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 • BLIMEY, THE SUMMER OF 2023’S BEEN A BIT DIFFERENT TO THAT OF 2022, HASN’T IT?

SOUTH-WEST CHOPPER FEST • SOME JOURNEYS TO EVENTS’RE EPIC, AREN’T THEY? THE TRIP THERE IS AS MEMORABLE AS THE EVENT ITSELF – SOMETHING YOU LOOK BACK ON, LAUGH, AND SHAKE YOUR HEAD RUE-FULLY; SOMETHING YOU ADD INTO YOUR STOCK OF BIKER STORIES TO BE TOLD AROUND A FIRE OR AT A PARTY OR SIMILAR.

STAINLESS STEEL RATS CHOPS! • I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME JAMES BOLIVAR DIGRIZ? HE’S A CHARACTER FROM A SERIES OF TWELVE EXCELLENT SCIENCE-FICTION BOOKS – THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT COLLECTION, AND HE’S A FUTURISTIC CONMAN, THIEF AND ALL-ROUND RASCAL; CHARMING AND QUICK-WITTED; A MASTER OF DISGUISE AND MARTIAL ARTS; AN ACCOMPLISHED BANK ROBBER; A CRIMINAL MASTERMIND; AN EXPERT ON BREAKING AND ENTERING; AND A SKILLED LIAR, WHO DISPLAYS A STRONG SENSE OF MORALITY, ALBEIT IN A MUCH MORE RESTRICTED SENSE THAN IS TRADITIONAL, IN THAT HE’LL STEAL WITHOUT COMPUNCTION, BUT DEPLORES KILLING.

BIKE SHED SHOW • THE SECOND BANK HOLIDAY IN MAY (WELL, STRICTLY SPEAKING, THE THIRD THIS YEAR ‘COS O’ THE CROWNING OF CHARLES III) IS NOW, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, THEIR ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THAT LONDON. THE OCCASION? THE BIKE SHED LONDON’S NOW FAMOUS SHOW AT TOBACCO DOCK IN WAPPING.

CLOSTRIDIUM TETANI • IT’S TERRIBLE BEING PREDICTABLE, ISN’T IT? AFTER THE ROCK & BLUES LAST YEAR, LAUREN, AKA FAZERDAZE, SENT ME A PIC OF A RAT TRIUMPH SHE’D SPOTTED ON THE CAMPING FIELD WITH A NOTE SAYING SOMETHING LIKE ‘YOU’LL LOVE THIS!’ AND THE OWNER’S DETAILS. SHE WAS RIGHT, TOO – I DO AND, LOOKING AT IT, HOW CAN YOU NOT?

POSH MINT • IT’S LONG BEEN SAID OF CUSTOM PAINTERS, AND OF CUSTOM BUILDERS, TOO, THAT IF YOU GIVE THEM A VERY BASIC IDEA OF WHAT YOU’D LIKE, AND THEN A FREE HAND TO ACTUALLY DO THE JOB, YOU’LL GET A MUCH BETTER END RESULT THAN IF YOU’RE TOO RIGID IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS. THE BIKE YOU SEE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, THIS MINT CUSTOMS-BUILT S&S SPORTSTER CHOP, IS VERY MUCH A CASE IN POINT.

MUSOS AT THE SHELLEY • MUSOS ON BIKES, AS I’M SURE MANY OF YOU’RE AWARE, IS AN INFORMAL BIKE CLUB FOR MUSICIANS WHO RIDE. THEY HAVE ONLY THREE RULES: YOU MUST HAVE A BIKE, YOU MUST BE A PERFORMING MUSICIAN AT SOME LEVEL, AND YOU MUST BE UP FOR THE CRACK.

BSH CUSTOM CHAMPS 2023 • THE BIGGEST CUSTOM SHOW IN THE WORLD!

BARE METAL (&) BONNIE • BARE-METAL BIKES ARE, AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT’S BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR AS PEOPLE WORK OUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO KEEP THEIR BARE-METAL BIKE LOOKING PRISTINE, AND NOT LIKE A RUSTY PILE O’ POO.

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KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY • WAY BACK IN 1998, A YOUNG ANTHONY CAMMARANO FROM NEW YORK (THE ONE IN THE US OF A, NOT THE ONE IN LINCOLNSHIRE NOT FAR FROM THE WONDERFULLY-NAMED HEDGEHOG BRIDGE) WAITED PATIENTLY TO SEE THE BRAND SPANKING NEW WIDE GLIDE HIS FATHER’D JUST PURCHASED FROM NY HARLEY-DAVIDSON ON NORTHERN BOULEVARD IN QUEENS.

BIKER FEST INTERNATIONAL • BIKER FEST INTERNATIONAL CONCLUDED ITS 37TH EDITION BY CONFIRMING THE HUGE SUCCESS OF PAST YEARS – IT SOLD OUT, AGAIN! 120,000 TOURISTS ARRIVED IN LIGNANO SABBIADORO (UDINE-ITALY) FROM ALL OVER THE CONTINENT, AND FROM OUTSIDE EUROPE.

SIMPLE SINGLE • C11 IS, APPARENTLY, A BUS ROUTE IN LONDON THAT GOES FROM ARCHWAY UNDERGROUND STATION AT THE INTERSECTION OF HOLLOWAY ROAD, HIGHGATE HILL, JUNCTION ROAD, AND ARCHWAY ROAD IN ARCHWAY, IN NORTH LONDON, TO THE BRENT CROSS SHOPPING CENTRE ON PRINCE CHARLES DRIVE IN BRENT CROSS. WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH THIS ‘ERE BSA BOBBER, THOUGH, I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE…

INDIAN SCOUT ROGUE • SONS OF ANARCHY? THAT TV SERIES HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR, DOESN’T IT, BUT,...