Back Street Heroes

Back Street Heroes is the UK’s biggest-selling and best custom bike magazine. We cover all styles of custom bikes and the custom biker lifestyle.

Editorial

YORKSHIRE PUDDING • I’M SURE MOST OF YOU’VE EATEN A YORKSHIRE PUDDING? THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH ONE’S BEEN THE BEST ONE YOU’VE EVER HAD? THAT I’LL LEAVE YOU TO MUSE ON, WHILE I TRY TO REMEMBER THE WEEKEND’S EVENTS AS THEY UNFOLDED.

DUL CHUN CINN, CRÍD AN CEICNE ØL AIØCHC • THEY SAY, DON’T THEY, THAT ENGLISH, THE LANGUAGE, IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT FOR NON-NATIVES TO LEARN TO SPEAK BUT, HONESTLY, I DON’T THINK THAT’S NECESSARILY THE WHOLE TRUTH. I MEAN, TAKE THE ABOVE IRISH PHRASE, DUL CHUN CINN TRÍD AN TEICNEOLAÍOCHT – THAT’S FAR, FAR MORE OF A NIGHTMARE TO GET YOUR VOCAL CHORDS AROUND THAN THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF IT, PROGRESS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, OR EVEN THE GERMAN PHRASE THAT THAT’S THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF; VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK.

WORLINGWORTH BIKE SHOW • THE THIRD RUNNING OF THE ANNUAL WORLINGWORTH CHARITY BIKE SHOW WAS BLESSED WITH GLORIOUS SUNSHINE THIS YEAR GIVING EVERYONE THERE A GREAT DAY OUT.

MORE RACER THAN CAFÉ • SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HAVE REAL VISION WHILE BUILDING A BIKE BECAUSE, SOMETIMES, MAKING A SILK PURSE OUT OF A SOW’S EAR REQUIRES MORE THAN ENGINEERING – SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO BE ALMOST A MAGICIAN TOO…

THE CHRISTMAS TREE FAIRY • IT WASN’T THE BEST JOB I EVER HAD, BUT IT KEPT ME AND THE BIKE ON THE ROAD. IT WASN’T THE BEST ‘BIKETHE CHRISTMAS TREE FAIRY I EVER HAD EITHER – IT WAS A NINE-YEAR-OLD SUZUKI 650… WELL, IT HAD BEEN A SUZUKI 650, BUT THE BITS THAT’D BROKEN OFF, FALLEN OFF, OR BEEN KNOCKED OFF’D BEEN REPLACED BY ANYTHING THAT’D FIT AND WERE CHEAP.

PANHEAD JOURNEY • MY FIRST MEMORIES OF A MOTORCYCLE ARE BEING STOOD AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR DRIVE WAITING FOR MY DAD TO COME AND SEE ME, HEARING A LOUD ROAR COMING DOWN THE ROAD BEHIND WHERE ME AND MY MUM LIVED, AND SEEING A BIKE COMING ROUND THE CORNER INTO THE STREET. MY JAW DROPPED – IT WAS THE COOLEST THING I’D EVER SEEN.

NO BULL, JUST BEER & BIKES • HAVE YOU EVER FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A BIKE RALLY? I THINK I MAY’VE BEEN STRUCK BY CUPID’S ARROW AT THE NO BULL.

HUACATAY • ACCORDING TO THE FONT OF ALL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM THAT IS WIKIPEDIA (THE LAZY BIKE JOURNO’S ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL INFORMATION), GROWING IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SOUTH AMERICA, PARTICULARLY PERU, ECUADOR, AND PARTS OF CHILE AND BOLIVIA, IS A HERB CALLED ‘HUACATAY’ WHICH’S USED AS A SEASONING, AND IN PERFUMES, TOBACCO, AND SOFT DRINKS. WHAT, YOU MAY BE WONDERING, HAS THIS TO DO WITH THIS ‘ERE ENFIELD CHOP? WELL, TURN THE PAGE AND YOU’LL FIND OUT…

THORNTON BIKEFEST • TODAY WAS, I WOULD SAY, A SERENDIPITOUS DAY. YOU MAY SAY ‘COINCIDENCE’ BUT, AS THIS IS A VERY CULTURAL AND LITERARY MAG’, WE’LL STICK WITH SERENDIPITOUS.

VALGE DAAMI BIKE SHOW • ESTONIA MAY BE A SMALL COUNTRY, WITH A POPULATION OF JUST 1.3 MILLION, LOCATED ON THE SHORES OF THE BALTIC SEA FAR, FAR TO THE NORTH, BUT EVEN HERE THERE’S A VIBRANT CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE CULTURE.

FLYWEIGHT HARDHEAD • THERE’RE CERTAIN PEOPLE OUT THERE, CERTAIN BUILDERS, WHO, WHEN THEY COME OUT WITH A NEW BIKE, YOU DON’T NEED TO WONDER IF IT’S GOING TO BE FEATUREABLE – YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK THEM TO SEND YOU A PICTURE SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE A LOOK BEFORE COMMITTING YOURSELF TO, SOMETIMES, A VERY LONG HAUL ACROSS THE LAND TO PHOTOGRAPH THEIR LATEST CREATION.

BACK STREET HEROES

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT LASTS ALL YEAR!

JUGAAD • THERE ARE THESE DAYS, AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, LOTS OF VIDEOS ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE OF CHOPPERS FROM ASIA; FROM THAILAND AND INDONESIA WHERE THERE’S BEEN, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, A RESURGENCE IN INTEREST IN CHOPPER BUILDING. IT’S NOT JUST SOUTHERN ASIA THOUGH – NO, THIS BIKE HERE IS FROM INDIA, AND WAS BUILT BY AN EXPAT BRIT.

TANK ART...