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

BEST CHOPPER • THE FIRST WINNER OF THIS YEAR’S BSH CUSTOM CHAMPIONSHIP, VIC ELLIOTT’S PANHEAD CHOPPER’S GOT A LONG HISTORY, AND JUST DRIPS WITH CHOPPER ATTITUDE.

BEST CUSTOM • ALWAYS A HARD-FOUGHT CLASS, BEST CUSTOM THIS YEAR WAS ESPECIALLY TAXING TO JUDGE WITH PRETTY MUCH EVERY ONE OF THE SEVEN BIKES IN IT BEING AN ABSOLUTE STUNNA (COPYRIGHT THE SUN 1973). I, PERSONALLY, HAD NO IDEA WHICH WAY IT’D GO, BUT I’M VERY PLEASED THAT THE BIKE THAT I SAW AT THE BIKE SHED SHOW BACK IN MAY, ONE OF THE THREE BEST THERE, TOOK THE TOP HONOURS – STEVE HACKETT’S FOUR-CYLINDER TRIUMPH.

BEST ENGINEERING • PROBABLY THE HARDEST-FOUGHT CLASS OF THE LOT, BEST ENGINEERING WENT RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE AS THEY SAY BUT, FINALLY, THE WINNER WAS PICKED AND IT WAS PHIL TURNER’S CBX 1000, BUILT FOR HIM BY SHAUN BARLEY AT SHAUN BARLEY CUSTOM CYCLES.

BEST NEW SKOOL • NEW SKOOL, IN CASE YOU’RE NOT AWARE, IS A CATCH-ALL CLASS FOR BIKES THAT DON’T FIT INTO THE CHOPPER, CUSTOM, OR ENGINEERING CLASSES, BUT’RE MORE THAN WORTHY OF INCLUSION IN THEIR OWN RIGHT – CAFÉ RACERS, BOBBERS, STREET SCRAMBLERS, FLAT-TRACKERS, AND THE MORE OUT-THERE KIND OF BIKES THAT DON’T REALLY FIT IN ANY OTHER CLASS.

BEST PAINT • BEST PAINT WAS, AS I’M SURE YOU’LL KNOW IF YOU LOOKED AT THE PICS LAST MONTH, A CLASS THAT WAS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO JUDGE – NOT LEAST BECAUSE THREE OF THE WINNERS WERE PAINTED BY THE SAME PAINTER: DAVE BISHOP AT XTREME PAINT STUDIO. THE BIKE THAT WON WAS ONE OF HIS, TOO: ED REYNOLDS’ JAPANESE TATTOO-STYLE HAYABUSA. I’LL LET ED TELL YOU ABOUT IT.

STAFFORD SHOW • THE CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS SHOW, TO GIVE IT ITS CORRECT TITLE, OR STAFFORD AS IT’S MORE COMMONLY KNOWN, AT THE STAFFORD SHOWGROUND JUST OUTSIDE THE TOWN OF… WELL, THAT’S KIND O’ OBVIOUS, ISN’T IT, IS AN EVENT I’VE NOT BEEN TO BEFORE AS IT’S (A) A FECKIN’ LONG AWAY FROM MY NATIVE SUFFOLK, AND (B) A CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE SHOW, AND I’M NOT REALLY INTO CLASSIC MOTORCYCLES AS SUCH.

THE EARLY HOOK-UP • AFTER RIDING THROUGH WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ENDLESS WINTER LAST YEAR, A NEW EVENT, THE EARLY HOOK-UP, AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY, FELT PERFECTLY PLACED FOR MANY TO GET OUT AND ENJOY THE START OF THE WARMER WEATHER AND, HAVING SPENT EVERY SPARE MINUTE OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS WORKING ON MY NEW BUILD, IT WAS ALSO A WELCOME CHANCE TO LEAVE MY (MAN)CAVE AND EMERGE BLINKING INTO THE SUNLIGHT TO REACQUAINT MYSELF WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

SING BLUE SILVER • THIS BIKE… HELLO? HELLO? THE BIKE? YES, THE BIKE… ASSUMING YOU CAN TEAR YOUR EYES AWAY FROM THE IMAGE OF THE LOVELY RAIN, SHALL WE TALK ABOUT THE BIKE, SEEING AS THIS IS A BIKE MAGAZINE, AFTER ALL?

BACK STREET HEROES

Make your Christmas even better • Looking for gifts for friends and family, or just wanting to treat yourself? Well, search no more! A magazine is the perfect pressie for loved. ones (or even to yourself). Not only that, subscribe to Back Stree Heroes for 12 months and we'll I send you our anniversary T-shirt.

BOSUN’S BIKE BONANZA • WELL, I KNOW I’D SAID NEVER AGAIN AFTER THREE GREAT EVENTS, BUT SO MANY FOLK ASKED AND, AS IT WAS A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY, I STARTED CONSIDERING ANOTHER.

BSH Christmas Gift Guide

RAT & SURVIVAL • THE FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE OVER IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE SAW, AS IS NOW TRADITIONAL, THE ANNUAL GATHERING OF THE RAT BIKE CLAN AS BIKES GUARANTEED TO GIVE MOT TESTERS NIGHTMARES MADE THEIR WAY FROM ALL POINTS OF THE COMPASS TO THE OGRI MCC’s ENVIRONS.

LIL’ JESSIE • I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I CAN’T BEAR TO SEE AN INTERESTING BIKE LEFT UNLOVED AND UNCARED FOR…

THE FARMYARD PARTY • IT’S ALWAYS NICE WHEN SOMETHING DELIVERS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN, AND THE FARMYARD...