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

NCC 50TH ANNIVERSARY RUN • EVER SINCE THE SUMMER OF 2022 WHEN THE LATE LAMENTED MUZZ, NCC TREASURER AND MEMBER OF SUFFOLK, SOMEONE I WAS PROUD TO CALL A FRIEND, INVITED ME TO, THEN, NEXT YEAR’S 50th ANNIVERSARY RUN, I’D BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS.

THE NATIONAL CHOPPER CLUB - THE HISTORY • BACK IN THE EARLY 1970S, THE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE SCENE WAS IN ITS RELATIVE INFANCY BUT, FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE FILM EASY RIDER, SUDDENLY CHOPPERS WERE THE NEW THING. THE SCENE TOOK A WHOLE NEW DIRECTION, AND LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE BEGAN BUILDING THEM WHICH, IN TURN, LEAD TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MOTORCYCLE CLUB DEDICATED PURELY TO RIDERS AND BUILDERS OF CUSTOM MACHINERY.

CRUSADER • IT’S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN AN AMATEUR BUILDER MAKES ENOUGH OF A NAME FOR THEMSELVES THAT THEY CAN GO PROFESSIONAL, ISN’T IT? WHEN THEIR WORK, AND THEIR WORK ETHIC, IS SO GOOD PEOPLE START TO COMMISSION THEM TO DO WORK FOR THEM? THAT’S THE CASE WITH JIMMY, EX OF NCC LONDON, NOW NCC SOMERSET, AND ADZE CUSTOMS.

NCC LONDON'S DIAMOND DAY • I DON’T MAKE THE LONG (100-MILE PLUS EACH WAY), AND FRANKLY VERY DULL, JOURNEY TO THE ACE CAFE IN LONDON THESE DAYS AS OFTEN AS I ONCE DID AND, SADLY, GIVEN THE RECENT (WELL, SEPTEMBER) EXPANSION OF THE ULEZ (ULTRA-LOW EMISSION ZONE) TO PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE INSIDE THE TARMAC REPRESENTATION OF THE DREAD SIGIL O DAEGRA*, AND THE FACT THAT MOST OF MY BIKES’RE OLD, BUT NOT OLD ENOUGH, IT’S UNLIKELY I’LL BE GOING THERE MUCH IN THE FUTURE EITHER. DAMN SHAME…

Christmas Gift Guide

SAME, BUT DIFFERENT • I DOUBT YOU REMEMBER, BUT THE LAST TIME I WENT TO THE NCC NOTTS SHOW A COUPLE O’ YEARS AGO, I MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE A QUARTET OF STUNNING HINCKLEY TRIUMPHS THERE, AND ASKED THAT THE OWNERS OF THEM, SHOULD THEY READ THE ARTICLE, GET IN TOUCH WITH THE MAG. WELL, ONE OF THEM DID AND THIS, LADIES N’ GENNULMEN, IS THAT VERY BIKE.

NCC SUSSEX'S INNIT TO WINNIT • AS LAST YEAR MY FRIEND TONY PITTAM’S HARLEY WON BEST CHOP AT THIS EVENT, I ARRANGED THAT, WHEN I WAS DOWN HIS WAY AGAIN, I’D TAKE SOME PHOTOS OF IT, AND WE’D PLANNED FOR ME TO BE IN EASTBOURNE THE FIRST WEEKEND IN JULY, BUT IT WASN’T THE NICEST OF WEEKENDS, SO WE REARRANGED IT FOR, COINCIDENTALLY, THE WEEKEND OF NCC SUSSEX’S INNIT TO WINNIT SHOW.

TRIBUTE TO T • SOMETIMES YOU MEET PEOPLE ALONG THE JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE WHO HAVE A HUGE EFFECT ON YOU, AND WHEN THEY PASS AND’RE NO LONGER IN IT, YOU WANT, NAY, NEED TO DO SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL TO COMMEMORATE THEM.

HIGHLAND WARRIOR • AS EVERYONE KNOWS, CHOPPER CLUB BIKES, BECAUSE CLUB RUNS TAKE MEMBERS TO PLACES ALL OVER THE BRITISH ISLES AND INTO EUROPE, TOO, HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO THE MILES – IT’S NO GOOD JUST HAVING A COOL-LOOKING CUSTOM IF IT’S TOO FRAGILE/IMPRACTICAL/BLOODY UNCOMFORTABLE TO SPEND, IF NEEDS BE, DAYS ON THE ROAD.

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Make your Christmas even better

NCC SOMERSET'S SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE • BACK IN THE SUMMER THIS YEAR, A BLOKE, TRYING TO BE FUNNY, ASKED ME IF I EVER LEFT THE FENS? HMM, LET ME SEE: THIS YEAR, SCOTLAND (TWICE), MANCHESTER, WARRINGTON, STORMIN’ THE CASTLE, WALES (TWICE, I THINK), THE MIDLANDS (COUNTLESS TIMES), LONDON AND THE SOUTH COAST (DITTO), HUMBERSIDE… OH, AND SOMERSET, AGAIN TWICE.

THE LAST REVOLUTION FJ? • EVER SINCE I SPOTTED THIS BIKE AT, I THINK, NCC LONDON’S DIAMOND DAY SHOW AT THE ACE CAFE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, I’VE WANTED TO GET IT PHOTOGRAPHED FOR BSH AS IT’S A BITTERSWEET PART OF CUSTOM BIKE HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY. I’LL LET TED, NCC HONORARY, TELL YOU ABOUT HIS BIKE, SHALL I?

TANK ART • IT’S BEEN TOO LONG SINCE WE’VE RUN A DEDICATED FEATURE ON TANK ART – THE PAINT THAT’S DONE ON CUSTOM BIKES’ FUEL TANK AND REAR...