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Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

7 days ago

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Todd Marella from Portland, OR, is back with a post! Today, as I was reminded by a dear friend, marks one year since my blog contribution titled 'An American Tune.' It still brought tears to my eyes, even one year removed. Time flies. Yesterday (Sunday) I awoke to an alarm at 5:45. A ridiculous time to hear one’s own alarm chiming from their phone on a Sunday, right? I needed the time to prepare for what was to be my first racing in eight months; first time indoor in over a

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

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

London’s Burning

Sep 19, 2020

London’s Burning

Latest post from Pacific Northwest correspondent, Todd Marella, again, with a thread of The Clash running through it. . More aptly, Portland’s burning. But, with boredom…? Sure, there’s a touch of boredom that comes with isolation and staying indoors for the remainder of summer, but Portland burns with much more than that. Anxiety, disappointment, disillusion, anger, sadness, uncertainty, distrust… These come to mind. Not to mention, Portland proper, is quite literally surrou

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

What's My Name?

Jul 19, 2020

What's My Name?

Latest blog from Todd Marella. It’s Friday after work and a few of us are gathering at the Heap (@cycleheap) to ready bikes, drink beer, and swap a week’s worth of absurdities learned about our current state of affairs. Two of us are planning on racing the next day, 5 ½ hours away in Spokane, Washington…which is almost Idaho…and nearly Canada. Four days earlier, I had it in my mind that I’d be returning to the track, that I’d fallen in love with two weekends prior, by myself.

I’m So Bored With The U.S.A.

Jul 5, 2020

I’m So Bored With The U.S.A.

[Pacific Northwest correspondent, Todd Marella back with a blog from Spokane, WA. By the way, for no US residents, it's pronounced Spo-can. Take it away Todd...] It’s neither accurate nor fair to say I’m 'bored' with the USA (though I did choose that title for this post0… I guess disappointed is more in line with my feelings of late. Today is the 4th of July, the celebratory holiday acknowledging America’s independence from British rule. More importantly to me at the moment,

Half Mile: Dennis Kanegae

May 3, 2020

Half Mile: Dennis Kanegae

A blog post from Todd Marella... Lunch was a lockdown affair at work today, with no one in the immediate vicinity to impress with my homemade Birria, cucumber salad, and chocolate chip cookies. Alone in my windowless closet of an office, I typed 'vintage ascot motorcycle movies' into my search bar. The first result was 'Half Mile, a film about Dirt Track Privateer Dennis Kanegae from…' The recurring loop within YouTube’s trailer of a guy in ‘70s era black, white and red leath

American Tune

Mar 29, 2020

American Tune

Beautifully written off-topic Sunday post from a melancholic Todd Marella in Portland, Oregon. I need a hug. More accurately, I need to hug. If you’ve met me, and we’ve become familiar, there’s a pretty good chance we’ve hugged. As we should be, if we are heeding the wisdom and recommendation of the brightest scientific minds, I am isolating. It’s proving more challenging for me than I initially imagined. This global pandemic is really cutting into my hugging program. Don’t g

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

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

That’s Entertainment

Feb 26, 2020

That’s Entertainment

Join Todd Marella for today's craft class. Typically, it’s been a Clash tune that sets the tone or theme for these posts. This one is a little off topic, and this song by The Jam is what keeps playing in my head. I had it bad for them, too. How could you not? Perfect power pop, all the best gear, and those shapes… The Jam delivered in bombastic fashion sonically, of course, but visually, they were something else. Their look was sharp, smart, and tight, borrowing from an earli

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

Every Little Bit Hurts

Jan 1, 2020

Every Little Bit Hurts

Update from Todd Marella on the Salem indoor winter series over in Salem. Saturday at Salem was a pretty dreamy night for flat track, whether one was racing or spectating, or both, the sparsely attended night had no shortage of action. Skyler Goar put on a clinic in the vintage open class. He is so pure, watching him lulls you into a state of suspended disbelief. Standing just on the other side of the Jersey barrier from where back straight becomes turn three, Todd Hill (Mich

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

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

Flashback: Dirt Quake USA 2

Oct 14, 2019

Flashback: Dirt Quake USA 2

My memory is not so good, so it's hard to say if Dirt Quake USA 2 was the craziest motorcycle event I've ever been to, but looking at this resurfaced 15-second clip, filmed by Sideburn contributor Ed Subias, it makes me think it probably was. Let me set the scene. This was, as the name suggests, the second Dirt Quake USA. We co-organised the event with our friends at See See Motorcycles and held it at the famous Castle Rock race track in Washington state. The track is an hour

Sideburn x Indian Beginner's Guide: ONLINE NOW

Jun 5, 2019

Sideburn x Indian Beginner's Guide: ONLINE NOW

We have produced a neat 24-page beginner's guide to flat track in conjunction with Indian Motorcycle. Indian ordered a limited edition of 1000 issues to be printed, and gave them out at the MCN Festival and the Bike Shed Show. If you weren't in the exact right place at the exact right time we've put the guide online for you. It's a mix of the most relevant Get Schooled guides (most relevant to a beginner) all illustrated by Ryan Quickfall and written by me, Dave Skooter Farm

Sideburn 36: Pre-Order

Mar 11, 2019

Sideburn 36: Pre-Order

The new issue will arrive later this week, subs orders will be sent out ASAP after arrival. If you're not a subscriber you can either subscribe now, or pre-order to have your magazine out in the first delivery. We have two alternative covers. All subscribers will get the cover above. We've also had to raise the cover price for the first time since 2015. Sorry. PRE-ORDER SIDEBURN 36 NOW or SUBSCRIBE TO SIDEBURN Here's what's in the latest issue... COVER 1: Toshiyuki 'Cheetah'

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