BLOG | sideburn

Sideburn x See See Pop-Up

Apr 2

Sideburn x See See Pop-Up

We had fun at last year's Sideburn x See See Pop-Up, and were waiting for restrictions to be lifted so we could visit another of See See's sites, the new venue in the Oregon town of Newberg. Now we've set a date, and it's next Saturday. Our man, Todd Marella is going to be your loquaicious host, and it's great excuse for a ride out. This is what you need to know. Saturday 10 April 10am - 2pm See See Newberg 101 E 1st St, Newberg, OR 97132 See our blog on Todd's first visit to

Ray Tauscher: Portland's World Champ

Jan 12

Ray Tauscher: Portland's World Champ

Ray Tauscher (Tauser in the international press) is America's forgotten world champion. In the years between the wars he left his home in Portland, OR, to race speedway in Australia and Europe winning the major races, including a world championship. Portland filmmakers Ned and Michael Thanhouser heard the story of the late racer, found recently discovered footage they say is of Ray at his height, and gained permission from his surviving family to scour his scrapbooks to form

Nov 5, 2020

Advertiser Profile: Mighty Mo

Based in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Mighty Mo are a newly launched clothing brand with a sense of fun and humour. As a new advertiser in Sideburn magazine we wanted to find out more about them with a quick Q&A. Who is Mighty Mo? Figuratively, MIghtyMo is anyone who’s got the throttle-twisting gene in their DNA. From first-timers who’ve just discovered the thrill of riding, to grizzled old vets who still get themselves out for a proper thrashing - pain, weather, and sticky carb-s

Sideburn x See See

Sep 28, 2020

Sideburn x See See

We're organising a one-day pop-up shop, at one of our favourite spots in the world, See See Motor Coffee, NE Sandy, Portland, Oregon. We have a converted container right behind See See. Our good mate and Pacific North West correspondent, Todd Marella, is going to dealio for us. Here's what you can expect: Exclusive new merch Offers on back issues Cool racebikes on display Friendly local amateur racers on hand to give advice on starting racing Limited edition Sideburn x See Se

Let's Go Crazy

Aug 2, 2020

Let's Go Crazy

From Pacific Northwest correspondent, Todd Marella Sigh…we are… individually, collectively, globally, going crazy. Mad. Bonkers. Nuts. Alas, we’ve all read the accounts of how important the joy in the little things, and the seeking them out truly is. A photograph, a scent, a song…little things often taken for granted, but really powerful, if we let them be. 'Let’s go crazy' is as much a celebration of the human spirit and a record to dance to, as it is a protest anthem, its i

Return To Brixton

Mar 24, 2020

Return To Brixton

An update from Pacific Northwest correspondent, Todd Marella Sunday the 22nd of March wasn’t regular… or common… or without tension. It was the end of the first week of the US largely admitting to itself that the smart money says avoiding contact with other humans unless it is absolutely critical, is the only known way to slow the spread of the Corona virus, known as COVID-19. By the end of the week, the world’s number of confirmed infected cases doubled. I needed something t

Give us a Cuddle

Mar 7, 2020

Give us a Cuddle

Remember those heady pre-Coronovirus days of, well, early 2020? You know, when you'd turn up at a race and French kiss all the track officials, before starting on with a systematic round of licking the faces of the photographers and finally sucking the fingers of your favourite competitors? God, I miss those days now that I'm self-isolating and all I have to look forward to is the four-hourly, horse-strength antibiotics washed down with mouthfuls of hot hand cleanser. So, the

Roland's Reaction

Mar 2, 2020

Roland's Reaction

I was hunting through 100s of photos from the One Pro races at the One Show in Portland that took place last month, when this one appeared. It wasn't the class I was looking for, this is a heat race for the Vintage 250 class (early in the day, hence not many in the stands). It's the class our man Todd Marella races in, and reports on, and I was looking for the Electric National, for the upcoming Sideburn 40. I was drawn to the image, loving the angle showing the huge cube scr

Off-kilter Dancing

Feb 19, 2020

Off-kilter Dancing

Taken from a report by Claudia Meza on Oregon Public Broadcasting. As Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” played loudly, people couldn’t help but bop their heads. Gary Inman gave more than a bop. He snaked around his table, accenting drum hits with jump-kicks and air headbutts. That’s what first caught my eye. As I approached his table mesmerized by his off-kilter dancing and fully intending to find out everything about him, a spread of colorful magazine covers soon distracted me. Inm

The One Show Race Report - London Calling

Feb 17, 2020

The One Show Race Report - London Calling

Todd Marella reports from the One Show and its races. It’s early February in Portland, OR, and to many, there is but one event in town: The One Moto. Brainchild of Thor Drake, and labour of love to many, the motorcycle builder’s showcase has become one of the premier moto shows, the world over. Accounts flourish, rightly so, accurately reporting on the builders, their bikes, and the stories behind them. This is not one of those reports. This is a look through a very small ape

Electric National

Jan 10, 2020

Electric National

Next month's One Motorcycle Show in Portland, Oregon is hosting the country's first electric 'national' flat track race. We featured electric flat track back in Sideburn 29 when our test animal Travis Newbold raced an Alta flat tracker at the One Pro races at Salem in February 2017. For the first time in its 11-year history, the show and races will be in the same venue, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Get tickets for the One Moto Show. We were also at the Alta's d

Landon Calling

Dec 28, 2019

Landon Calling

An update from Todd Marella on the 2019/2020 amateur winter race scene in Salem, Oregon. It’s December 26 and the rush from Christmas is dissipating (damn it, I love Christmas), and it occurred to me that I still hadn’t summed up last week’s activities in the 250 Vintage class at Salem Speedway. The class feels a bit skeleton like, to be sure, as the defending champ, Chris DeSanty, has been absent since the first race getting his Panther outfitted with a two-stroke motor, rep

Portland 2013 Flashback

Nov 19, 2019

Portland 2013 Flashback

I came across these photos recently, that I had never posted and it reminded me how many good memories and great friends I have in Portland, OR. These are from the first time I visited the city, for the One Show in January/ February 2013. That's Michael Schmidt taking photos of Thor, co-founder of See See and the One Show. See See. Stocked Sideburn then. Stocks Sideburn now. Such a great hub of the community and they serve really good coffee. The first 21 Helmets Show a coupl

The Leader - Salem Report

Nov 12, 2019

The Leader - Salem Report

Chris DeSanty (below) began the 2019/2020 Salem indoor series as he ended last year, as the leader in the points standing in the Vintage 250 class. He did so with little trouble within the field, winning both heat and main events, going away. The rest of the group in the class couldn’t be happier for him. The consensus is that he looks tough to beat. We’ll see… Skyler Goar rode as flawlessly as anyone I’ve ever seen, easily defending the #1 plate he earned last season in the

48 HOURS

Nov 8, 2019

48 HOURS

If the update I received this morning is accurate, a big box of top ends, reed valves, and new custom expansion chambers will be on my porch today. It’s Thursday, Nov 7, and the season opener for Salem indoor Flat Track is Saturday, the 9th. 48 hours. At the very minimum, 18 of those will be spent at my regular job, factoring in the commute… 48 Hours ago, the message from Fedex was that the box was in Montana, and delivery was scheduled for Friday at the end of the day. Mind

Thor for Indian

Feb 8, 2019

Thor for Indian

Everything Thor and the See See family touch has an enviable feelgood vibe about it, and this one-minute film for Indian distils it into 60 seconds. It's See See's big show this weekend, the 10th year of the One Motorcycle Show, incorporating the One Pro races. You can livestream the races. Click the One Pro Races tag below for the details we posted in an earlier post. Thor has built the hooligan FTR1200 you see in the film to race in the first round of the 2019 Super Hooliga

Police On My Back

Jan 21, 2019

Police On My Back

I’ve never run from the police. I’ve never been arrested. I’m a lucky guy because I’ve put myself in situations that could’ve, and in some instances, very well should’ve earned me a seat in the back of a squad car. I’d be a liar if I said I haven’t romanticized running from the police. It’s completely ridiculous on so many fronts, but… is it? Why is it such a popular theme in literature and film? Why does it work so well to captivate the reader or viewer in so many stories? I

Spanish Bombs

Jan 12, 2019

Spanish Bombs

I’ve mentioned the 'arms race' that’s in full effect for the Salem Indoor Vintage 250 class this season, and I’ve also referenced that dude who showed up on his Astro from California and gave us all someone to chase for the night. For those of you who are reading these little snapshots of our precious class at Salem Indoor Sideburn so graciously posts, you may also remember mention and photos of #19, one of the riders new this season. Erick (don’t-forget-either-the-c-or-the-k

The Magnificent Seven

Jan 6, 2019

The Magnificent Seven

'You drove yourself here from Salem?' This was the first of many questions from the nurse on duty at Good Samaritan Hospital ER, in Portland after I told them my most recent flat track tale. It was about 11:30 PM on the first Saturday in December. Just four hours prior, I was exiting turn four in the first race of the night. Not just our first race of the night (Vintange 250 riders), but in a rare twist of events, THEE first race of the night, which was very unusual, as the V

Todd's Yamaha MX250

Nov 23, 2018

Todd's Yamaha MX250

Bike build stories abound, alas, not in my personal history. Mine isn’t even one of fabrication (well, a little), radical style altercation, or ingenious “Frankenstein” parting from other bikes or manufacturers. It was a pretty straightforward deal, right? After all, I was purchasing an already proven flat tracker, and venturing only into cosmetically altering the appearance, and a simple re-build of the top end. Piece of cake. Sound familiar? The bike came to me unsolicited

1

2 3 4 5