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

BIGTWIN BIKESHOW & EXPO • FOR MORE YEARS THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER I’VE BEEN AWARE OF THE BIGTWIN BIKE SHOW OVER IN HOLLAND AND, LIKE A LOT OF US WHEN IT COMES TO EVENTS IN FOREIGN LANDS, HAD IT DOWN ON MY WISH-LIST OF PLACES I WANTED TO, BUT PROBABLY WOULDN’T, GO.

HIGH MILEAGE HAULER • A COUPLE OF ISSUES AGO, ISSUE 504, IN THE ARTICLE ON GAV FROM CHOPPER CLUB SCOTLAND’S GSX-R DIGGER, I REMARKED ON THE INACCURACY OF PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS OF THE USEABILITY OF DIGGER-STYLE CUSTOM BIKES. THIS ISSUE, I’M REVISITING THAT SUBJECT BUT, THIS TIME, IT’S NOT DIGGERS – IT’S CHOPPERS… WELL, ONE CHOPPER IN PARTICULAR. THIS, LADIES N’ GENTS, IS MALC’S TWIN CAM CHOP, AND IT’S DONE, SO FAR, 260,000 MILES.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DRAG RACING • WHY’RE WE READING ABOUT DRAG RACING IN THE ORIGINAL CUSTOM BIKE MAGAZINE? IT’S A FAIR QUESTION, AND ONE THAT’LL UNDOUBTEDLY BE VOICED FROM SOME QUARTERS, SO WHAT FOLLOWS IS A BRIEF, AND HOPEFULLY NOT TOO DULL, EXPLANATION.

Earth Tourist • IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO RESIDE IN AN AREA OF THE COUNTRY WHERE YOU HAVE A CUSTOM SHOP OR TWO NEARBY, THEN THE TASK OF CREATING A ONE-OFF MO’CYCLE TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL TASTES’S MADE THAT MUCH EASIER AS YOU CAN ENGAGE THEIR SERVICES, EITHER IN FULL OR TO HELP WITH WHATEVER YOU CAN’T DO YOURSELF, BUY REQUIRED PARTS FROM THEM, OR JUST ASK THEIR ADVICE IF YOU NEED IT.

PREDATOR–TWENTY YEARS ON (WELL, 23 ACTUALLY) • I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT SOMETHING I’VE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT IS WHERE DO THE ICONIC BIKES, THE TRULY ICONIC ONES, THAT’RE FEATURED IN THIS ‘ERE MAGAZINE, AND OTHERS, TOO, GO AFTER THEY’VE BEEN FEATURED?

IT ALL LEADS TO… • “LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT MY SON OLIVER – A TRUE BOY WONDER. HE’S ONE OF THOSE RARE PEOPLE WHO SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING HE SETS HIS MIND TO, EVEN IF HE’S NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE.

EATING BABIES • WE SAW THE BIKE LONG BEFORE WE HEARD IT. THE SNOW THAT LAY THICK ON THE FROZEN GROUND MUFFLED MOST FAR-OFF SOUNDS, AND SO WE HAD SCOUTS POSTED; TWO HOURS ON AND THEN TWO HOURS OFF. THAT WAS ALL THAT THEY COULD TAKE IN THE COLD.

FOR KAREN… • “I WANTED TO BUILD A BIKE, A TRIUMPH, AS MY DAD AND UNCLE’D BOTH BUILT TRITONS (DAD STILL HAS HIS AFTER 45+ YEARS), SO I WAS GOING TO BUILD ONE OF THOSE, BUT DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE AND, AFTER WATCHING THE BIKER BUILD-OFF FOR YEARS, DECIDED ON A CHOPPER/BOBBER.”

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THE PIONEER RUN • NOW, BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR, THERE MAY BE SOME OF YOU OUT THERE WHO’LL ASK WHAT AN EVENT PREDOMINATELY FOR PRE-1915 BIKES HAS GOT TO DO WITH THE CUSTOM BIKE SCENE AND BSH? WELL, APART FROM THE FACT THAT BOTH ME AND OUR BIKE-MAD EDITOR ALWAYS WANTING TO RIDE ONE, THESE MACHINES PERHAPS HAVE A LOT MORE TO DO WITH CUSTOM BIKES THAN MOST MODERN BIKES DO.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON NIGHTSTER • TO SAY THAT, WHEN HARLEY-DAVIDSON ‘RETIRED’ THE AIR-COOLED SPORTSTER, BOTH THE 1200 AND THE 883, IN 2020, IT LEFT… WELL, NOT EXACTLY A HOLE, MORE A F**KING GREAT CHASM, IN THEIR PRODUCT RANGE IS SOMETHING OF AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

A(NOTHER) YEAR OF CUSTOM BIKING… • THIS ISSUE, AND THE NEXT, I’M HANDING OVER WRITING DUTIES TO NORM, WHOSE DEBT I AM ETERNALLY IN, TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE HARRIS. TAKE IT AWAY, NORM! (NO, DON’T ACTUALLY, I’VE WAITED 41 YEARS TO GET ONE.)

My Bridges' Motorcycle Diaries • IF YOU MISSED LAST MONTH’S INSTALMENT, THEN HERE’S A QUICK RECAP (MAYBE YOU SHOULD SUBSCRIBE?). THE OBJECT OF THE EXERCISE WAS TO BUILD A LASER-AIMING SYSTEM FOR THE PILLAR DRILL (FIG.1), AND THE UPSHOT WAS THE MATERIALS COST MORE THAN BUYING ONE, AND...