Deus Biker Build-Off Milan

Gary is one of the judges at the Deus Biker Build-Off tomorrow (Sunday) in Milan.
NB. he has shaved his Chris Bonington beard off, so you may not recognise him unless you knew him when he was 15. Say "Ciao Bella!". BP

Guess

Something else that came out of a long-stored box just recently. Go on then, what's it off? Make and model. A feeling of intense pride and achievement to the supplier of the first correct answer*. MP
*Sensations of pride and achievement may vary.

The Adventurous Motorcyclist’s Guide to Alaska

Including social etiquette towards grizzly bears, this book - with photos from Lee Klancher (who did the wonderful Dream Garages book we stocked in the Sideburn book shop) tells the potential explorer EVERYTHING they need to know about biking off-grid in Alaska. BP

Whether you ride a motorcycle or just dream of the wind in your face on the open road, the colorful anecdotes and gorgeous images in The Adventurous Motorcyclist’s Guide to Alaska will ignite your passion to take a walk on the wild side and plan a road-going adventure to the great northern state.

The Adventurous Motorcyclist's Guide to Alaska puts 20 years of road knowledge together in a beautiful, information-rich travel guide designed for adventure motorcyclists but sure to please anyone who appreciates visiting the authentic portions of Alaska. Created by motorcycle journalist Lee Klancher with expert guidance from Alaska native and motorcycle tour guide Phil Freeman, the comprehensive guide covers all the highways and roads in Alaska, pointing out the best riding routes, back roads, picture-perfect highways and offbeat destinations in the state.

Klancher and Freeman cover all the main roads in the state with a highway-lover's eye, discussing the road conditions as well those fabulous curves and gorgeous views that appeal to travelers who cherish the journey as much as the destination.
The destinations in the book are full of local character and authentic Alaskans that range from Naidine Johnson, a Denali Highway inn proprietor who is a children's book author and former USO singer with a mountain named after her who will sing for you if you buy her enough shots to a public hot spring at the end of one of the worst dirt roads in America where fresh flowers and grapes hang above stone Japanese baths. The destinations reward the discerning traveler who wants to have a rich travel experience, as each recommendation has been carefully chosen by an experienced journalist who has ridden all of Alaska and a veteran tour guide who has spent most of his life exploring Alaskan highways.

While the entire highway system is covered, the off-the-beaten path places that make Alaska so alluring are what distinguishes the book from other travel guides. Adventure motorcyclists crave back roads as far from civilization with unique destinations at the end, and this book delivers with everything from the colorful backcountry haven of McCarthy, where Alaskan Amber-fueled backpackers and escapees mingle at the Nugget, to a little-known trail on Kodiak Island that crosses rugged terrain to a salmon-fishing hot spot and a classic Alaskan resort. Getting to these places requires a rugged vehicle and time, and this guide book tells you where they are located and how to plan your perfect trip into the wilds of Alaska.

The book is printed on high-quality, durable 140gsm paper, has round corners to stand up to abuse in reader's luggage, and is double-laminated.

You can buy it direct from the publisher Octane Press.

Caption Competition

Winner gets assorted sticker collection.

AND THE WINNER IS...
Austin with
'Ben, are you sure these are really the new rules for the UK Novice Class? I know it seems a lot safer but we all feel right twats wearing these yellow helmets!'
It was a photo-finish in the 27 front-end only race, as Chris'
'When you said you'd lost the back end of your bike in a corner I was thinking of something slightly different...' took an early lead.

Amman Report

After a week of barbecue weather in Britain, Friday saw heavy rain. The internationals had already set up camp in the paddock, and the valley sky was looking foreboding for Saturday. The track surface at Amman is unique, and although having been built on a slag heap was not draining enough. Officials had the hard decision of wether to cancel all of Saturdays fixtures as some areas were boggy and they didn't want the surface destroyed for Sunday's racing that was forecast as sunny.
Finally we got an 'OK' and the valiant donned kagols and zip-tied mudguard to their bikes. No stopping the Dutch-Brothers. Even though the whole team had the most trick fresh paint jobs, they weren't afraid to get down and dirty.Sunday was a sun day, glorious even. Everyone was flying (except me who was quietly but happily wetting my knickers at the back of the pack for my first ever race). Some sensational battles, particularly the final won by Marco on the now TM engined Ouroboros. BP

And the street tracker prize winners awarded by the lovely Rach were:
UPDATE: photo Steven Baldock
Grand final:
1st # 6 Marco Belli..................530 Ouroboros Zaeta
2nd # 90 Aidan Collins...........450 HM Plant Honda
3rd # 5 Jacopo Monti..............450 Honda
for the full results see the Short Track UK website

Caption Winner

Back in December we ran a little competion Not sure I'm wholly honored, but the winner is Andrew Gray. Even my wife said "The likeness is quite uncanny!" He will be receiving a stack of assorted stickers, badges, and a kipper in the post - should have quite a guff on by the time it reaches him. BP

Caption Competition

For those of you not still dormant after excess turkey and trimmings (what do Americans eat on Christmas day if turkey is reserved for Thanksgiving? - which bizarrely enough although an American institution, was invented by English pilgrims)... Here is a little word game for the prize of some assorted stickers. BP

Lo Scorpione T-shirt compo

We met Alessio and Andrea, the brothers behind Italian kustom garage Lo Scorpione at the recent Verona Bike Show.
They gave us a couple of T-shirts but, being very British, rather than say they don't fit, we thanked them profusely and stuffed them in our bags. So we have another two T-shirts for the ever popular Sideburn comment competition. They're both black, both MEDIUM. To have a chance of wining, fill in the blanks, as a comment.

______ is the gosh-darn man because _____________.
So, for instance,
Gary is the gosh-darn man because he's giving away more free T-shirts.

Ones we like most win, our decision is final. Remember to put your name if you're an anonymous poster (I know that doesn't make sense). A woman can be a gosh-darn man too. Doesn't have to be bike related, just has to tickle our fancies...
Some Lo Scorpione bikes

Andrea Scorpione

Hauler - Competition

This is a book a lot of traditional choppers guys go crazy for. No words, just B&W photos. Nice ones. That's Max Schaaf, from Sideburn 2, on the cover. Adam Wright, he who shoots and puts it all together, has just photographed a feature for Sideburn 3. Secret for now, but super exciting. And he sent us a very limited edition Hauler T-shirt. Thing is, it's too big for either Ben or me (well, Ben is huge but likes em tight). It's size L. So to win it we want to know:
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Post it as a comment. If you post anonymously, you better sign your entry. We'll take entries till Jan 2.
Our choice is final. There are no other prizes. Bon chance, mes amis!