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

SCOTTISH MOTORCYCLE SHOW • IT’S MARCH (‘NO, IT’S NOT, Y’DIV SAMSON, IT’S MAY AND WELL YOU KNOW IT!’) AND THAT MEANS ONE THING – TIME TO MAKE THE LONG (LONG!) HAUL UP THE A1 TO THE SCOTTISH MOTORCYCLE SHOW AT THE ROYAL HIGHLAND CENTRE IN INGLISTON, JUST OUTSIDE EDINBURGH.

THE TASTY TRIPLE • THERE’RE CERTAIN BIKES OUT THERE, ESPECIALLY CERTAIN BIKES FROM THE DAYS OF YORE, THAT YOU DON’T EXPECT TO SEE IN BSH; I SUSPECT WE’LL NEVER SEE, FOR EXAMPLE, A CHOPPED OR MODIFIED ORIGINAL BEVEL-DRIVE 900SS DUCATI, OR A DBD 34 GOLDSTAR, OR A GENUINE SS100 BROUGH, OR A REAL MANX NORTON, OR AN RC166 HONDA.

FINNISH CUSTOM (& KUSTOM!) CULTURE • FOR MOST OF US ‘ERE IN BLIGHTY, ALL WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE COUNTRY OF FINLAND IS… WELL, ER, THAT IT’S A COUNTRY THAT MICHAEL PALIN QUITE WANTS TO BE (IN); THAT IT’S WHERE LAPLAND, THE HOME OF FATHER CHRISTMAS, IS; AND… UMM, THERE’RE REINDEER THERE. THAT’S KIND O’ ABOUT IT, REALLY. SORRY FINNISH PEOPLE!

BACKDRAFT • ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE LESSONS YOU LEARN DURING YOUR FIRST, OR ANY OTHER ACTUALLY, BUILD IS THAT IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, AND COMMIT TO IT, THE KNOWLEDGE TO GET IT DONE’S OUT THERE, ALONG WITH PEOPLE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP YOU ALONG THE ROAD.

THUG BIKE ENGLAND BIKE SHOW • ST SWITHIN’S DAY (15 JULY) MIGHT’VE THROWN LOTS OF WET AT US ON THE SATURDAY BUT, BOWLING DOWN THROUGH SHROPSHIRE ON A SUNNY SUNDAY MORNING, IT WAS EASY TO FORGET THE REST OF THE SUPERSTITION.

SLOW BURN • GAME OVER CYCLES, A CUSTOM BIKE COMPANY FROM POLAND, HAS JUST PRESENTED ITS LATEST CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE, INSPIRED BY JAMES HETFIELD OF METALLICA’S 1936 AUBURN 852 BOATTAIL SPEEDSTER ‘SLOW BURN’, AT THE RAT’S HOLE CUSTOM SHOW AT DAYTONA BIKE WEEK.

THE GREAT DIVIDE • IT’S INTERESTING, ISN’T IT, THAT, IN THE MEDIA AT LEAST, BIKERS’RE ALWAYS PORTRAYED AS HARD-LIVING, HARD-DRINKING, HARD-FIGHTING PEOPLE WHO, WHEN THEY’RE BEING GENEROUS (THE MEDIA, THAT IS), ARE ROUGH DIAMONDS WITH A HEART OF GOLD, BUT’RE MOSTLY SEEN TO BE LEATHER-CLAD THUGS ON TWO WHEELS.

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SAMMY MILLER MUSEUM • I’LL COME RIGHT OUT AND SAY IT: I’M NOT REALLY INTO CLASSIC BRITISH (OR AMERICAN, ITALIAN, JAPANESE, OR…) BIKES BUT, BEFORE A LYNCH MOB GATHERS AND STRINGS ME UP FROM THE NEAREST LAMPPOST FOR MOTORCYCULAR HERESY, LET ME CLARIFY THAT A LITTLE – IT’D BE MORE ACCURATE TO SAY I’M NOT REALLY INTO STOCK CLASSIC BRITISH (ETC.) BIKES.

ROYAL ENFIELD SUPER METEOR • WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE ROYAL ENFIELD METEOR 350 CRUISER A FEW YEARS AGO (AS TESTED BY ME ‘ERE AT V.POSH LOCATION IN WARKS), IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE RE CREATED A SIMILAR CRUISER VERSION OF THEIR BEST-SELLING 650 INTERCEPTOR, WASN’T IT?

2024 Bsh Custom Champs! • THE BIGGEST CUSTOM SHOW IN THE WORLD RETURNS FOR 2024, AND IT’S GOING TO GET EVEN BIGGER!

Mr Bridges’ Motorcycle Diaries VOL. VII, EPISODE V • CONTINUING IN THE VEIN OF MAKING THINGS LOOK BETTER WITHOUT SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY, RECENTLY I’VE SPENT A LITTLE TIME WATCHING SPRAY ART VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE (OTHER VIDEO PLATFORMS ARE AVAILABLE..), PARTICULARLY AMETHYST VAZQUEZ’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL BECAUSE HER VIDEOS GAVE ME THAT ‘I COULD DO THAT’ FEELING.

FOREVER WILD • THE ROAD WAS DRY. THE MIDDAY SUN BEAT DOWN, ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD, BUT JUST FAR ENOUGH BEHIND THAT HIS EYES WEREN’T STRAINING AGAINST THE GLARE. A SWEEPING LEFT BEND LED HIM SUDDENLY DOWNHILL, AND ON TO AN ARROW-STRAIGHT ROAD THAT ROSE AND FELL LIKE A SERPENT’S BACK. MATURE TREES, BEECH AND OAK, LINED BOTH SIDES, AND THE SUNLIGHT PAINTED DAPPLED TEXTURES OVER THE SMOOTH TARMAC, AND FLICKERED ACROSS HIS VISOR AS THE BIKE ROARED, SETTING PONIES INTO A GALLOP IN THE LONG FIELD OFF TO HIS...