when I crashed in front of them trying to show off.

I’ve also noticed that, if you look around at bike meets, quite often it looks like Saga Holidays have started motorcycle tours – for a while one Sunday morning at a local meet, I think the average age was 421 years old. Well, okay, maybe not that old, but you know what I mean….

If we want to keep biking going we need to encourage youngsters just starting out, so next time a 125 or even a scooter pulls up alongside you, acknowledge them – don’t take the piss.

Dear BSH, Haven’t ever written to a mag before or even thought of using the wonders of modern technology to comment, but was inspired to do so after reading your article on Footloose (issue 406).

That guy’s amazing; I know we have some amazing people in the biking world, a real cross-section of society capable of some brilliant work (and some downright weird stuff too), but I do like to see bikes like this with simple, exceptional engineering at its best! And not only

PS. I remember a Magna Carta rally near Ely, about ‘87? Went to one in ’86 at Kempton Park – good times!

Just had to share this with you; Mum asked me what I’d like for Christmas, and I said: “A magazine subscription for the year would be nice.” “Which one?” she asked. “Back Street Heroes,” I replied. “Oh”, Mum said, “what’s that about? Superman and Spider-Man?” I did laugh, but I suppose she was correct – it is about a different kind of hero, just a back street one.

Keep up the good work!

‘87 sounds about right, Carlos… Jeez, was it really 30 years ago? N.

JAE That’s ace! Really made me laugh! N.

CARLOS

Thought to add some to your editorial (issue 407) re young bikers; what you say about becoming a biker is true. I too only had to ride around the block twice, and not cheek the examiner, to get my bit of paper. It was also a lot cheaper to get a bike back in the day.

At The Trip Out, I’ve meet so many whippersnappers in their late twenties or early thirties, some rockabilly, some hipsters, and speaking to them it’s not just money or licence hoop jumping they have to worry about – it’s also older bikers and their attitude problem. Some are so prejudiced against blacks, gays, youngsters, you name it, and that puts them off too. Thankfully, at events like The Trip Out there’s none of that shit, and there’s also none of that back-patch/colours shit.

Think about it.

CLIVE APRIL 2018

Cheers Wonks – that bloke is an inspiration to us all, I reckon. N.

Dear BSH,

Dear BSH,

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good engineering, but almost Victorian embellishment just because he can. I know it took a long time, and personal tragedy was involved in the delay, but he never lost the faith.

I admire the ‘never let go of the dream’ attitude, and the bike is a testament to this, and looks stunning in my humble opinion.

Great mag, editorial is a great info deliverer – stuff most would never hear about if not for it. Thanks very much.

WONKS

Dear BSH, Rich Butler might have star-studded nuts for building the fabulouslooking XS650 (issue 405), but he might literally have star-studded nuts if he were to brake hard while riding it.

PSTOTTO A mate of mine had a bike we called ‘The Fruit Bowl’ cos it had a dent in the back of the tank that was just right for keeping his plums in. N.