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SOLD: Cheetah FTR223

Jan 28

SOLD: Cheetah FTR223

For sale in Japan, built by Sideburn columnist, Cheetah. We know someone who could help you export it too.. this is the spec Cheetah shared with us. HONDA FTR223 Race only Wiseco 11:1 hi-comp piston CRF230 cam Light flywheel PWK28 carb Short swingarm F CBX 19wheel & Maxxis tyre R Excel rim 19 & Maxxis tyre XL80 Gas tank Storz tailcowl White Bros pipe SAVANNA Red Handlebar ￥330.000 We can put you in touch if you're interested. Or go through instagram @cheetah_4d.studio #Forsal

Bosozoku 2020

Dec 26, 2020

Bosozoku 2020

Our friend, and contributor, Larry from New York City Motorcycle, recently moved to Japan where he has created a new business, exporting rare, desirable but affordable bikes and cars to the USA (see more in his @newyorkcitymotorcycles instagram feed, and check the stories for new stock). While in Japan he came across a couple of Bosozoku ride-outs. They remind me very much of superannuated mods in the UK, reliving their youths (or youths they wish they'd had but didn't) dress

Momiage Speed

Dec 15, 2020

Momiage Speed

Momiage Speed are one of the growing number of Sideburn stockists in Japan. They have an oh-so Japanese gallery of the bikes they've built and modified over the years, and the Sportster page is especially useful to use inspiration for your next foray into the custom world. This street tracker caught my eye, then I noticed a Sideburn logo sticker on the fork leg. Chuffed! See more at www.momiagespeed.jp #Sportster #streettracker #Japan #HarleyDavidson

Buell BOTT Blog

Nov 15, 2020

Buell BOTT Blog

Our Italian friends at Reparto Sportivo are playing their part to keep the much-shrunk interesting blog universe alive with irregular, but long blog posts. The latest is about the Buell-based Sundance Weapon Battle of The Twins racer (below) and includes the photo above, of the Buell RR-1000, the race bike was based on, riding on the road in Japan in the late-80s. It is my favourite bike photo I've seen in ages. Battle of the Twins was a big thing when I first got into bike

Lockdown Colouring-In 4: Brink

Mar 28, 2020

Lockdown Colouring-In 4: Brink

Below is the fourth link to a Takashi Urashima image to colour-in. https://www.dropbox.com/s/25lhw3bmdb8ud0o/Sideburn%20Brink%20copyright%20Takashi%20Urashima.jpg?dl=0 This one is a bit different because it's our pal and fellow racer, Brink, with one of his street bikes, Golden Dawn, a Harley bosozuko-style chop built by Pangea Speed in Utah. Come back later in the week for the next instalment. Work remains the copyright of Takashi Urashima. If you want to buy the magazine w

Lockdown Colouring-In 3: 'Texas' Chris Jenner

Mar 26, 2020

Lockdown Colouring-In 3: 'Texas' Chris Jenner

Below is the third link to a Takashi Urashima image to colour-in. https://www.dropbox.com/s/23cmu4oufnbdpbc/Sideburn%20Chris%20Jenner%20copyright%20Takashi%20Urashima.jpg?dl=0 This is 'Texas' Chris Jenner, a regular DTRA Thunderbike racer, styling it over the jump at the Greenfield TT, Lincolnshire, UK. Come back later in the week for the next instalment. Work remains the copyright of Takashi Urashima. If you want to buy the magazine with the free colouring-in supplement, ORD

Lockdown Colouring-In 2:
Lucky Luke

Mar 24, 2020

Lockdown Colouring-In 2: Lucky Luke

Below is the second link to a Takashi Urashima image to colour-in. https://www.dropbox.com/s/8j43lnnm7elrm6j/Sideburn%20Lucky%20Luke%20K%20copyright%20Takashi%20Urashima.jpg?dl=0 This is Lucky Luke - London-based tattoo artist who drew our KR750 Cat T-shirt artwork. I took the original photo, in the scrutineering queue at the Redcar round of the 2019 DTRA season. Luke competes in the Vintage class on his street legal Triumph. Come back later in the week for the next instalm

Lockdown Colouring-in 1:
Oliver Brindley

Mar 23, 2020

Lockdown Colouring-in 1: Oliver Brindley

Last December we made a colouring-in book supplement that was free with Sideburn 39, full of images drawn by Japanese firefighter, part-time bike shop mechanic and artist, Takashi Urashima. Over the weekend a message referring to the drawings came in from Vir, co-owner of Sideburn's Nepal and Himalayan tour partner - Helmet Stories. Vir has a young daughter and, like the citizens of many countries at the moment, is under some kind of Coronavirus lockdown. His suggestion was t

RD250 Street Tracker

Jan 9, 2020

RD250 Street Tracker

In pre-Instagram days, when there was far less info, fewer outlets, less stimuli, the Sideburn blog would often post a random photo of a bike we found, even if we didn't know a lot about it. In the Instagram age people have made whole careers and lifestyles out of posting photos they know bugger all about and had nothing to do with. Anyway, Japanese chap Noboru Suwa sent us a photo of this Yamaha RD250 street tracker and it was too nice not to share, even though I don't have

Have Fun Flat Track!! MEGAPOST

Dec 6, 2019

Have Fun Flat Track!! MEGAPOST

James 'Leftie' Smith reports from this week's Have Fun Flat Track!! event and Mooneyes HRCS in Japan. Thanks James! After ten years of annual pilgrimages to Japan for different reason from work and BMX trips, chopper shows and hangovers from hell. Felt good for this years agenda being Flattrack and eating awesome food with seasoning of those others things. Left London with only a carry-on backpack filled mostly of riding gear and in stark contrast to a sensible person taking

Have Fun Flat Track Party

Nov 5, 2019

Have Fun Flat Track Party

Remember the Have Fun!! flat track crew from Japan that we featured on (and on the cover) of SB36? Sure you do! Well, they're having a big stand at the forthcoming Yokohama Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show, then the following two days they're hosting a flat track race meeting at Kawagoe (a train and short taxi ride away, if you're going to the show). ORDER SIDEBURN 36 #HaveFun #Japan #Sideburn36 #Kawagoe #Mooneyes

Sureshot CX Carbon Package

Aug 29, 2019

Sureshot CX Carbon Package

I came across Sureshot at last December's Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan and I've been meaning to post these shots of the incredible CX package kits and Speed Slim tanks they make for Sportsters. We don't post cafe racers on this blog very often (if ever), but I've made an exception for this kit. The carbon tank alone is 228,000 yen (currently £1750 or US $2130), but comes with the filler cap... Tank, seat and sidepanels is 448,000 yen (£3450 US $4200) They a

Yokohama HRCS People MEGAPOST

Mar 1, 2019

Yokohama HRCS People MEGAPOST

It's nearly three months since the Mooneyes Hot Rod and Custom Show (HRCS) and I really don't know where the time has gone. I took these photos at the show, in Yokohama, because there were so many characters that I loved the look and style of that I wanted to share. Go, founder of Brat Style, on his custom sand bike with apes and high-rise handshift Cool dude from Addict Clothes, a very classy Japanese brand. He has a vintage racing Norton in the back of his 600cc minitruck.

Okie Dokie Video

Cloud Cuckoo Land: Deus Ex Machina x Ornamental Conifer, Tokyo MEGAPOST

Jan 10, 2019

Cloud Cuckoo Land: Deus Ex Machina x Ornamental Conifer, Tokyo MEGAPOST

Somehow it's already well over a month since I flew out to Japan with Bonzorro and Brink for the Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show and Brat Style Okie Dokie flat track race. God only know where the time goes. I might not even bother putting Christmas decorations back in the loft because it only seems like two minutes before I'm up the stepladder again to fetch them. There will be a big feature from Japan in the next magazine, SB36, and, hopefully, more blogs from the Japan trip al

Kawagoe Harley WLs

MUST SEE: Motorcycle Boy - The Legendary Tigerman

Jul 31, 2018

MUST SEE: Motorcycle Boy - The Legendary Tigerman

Portuguese musician, Paulo Furtado aka The Legendary Tigerman, sent this short film, featuring his music and it mesmerised me. I've known about the Japanese bosozuku cult for years, but haven't seen any fresh coverage of it for a long time. The way the film morphs into a music video and then back out again is intriguing. I watched the film, then turned off the screen and listened to the music. I recommend it. The visuals are too intoxicating to take in the music on one viewin

Guitar Wolf x Lewis Leathers

Jul 15, 2018

Guitar Wolf x Lewis Leathers

Forget Ronaldo joining Juventus, the biggest signing of 2018 is Lewis Leathers' securing a sponsorship deal with Jet Rock legend Guitar Wolf. The London-based manufacturer has been outfitting motorcyclists, aviators and rock and roll stars since 1892, and recently opened a successful store in Harajuku, Japan, so a tie-in with cowhide enthusiast, Guitar Wolf is well timed. I met the company's owner, Derek Harris, at this weekend's Assembly Chopper Show, where I took these hast

Oval Super Battle

Jul 6, 2018

Oval Super Battle

Our friend, Guzzi nerd and sometime contributor Andrew Gray sent a link to this intriguing clip. It shows two Suzuki superbikes (they could be 600s, but I'm pretty sure they're 1000s), two supermotos and one AutoRace grasshopper, probably a Suzuki or Kawasaki 600 single, start on three different lines of a very widely spaced grid. Who is your money on? They're racing on a banked, tarmac Autorace (Oto Resu) course in Japan. The sport of Autorace was featured in Sideburn 2, and

ForkCo Enduro Face

Feb 20, 2018

ForkCo Enduro Face

Sideburn's Japanese distributor, ForkCo, also makes a range of cast and machined alloy parts, and exhausts. His newest part is this lovely cast alloy 'Enduro Face'. It comes in slotted or plain, bare or polished. The price starts at 18,360 Yen, for unpolished, not including headlight or shipping. If my exchange rate calculation is correct that is £123 or US $171. Tom at ForkCo communicates well in English, so if you want any of his parts, drop him a line. #ForkCo #Japan #Side

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