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 EXPO • THE BIGTWIN EXPO, HELD ANNUALLY IN HOUTEN, NETHERLANDS, IS ONE OF EUROPE’S PREMIER EVENTS FOR CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS, AND BRINGS TOGETHER CUSTOM BUILDERS, PARTS SUPPLIERS, AND ARTISTS FROM ACROSS EUROPE AND BEYOND TO SHOWCASE UNIQUE DESIGNS, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THE RAW PASSION THAT FUELS THE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE CULTURE.

BUILT LIKE A GUN • THIS VERY SUBTLE LITTLE SINGLE’S BEEN BUILT OUT OF A 350 BULLET ROYALENFIELD – A BIKE YOU DON’T OFTEN SEE CUSTOM VARIANTS OF.

THE WINTER BLAST • IT SEEMS A LIFETIME AGO NOW, HERE IN JUNE, BUT BACK AT THE END OF NOVEMBER LAST YEAR BOYDS, AS IN BOYDS OF BEDFORD, RETAIL PURVEYORS OF MODERN BIKER CLOTHING TO THE DISCERNING, HELD THEIR USUAL WINTER EVENT AT THE RUSHDEN TRANSPORT MUSEUM IN RUSHDEN IN NORTHANTS (A MERE STONE’S THROW, IF YOU HAVE REALLY LONG ARMS, FROM SANTA POD).

THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT… • THIS IS THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT THIS IS THE EVO ENGINE THAT LIES IN THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT THIS IS A HELLSTOWN CHOPPERS FRAME THAT CRADLES THE ENGINE THAT LIES IN THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT THIS IS THE TOLLE FRONT END THAT SUPPORTS THE FRAME THAT CRADLES THE ENGINE THAT LIES IN THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT THIS IS THE 23-INCH FAT SPOKE FRONT WHEEL THAT RUNS IN THE FRONT END THAT SUPPORTS THE FRAME THAT CRADLES THE ENGINE THAT LIES IN THE BIKE THAT JACK BUILT…

OLD BOOT BIKERS IN THE BARN MEET • BACK IN MARCH, AT THE END, JUST BEFORE THE WEATHER CHANGED AND GOT ALL ‘OT N’ SUNNY N’ LUVERLY, ME AND HER GOOD SELF RODE ONLY A FEW MILES FROM HER PLACE TO THE DANE END CHRISTMAS TREE FARM NOT FAR FROM WARE, IN HERTS.

THE DARK KNIGHTRISES • THE TRIKE YOU SEE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, LADIES N’ GENNULMEN, PUTS ME IN A REAL QUANDARY. IS THE TRIKE THAT BATMAN’D RIDE OR IS IT THE TRIKE THAT JUDGE DREDD WOULD? ITS LOOKS’D FIT EITHER CHARACTER – YOU CAN SO EASILY SEE IN YOUR MIND’S EYE EITHER BURSTING OUT FROM THE MISTS CARRYING THE CAPED CRUSADER, OR POWERING THROUGH THE STREETS OF MEGA-CITY ONE AS THE JUDGE DISTRIBUTES JUSTICE THROUGH THE BARREL OF HIS LAWGIVER.

CCW AUTOJUMBLE & CUSTOM SHOW • MUCH AS I HATE, ABSOLUTELY HATE, GETTING UP REALLY EARLY IN THE MORNING, ONCE I’M UP AND ON THE ROAD, WITH HARDLY ANY OTHER TRAFFIC ABOUT, I FIND A KIND OF PEACE DESCENDS ON ME, AND THE MILES JUST ROLL BY TO THE NOISE OF THE SWISH OF THE TYRES AND THE DULL, BUT CONSTANT, SOUND OF THE ENGINE BELOW. IT’S A KIND OF CALM TIME, BEFORE THE F**KWITS SURFACE, AND RUIN YOUR PEACE, AND I DON’T GET ENOUGH OF IT.

PORK CHOP, EXPRESS* • HOWABIKE GETSITS NAME’SONEOFTHE REAL FASCINATIONSOF CUSTOM BUILDING, ITHINK. MYFAVOURITE’S OF AFRIEND’S XS1100CUT-DOWN, WHICH HE’D SELF-CHRISTENED ‘GREEBO’ AFTER NANNY OGG’SCAT INTHE DISCWORLDBOOKS, BUT WAS SOON RENAMEDBYAN OLDBOY OUTSIDE APUBWATCHING HIMTRYINGTO STARTIT. “AH,”HESAID, NODDING WISELY, “DAISY–SOME DAYS‘ESTART, SOME DAYS ‘EDOESN’T.”

ODDBALLS MCCS UNFROZEN BALLS UP • MMM, DUNNO ABOUT ‘UNFROZEN’ – I WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE O’ THE NIGHT FRIDAY FOR A WEE, AND THE PLACE WAS WHITE-OVER. THEN, WHEN I WENT BACK TO BED I REALLY, REALLY COULDN’T GET WARM… ALTHOUGH THAT PROBABLY WASN’T HELPED BY MY HAVING LEFT THE VAN DOOR OPEN ABOUT FOUR INCHES, WAS IT?

GRUMPY’S CLASSIC & MOTORCYCLE BASH • GRUMPY’S OR, TO GIVE IT ITS FULL NAME, GRUMPY BASTARDS MOTORCYCLE GARAGE IS THE SORT OF PLACE YOU’D WANT IN YOUR TOWN, IT REALLY IS.

LIKE THE ’70S NEVER WENT AWAY • I DON’T KNOW IF YOU KNOW BUT, PRIOR TO HIS CAREER AS A MOTORCYCLE BUILDER, ARLEN NESS WORKED AS A PIN SETTER AT THE LOCAL BOWLING ALLEY, AND COMPETED SEMI-PROFESSIONALLY IN BOWLING LEAGUES, SAVING AND LATER USING THE EARNINGS TO BUY HIS FIRST MOTORCYCLE – A ‘47 KNUCKLEHEAD THAT HE LATER...