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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

For Sale: 1959 Triumph TR6 Pre-Unit Race Bike

Mar 6

For Sale: 1959 Triumph TR6 Pre-Unit Race Bike

This from our friend Julian, in Los Angeles. 1954 Florida State Champion Winning Bike This amazingly fast, well-built state champion of a bike is an absolute bloody gem. I bought the bike at the Davenport Swap-meet from the original owner (yes he was the 1954 Florida State Champion), so I am the second owner of the bike. It's unique combination of Harley and Triumph parts are a deliberate decision from the original owner as this is what he felt performed the best, obviously s

Sean Kelly's Winning Formula

Jan 8

Sean Kelly's Winning Formula

The interest in the DTRA's Vintage class grows with every year. Four-strokes and two-strokes are mixed on the track, but split into two championships, and Sean Kelly proved you didn't need anyone's idea of a typical flat tracker, or a big budget, to win the two-stroke title, as he did in 2019. Here Sean shares the story of his Suzuki TS400. (Action photos: Braking Point Images) Motorcycles have always been the family trade but not always in the blood. As a third-generation mo

Inman Column: Running a Marathon in Clogs

Nov 24, 2020

Inman Column: Running a Marathon in Clogs

Regular blog readers will know I've been a columnist for magazines including Café Racer, GQ Italia, Rolling Stone Italy and Bike over the years. Some I packed in, others dried up with editors changed. I still contribute to Café Racer in France as I have for over ten years. Every now and then I repost the columns here. This one is from 2019. Type Inman Column into the search bar to see the others. GI Three years ago I was at the first Dirt Track Riders Association race of the

AMA Vintage Flat Track Nationals, NY

Sep 20, 2020

AMA Vintage Flat Track Nationals, NY

Reader post from John Bade. Get in touch if you have a post for us. A bike you're building, a race you visited, a memory, an old snapshot. I made it up to the AMA Vintage Flat Track Nationals at Cuddebackville, NY last weekend. Thought I'd share some of my "bits & pieces" iPhone photos. It was great to see the large turnout for this event. Take care, John #NewYork #Vintageflattrack #ShortTrackNY

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

Mike's Champion Bultaco

Aug 14, 2020

Mike's Champion Bultaco

I never thought of myself as much of a 'practice' rider. Time is tight, lots to do: family, work (self-employment work-life balance/imbalance), so I make time for the races, but not always the practices. 2020 has been different. There have been no races, so I've craved the practices. At the couple of practice days I've attended I've had a bit of time to talk to people I don't always get time to speak with either because we're busy racing, or racing on different days, or pitte

The Death of Rye House

Aug 9, 2020

The Death of Rye House

Blog post from John Harrison. Another One Bites the Dust: Yesterday (8 Aug 2020) the management at Rye House Stadium stated that 'We are sad to announce that motorcycle events at the stadium have come to an end', thus terminating a long history of speedway, and a more recent past of flat track events at the iconic venue. It's no secret that regrettably, British speedway is on its knees. A largely pensioner fanbase, venues in increasingly residential areas, and now Covid all n

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,

HookieCo Tiger - Before & After

May 7, 2020

HookieCo Tiger - Before & After

One of the dream race bikes in Sideburn 40 is Hookie Co's 1967 Triumph T100R. German firm Hookie Co are better known for their transformative bolt-on bodykits for modern bikes, but they don't limit themselves to just that. As you can see, the Triumph twin has great poise. Other than being in SB40, there is another link to Sideburn. Hookie explain that they found the basis to the bike on this very blog. It was one of the many flat track bikes reader Kev H feeds our way and we

Paul's AJS

Apr 23, 2020

Paul's AJS

We featured amateur racer, Paul Hartman's Racewear and his gorgeous Triumph Hooligan in Sideburn 38. Last week we discovered he'd built this AJS and asked him to give us some details. He certainly has a knack for building bikes with a nice stance. This is what he could tell us about his latest Brit. It's a 1948 AJS Model 18 with some evolution of '50s and '60s tricks. I wish I knew the whole story on this one, because I'm sure it would be good. It was owned by a fellow up in

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

The Sun is Golden, The Shadows Long

Mar 20, 2020

The Sun is Golden, The Shadows Long

Blog post from John Harrison. Recently our friend Michel Colazzi (Mr Swiss DTA) posted the photo above (by Remko van Diggelen) on his instagram. It's from Hells Race May 2019. I'm #72, Michel is #98 and Dimitri Coste is #67. Three old Triumphs working hard and sounding great. I hadn't seen it before, and it made me happy because my first thought was 'Yeah, it really is that much fun.' For me it seems to convey the joy of racing as much as The Thrill, which is very definitel

Sideburn Data: Who, What, Why... interview

Mar 17, 2020

Sideburn Data: Who, What, Why... interview

We have run an interview with people we admire under the subtitle - Who? What? When? Why? Where? - in the front of Sideburn since issue 3 (perhaps when I thought Sideburn had some kind of future). The latest subject is Anthony 'DTRA' Brown, an inspirational fella for a lot of reasons. If you're not familiar with him, he heads up the UK race series, the DTRA (as a not for profit organisation); is the European Vintage flat track champ; works within the bike community to get mor

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

Levis-Triumph

Feb 27, 2020

Levis-Triumph

From Pete Stansfield... If you were planning to compete in a vintage championship catering for pre-1980 twin shock bikes your first choice of machine probably wouldn’t be based on an 86-year-old rigid frame with girder forks, but some of us do like to be different. Will, with his dad Walt run a small and vaguely eccentric motorcycle shop in Malton, North Yorkshire where they cater for anything from MOTs to one off custom bike builds. As you approach the front door you will he

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

DTRA Indian Euros 2020

Jan 20, 2020

DTRA Indian Euros 2020

Dates are out for the 2020 Euro flat track series, organised by the DTRA and sponsored by Indian Motorcycles. this is what Indian say... Indian Motorcycle is reinforcing its investment in the growth of European motorcycle sport with the Dirt Track Riders Association (DTRA) and are pleased to announce the race schedule for the 2020 Indian Motorcycle European Flat Track Series. Following a successful inaugural series in 2019, Indian Motorcycle has worked with the DTRA to selec

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

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