Sideburn 46

#46 / £7

Sideburn 46 was created as things tried to get back to normal, with the help of: Ryan Quickfall; Jon Braking Point; Ed Subias; Sammy Sabedra; Cory Texter; Paige Thomas; Cheetah; Jason; Kati D; Liam Kennedy; Clement Lazzaro; Trevor Motorcycles; Ryan Zahn; Jessica Jane Hart; Space Giant; Tharoofer; JJ; Todd; Dave Bevan; Charlie Davidson; Maurice Volmeyer; Valentin Rühl; Bart Verstijnen; Dirt Track Lelystad; Greenfield Dirt Track; All at the DTRA; Kazuo & Takashi at Buddy Custom Cycles; Uribou; Mitch Friedman; Giselle, Scott Hunter and all at American Flat Track.

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by Inman Ink Ltd None of this magazine can be reproduced without publisher’s consent The opinions expressed in Sideburn magazine are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine’s publisher or editors SIDEBURN 47 will be published in November 2021

Editor: Gary Inman Deputy editor: Mick Phillips Art editor: Andy Garside Contributor: Todd Marella For advertising/commercial enquiries please email: sideburnmag@gmail.com ©2021 Sideburn magazine @sideburnmag

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Cover: Cory Texter by Ryan Quickfall This page: Hannes Köhn at El Rollo by Kati Dalek. See her portfolio on p44

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Black Metal From Birmingham MUTTMOTORCYCLES.COM

Sea you later. Mellow Motorcycles’ Patrick Sauter in new bike test mode. See more on p38 Photo: Valentin Rühl

Sideburn #46

106 TROPHY QUEEN Pie-wielding Paige Thomas remembers OKC 1991

102 THE RIGHT STUFF Kazuo Fukuda’s Buddy Custom race gear

100 JAPAN SCENE Cheetah-built big-bore Honda Dax

98 PROJECT BIKE Gary Inman’s Wood Rotax

93 GOLD RUSH Trevor Stella, an electric tracker

87 PRACTICAL JJ’s Kenworth cabover race hauler

78 SACRIFICE Ducati twin takes minimalism to the max

70 PRISMATIC DOORWAYS INTO THE GALAXY Trippy Tennessee Sportster hooligan

64 CYCLES SOUTH Appraising the pre-On Any Sunday feelgood flick

58 BART 2 Double Dutch Knight Honda 650 framer

54 BART 1 Dutch Yamaha RD350 YPVS-powered tracker

44 KATI DALEK Portfolio of the German photographer

38 XSR Mellow Motorcycles’ Kenny Roberts tribute twin

30 SO WHAT? Ryan Zahn’s lack of arms hasn’t held him back

22 REMIX Howerton’s take on the Indian FTR750

18 CORY TEXTER AFT Production Twins man to beat

8 HALF WHIT The prettiest Trackmaster BSA A65

6 RISING SON Do AFT winners breed AFT winners?

RISING SON Words: Gary Inman Photo: Scott Hunter/American Flat Track

It’s not as simple as saying champions breed champions, but the way professional sport, and even society, is developing, it’s a trend that is only going to move in one direction

This is Kody Kopp, leading the American Flat Track Singles 21-lap main at Port Royal Half-Mile, on 24 July 2021. In the end, Max Whale pipped him, but it was still Kopp’s first AFT podium. He led the most laps of the main, had the fastest lap of the main, and was 0.5s off the Australian at the flag, with Morgen Mischler breathing down his neck.

Kopp is the son of the 2000 Grand National Champion, Smokin’ Joe Kopp. Joe told us he had been racing for a couple of seasons in the National Super Hooligan Championship, hoovering up the prize money to help fund Kody’s racing. Joe has the connections, experience, respect and drive to have supported his son from an early age. Motorsport has always had a high entry bar.

The cost of machinery, race entry fees and travel to tracks rules out huge swathes of the population, and as it becomes more specialised, if anything, it’s getting even more expensive.

We have probably seen the last generation of riders who get on bikes as self-funded teens or adults and make it to the top. Those days are gone. The actual numbers of people racing is much lower than when David Aldana and Kenny Roberts began as amateurs, so, in theory, it should be easier to make it to near the top, but professionalism has put the price through the roof. Plus, Aldana and his generation talk about racing three or four times a week, all within a few hours’ drive of home. That’s impossible now, so to get even a fraction of the same race experience, young riders have to travel further and further, ruling out most families. The circle, or oval, is closing. Parents, who are former racers, see a path for their offspring, and some are willing to make the investment in time and money to try to forge a career for their kid, whereas the average parent rarely has the vision, even if they have the money and commitment. A youth rider cannot make it alone, unlike a field sports kid, who still has a chance of doing so.

Skill can be developed, but one thing a successful parent can’t instil in a child is the desire. If the kid doesn’t want to win races more than anything else in their young life, no amount of pushing, coaxing or encouragement is going to make the difference. There’s no doubt Kody Kopp wants it.

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pants,

He changes bikes more often than most people change under but now Jason just might have found himself a keeper

Words: Jason Photos: Braking Point Images As is the modern way, I’ve been learning new skills on YouTube. Today it’s plasma cutting. It looks easy, and now that I’ve complet ed a full morning’s training, I feel I’m pretty much qualified. Plasma cutter bought, new huge electrici ty cable installed (because of the mammoth amo unt of power required) and I’m good to go.

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Race rules say that I have to fit a shark fin to my newly built BSA Trackmaster, which came un-fin-ished. This is to help prevent pinkies being chewed off by the chain and sprocket. I’ve drawn a nice shark-fin shape on my titanium sheet, with stars in the design – no simple, round speed holes here. I pull the trigger and the light that is produced is so bright that not only can I taste it, but it gives me tinnitus too. I drop the torch in blinded shock and wait for my retinas to cool. Who knew I needed a welding mask? I was OK watching plasma cutting on YouTube all morning without one.

Take two. With a mask on, I pull the trigger and the once clear marker-pen outline is at once obliterated by brilliant white light, and a fierce fizzing, crackling sound accompanies the visuals. I close my eyes and carry on regardless, because I’m sure I can remember the shape... and in seconds it’s done. Not quite what I had drawn, but not bad. The stars are so rough and sharp it’d probably be preferable to get your hands caught in the sprocket, but what do you want for the princely sum of, ooh, erm… £3700?

Fellow vintage racer Paul Harrison had started to build this BSA Trackmaster for himself, which I then commandeered. He completed the build using all the originaltype fasteners, which is to say, metric, Whitworth, AF and WTF. Once I got the bike home, I made some changes. Just little stuff like slipping on silencers, painting the tank and shortening the forks. Twice. Not sure what’s going on there. Oh, and the aforementioned shark fin. I just needed to pop on my number boards and I’d be ready for the first race of the season.

Best just to have a little go on it around the field in the village, you know the one, it’s the one with the really sturdy fence at the bottom of the hill, which you definitely >>

1. Ceriani 38mm forks and nickel-plated Trackmaster frame 2. Bates Baja tyres resemble old Goodyear Grasshoppers. Funky suspension supplied by Koni Poppy shocks. Poppycock? No, it’s true 3. A65 engine has been bored out to 750cc 4. Jason in action at Greenfield Dirt Track.

Nice goggles...

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Having attempted plasma cutting without a welding mask, Jason puts on a brave face as his retinas cool. He actually thinks he’s facing the bike

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do not want to hit. The bike, being an old Brit, means that the gears are operated by the right foot, while the rear brake is now also operated by the, erm, right foot. I’m speeding down the field, carrying more enthusiasm than skill. I panic and my confused right foot moves a lever. Unfortunately, it’s decided to change up a gear, which does little to reduce momentum. Oooh heck. Fence! Argh! Turn turn turn… just enough to miss the fence. That really was too close. I stop and thank my lucky stars.

That’s it, I decide. That’s enough practice, I don’t want to hurt myself, I have a race tomorrow.

First race and I’m on the second row with a clear path ahead, since the rider in front has gone AWOL. I’m

ready to go and I come up with the brilliant plan of keeping my left foot on the ground, my right foot poised twixt gear and brake levers. The green lights are all go, and so am I. I shoot off, taking the lead into the first corner. It feels really weird to not have anyone in front. I rather suspect they are really very close, but I’m squealing too much to hear them. I would usually collapse under the pressure but hold on for six laps and take a win. I, the eternal loser, win a heat. I’m astonished. But soon return to my usual levels of ineptitude and miss my next race. Yin and yang.

In the third race, I once again shoot off the line, but this time I’m mid-pack into the first corner. I attempt to brake.

I can’t feel the foot lever and I’m not slowing down, I’m going too fast and

1. Possibly the prettiest vintage racer we’ve ever seen. One of the offers Jason has turned down was made by the editor 2. On the way to a podium finish 3. Bates seat and P-pad can be hard to find. Alloy side plates, available from sideburn.bigcartel.com. Shark fin lurks behind hastily extended paddock stand 1

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feel very uncomfortable, but on the plus side, I overtake a rider I wouldn’t have passed if I’d had brakes. On the straight, I look down and see the brake lever dangling from its rubber band return mechanism. What to do? Be reckless and race brakeless or break and race less?

Back in the pits, Skooter Farm Dave says, ‘Fifth, well done.’ I exhaustedly reply that the brake lever fell off on the first corner. ‘So how come you didn’t win if you had nothing to slow you down?’ Dave asks. Good point.

I’m happy with fifth, and to have not disappeared into the pea crop.

Assessing the malfunction, I see that the pivot bolt has fallen out.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare bolts, so I ask Paul if he has one that might fit. He asks what thread it is, to which I reply, ‘Not sure, could be Edison.’ He tuts, rolls his eyes and declares it to be half-inch Whitworth, but doesn’t have any. He suggests that I walk the track and pits to find the missing bolt, whilst shouting, ‘Has anyone seen a half Whit?’

When Sideburn’s Gary asked me to write a story on my new BSA, I thought, That sounds dangerous. I mean, riding is hard enough, let alone typing at the same time. However, the bike does appear to have caught some attention. It must be good if it gets Jason into the final, right? All offers have so far been politely turned down, which is not like me at all. Blimey, could I have a keeper?

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W H O ?

W H A T ?

W H E N ?

W H Y ?

W H E R E ?

Cory Texter Interview: Gary Inman Illustrations: Ryan Quickfall You’re established as the rider to beat in AFT’s Production Twins class, but what was your first ever motorcycle race?

My first ever race was when I was four or five years old at Trail-Way Speedway in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

I rode a Yamaha PW50. I don’t remember a lot, to be honest. I know I sucked. I didn’t race a lot when I was younger, because my dad, Randy, was always working at our family-owned Harley dealership and racing the pro series himself. I did random races here and there until I was 15. That is when I started racing full time on a 2003 Honda CRF450. The first race on that bike was again at Trail-Way Speedway and I did a lot better than my first ‘official’ race. I think I finished second or third in the amateur class against some fast riders.

You’re from a racing family – your dad and granddad and, of course, sister, and your family owned Lancaster Harley-Davidson. Was your family pleased or disappointed you weren’t begging to ride?

My dad never pushed us to ride or race. I don’t know the reason, I just think he had a lot on his plate. We would ride XR100s at the Harley shop a lot growing up, but just never had the extra time to go racing. It was cool though, because I got to do a lot of normal things on the weekends that many young racers don’t do because they’re racing all the time.

When did you turn pro?

It was different back then. I turned Pro Sport in 2006, which was a very low-key way of turning professional.

We only competed at AMA Hot Shoe events, which was the support series, sort of like what Steve Nace has now

with the AMA All-Star series. When I turned pro, I was going into only my third full year racing. I had to learn a lot of stuff really fast that many of my peers learned throughout a full minibike and amateur career.

In some races I showed good speed, but was really inconsistent. I became an Expert GNC rider in 2007. I rode against the top guys on 450s, but competed in the inaugural Expert Twins class on the Harley-Davidson XR750. I won my first year in Tucson, Arizona. Those bikes were built by my dad and Grandpa Tex. In 2008, I rode the premier class and earned my national number at the Indy Mile on MotoGP weekend. That was rad.

What has been the most memorable race win of your life?

Oh man, that is a tough one. Every win at the professional level is special and I don’t take any of them for granted.

What’s the best bike you’ve ever raced, and why?

I really enjoy riding the G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07s that I race now [featured in SB39]. I’ve been on those bikes for three years and it’s the bike I won my first championship with in 2019. I love the power curve. We have them set up really well for me and I’m able to jump on them and be aggressive no matter the race track.

What’s the worst bike you’ve raced?

Well, I did road race a Harley-Davidson XR1200 and that was interesting. As far as flat track goes, I did a test one year at Springfield Mile for Cycle World magazine where I rode a handful of different brand twins. I hated the KTM twin. I don’t even know what it was, a Super Duke 990 or something wild. I did one lap and said, ‘Nah, I’m good.’

What’s your favourite racetrack?

I get asked this a lot. I don’t really have a favourite. There are tracks I like and some that I don’t get stoked on, but I try to be optimistic about all of them.

I really enjoy concrete indoor short tracks. They are a lot of fun and I do well on them.

What’s the best thing about being a pro motorcycle racer?

I would say the satisfaction of hard work paying off with good results. As a rider who has had to grind so hard to get to the level I am now, it’s an indescribable feeling when you are successful. I am not someone who is driven by making money. Of course racing is my job right now and I need to be able to provide for my family, but I love winning races because of the simple fact that I am a competitive person and it hasn’t come easy.

Getting paid for it is just a bonus.

And the worst?

I don’t get excited to travel all the time anymore. I have been hustling this dream for a long time and being away from home sucks.

You share a heck of a lot of thoughts and even insecurities in the intros to your Tank Slappin’ podcast.

You seem quite anxious about some things, yet you’ve been a pro racer most of your adult life.

Can you weigh up those seemingly contradictory traits?

I don’t know if insecurities is the right word. I am an honest person. I don’t let stuff bother me to where it affects my performance, but I definitely don’t forget what was said. I carry receipts.

I find some motivation in it. A lot of riders sugar-coat shit and that is not my personality. I am very calculated >>

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same way. Do you agree, and what would you like to see?

Production Twins gets the least of respect out of the three classes. The top guys are accomplished riders, former champions. Coverage in our sport is based on who pays the bills for the series. Maybe I shouldn’t say that, but it’s no secret. Look at the commercials during our coverage.

How many companies that support Production Twins buy commercials?

Probably not many. I can’t control that and it doesn’t bother me as much as it should. I feel for my sponsors and team, they deserve more coverage. The racing in our class has been fantastic.

I can only focus on my job, which is putting on a good show for the fans and trying to win. And I do appreciate the fan support for our class, so thank you to those who enjoy it.

in my approach to racing motorcycles.

Some say I overthink stuff, but that’s the very reason I feel I’m successful.

I rely a lot on instincts, but I also do my homework and prepare myself for different scenarios. There are some aspects of my mental game that I feel I handle better than anyone else in the sport, and there are some things that I struggle with. It’s mentally weak to shield your emotions or aspects of your career that need improvement.

Address the problem and make adjustments to improve.

Who is the toughest competitor you’ve ever had to face?

I’ve raced some badass riders such as Kenny Coolbeth, Chris Carr, Jared Mees, Jake Johnson, Briar Bauman and more. I raced Coolbeth in his prime and he was on a different level when he was vibing on the racetrack. He would demoralise the competition. One competitor I’ve a lot of respect for is James Rispoli. He made me step up my game in 2020 and I’m really thankful for it. Finding a way to beat his team and that XG750R was something that didn’t come easy and it changed the way I prepare and race motorcycles.

If you could change one thing about AFT, what would it be?

Wow, that is a tough one. There are a few stupid rules that I don’t like, but they’re all minor. I hate that they went in the direction of traction control in SuperTwins. I understand the need to try for the other brands to be competitive with the Indian, but I just hate the idea of it in flat track.

You won Production Twins in 2019, came close to winning it in 2020, but you don’t seem to get a sniff of a SuperTwins ride. Why not, and how does that make you feel?

Yeah, if you find a good reason, let me know. I’ve always been a rider who doesn’t get a lot of recognition. Guys who I beat every weekend have been given rides or opportunities over me for my entire career. That gets old, but in a way it’s motivating. I don’t know

what else I can do. I have proved I can run up front at that level, on privateer equipment. I proved I have the fitness and the mental aspects needed to grind it out over the course of a season. I’ve worked well with so many different tuners and I’m open-minded. I market myself well and bring sponsors to the table. I’m fully dedicated to my craft.

I think because I struggled for so long to find consistency everyone is a bit sceptical of where I am right now in my career. If many of them understood the work I put in to get to this level, maybe they would think differently.

Do you want to race SuperTwins?

Yes and no. My goal has always been to win a national at the highest level in our sport. I’ve finished on the podium a couple of times, but the elusive win at the top level hasn’t come. I feel with the right bike and opportunity, I could jump into that class and run up front.

That said, I’m happy with where I am in Production Twins with my team and Yamaha. There are rumours the premier class will go production-based in the near future. That’s intriguing.

Many fans enjoy Production Twins more than SuperTwins, but it doesn’t seem to be valued by AFT in the

How many current SuperTwins riders would you beat if you were on the bike of your choice?

I don’t make those predictions, because I have a lot of respect for the riders in the class. I don’t feel I have the tools right now to compete for a championship against someone like Briar and his team, but I’m confident I could run at the front every weekend and potentially win races.

How many years as an AFT pro do you have left in you?

Good question. I don’t have the answer. It depends on the right opportunity. It could be one, it could be five. No more than five, but realistically, two to three years.

What comes next?

Full-time Astro Cup racer! Nah, who knows? I’m so focused on the now. My little guy, Cruise, turns four this year and will start racing, so we’ll see where that takes us. He has shown a lot of potential and loves to ride. I could get into promoting races a bit more, or even start my own series. I would be open to running my own team and/ or coaching riders. Whatever makes sense for me. I know my value, so we’ll see what opportunities are there.

remix ximerREMIX Words: Sammy Sabedra Photos: AFT (action), Sammy Sabedra (pits)

ReMiX

ANH Y T O BRMI T TOTHE S AD T H AI VE RY W EA TO L AC M E LD F EA OR U HE Coming into the 2021 T EF CO T American Flat Track B E E N season, former National H AV IA 0 Champion and acknowledged H ND 75 mile master Bryan Smith announced he would only commit I TR T Y to competing at races taking place F HA LL on mile tracks, meaning a maximum T EA TS of seven outings . Knowing Smith would R UI be teaming up with long-time team boss S IM Ricky Howerton, the question I wanted H answering was, What would be their weapon 1

of choice? Would the duo go back to a version of their 2016 championship-winning Kawasaki ER-6, like they’d used, without much success, in 2019?

There were rumours of Smith riding a KTM parallel twin. However, after much speculation, the official announcement was made. Smith would be back on the Indian FTR750. But that’s the not the end of the story.

Some of the most aesthetically pleasing motorcycles ever to spin laps on a dirt oval can be found underneath the Crosley-Howerton canopy. No matter the level or depth of your motorcycle comprehension, there is something for everyone to drool over when viewing one of Ricky Howerton’s creations.

They are at the top of the list when it comes to ingenuity, APPENDIX 1. For the 2021 season, that meant a double-header at Oklahoma City, where these photos were taken, one race at DuQuoin (that was rained out) and two further double-headers at Springfield and Sacramento.

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craftsmanship and outright bad assness. And the latest, the team’s reinvention of Indian’s pre-eminent FTR750, is no different.

Although Smith did have previous success on the FTR2, it was believed he didn’t feel as comfortable on the factory race machine as he did on the slim Howerton builds he’d become accustomed to3 before joining Indian’s Wrecking Crew for 2017-18.

Put simply, Smith isn’t the tallest rider in the paddock and seems most comfortable on bikes with ergonomics tuned to his physique.

Even while they were racing as part of the factory effort, Howerton went to work on a slimmed-down version of the Indian. The chassis was designed with revisions to improve handling and rider fitment.

A quick look back to the Texas Motor Speedway in 2018 shows the result. Smith was finally on something more suited to his taste, a full-on Howerton version of the FTR750 outfitted with factory bodywork to resemble the rest of the factory stable.

Long story short, it all ended as fast as it happened. Smith went down during a qualifying race and was out with an

ankle injury. The factory, not wanting their FTR to be changed or developed outside of their own doing, put a stop to the Howerton-Indian creation and the project was shelved.

But that was then, and this is now. No longer under any factory orders, because Smith is racing as a privateer, supported by longtime sponsor, consumer electronics company Crosley, Howerton would have complete freedom with his latest build. What you see here is the latest effort to improve the already dominant American V-twin.

The Oklahoma City Mile saw the unveiling of two FTRs simply labelled No.1 and No.2. While the back-up machine looks much like what we had seen in 2018, plus a few updates, all my attention was focused on the primary race bike. Although technical specs are closely guarded, certain changes can be spotted. Bracing and a square-tube swingarm are only the beginning when it comes to differences in chassis configuration.

Low Not Slow: This is bike No2, with the regular suspension set-up. How far the forks are raised through the top triple clamp gives a clue to how low the bike sits while not compromising ground clearance. One-bolt triple clamps differ from factory numbers, too

Same But Not: Chromoly frame diverts from factory spec, while retaining the same, or very similar, engine position

Not Telling: There isn’t a better engine in flat track, but everyone is looking for an edge and keeping any advances to themselves

Different Route: High-level pipes look trick, and are pure dirt track style, but they can be a bit, well, burny, and splay a rider’s legs, especially if they don’t have long ones to get out of the way. Low pipes have been a constant on Howerton’s builds for Smith

APPENDIX 2. Smith won seven races on the FTR750 in 2017-18. At the time of writing, he hasn’t won since.

3. See the Howerton ‘Skinny’ Kawasaki ER-6 Ninja in SB23.

Despite knowing there would be some magical work going on inside the FTR powerplants, and shy of plugging a laptop in to see what advances have been made electronically, eyes were the only source for spotting something trick. As expected, the inhouse chassis, carbon-fibre bodywork and low-slung exhaust were easy to spot. After closer inspection of both primary and back-up motorcycles, it wasn’t long before that Howerton ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking was identified.

Attached to the right side of the swingarm on bike No.1 is a large shock absorber that initially looks similar to what you’d find on a dirt sprint car. Howerton has deep roots in the auto racing world, and it comes as no surprise to see some type of innovative collaboration between the two- and four-wheel world. This is exactly the type of development work Howerton seems best at.

In addition to the long shock, later confirmed as a fully-adjustable sprint car shock, is what looks like >>

Suspension Belief: R and C stand for rebound and compression, adjustment for the rear suspension on bike No1. Spacer plate allows the front-end offset to be easily adjustable with the use of thicker or thinner plates on top and bottom triple clamps

Body Beautiful: Seat unit is noticably different to Indian’s, and incorporates side plates, where the stock FTR has its left plate on the exhaust cover. The tank cover is also altered subtly and, we believe, is shorter than stock to better suit Smith’s tastes

Strong Arm: Box-section swingarm is a departure from the regular, round-tube FTR750 arm, but the shock mount looks to be in the same place. Sprocket carrier looks something special, too

a traditional-looking motorcycle monoshock, mounted where many flat track chassis builders locate their rear suspension. At this point my brain’s gears started to really turn.

Why would Howerton go to these lengths to separate the spring from the damping? For now, those answers will not be heard from Howerton himself, at least not until his system is refined and proven.

My own thoughts on the benefits of a suspension system that separates the spring from the damping are that instead of relying on one component, the shock, to handle all the suspension duties – such as compression, damping, spring rate, ride height, stroke and high-speed settings – it seems as if Howerton is trying to have better control of the two major suspension components. With a traditional shock, every component is related, so any change made to one element will ultimately have an effect on other roles and demands on the shock. With the addition of an

1. That’s the separate damper on bike No1.

And just look at that monstrous ventilated brake disc 2. Air filter under dummy tank cover 3. Bryan doing what he does best

external damper, the traditional rear shock is most likely used for spring rate only.

Bottom line, separating the spring from the absorber would, in theory, make it possible to adjust the suspension system with fewer compromises. Will this new Howerton system provide a measurable benefit?

Time will tell.

Unfortunately, at the bike’s debut race we never got to see the full potential of Howerton, Smith or the new suspension system.

The Oklahoma City track’s rough conditions, added to a lingering right wrist injury, caused Smith to withdraw from the event early. The good news is, he confirmed, ‘I’ll be ready to go for DuQuoin’, but the next mile on the AFT calendar was rained off, so fans of both Smith and innovative engineering would have to wait longer to witness the full potential of the Crosley-Howerton FTR750 and the result of its various technological advancements.

So what?

Ryan Zahn was born without arms.

Have you got a problem with that?

Words & photos: Jessica Jane Hart

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ver changed a bike tyre? The damaged rims, the trapped fingers, the pinging tyre lever in the gob, the tantrums, the tears… Ever tried it with your arms tied behind your back?

That, in effect, is what Ryan Zahn does.

Ryan has been around bikes since he was a kid. By the age of ten he’d figured out how to ride his brother Daryl’s minibike. By sitting slightly to the right with his partial right arm wrapped over the handlebars, he would manage the throttle with the two fingers on that hand. Pushing forward on the handlebars with his upper body let him turn left, while pulling back with the middle of his arm let him turn right.

He used the top of his right foot to pull up on the brake lever to keep himself planted on the seat. After putting foam on the handlebars to cover the clamps

that were wearing bloody holes in his chest, he would spend hours every day riding along the irrigation ditches and behind the golf course near his home in Billings, Montana.

‘If it was running,’ Ryan recalls, ‘I was riding it.’ These days, the 32-yearold uses the same techniques to race flat track and enduro.

In his job, as a design engineer for Trebro Manufacturing, Ryan makes models and creates blueprints for complex equipment designed to harvest and roll turf. He says he owes a lot of his work skills to those early days with the minibike.

‘My dad and I repaired that minibike so many times. I rode it until it wasn’t even operational. It wouldn’t even shift gears anymore,’ he says.

That practice helped jumpstart his >>

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problem-solving skills. ‘My dad had limited time that he could work on it, and when it wasn’t running I had to figure out what was going on. I really started figuring out how things worked from observation.’

Ryan says he and his father never spoke about the fact Ryan has no arms.

It was simply a non-issue, something Ryan really appreciates about his father, who died of cancer a few years ago. He says that while his father never really encouraged him to take risks, he always insisted that Ryan be allowed to take what risks he chose, such as skateboarding and flying off jumps on his bicycle. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes conversations with teachers and friends’ parents, Ryan says, persuading them to let him do his own thing.

‘Ryan’s mechanical skills were impressive even as a young kid,’ says Ryan’s good friend and childhood neighbour, Kyle Kindsfather. ‘He could look at a go-kart or a motorcycle and just instantly know what was going on with it and how it worked. Even if something wasn’t broken, such as his go-kart, he could devise ways to 1

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improve it. He ended up putting a snowmobile motor and four-wheeler tyres on it.’

In Ryan’s first engineering job out of college, he got the chance to work on the Harley-Davidsons Rob Carpenter uses in his One Wheel Revolution stunt shows. ‘I got the opportunity to make crash protection for his motorcycles, designing and manufacturing crash bars and steps.’

Then, when Indian was demoing an FTR1200 at a Sturgis stunt show, ‘The bike was so new there were no aftermarket parts available, and they needed a larger sprocket to re-gear it for stunt riding in a small area. We lasercut two sprockets from quarter-inch mild steel. We’d taken a sprocket profile from McMaster and then arrayed the teeth in CAD to the tooth count that he desired, then cut it out.’

Ryan still builds and customises his motorcycles, wielding tools with his feet. ‘The first bike I customised was a twin-cylinder 1970 Honda CB350.

I really like that bike, because of the engine configuration and its age. It’s got an awesome, unique sound. I kind of set it up for dirt track riding, so

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it’s got dirt track tyres to follow the theme and my obsession with flat track racing. We take it out and play with it on the flat track.

‘And then right now I’m starting work on a KTM 990 and re-dressing it as a supermoto. That one’s gonna get used for street riding, hooligan, weekend riding…’

As a member of the Billings Motorcycle Club (BMC), Ryan competes in cross-country and enduro, including an attempt at the Kenda Stumpjumpers Desert 100: a 100mile race that consists of two 50-mile laps through treacherous desert hills in Odessa, Washington, and which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. ‘I’ve definitely grown as a rider since that race,’ he says, ‘and would love to try it again.’

Nick Gabel, a BMC board member, says: ‘I’ve raced motocross, hill-climbed, done cross country, trail riding… all that. And flat track was the hardest thing to learn. Ryan’s skill on a dirt bike is absolutely mind-blowing. There are things he can do that people who’ve been riding for 20 years can’t do. He picked up the basics of flat track faster >>

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1. Younger brother Daryl helps with goggle adjustment before a practice session 2. At the Billings Motorcycle Club on the 2008 KTM 450SX he uses in the Knobby flat track class 3. Lining up for the main, the last BMC race of 2020, and Ryan took second place 4. Climbing Devil’s Throat in Acton, Montana in the 1997 Ford Ranger Ryan customised with 2016 Jeep Wrangler axles and 37in tyres 5. At the Ah-Nei OHV recreation area in Shepherd, Montana, on his 2008 KTM 300XC 6. Bruises picked up when crashing on a wet track in practice 7. Losening the triple clamps to realign the front wheel after that crash

‘There are things he can do that people who’ve been riding for 20 years can’t do’

than most people learn to ride even a dirt bike.’

On a dirt oval, Ryan uses the same techniques he perfected with the minibike as a kid: sitting slightly offset to the right and pressing his chest against the handlebars. There’s a hole worn through the top of his right boot where he braces himself under the brake lever to clamp himself to the bike. On more than one occasion he’s pulled hard enough to shear the lever’s pivot bolt.

‘For the most part, I don’t use the brake while racing, engine braking is usually sufficient to initiate the slide into corners,’ Ryan explains. ‘This has caused some panic. Several times I’ve struggled to get my foot loose when needing to use the brake. The lever gets too far into the boot and doesn’t let go easily sometimes.

‘While holding on with my foot, I’m still able to shift my weight around by standing with my heel on the footpeg.

I don’t have a lot of range to move around, given my very limited reach, but it’s enough to make a difference.’

The BMC flat track is made of bentonite clay, notoriously slick when even just slightly wet. It’s watered between races for dust control, and if not given enough time to dry there are serious traction issues.

Last September, Ryan was eager to win his first race (he’s often on the podium). Without a left hand, he uses an automatic clutch, the only modification to his bike, but that means he can’t drop the clutch for an explosive start. Keen to get that holeshot, he had a practice run when the bentonite was still wet and instead of his usual steady inspection loop, he took off fast. At the first corner he found the track wasn’t race ready.

‘My front tyre began to push straight rather than turning into the corner. Milliseconds later I planted my left knee into the ground, followed by my shoulder, then hit my head on the ground.’ He made some quick repairs to his bike and, feeling pretty sore, made it to the grid in time for the race.

He says that it was one of the most

exciting races he’s had. Two bikes crashed into him from behind and took themselves out, but Ryan held it together and kept ahead of the pack, ultimately taking second place.

Four months later he’s still a little sore, the bruises still faintly visible, but the wreck was nowhere near the worst he’s endured. Without arms to soften his falls, Ryan has survived over a dozen concussions and has been knocked cold at least five times.

‘First full knock-out was skateboarding to the first day of junior high seventh grade with my buddy, Shane. I got a pebble under the skateboard wheel. He rolled me home on my skateboard to my dad.’

In high school, after doing an oil change on a friend’s quad bike, he took it out on the road for a spin and T-boned a car that pulled out from a junction at the last second. ‘My legs went under the handlebars, my body went over.

Broke my left femur, shattered my right femur, broke my right hip, broke my arm and put me in the hospital for a month. No walking for four months and about a year of physical therapy.’ You might call him resilient.

While two wheels are where it’s at, four wheels ain’t bad, especially when off-roading in the Ford Ranger he rebuilt above Jeep Wrangler axles, fabricating parts to make the combination work. ‘I enjoy using and abusing it,’ he says. ‘To me, driving is a freedom. You can either use a vehicle to escape a place or you can use it to escape your mind, because when you really get into driving, you’re just reacting, you’re not really thinking.’

But for Ryan, flat track is his heart is. ‘It’s the first activity on a motorcycle that I can compete with others. I’ve always ridden dirt bikes for trail riding and fun, but on the flat track I can compete with other people and that’s why I love it. It feels good to be a second- or third-placed rider out of 20 on race weekend. I don’t have to accept the pat on the back, “It’s cool that you’re doing this”, I get to go compete with people. And that’s hugely valuable to me.’

‘Without arms to soften his falls, Ryan has been knocked cold at least five times’

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Germany’s Mellow Motorcycles have built a Yamaha XSR700 racer that’s as mellow as a shark attack

‘Imagine your bike is starting for the first time after months. The frame has been powder coated and you’ve finally put everything in its place. The starter motor does its job, and the spark plugs prepare the ultimate boom to blow up your acoustic meters. All the mechanics in the workshop take a step back and think, What the f…? You give it the first rev and your heart hums. At idle speed it already feels like a big-block V8 drag car ready for war. As soon as the throttle bodies open, the anxiety kicks in. We’re standing beside an unmuffled cannon which is firing shots at 10,000rpm.’ So says Patrick Sauter, self-described Generaldirektor of the inappropriately named Mellow Motorcycles, of Frankfurt, Germany.

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He’s talking about the British-made Racefit end cans fitted to Mellow’s Kenny Roberts tribute Yamaha XSR700. They’re the kind of pipes that turn every revolution of the 689cc parallel twin into a death metal drum attack, and send neighbours to their keyboards searching for the name of the local official they need to write a strongly worded letter to.

The name Mellow Motorcycles rang a bell with me as soon as Patrick got in touch with work-in-progress photos of their Yamaha. I thought Mellow were one of the flush of custom companies, some full-time, some side-hustles, that exploded on the wave of neo-café racer popularity, from around 2010 onwards.

I was sure I’d seen them on the web and at European events. It turned out

Above: Using modern street bike frames for dirt track can mean running out of steering lock mid-slide. Next stop Highside City, on the way to Collarbone Creek Below: If Yamaha built this we’d buy it. There, we said it. Of course, they couldn’t, but someone had to say it

I was about half-right.

‘We started our business as a small custom bike workshop in 2016, building a lot of different bikes from various brands,’ Patrick explains. ‘Most of these bikes were café racers with lowmounted clip-ons, uncomfortable to sit on, but very nice to look at. Along the way there were scramblers, race bikes, beach trackers, bobbers and all other kinds of old motorcycles which we brought back to life and gave a new appearance. We did what everybody was doing, just a little bit better than most of the other shops.’

Then, in 2019, Mellow were offered a new direction, the opportunity to become an authorized Triumph dealer in the north of Frankfurt, the country’s fifth biggest city. One year later, in the middle of the virus, they opened their second shop on the other side of town and added an official Yamaha dealership to the growing empire. One thing led to another, and soon Yamaha Germany offered Mellow the chance to be a part of their longrunning Yard Built series.

‘With Yard Built, you get the brand

new bike for free and are allowed to order original Yamaha parts for a previously arranged [discount] price. All the other modifications are paid by the customiser,’ says Patrick.

‘Then you can keep the machine after finishing the project.’

For their part, Yamaha get: nontraditional promo for their current models; marketing that encourages people to buy and modify the company’s bikes; the association with influential customisers, both country by country, and globally, and also access to the tasty, finished bikes to exhibit at trade shows and custom events, ones that add glamour and novel exclusivity to their corporate stands. The list of Yard Built collaborators is a checklist of 21st century custom royalty, and now Mellow, and their yellow terror, have joined the list.

Before they started there was a stipulation: the German importer challenged Mellow to build a radicallooking custom without making a single modification to frame or swingarm, other than powder coating.

Knowing the main chassis hasn’t been changed makes the transformation more impressive. The 2020 XSR700 that Mellow chose is the retro version of Yamaha’s wildly popular middleweight twin. They swapped its right-way-up front end for a chunkier, >>

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upside-down, twin-disc, front from its big brother, the three-cylinder XSR900. The forks were then lowered, with the rear shock tweaked to match.

The stock bike runs on 17in, cast alloy wheels that were never going to suit the final vision, so, Mellow had HE-Motorradtechnik build wire wheels using KTM 950 hubs and Excel rims.

The front is a dirt-track friendly 3.0 x 19in with a Dunlop DTR-1 road-legal race tyre, but the rear is closer to road spec, a 4.25 x 18in, again with a Dunlop, but this time not race rubber.

The choice of rim was forced by that nomodification-of-the-chassis rule set out

by Yamaha Germany. A 19in rim and high-profile tyre has a circumference too big to fit in the swingarm. The widerthan-dirt-track rim gives the Yam a tough stance, even if it isn’t pure AFT spec. Dirt track rear rims are rarely wider than 3.5in.

But really, what makes the bike is that hand-beaten body made by Friedhelm Lammers. It’s so silky smooth, just the thought of crumpling it in a crash makes me sweat. Beneath it is a stainless steel fuel tank. ‘The difficult part about making it as small as possible was to fit in the original fuel pump. With hindsight, it wasn’t the most clever thing to use the original pump, as it took way too much time to make it fit, but in the end the tank slotted perfectly between the frame. Colin Habla managed to give it a capacitiy of 6.5l (1.4 US gallons), which is sufficient thanks to the low fuel consumption of the engine.’

The choice of livery is kind of obvious, but it’s an all-time classic, so I don’t blame Mellow for going that route. ‘There are not many things in the world I like more than King Kenny Roberts and the speedblock design,’ says Patrick, before adding, ‘It’s crazy how the bike turned out just using a sketch of the side view.’

One thing that has impressed me about many of the Yard Built bikes is that they’re not simply static show ponies. It probably comes back to Yamaha requesting that chassis aren’t modified, and also the builders’

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1. ‘Yeah, I know you really like the bike, but I can’t see the TV now.’ Patrick and business partner Florian discuss interior design 2. Investigating the limits at Dirt Track Lelystad. Lose the sidestand next 3. The bike’s truly gorgeous one-piece alloy bodywork.

Mellow don’t seem too precious about it

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reluctance to tune the engines, but so many of these customs are usable.

‘If you strip a bike down like this it’s only purpose is to race the hell out of it. As we’re completely new to the flat track scene and have never built something like this before, we took it as a competition to build a race-winning bike. Maybe not in a big stadium with a lot of spectators, but at least at a big yard with other sympathisers. And it should be possible to make it street legal again by just putting the lights back on.’

Mellow crossed to the neighbouring Netherlands and one of Sideburn’s favourite ovals, Dirt Track Lelystad, where Patrick thrashed the taters off the newly-completed custom himself.

‘After a few laps I immediately felt safe on the bike. The chassis is stable, predictable, and the engine has a linear power delivery. The bike acts completely calmy, letting me try find the limit smoothly,’ he says. ‘Thanks to the lowered suspension, the bike felt

plush on the perfectly prepped track.

With lowered final gearing, you can always throttle the XSR out with a big bang. The only restriction we need to solve is the limited full lock, to get the bike more sideways. Otherwise, we just need a lot more seat time to develop this leftist hobby.’

When it’s not at the track, the XSR sits in the window of Mellow’s showroom, causing passers-by to stop and stare, and then venture in.

‘Usually, I’m more into road racing two-strokes, but it’s always good fun and physically draining to dig in the dirt like a maniac. You’ll definitely see us on the grid again.’

Words: Gary Inman

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She’s meticulous and precise, has a passion for photography and a heart that races at the sound of a motorcycle

‘P

hotography started for me in 2008, quite late and not in a romantic way. “I picked up my dad’s camera when I was three years old and it was love…” I’m sorry, but nope, it didn’t happen that way for me,’ says Kati Dalek, AKA Kayadaek.

‘It started when I was working in postproduction and a client wasn’t able to pay his bills, so he paid with lots of photo equipment – cameras, lenses, flashes... everything.’

Post-production is a specialist area at the highest end of commercial photography. It could be commonly thought of as photoshopping, and is the expert adjustment and perfection of a photograph for something like an advertising campaign or the cover of a prestigious magazine. The majority of photographers who work for magazines do their own postproduction, changing a tone, removing a blemish or a lamppost, adding a filter to change the look… Those working on the biggest-budget jobs employ a specialist, like Kati.

She continues, ‘So, then, besides the post-production, my boss started a photo rental service. Shoots turned from analogue to digital and one day he said, “Kati! I’ll teach you everything about photography and camera techniques. The next jobs will be with digital cameras, and you will be the camera support on set.

Next weekend, grab all you need and practise!” Ah, OK.’ That was 13 years ago, now Kati’s work involves shoots for car- and bike-industry clients. ‘I’ve worked as a retouching artist for international automotive clients for 20 years and I’m the post-production lady on set.

You see the pictures in stores, trade shows and catalogues, but without my name. That’s a part of the business.’

The photos in this feature are all her passion projects, attending events across Europe and beyond, that have been published far and wide. ‘This kind of photography is my second job, for my heart and soul, and to keep my main job interesting.’

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Kati had been attending motorcycle events, drag races and car shows, but, says, ‘I was more into cruising around, drinking beer and eating bratwurst. I had a 1966 Chevrolet Caprice lowrider and was into vintage cars, so my first event with a camera was a hot rod and custom festival. I didn’t have much idea about shutter speed, ISO or lenses, but I really loved catching special moments. On the second day a guy asked me to show him some of the shots. It took five minutes and he said, “OK, I want all your pictures for the upcoming Smokin’ Shutdown hot rod magazine.” That was the start of a fantastic journey.’

There was no formal training.

‘Learning by doing. If I want to do some special shots, I ask my photo friends if they have some good advice for me.’

Kati grew up in small-town Germany with ‘benzin’ in her veins and ‘öl’ under her nails. Her dad and uncle raced speedway and motocross in the 1960s and ’70s, and her parents owned a garage specialising in Ford repairs. ‘My uncle recently turned 76 and his latest bike is a Triumph Rocket III. He always rides like he has a knife between his teeth. My dad is still doing exhibition runs with his 1980 Zündapp and vintage Hercules. I was always

1. Braap Ape vs Sinroja Motorcycles at Punk’s Peak 2. Kousuke Fukuda, one of the Buddy Customs delegation visiting Wheels and Waves 2019 3. Playing in the mud with Vulture Moto 4. Antoine Grepinet from Unit Motor Shop, king of the dusty El Rollo track. We featured Unit’s 1938 Triumph Speed Twin dirt racing sidecar in Sideburn 45

covered in dirt and played between cars, wheels and broken motorcycles, so things haven’t changed much since I was a kid.’

Kati used to sit on her dad’s shoulders to watch drag races at the US airbases in Germany. Then, when

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And breathe... 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross escapes into the ferns for a quiet moment. Pays Basque, France, 2021

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work began to take her regularly to Los Angeles, ‘I was able to combine my post-production job with shooting cars, bikes and workshops in California, meeting custom legends like Gene Winfield and Lil’ Daddy Roth, and hanging around with Las Vegas car clubs.’

The explosion of a new type of bike event coincided with Kati’s move into photography, races where the show and style is remembered way longer than the three riders who stood on the podium: Glemsek 101, Wheels and Waves, The Sultans of Sprint series, European amateur flat track…

‘I love shooting at the racetrack and events, because you never find that spirit, power and passion in a photo studio. If a bike starts next to me and I can hear, feel and smell it, my heart always beats faster. In summer, most of my friends go to or participate in these events and it’s a perfect combination for me, especially because my boyfriend works for a helmet brand at German moto events.

It means we can spend a great time together and with our friends. Let’s call it a work-life-love balance.’

Kati also likes meeting the shed builders. ‘Just think about all the unknown customisers working in small garages all night, without big budgets, but the results are epic.

You can only find those guys at these events, where I can say, “OK, let’s shoot and show the world your bike.”’

Before I knew Kati was an expert in post-production, I made the mistake of pointing out that I thought there were filters on a lot of her photos, giving quite an amped-up feel. She put me right.

‘I never use filters for my shots, just old-school retouching stuff: contrast, selective colours and some magic.

Sometimes the world is so boring and

1. Too old to die young? Sod it, let’s ride! Café Racer Festival, Montlhéry 2. Young Guns Speed Shop and Andi Baba burning Kati’s ears 3. Wild Dog Bernard at a Deus Swank Rally 4. Beautiful moto soul, Sabine Singenberger

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grey, so I need some strong contrast and ba-baaaam in my own pictures.’

Kati used to live in Frankfurt.

‘Driving through downtown, late on a Friday night, listening to loud, old-school hip hop with the lowrider ass down, was not too bad, but it took hours to find a parking space for huge cars near where I lived. So now I’m living with my boyfriend in a little 100-year-old farmhouse, with lots of flowers and motorbikes in our yard.’

When we spoke for this feature, Kati was in the Basque country on the Atlantic coast of Southern France and Northern Spain, for the 2021

Wheels and Waves, or what was left of it after the local council forced much of the festival to cancel due to Covid restrictions. She’s philosophical about the way some of the events she loves shooting have changed with time.

‘It’s always a process of growing and keeping events alive, and, of course, money. More visitors, more bikes, more money, more rules. Then it becomes about a good mix between keeping the spirit alive, sponsor rules and staying attractive for everybody.

I’m happy about nearly every race and event, no matter if it has five or 50,000 people, especially after

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1. Sultans of Sprint champion, Frankenstein 2. Backyard at EMD Workers, France 3. Special barbecue with the Sultans of Spring crew and BMW ‘Spitfire’ 4. Stormy in the north, karma in the south! Fiete Girardet and David Fouan at El Rollo, 2021

this disaster Covid time! There will always be new styles, bikes, people, locations, inspiration and ideas. The goosebumps I get listening to a roaring engine will keep me going on and on.’

But for someone so obviously in love with the feeling of her finger on the shutter release, whose life revolves around still images, there’s a problem.

‘I always want to take my camera when I leave the house, but if I have it with me, I’ll start shooting everything: coffee in the cup, on the table, my boots, your boots… then at the end of that… cold coffee!’ @kayadaek_photography

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Bart Verstijnen wanted a challenging ride, so he built this RD350 YPVS-powered short tracker. But sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for...

Words: Gary Inman Photos: Maurice Volmeyer

It is 13 years and counting that I’ve been regularly writing about dirt track racing, and, living in Emgland, for the vast majority of that time I’ve done it at arm’s length from the home of the sport. While I make it my business to know what’s going on in the world of pro flat track – remaining plugged in, reading every new rule change, staring at the livestream at 3.30am until my brain calls time – this geographical divorce gives a different perspective, good and bad. Bad: I would love to attend far more races. I want to interview more riders face-to-face.

I’d like to talk to the mechanics and team owners. I want to see angles that the livestream doesn’t show (but I remember the time before FansChoice delivered live racing to the world, so I’m not complaining). The good: Sideburn is far less tuned in to the politics (I don’t really follow the sport on Facebook, turned off by too much black-cloud negativity). I feel that the distance, and minimal emotional investment in the pro side of the sport, allows a certain amount of balance.

I can usually see why a decision has been made, and because I don’t have skin in the game, I’m not personally offended or affected. The sport was there before this generation, and it’ll be there after, in some shape or other. And this, of course, is just the professional side of dirt track, we’ve always been equally, if not more, into reflecting the world of amateur racing and the grassroots doers.

Except for two or three races at the very beginning of UK short track racing, I’ve been involved over here since the start, and that’s what Sideburn grew out of. In the 15 years since my own first race, UK flat track has become far more focussed, with a good level of technical and riding knowledge. The early, naïve days, when many riders were making it up as they went along, building junkyard bikes to get involved, has largely ended

in the UK, but mainland Europe is a few steps behind. I’ve watched as Spain, the Netherlands and Germany have mirrored the UK’s evolution, each of them at different stages of development. Now there are growing scenes in Japan and Indonesia.

With each new dirt track outpost, first there are a few enthusiasts. Some have pukka bikes, others do it on the cheap, not knowing if they’re going to like it, or if there’ll be a second season, or even a second practice session. As confidence and enthusiasm in the local scene increases, people spend more time and money on bikes, competition increases, experimentation decreases.

People research more, copying what works in the USA. Quality increases, diversity wanes.

I love to see grids full of cut-throats on DTX450s, and paddocks full of shiny framers, but I do miss the experimentation, which, in a very roundabout way, leads us to Dutchman Bart Verstijnen and his Yamaha RD350 YPVS1 short tracker. Bart is 32, from Kerkdriel in the Netherlands.

‘I got my first moped at the age of 12 and my first motorcycle at 14, a 1982 Honda CR125. A couple of years later, I got heavily involved in quad racing. I restored some ’80s quads, like a Honda TRX250R and a Suzuki LT500R, I even did a few years of riding freestyle motocross with a quad.

After crashing pretty hard a few times, I got out of it to focus on work and get my motorcycle licence, and my riding became more street-orientated for a couple of years.’

Like Uwe from Hombrese, whose Honda and Yamaha 500s were in the previous Sideburn, Bart found his way to dirt track through the café racer and custom scene. ‘This was around 2014, and I was just building bikes for myself, the way I liked them. I’d sell one and start the next build.’

While doing this, Bart became frustrated with the quality and >>

APPENDIX: 1. Yamaha Power Valve System. To increase top-end power without narrowing the powerband of their two-strokes, Yamaha developed an electrically controlled valve in the exhaust port that altered the shape and height of the port depending on the revs. This meant the port could have a good shape for high revs, allowing the engine to make more power, but was smaller at low revs to increase low-down torque, offering a wider spread of power (a wider powerband).

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1. Yamaha’s 1980s liquid-cooled parallel twin two-stroke is a rare sight in the flat track paddock 2. XT500 chassis was modified to accommodate custom expansion pipes. The finish looks like nickel plating but is Bart’s powder coating 3. Lightweight stroker, lightweight rider 4. Polini 28mm flatslides – how’s your jet collection?

5. YPVS valve is operated by cable from electonically-controlled motor 6. This motor sucks, big time. Custom airbox with big filter covering a gaping 100mm intake

service of powder coaters he was using and took an extreme course of action, starting his own powder coating business. ‘At that time, I was building the blue and white Harley Sportster you featured in Sideburn 30.

I remember I went to the first Hells Race in Belgium, I already had the idea for that project, but after seeing the races I was determined to get on with it. I spent the next year building the bike, taking it to shows and winning a few awards with it. Then Hells Race came to Lelystad, Holland, and a friend of mine kept pushing me to take the bike to the track. We went to a practice two weeks prior to Hells Race and I felt super awkward as I had never ridden on an oval track before.

‘The bike was very heavy and as I weigh only 65kg (143lb/10 stones) the difference was huge, but when the race came I ran in the Hooligan class and managed fourth place. From that day

on I was hooked. Soon after, I bought a Suzuki RMZ450 and started training.’

But Bart is a bike builder. The DTX was great for hassle-free training, but it wasn’t making the statement he wanted, so he started another project in August 2018, after buying a 1986 Yamaha RD350 YPVS motor and electronics (RZ350 in the USA), and a 1979 Yamaha XT500 chassis. And this is where the experimentation of new scenes differs to America. I’ve never seen a YPVS-based race bike. Perhaps the American hive mind decided it wouldn’t work for dirt track, or perhaps they couldn’t put their hands on the motors, but Bart didn’t have access to that knowledge, so he went ahead.

‘I had wanted to build a two-stroke flat tracker, after I got used to my modern 450 and was looking for something a bit more challenging to ride. What I bought was a run-down, worn-out engine and an equally ugly

frame. I started by sandblasting the frame, so I had a clearer view of what I was working with. Without paint it actually looked quite a bit better than it did with all the rust. Next, I took it to my friend, Marcel van der Stelt, who had helped me with my Harley project a few years before.’

The frame went in a jig and was cut behind the steering head to de-rake it, giving a head angle of 25˚. Next, they cut the bottom frame rails and downtube to make room for the RD’s twin expansion chambers. Marcel and Bart fabricated a new bottom end for the frame to suit the new engine, added some strengthening gussets, and braced the swingarm to make it more rigid. It’s hard to know if this is the correct way to go, as many pro racers prefer the feedback and feel given by relatively flexible frames2. Finally, the subframe was modified to suit a latestyle Knight seat.

APPENDIX: 2. Read the Lloyd Brothers’ description of preparing a Ducati road bike frame for pro-level flat track in Sideburn 35.

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Marcel also made an aluminium tank and airbox to fit a huge, foam air filter with a 100mm intake diameter for unrestricted airflow.

‘Next, I sent the bike to Fedor Copal to get the custom pipes made,’ says Bart. ‘Fedor makes amazing two-stroke exhausts, including ones for TZ750 race bikes, and he’s become my go-to exhaust guy since he did these pipes.’

Bart fitted Polini 28mm flatslide carbs and a programmable Ignitech ignition system. ‘It allows me to program the workings of the electronic power valves as well,’ he says. ‘For the electrics and dyno runs, I got in touch with a father and son, Kees and Anton Bouman. They got the bike running perfectly, so all I had left to do was put on some decals and take it to the track.’

Bart debuted the finished stroker at Dirt Track Lelystad, his closest and most active track.

‘The first time I fired it up, it drew a crowd. A two-stroke sounds different in a flat track paddock, but a two-stroke twin is something different again. With the rev limiter set at 12,000rpm, it was screaming around that track.’

It turns out Bart got the challenge he was craving.

‘The chassis felt great with the YSS shocks and R6 forks. Steering it into the corner, it was sharp, as the two-stroke engine doesn’t have much inertia [due to less engine braking than a big four-stroke], but coming out of the corner you had to keep it in the powerband. Too low in the revs and you would find yourself sideways down the straight as all the power came in at once. Too high and you’d run out of revs on the straight. But I couldn’t ride that bike and not have a huge smile on my face. It was so much fun, a few other riders that tried it all said the same thing.’

When it came to race weekends at different tracks, the Yamaha threw up new issues. ‘It was set up perfectly for Lelystad, if it was a regular summer day, but when I went to Germany, to a track a lot higher above sea level, it would run like shit.’ That meant Bart would spend all Saturday, often an open-practice day in Germany, experimenting with jetting for Sunday’s race, instead of using the time to get to grips with the new track surface.

‘Then it would rain during the night and the bike would be running like shit again on Sunday morning, because the humidity had changed.’ Sometimes with the worst-case result of an engine seize and a €1000 rebuild.

‘After about a season and a half of running it, I decided I wanted a bike that would just run as I wanted it to, so I started the Honda RS project…’

Turn over to read Bart 2.

The second instalment of Bart Verstijnen’s quest for the ideal dirt tracker Words: Gary Inman Photos: Maurice Volmeyer

Like Bart just told us about his YPVS-powered racer, ‘After about a season and a half of running it, I decided I wanted a bike that would just run as I wanted it to, so I started the Honda RS project…’ The Yamaha was sold to someone in Belgium who fitted lights to use it as a road bike. Bart is a little short in the memory department when he says, ‘Hopefully, someone can convince him to either race it or to eventually sell it to someone who will race it. It’s quite a shame it’s no longer used on the track.’ Hey Bart, remind us why you sold it...

Anyway, Bart wasn’t hanging around, he steamed straight into this four-stroke project, a replica of the 1980s factory RS600, Honda’s single-cylinder racer for short track and TTs, from the era of the big-budget team and their dominant RS750D V-twin [see SB24].

‘I started out by buying a 1988 Honda XR600R engine from my buddy, Uwe, at Hombrese Bikes in Germany [mentioned in Bart 1, and featured in SB45]. It was an engine that came out of a beat-up

>>

59

After the ball-ache of the highly-strung YPVS, Bart now revels in the predictable power of the Honda XR/NX 640cc fourstroke. Knight Rotax frame needed coaxing to take the motor, but the unflappable handling made it worth while. Lelystad is a great track, by the way

supermoto he had sitting in his shop. I tore into it to find that it was in pretty good shape. It didn’t have the usual XR problems, like worn-out cams and rockers, but I had always wanted to do a ground-up rebuild on a four-stroke, so I took it apart to the last nut and bolt and started from there.’

Bart fitted a later Honda NX650 Dominator cylinder that he had bored to suit a JE high-compression piston.

The displacement is now 640cc, because the XR has a shorter stroke than the NX650. He says the engine already had a hot cam and a ported head, so he fitted new valves, seats and guides and had three-angle valve seats cut. The crank was balanced, and a new oil pump, bearings and seals went in.

‘A Keihin FCR41MX carb was fitted to give it a much better throttle response, and I had a custom tapered pipe made by Fedor Copal, who made the pipes for the RD350.’

And he wasn’t finished with the engine. ‘Because the XR engine is known for its poor cooling, I had one of our clients weld on longer fins to make it look like an RS engine and have better cooling.’

The frame came from Dirk Pieper, co-owner of the Dirt Track Lelystad track, that I seem to be writing a lot about lately. ‘I knew Dirk had a Knight Rotax, so when I got that XR engine I called him and asked if he’d want to let it go without the Rotax engine. He was, so I was ready to try and fit that Honda motor in.’

Unsurprisingly, it turns out a Knight Rotax frame is different from a Knight RS frame.

‘An RS-specific frame seems to have a little more room above the cylinder head, but by moving the top motor mount and making the brackets a little shorter it would fit.’ Bart had his friend, Wessel, mount the engine. ‘He’s a genius when it comes to laser-cutting >>

Get close, you can smell the ’80s.

Extended fins fix XR’s troublesome cooling issues and ape the mighty RS600.

Bodywork is from First Klass Glass

and CNC-milling parts.’ The pair looked at photos of original RS600s and copied the engine mounts, footpeg hangers and rear brake lever as closely as they could.

Meanwhile, Bart found the only place that seemed to have the correct type of Knight-style bodywork, First Klass Glass in the USA, and also had new rims laced to a front spool hub and Barnes rear hub. The Knight chassis came with triple clamps designed for 35mm forks, but there was enough material for Bart to have a local company machine them out to take 43mm Yamaha R6 forks.

‘I’ve been able to ride lot of different peoples’ bikes, but none of them felt

as stable as this Knight chassis does,’ says a happy Bart. ‘I can slide it into a turn as hard as I dare, and it won’t twitch or do anything that makes me second guess or feel like there might be a surprise coming. Having a bike that gives you that much confidence makes all the difference. It has such a huge amount of grip coming out of the corners. Before riding this bike, I’d never had the feeling with flat track that a bike was actually pulling my arms like I was used to from motocross bikes. It rides even better than I could have wished for.’

The path to contentment is not always an easy one, but it’s always worth the journey.

A docudrama with Easy Rider overtones,

or dated bikesploitation flick that reeks of ’70s bull?

Our man settles in for the ride Words: Dave Bevan Illustration: Space Giant

You know, you can get bored without really ever knowing what’s the matter... baby, you’re not in a rut, you’re in a ditch... Just climb on your bike, point it wherever you feel like it and go, it’s not hard... Do it today, before you get hung up, or you’ll probably never do it at all.

So laconically intones director/ writer/co-star/working man’s Peter Fonda, Don Marshall, over the visually breathtaking opening sequence of his low-rent 1971 feature, Cycles South.

It proves to be one of the more inspired pieces of dialogue in the whole hour and a half’s free-wheelin’, freelovin’, road-trippin’ docudrama.

As with so many other budget bike-riding broadcasts from the period, Cycles South undoubtedly sailed in on the crest of the (new) wave of American cinema which Fonda and Dennis Hopper had created, perhaps unwittingly, a couple of years previously with their wonderfully stoned slice of full-tilt Americana, Easy Rider.

With its low production costs, uncannily illuminating zeitgeist and massive box office returns, those longhairs on choppers not >>

65

Top row, from left The three hamigos Second row Blood on the tracks; Rocky ramblin’; misty mountain hop Third row Whole lotta nothing; the good life; cycling south Fourth row Road kill?; free loadin’ and lovin’; Evel Cannoli Fifth row New Mexico MX; Bobby chasing ‘skirt’ Sixth row Wake (and bake) boarding off the coast of Cortez; give a man a fish...

only freaked out the squares, but they also blew the studio floodgates wide open on their way through allowing many such subsequent productions to follow, few of which lived up to the promise (or profits) of Fonda and Hopper’s wild-west tale of freedom lost and found.

The comparison is not an idle one.

Cycles South apes Easy Rider in more than just style and tone; the opening scenes borrowing almost shot for shot the opening sequence from Easy Rider, except rather than cramming rolls of money and cocaine into chopped Panheads, the Cycles South protagonists stash clutch plates and other spares into their BSA scramblers’ luggage.

Although the songs in the two films are similar throughout (‘I ride toward the sun... there’s a prayer that I have, be like the winds that blow free.’ So goes the trite, hippie-lite opening theme to CS) Cycles South maintains a visual identity apart from Easy Rider thanks to the smaller, lighter BSA Victors that Marshall and cohorts Vaughn Everly and Bobby Garcia head out on from their

Top row, from left Drunk Dick Johnson; large men, small bikes Second row Bobby eats it in the mountains Third row Lookin’ for adventure... Fourth row A skinful in Taos; mild in the streets Fifth row Making friends in Mexico Sixth row Riding the waves; bothering broads on the beach

hometown of Denver, and the wonderful way ‘alcoholic cameraman’ (their observation, not mine) Dick Johnson (!) captures their exploits on celluloid.

You get a glimpse of Johnson on the other side of the camera early on, loaded down with equipment, necking a beer, balancing precariously astride his bike in a side street, which makes me think he is the real unsung hero of the film, particularly when the three amigos’ antics in front of the camera get more than a little tedious. His camerawork, and the shots of the Rocky Mountain wilderness into which the lads ride, is truly stunning.

I quickly tired of the awfully dated dialogue and arch-sarcastic tone Marshall employs throughout his narration, which is a shame, because the scrapes, slams and scenery the riders get themselves into are as ridiculous as they are impressive.

It is perhaps telling that Cycles South was released just a couple of months before On Any Sunday, in May 1971, because visually and spiritually they are cut from a similar cloth (desert race scenes, scrambling, motorbike as freedom machine, etc) and both could well scratch a similar cinematic itch, though throughout I found myself longing for On Any Sunday’s sincerity and genuine good humour, rather than the macho irony Cycles South all too often employs.

It’s a point I’ve found myself getting increasingly stuck on since watching >>

the film and in trying to write this; Easy Rider is incredibly cynical in its take on the American Dream and the dark underbelly languishing just beneath the fantastical surface of such folklore, and On Any Sunday is peppered with bawdy, 1970s machismo and gratuitous slowmo bike footage complete with bouncing boobs, but neither film suffers for this.

Indeed, it is that cynicism and comment on the counter culture of the time that makes Easy Rider the fine work of art I believe it to be. And On Any Sunday is just so joyous, and, well, cool in its portrayal of people having a hoot on their scoots, I can forgive any of its more outdated idiosyncrasies.

This is where I feel Cycles South comes unstuck a little. The tale of three young lads sick of their run-of-the-mill city lives, breaking out of their routines on largely inappropriate motorbikes and riding the living hell out of them from the Rocky Mountains down to the Panama Canal, looking for adventure (and whatever comes their way,) is a great story in itself and doesn’t need the hip-to-the-pointof-haughty commentary, scripted by Marshall, Bill Adkins and Pat McNamara.

Indeed, what with the shameless and ceaseless womanising, oceanic animal cruelty when south of the US border, and the almost imperial way they crusade through Latin America, I was left feeling that this wasn’t the groovy freedom flick it was billed to be, but rather another

case of white Western males doing what they want, when they want, where they want, and playing it off as some big spiritual quest.

Which is a shame, as I found the riding, scenery and camerawork entirely enticing, and well worth a watch, preferably with the sound off and something infinitely better on the stereo.

Maybe I’m overthinking it, or too hung up to get onside with the lads’ quest.

The comments on below the full film on YouTube are overwhelmingly positive, many along the lines of this one, left by someone using the moniker FactoryX: ‘Hookers, drugs, killing sea turtles... and motorcycles. Awesome.’* I’ll leave that here, as a counter point (or perhaps affirmation, depending on your personal political/moral compass) to my review. In the meantime, I’m off to watch Easy Rider for the hundredth time.

*Author’s note – I have zero issues with drugs or motorcycles.

Top row, from left You kiss your mother with that mouth?; more of the same Second row On any Guatemalan Sunday Third row The result of Beer and racing Fourth row Aren’t sea turtles endangered?

Fifth row Riding off into the sunset; yet more of the same Sixth row Period Kawasaki propaganda?; the end of the road

KRIEGA.COM

#RIDEKRIEGA photo credit @gorm_moto

Twisted Tennessee Hooligan Words: Gary Inman Photos: Liam Kennedy

PRISMATIC DOORWAYS INTO THE GALAXY ‘The paint… You would have to imagine a deep, rough texture, that when you go to touch it is actually smoother than glass. This paint will pull you into the void and leave you there if you are not careful.

The prismatic doorways into the galaxy counterbalance adjacent panels and throw each pass of the hand on a rollercoaster of different emotions, as it feels each sharp, definitive body line. After consuming the entirety of it, you would feel completely overenergised, as if lightning-struck and electricity ran freely through your veins.’ >> 71

of their event. The original proponents of the niche have, on the whole, either moved on to something else such as bagger racing [rolls eyes] or, in the case of the Roland Sands Design team, mutated their Super Hooligan National Championship (SHNC) into a four-round, multi-discipline title, inspired by the old Grand National Championship, and including road racing (and they’ve gone bagger racing, too). Still, that original appeal of racing heavy street bikes on dirt ovals for fun, not money, is attracting new riders from coast to coast for all the same reasons the first hooligans pestered tracks to let them race.

‘Hooligan racing caught my attention about five years ago at Flat Out Friday1 and I was hooked,’ Pat explains. ‘I had always enjoyed watching flat track and AFT, but after seeing average guys race whatever they had, I knew that I had to try it.’

Pat began researching. ‘I volunteered to work in the pits at Flat Out Friday, just so I could get inside and see the bikes and meet the people doing it. Then, after I moved to Nashville, I became friends with racers like Scott Jones2, Josh >>

Appendix: 1. The races that were originally held on the Friday of Milwaukee’s Mama Tried motorcycle show, but have since grown into their own ad hoc race promotions brand. 2. Scott Jones is the world-renowned custom bike and chopper builder working under the name Noise Cycles. He’s built and raced a number of great hooligans, and we’ve featured his XG750R. He was also one of the organisers of the Fist City races mentioned in this feature. It took place at Loretta Lynn’s facility. Yes, the country singer.

2 1

3

1. Pat launches into his first motorcycle race 2. Sturdy, owner-made footrest hanger looks able to survive some aggro 3. Aesthetically pleasing exhaust curve, Ultima digital ignition, S&S big-bore barrels, and Lectron carb

That’s painter Pete Stovicek of Quikcolor Cycle Finish, Cleveland, OH, lyrically describing the purple flake job he laid on this Sportster hooligan.

The paint, the buckets of two-pack lacquer, the decision to expend that time and money on a race bike… it gets me pondering a perennial question: the balance of go bike versus show bike.

The Harley’s owner/builder/racer is 32-year-old welder/fabricator/oblique slash enthusiast, Pat Fleming. He’s been riding motorcycles for a decade, but this is his first race bike. ‘I grew up riding BMX for many years, but after a few serious injuries, and buying my first Harley, I kind of grew away from it. Since then, I’ve always felt an emptiness and a need for adrenaline and competition.’

That’s Pat saying he took up hooligan flat track as a less risky option to BMX. Perhaps it’s a symptom of being so close to the sport, and seeing the explosion of hooligan racing from its very earliest days, but I assumed it would have burnt out by now, yet it keeps growing in the States. Race promoters who include a well-advertised hooligan class often report it was the biggest entry

McDonald and Chris Boone, and they really helped point me in the right direction of how to set a bike up.’

A decent condition, fairly stock 2001 Sportster 1200 was found for just $850 (for our American readers, that bike would cost $3500-$4000 in Europe, one of the reasons Hooligan isn’t anywhere near as popular over here), and the transformation into a track bike began.

‘I stripped it to clean it up and see what I would need to fix or replace, but after seeing it apart I decided I’d make as much as I could with my skills and the equipment I had access to. I wanted to leave the frame under the seat wide open, so I thought it would be cool to hide the oil tank in the frame rails up front, and also move some of the weight towards the front wheel. I saw some other footrest set-ups, so I copied them and made it fit around my exhaust. I wanted to copy the look of the gas tanks that come on the Sunday bikes, but you can see what I ended up with. I call it the ‘Coughin’ tank’. I copied the tank into a program, so I can have it laser cut and formed and be able to sell a few of them. I was tossing around ideas for names with my friends, and we were joking around trying to come up with something weedrelated. Since coffin tanks already existed, Coughin’ tank seemed most fitting.’

With work in progress, a deadline appeared, the Fist City Flat Track Race at the Tennessee Motorcycle and Music Revival.

‘I finished it at about two in the morning the day before practice.’

Pat escapes the city for a test ride.

AT&T’s ‘Batman Building’ can be seen in distant downtown Nashville

The twin was fitted with Yamaha R6 forks and rear brake; the obligatory chain-drive conversion, and RWD shocks. Scott from Noise Cycles donated a Vance & Hines two-into-one exhaust and Pat swapped the Super E carb for a Lectron. The seat and tail unit is from Saddlemen in California.

Pat hasn’t stripped the engine yet, but knows it has S&S Superstock heads and adjustable pushrods, and suspects it’s likely to have some mildly uprated cams and high-comp pistons3.

‘I felt pretty confident after a few practices. Then, when it was race time and the flag dropped, I went as hard as I could. I took second, first and second in the three heats and fourth in the amateur hooligan finals.’ Hooligan is so big in some regions of the US that their field is divided into ‘pro’ or expert hooligan classes, amateur and, sometimes, women’s hooligan too.

On the second day of the Fist City event, Pat improved his heat race results, but missed out on the podium with another fourth. ‘I wanted to take home a win for my first ever race weekend, but I’m still beyond happy with how everything turned out.’

So, it’s certainly a go bike, with elements of show bike, continuing the long-established tradition of US >>

Appendix: 3. This sounds like the S&S tuning kit they call the Hooligan. It takes 883 Sportsters out to 1200 and 1200s to 1250cc, has uprated cams, pistons and barrels.

entered three other flat track races. Sadly, all had been rain-affected, but it hasn’t extinguished his enthusiasm.

‘Hooligan racing to me is a party. Take whatever bike you have, drop the clutch, bang the rev limiter, get sideways and hang on. Flat track is one of the best communities of people I’ve ever seen. Everyone is willing to help you out any way they can.

Whether it’s giving you parts at the track so you can keep racing, or giving you tips on how they think you can ride better. Everyone wants everyone to win.’

Custom oil tank sandwiched between frame downtubes shifts weight forward and keeps the underseat space clean and airy

No is

eC yc Pa Ri de les, Q t wo u Hi gh uikc ld l Bu Dea olor ike t o mp C l us Low ycle than Fin k: Fir Ha , Sa r d i ec or ley-D dlem sh, eP er avid en, for s ma on, nc e

amateur racers blurring the lines of the two, with mirror-polished engine cases and thousand-dollar paint jobs at odds with a life destined to be on the wrong end of an abrasive Midwest roost.

‘I gave the tank and tail to my longtime friend, Pete at Quikcolor, and told him to pretty much go nuts and do whatever he wanted, but also keep in mind I’m going to crash the bike.

‘I felt really nervous before taking it out for its first race, but since I made almost everything myself, and I knew I could fix it, I got over that feeling pretty quickly.’

At the time of writing, Pat had

Purple Reign Mitas tyres, stock hubs, radical tank, adjustable shocks.

Hooligan racing is where dirt track French kisses custom biking

SACRIFICE

There’s an art to making a bike look this incomplete Words: Gary Inman Photos: Clement Lazzaro

79

The exhaust is a mix of Zard headers and Arrow can.

Rear caliper is Swedish ISR. You can just spot the LiPo battery’s underseat position

SACR

RIFICE

‘I

made a brief attempt to develop Kerozin professionally, but I quickly understood that it would require me to make certain sacrifices to be profitable, which I refuse to do.’ That is the gospel according to Pierre-Etienne Chagnas of Kerozin Motorcycles. ‘Kerozin is only an entity, a name. All Kerozin motorcycles are mine, so I do this really for fun.’

Fun, not sacrifice. Unless it’s sacrificing for fun. Like sacrificing anything resembling a fuel tank for a barely recognisable cell that struggles to contain more than your morning coffee cup.

Still, this bike stirs me. It makes me want to build my own. I thought I’d weaned myself off buying projects. I’ve sold a fleet of bikes in the last year, with the aim to create a more zen atmosphere in my shed and improve and ride the bikes I have, before taking in any more waifs and strays, but these very photos have sucked me back into the eBay vortex.

Damn you to Hell, Chagnas!

Pierre-Etienne is 38, lives in the south-west of France and has worked as a freelance graphic designer for the last 19 years. I wasn’t surprised to discover his occupation. The minimal colour palette, the bike stance, it all whispers class, well, all except the name: The Bad Ass. But he’s a designer, not a poet. I’ll give him a break.

‘I’m a huge Ducati fan and absolutely wanted to have a flat track one,’ P-E explains. ‘Initially, my idea was to start with a Multistrada 1000 so I could play elbow-to-elbow with the Indians and others hooligans, but after the French race authorities established a minimum weight limit of 165kg, I decided to review my plan, make a Ducati as thin and light as possible and compete in the under700cc tracker category, that has no weight or frame restrictions.’

Weight? Wait! The Ducati has carbonfibre rims and magnesium hubs. The fuel tank only holds 1.2 litres. Ten-lap race?

Better take your Mercedes F1 refuelling team. The frame is a modified Pantah 350 trellis, while the engine is a much later fuel-injected Ducati 696 converted to run a pair of Italian, natch, Dell’Orto PHM 40 carbs and programmable ignition management. Forks are Ducati Showas >> in CNC triple clamps. The rear shock

>>

is a springless Fournales. The loom, yes it has one, is stripped as bare as a birthday suit and wired into an Ultrabatt lithium battery. ‘The result,’ says P-E, ‘is 118kg and 88bhp.’ That’s 260lbs for our American readers. Honda says their CRF450R weighs 106kg (234lb), while a stock Indian FTR1200 is 218kg (480lb), in road trim, without fuel.

‘I never rode enduro or motocross when I was a child and it always frustrated me, so, wanting to make up for lost time, I made the decision to take a 1976 Harley 125 SXT, that I had modified, and enter a dirt track event. It was love at first sight, so I decided to buy my first ’crosser, a 1979 YZ250, which I turned into a flat tracker. Very quickly, I met a lot of people who practise and my first real experience was in Spain during a weekend with the Dirt Rookies, and it was great. Luckily, I’m not far from a region where there is a large number of speedway tracks, La Reole, Morizes, Miramont and Guyenne, etc, where I ride as often possible.’

Like Pierre-Etienne says, ‘She looks like no other. When you are on it, you have the impression of being on a mountain bike. The objective of this bike is to replace my CRF450 framer and be used in the Catalan and French championships.

Above all, I want it to give me as much pleasure riding it as I had building it.’

Kerozin Bad Ass 63% Weight obsession

3% Fuel capacity

22% Black magic

12% Carbon-fibre rims

The award for most distractingly phallic upholstery goes to...

Words:

Gary Inman Photos:

Ed Subias Practical. It’s a word loved by British automotive journalists, and a favourite adjective to put into a magazine’s title. Perhaps it taps into the reserve and pragmatism generations of British have relied upon. It doesn’t raise expectations or make the heart pump faster.

It says, ‘Not the most expensive, certainly not the most exciting, but it shouldn’t let you down too often. Oh, and you’ll be able to carry stuff.’ >>

87

I had my tongue in my cheek when I asked JJ Flairty if his 1974 Kenworth K123 motorhome/ race hauler was practical. I wasn’t expecting his reply. ‘As crazy as it seems, it is pretty practical. It has a total length of 32ft (9.75m), which is still shorter than most truck-andtrailer combos. It might not be as fancy as an AFT hauler, but it’s pretty easy to work on and it’s registered as an RV. I don’t have any of the big-rig road restrictions with it being registered that way, which means I don’t have to stop at weigh stations, or need a CDL – commercial driver’s licence – to operate it. Also, with it being an RV, it’s actually cheaper to insure and license than a box truck or even my van.’

I love that this apartment block on wheels, that has fewer curves than the pyramids of Giza, a vehicle that is nearly 50 years old, that returns 8mpg1, because of the 350cu.in (5.7-litre) Cummins diesel, is JJ’s goto when it comes to hauling his Harley to and from the races.

‘Well, I’ve always loved Kenworth cabover semis2,’ says JJ. ‘I was searching all over the internet for something bigger than my van, looking at motorhomes and box trucks to convert into a race hauler, when I came across this, and it was love at first sight. I needed to have it.’

JJ lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the Kenworth was up for sale, for $18,000, in Arizona.

‘Going to buy it was the craziest road trip I’ve had in it so far. My friend Danny and I hopped on a plane with $10,000 cash each in our pockets and flew to Phoenix, the day before the 2019 X Games Hooligan qualifier, held in Southern California. Three days before, I had my friend Matt give me a crash course in driving a 13-speed transmission, because I had never used one like that before.

‘The seller picked us up from the airport in his car, took us to the rig, and we made the deal. Next, Danny and I headed straight to California [350 miles away], white knuckled

and grinding gears, for the qualifier the next morning, where we’d meet up with Jeremy Prach3, who had hauled our bikes across country for us. I made it through the qualifier then loaded up our bikes and headed straight back to Wisconsin, nonstop [that’s 2000 miles]. We made it trouble-free with no plates or insurance. I highly do not recommend doing that, but it was a wild few days, and a huge rush not knowing what could happen.’

Next, JJ plans to build a wall to separate garage and living area, then set up a workbench and tyre rack.

‘I’d also like to run a smaller tyre and lower the chassis. That would drop the height about 8in (200mm) and help with bridges and the ramp door angle.

Plus, it will look pretty cool.’

The loading ramp does look longer than some of Evel’s take-off structures. ‘Yeah, the ramp set-up is pretty steep,’ JJ admits. ‘Lots of times I lower it only so far and use a standard motorcycle ramp to make it longer, then just ride the bike up.

It’s not too bad now I’ve done it a few times.’

There can’t have been much time spent thinking of the practicalities when JJ jumped on the plane to Phoenix, a donkey-choking wad of dollar bills in his jeans’ pocket, he was simply on a mission to make his own dream come true.

‘The best thing about the Kenworth is being able to own something I never thought I could. The attention it gets on the road, from people in cars to other truck drivers, is crazy, it’s awesome. The worst thing about owning it right now is that I’m the only one who really can drive it.

I need to teach all my friends how to drive a 13-speed so I’m not stuck driving it everywhere.

‘This is my ultimate hauler. I’m an old soul and anything fancier or newer just doesn’t do it for me. Every time I climb up in the Kenworth, I feel like it was meant for me. I can’t stop smiling. Plus, getting off the throttle, hitting the Jake brake4 and letting the big Cummins bark, or reaching up and pulling on the air horns, will make a kid out of anyone.’

APPENDIX: 1. US gallons are smaller than imperial gallons, which would be more like 10mpg, or 23l/100km. 2. Cabover refers this kind of flat-front truck, where the cab is over the engine, not the typical US design of engine out front. 3. The head of the Flat Out Friday race promoters. We featured his tips on how to make your race event a success in SB37. 4. Nickname for a diesel engine’s compression release brake system, from one of the brand names, Jacobs. When unsilenced, this system makes a loud ‘machine gun’ noise, which has caused silencing to be mandatory in numerous cities and states in the US and Australia. Unsilenced compression release brake systems have been legislated against for decades in Europe.

JJ’s Hooligan

Freestyle BMX rider JJ took to flat track like a duck to water.

Here he describes his X Games Hooligan-winning Harley Words: JJ Flairty I bought this bike in the fall of 2016, and first raced at 2017 Flat Out Friday. It’s a 1993 Harley 883 Sportster, now a 1200, and I’m constantly changing and improving it. I won the 2017 X Games in Minneapolis, MN, the first X Games Hooligan race, and there was so much attention from the motorcycle industry in the hooligan world at the time. It was my second dirt track race ever, and on a bike I’d built only few months prior, so it means a lot to me. It really made a turn in my life as I went all in on racing dirt track. I love dirt track.

One thing people might not notice is that I run a thumb throttle, because I grew up riding snowmobiles and actually raced motocross on ATVs for a couple of years. Riding dirt bikes and jumping them was hard for me in my younger years. Not that I was terrible, but I always thought it would make jumping easier. So, I started running a thumb throttle on my motocross bikes about 11 years ago and it was night and day.

I never went back to a twist.

Sideburn asked for the three changes I’d recommend to anyone converting a Sportster for flat track. I’ve made so many changes on this bike over the years, but here goes:

The four-degree De-Rake kit that I make and sell [contact JJ through Instagram, @jj_rides]. It’s probably the thing that makes the biggest difference in handling on these rigid-mount Evo Sportsters. It’s the best thing you can do in making these old, heavy street bikes feel like a real race bike.

1

Jeremy DeRuyter triple clamps. I’ve recently swapped to these plate-style clamps. What I love most about them is that when you change offset it doesn’t move rider position.

With the puck-style clamps, every time you change offset it moves your bars forward and back. I’d notice that body position change more than I’d notice the offset change and it bothered me, so it’s great to know when adding and removing plates you’re actually only adjusting offset. And you can tell. They’re super easy to change, as well. No more wrestling the entire front end around trying to change out a puck. Also, you set your steer stops once, never more or never less steering.

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I’m always putting things on a diet. Currently, the bike weighs between 380-390lb (172-177kg). I think I can get at least another 10lb (4kg) off of it. We’ll have to see.

IT SHOULDN’T BE TOO HARD TO FIND US.

photo @PHOTOJOEBROOK skate @WHEELBARROW bike @WHOISTHOR

The electric bike m

g o l d r u s h

arket is

full of pioneers, each hoping the to get a foothold in arket. lucrative m y ll a ti en ot p Trevor mpany is o c h c u s One

Words: Gary Inman Photos: Trevor (this page) Kati Dalek (following pages)

The electric bik e segment perplex es me. It seems internal combusti inevitable that th on engines (ICE) e days of are numbered, ye have appeared alm t the Japanese fac ost single-minde tories d in their unwillingne market. It is only ss to join the within the last few months that the motorcycle comp world’s most sig any, Honda, have nificant announced that of their electric they will release production bikes the first in 2024. This is despite Honda-r elated

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It’s easy to see why some electric manufacturers are attracted to dirt track. It’s real competition, but the races are short, speeds are low compared to road racing, and the tech is relatively simple

tuning company Mugen1 having competed at the Isle of Man TT with their impressive, and huge-budget, road racing Shinden since 2012. Surely it was a test bed for Honda. Fellow Japanese giant, Yamaha, say they are releasing an electric scooter soon, a tentative toe in the electric market.

In Europe, KTM have been the most committed of the big players, releasing an electric version of their full-size Freeride trail bike back in 2015. Ducati have seemingly U-turned on their electric superbike ambitions, or at least put them on ice (excuse the pun). Other Euro brands have shown concepts, and in the case of BMW it is commuter friendly and small wheeled.

The American heavyweights, Harley-Davidson and Indian, seem more serious. Harley continue to develop and push the LiveWire model, most recently having Sideburn favourites, Suicide Machine Co in California and JvB Moto in Germany,

modify the electric roadster. They have also launched a new electric division, also called LiveWire.

Their domestic rival, Indian parent company Polaris, bought electric bike pioneers Brammo in 2015 and entered the Isle of Man Zero TT with a Victorybranded bike, and recently partnered with Zero Motorcycles with a plan to create electric snow and dirt vehicles (not under the Indian brand). They have made it clear they’re watching and waiting with regards to Indian electric road bikes.

It makes me wonder if the manufacturers believe, or hope, that they can improve emissions to a point where new petrol-powered twowheelers are green enough to survive where ICE-powered four-wheelers simply won’t2.

For now, the behaviour of the majority of established manufacturers is leaving the market open to newgeneration specialists trying to

establish themselves, before the large companies join the fight. This period is reminiscent of the Klondike gold rush.

There is promise of riches, but there is also risk of spending a lot of time panning for precious rewards only to end up with rocks and heartbreak.

It doesn’t stop the prospectors from trying. There’s gold in them there hills!

One of the new breed is Trevor Motorcycles. The Belgian company launched the Stella in 2021 as a dirt tracker and street bike. We fired a few questions at co-founder and product director, Jeroen-Vincent Nagels, to learn more.

When did the original work on the Trevor begin?

When Philippe Stella and I were at the Bike Shed Show in London, in 2019, with the Saroléa N60 Mighty Machines3, we decided to build an affordable but high-quality electric flat tracker. Earlier on we’d daydreamed >>

APPENDIX: 1. According to Wikipedia, Mugen Motorsports, established in 1973, is not, and never has been, owned by Honda. It was co-founded by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda Motor Co founder Soichiro. Wiki also claims Hirotoshi Honda is the biggest shareholder of Honda. 2. But what happens to petrol stations when cars don’t need them? They’re not going to keep them open for bikes, not in most Western countries anyway. 3. A striking electric streetfighter that came with a matching business suit and knife. It was limited to 20 units, and offered at $79,000. Not sure how many, of any, sold.

already about it while working on a project in Cadaques, Spain, and riding vintage dirt bikes.

Making electric dirt track bikes is very niche, the market must be extremely small, why did you choose this particular style of bike, and does it make good commercial sense?

From the beginning, we decided to build a real, competitive flat track bike on one hand and a cool-looking city version of the same bike on the other.

And, based on our pre-orders, it was the right choice, it’s almost 20-80 in favour of the city version.

Is Trevor a fun project for friends to make some cool bikes, or a serious motorcycle company?

It was always our goal with Trevor to be a small, but real, motorcycle company. I already have a lot of experience working for big companies like Honda, Triumph and Ducati.

Enough experience to know that you have to do things in a professional way, or they will not last long.

Our first goal is to build a batch of 300 Trevor DTRe Stellas by Q1 [the end of the first quarter of] 2022. A lot of those bike are already sold in pre-sales, but a [large percentage] will be shipped to a distribution partner in Miami. The next target is to upscale and build, next to the Stella, a Trevor DTRe Vince with more affordable, but still high-quality, components.

The first batch of 300 bikes will be the premium Trevor DTRe Stella model. From the moment we can manage a batch of 1000 bikes we will launch the more affordable Trevor DTRe Vince next to the Stella.

Very few of our readers will have ridden an electric bike, so what traditional bike does the performance of the Trevor compare to?

For the moment, you can best compare our Trevor DTRe with a 250cc fourstroke bike. That is, with the current mapping and gearing, but it is still work in progress.

Is it as powerful as an Alta?

No, but we chose a different path.

Our bike has an 11kW motor and weighs in at 80kg. An Alta has a 35kW motor and weighs in at 117kg. That’s a difference of 37kg. Every rider that has tested our Trevor speaks only about the low weight versus the balanced handling. That’s really our strongest point.

At a short track like Lelystad, where you have tested, how much riding can you do on a charge?

The first time our rider, Gille Leenknegt, took the Trevor to Lelystad we used the mapping we call ‘rain modus’ and he managed, together with

APPENDIX: 4. €12,995 equates to GB £11,060, or US $15,360 at the time of writing.

other riders, to ride for the full day without charging the 2.7 kWh battery pack between heats. That was three six-lap heats.

Now that we have optimised the race modus, he always charges after two heats, although the battery is still not empty by then. Our goal is to adapt the gearing and mapping further still so we can really go for four heats without charging.

How much is a Trevor track bike?

A Trevor DTRe Stella dirt track only costs €12,9954 (21% Belgian tax included, €10,740 exclusive of local taxes).

What is the delivery time?

The first batch will be delivered in Q1 2022. There are still some reservation slots left, and buyers can pre-order through our website. We organise test rides, often on the track in Lelystad.

And from Q1 2022 our bikes will be available in US as well. trevormotorcycles.com

project bike Gary Inman treats his Wood Rotax to the first proper rebuild in at least, double-checks, 15 years Photo: Charlie Davidson

How can you have a full year off from racing, due to, you’re not going to believe this, a global pandemic, and still miss the first two races of the following season because your bike isn’t ready in time? Well…

The last time I wrote about my #13 Wood Rotax was in SB38. That was also the first time I’d really written about it in the magazine, despite owning it since 2007, before Sideburn had launched. I estimated I’d done over 500 individual races on it, perhaps 600, and it had barely missed a beat. And I have no idea how many hard years it had done in the USA before it arrived in England.

One of the few opportunities I got to ride the bike in 2020 was a practice at Greenfield Dirt Track. Both the DTRA’s Anthony ‘Co-Built’ Brown and James ‘Leftie’ Smith were there with their own Co-Built Rotax framers (Leftie’s was featured in SB42). I rode them both and was left realising my engine was nowhere near as powerful. In fact, Anthony’s felt too aggressive for me. I decided there and then on a rebuild.

That I didn’t get around to taking the motor out of the frame for another four months is a mystery, but I must have been busy. Anthony had rebuilt a lot of air-cooled, racing Rotax engines by that point, and offered to do mine, down to the bare cases and back up again. I dropped it off in February 2021 and watched the strip-down. Riding those two bikes at Greenfield had saved me from engine catastrophe. The motor was a hard race or two from a massive

CONTACTS

failure. One of the valve guides was cracked, just waiting to leave home on its own journey of discovery. The big-end bearing play was bordering on unacceptable. The piston and rings were good, but the barrel’s cast-iron liner was worn and had moved slightly in the alloy barrel.

I bought most of the parts I needed from UK-based Rotax specialist, Sportax. The owner, Gary, is ex-military and learned all there is to know about these motors working on the Rotaxpowered Armstrong/Harley-Davidson MT500s the British army used in the 1980s and ’90s.

The cases were vapour-blasted, then fittted with new bearings and seals, obviously. The clutch and basket had been replaced just a handful of races

faith in the engineer, but admitted the engine was unlikely to be ready for race 1, so I could borrow his Co-Built.

I made the final on it, but didn’t feel as comfortable as on the bike I’d raced over 500 times. Who’d have thought?

The day after race 1, Anthony visited the engineer, took away the still untouched barrel and piston and sent it to SEP in Kegworth. When I spoke to them they warned of long lead times, but all I heard was ‘We might be able to do it in two weeks’ and clung to that.

They couldn’t. It turned out to be over five, so the Rotax wasn’t ready for the second race either. Jason (whose Trackmaster BSA is in this issue), loaned me his lovely Knight Honda XR500. I made the final again, but ended up towards the back, again.

‘The motor was a hard race or two from a massive failure’ before, so that stayed. New conrod, bigend bearing and crank balance. Sportax supplied an Omega piston. It wasn’t my first choice, I wanted a highercompression JE, but I couldn’t get hold of one. Anthony dropped the new piston and worn barrel at the local engineer he trusts for a new liner to be fitted.

Meanwhile, the head was rebuilt with a new camshaft, valves and springs. The intake was blended to suit a new intake manifold. The first DTRA race of 2021 loomed and the barrel hadn’t reappeared. Anthony still had

When SEP did deliver the barrel, Anthony said the quality of work looked good, and slotted the top end together.

While I was waiting for the engine, I’d put new bearings in the front Performance Machine wheel; knockedon one of my new Vortex rear sprockets (acquired through Moto Edit) and fitted a replacement brake disc to the A&A floating disc centre. The disc was donated by Jared Mees and had come to me via Sammy Sabedra, who picked it up at a race in early 2020, then sent it to Todd in Portland, OR, who held on

o.uk sportaxracing.c .uk .co sep-kegworth m .co ing vortexrac .uk .co dit toe mo co.uk dirttrackriders.

to it until he had a box of stuff to send to me in England. Jared Mees!

The bike was ready for DTRA round 3, Amman Valley, but the brake wasn’t behaving, after feeling fine on the bench at home. Possibly some dirt ingress in the master cylinder. And I was, perhaps unnecessarily, nervous of thrashing the new engine on the longest, fastest track in the DTRA calendar. Despite being back on my own bike, my starts were poor, maybe I was distracted. Still, I made the Thunderbike final again.

Since then, I’ve sorted the brake issue and done another practice at Greenfield, where I felt my mojo had returned and could assess the engine.

The motor really needed that rebuild, and, although I spent over £2000 on parts and services, despite Anthony kindly working for free, the motor didn’t feel a whole lot different. It has the same roundslide Mikuni as before, where the hot Rotaxes in the class have flatslide Keihins, and the piston choice has possibly affected power, but it’s very usable, especially for a rider of my skill. I just need to get on the throttle a little earlier to make up for any meagre power deficits. Here’s to another 500 starts before the next rebuild…

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HONDA DAX 160 MINI FTR BUILD BY CHEETAH CC The Dax is common in Japan and I customise it to a mini flat track racer. If I can fit 17in racing tyres I can ride hard. Running is quite combative!

It weighs about 65kg, so it’s lightweight, and it has a 160cc engine, so it is quite peaky. It looks cool above all!

日本ではお馴染みのダックス そちをミニフラットトラックレーサーにカスタム タイヤさえ17インチのレーシングタイヤさえ履けちゃえば そこそこ行けちゃう 走りはなかなか戦闘力あり！ 車体は65ｋｇぐらいで軽量、そこに160ｃｃ エンジン搭載なのでかなりピーキー 何よりも見た目がカッコいい！ HONDA DAX 50 Engine: Lifan 160cc Exhaust: Cheetah Wheels: Honda NS1 Tyres: Maxxis 17in Rear brake: Airheart mechanical Forks: Honda Ape Swingarm: Cheetah Rear suspension: 400mm universal Seat: Cheetah Bars: Cheetah

Photo:Uribou Owner: Ma-sa Rider: Cheetah

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Trusted: The multi-talented maestro behind Buddy Custom Cycles talks us through the kit that keeps him safe, stylish, comfortable and fast at the track 1 Hedon Hedonist helmet A gift when invited to Wheels and Waves 2019. It’s light and holds my head firmly. I like to use it when riding motocross. The interior is very luxurious and I love it.

2 Komine helmet remover

I always wear a helmet remover in case something goes wrong. This is worn under a helmet and allows rescuers to quickly and easily remove the helmet if the spinal system is injured. It also absorbs sweat, so the user is safe and comfortable just by wearing this.

3 Shoei EX-Zero This is the helmet

I got from Shoei when our Have Fun!! racing club started two years ago.

Urashima’s paint is very nice. I love it very much and have been using it for a long time. It’s a very light and breathable helmet that’s perfect for flat track. I usually wear Sideburn goggles, but my son ‘borrowed’ them.

4 Neck guard It protects the cervical spine when you hit your head.

This prevents me from cervical spine injury even if my head is flipped. This is also one of the pieces of equipment with a sense of security. I’m worried if I race without attaching this.

5 Racing leathers by El Solitario This is a gift given by Buddy staffer Urashima, who won the El Solitario Design Competition two years ago.

Great design. The back is the face of a wolf. The wolf’s eyes are my number, 66. It’s amazing. I wear it at the time of the event. My body is measured for it and fits perfectly and is very stylish. I like it very much. I

am grateful to El Solitario. Thank you very much.

6 Asterisk knee guards It has been 20 years since I started using the products of this manufacturer. These are the second ones. I wear them under my cotton pants to protect my knees. A must-have for flat tracks. I’m still worried if there is no such thing.

I’ve fallen many times, but I’ve never been seriously injured thanks to this.

7 Carhartt Double Knee painter pants The silhouette is cool. I want

to wear pants outside the boots, so I choose to loosen them. The reason is that dust does not get inside the boots.

Japan has only 200m short track, so I wear cotton with enough inner protective equipment.

8 Gaerne Balance oiled motorcycle boots I use these boots

because it is easy to move the ankle and grasp the condition of the track surface. Very easy to wear. Suitable for short tracks. On high-speed courses I would opt for boots with more protection.

9 Hazet toolbox I bought it because

the colour is cute, but it’s quite sturdy and I’ve used it for a long time. A lot of necessary tools are randomly put in.

10 Buddy hot shoe I made a hot shoe about 15 years ago and have been using it for a long time. Now I can make better ones, but for some reason I’ve still use this one all the time. I don’t have time to make my own (haha!).

11 Komine armoured innerwear

Japanese brand. Despite the cleaner

Name: Kazuo Fukuda Age: 55 Job: Owner, Buddy Custom Cycles Hometown: Yokohama, Japan Bikes owned: 1950 HarleyDavidson WL; 1966 Harley-Davidson XLCH; 1988 Harley-Davidson Sportster; Buddy Racing H-D WL; Wood Rotax; Shell Yamaha TT500; Have Fun!!

150 Baby Dynamite

Photos: Takashi Urashima (stuff), Kousuke Fukuda (portrait)

The Right Stuff

silhouette than other manufacturers’ products, the elbows, shoulders, spine and tummy have a solid plastic guard, which gives a sense of security. I have been using it for a long time.

12 Black Parade x Fist Handwear V2 MX glove Bought recently, I also use them regularly. This also has a good fit. I also like the cool design.

13 Flint Lindsay Michigan leather jacket Presented by

photographer Shogo Nakao (aka Teppei), who is the most familiar with flat track in Japan. I wear it when I race. It fits very well and I can concentrate on riding. The best jacket.

14 Hell On Wheels MC longsleeve tee My favourite long-sleeve

tee, bought when Hell On Wheels came to race in Japan from the United States in 2014. Everyone was wearing one, so I just imitated them.

15 Buddy racing vest Urashima store-made vintage racing vest. I ordered with a classic typeface and design like an old racing vest. I was also particular about club design. It’s cool. Super favourite.

16 Biltwell gloves Reasonable and durable. The fit is also good.

buddycustomcycles.wordpress.com

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PREPARED TO GET LOST

WWW.MALLELONDON.COM

Panther Cross Limited-edition designs, like this one by Dave Tharoofer, and well-loved classics are regularly added to our shop. T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and hats, pocket money pin badges, rare back issues, race day essentials and collectible books, too

Shipped internationally

Visit Sideburn.bigcartel.com

From: Anne-Paige T. Darby (Paige Thomas) To: sideburnmag@gmail.com Date: 14 July 2021 Subject: Oklahoma Half-Mile 1991

SB: We have these great photos of you on the podium at the Oklahoma City Half-Mile, July 1991, 30 years ago! So what’s the deal?

A-PD: Since this race was in Ronnie Jones’ hometown, we decided to play a trick on him and celebrate his ‘birthday’ early with a pie in the face.

His real birthday is in October.

SB: You look like you’re making an escape in the last photo. Did Ronnie get you back for the pie?

A-PD: Oh yeah. Ronnie, Chris Carr and I even think Dave Despain may have been involved. My colleague Sandy Jarvis and I both got pie-inthe-face surprises! I had pie all over my face and in my hair… What goes around, comes around.

Lustrous blonde locks

Tom Selleck lip mitten

any fears of offending someone. I don’t believe that things have changed for the better or worse – they are just very different.

SB: You’ve recently been inducted into the Gene Wood Hot Shoe Hall of Fame, how did that make you feel?

A-PD: I felt honored. The others who were inducted into the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame were amazing athletes who have given their life to the sport of motorcycle racing. These athletes are highly skilled and accomplished with multiple titles and accolades. I was shocked that I would be included with such marvels.

Photos: Mitch Freidman

SB: It’s pretty rare to see presentation girls on podiums in any sport these days. Have times changed for the better?

A-PD: I really enjoyed the ‘good ol’ days’ of racing, when we weren’t so sensitive as Americans. We all joined together for the love of racing without

15% 24% 8% 53% Positive health message

SB: What was it like being one of the well-known Camel girls?

A-PD: Being Miss Camel from 19881993 was such a blessing in my life.

I got to travel to just about every state in the US. I was either working a Camel Pro, supercross or superbike race all while making some of the best friends in my life. I really enjoyed travelling with my racing family and putting on a show for the fans.

Cake

SB: What else do these photos remind you of?

A-PD: Friends, fun and frequent-flyer miles! So many wonderful memories, too many to mention here today.

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