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

BIKE SHED LONDON SHOW • As I’m sure you know by now, the Bike Shed London Show, at Tobacco Dock in Wapping, is, after the BSH Custom Champs, of course, and the National Chopper Club’s Bank Holiday runs, probably the biggest display of custom bikes in the land.

MT HEADS’ IT’S GOING DOWN AT THE LAKES • What qualifies a bike event as a rally? I’m guessing the answers that’re coming to your mind are something along the lines of bikes, bands, booze, camping and, perhaps, silly games. In that case, what do you call an event if it doesn’t have the above list of stuff that people expect?

BLACK N’ PROUD! • A COUPLE OF ISSUES OR SO BACK WE SHOWED YOU LARA AND KNOCKER’S SPORTSTER CHOPS (YES, THE FEATURE WITH THE GHOST ARM, WE KNOW…); LARA’S ‘LUCILLE’ AND KNOCKER’S ER… DIGGER (THAT REALLY ISN’T A DIGGER). WELL, LARA ALSO HAS ANOTHER BIKE – THIS BIKE, HER 750 GSX-F SUZUKI CHOP.

LUCKY 7S CUSTOM & CLASSIC BIKE SHOW • Originally, we thought about putting on a weekend rally – we had a great location, and it all seemed very simple. That was until we started to add everything up… honestly, I didn’t realise just how much it costs to put one on.

50-PLUS YEAR SURVIVOR • “IN 1970, I WAS 19 YEARS OLD WHEN I SAW THE FILM ‘EASY RIDER’. I ALREADY HAD A SMALL MOTORCYCLE, A 150CC HONDA, AND THE FILM PLANTED A SEED IN ME. I FOUND A BIKE FOR SALE IN THE LOCAL PAPER, A 1961 BSA A10, A GOLDEN FLASH, WHICH’D ALREADY HAD SOME COSMETIC WORK CARRIED OUT, AND PAID £145* FOR IT AFTER GETTING A LOAN AS I WAS ONLY EARNING £4 A WEEK, AND WENT STRAIGHT FROM A 150 HONDA TO A 650 BEEZER, AS YOU COULD IN THOSE DAYS.”

KILLIN’ IT 90s STYLE • YOU ARE AWARE, AREN’T YOU, THAT YOU, ME, AND EVERYONE READING THIS ‘ERE MAGAZINE SUFFERS FROM A TERRIBLE ADDICTION, AN ADDICTION WE’RE POWERLESS TO CONTROL? NOT DRUGS*, NOT BOOZE, NOT EVEN SHERBERT DIB DABS (WELL, EXCEPT MY MATE DAVE), NO, WE’RE TALKING MOTORCYCLES – THE TOUGHEST ADDICTION TO BREAK THERE IS.

SCOOTER CHOPS • AT THE NCC LINCS SHOW BACK IN MAY, BEST IN SHOW WENT TO A LAMBRETTA CHOP CALLED ‘SPLINTER’, OWNED BY A GUY NAMED TONY DAY. HE, AND 27 OTHERS, TOO, ARE MEMBERS OF UK LAMBRETTA CHOPPERS – A GROUP WHO ALL RIDE CHOPPED SCOOTS, SO I THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A LITTLE LOOK AT A FEW.

MR BLUE SKY • THIS BIKE, AS I’M SURE YOU CAN SURMISE, IS NAMED AFTER THE FAMOUS SONG FROM 1977 BY THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA OR, AS THEY’RE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN, ELO – A PHRASE WELL KNOWN TO PEOPLE FROM YORKSHIRE AS THAT’S HOW THEY GREET EACH OTHER, ISN’T IT?

LONG-TERM PROJECT • “I‘M NOT A SERIAL BUILDER, LIKE SOME. I’VE HAD THIS BIKE, LOOKING, MORE OR LESS, LIKE THIS SINCE 1980/81 WHEN I REBUILT IT AFTER A MAJOR CRASH AND A LONG STAY IN HOSPITAL, AND OVER THE YEARS IT’S MORPHED INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. I’M FAR TOO ATTACHED TO IT GET RID SO I’M, I’M GUESSING, A SERIAL FETTLER…”

PRO-STREETER FROM HELL (stown Choppers)! • THERE’S AN OLD SAYING THAT GOES SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF ‘GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT, BUT GREAT THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO ENDURE’, AND THAT’S A SAYING THAT REALLY APPLIES TO THE BIKE YOU SEE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU… DEFINITELY.

BACK STREET HEROES

BACK STREET HEROES • Eee, hasn’t the world changed, eh? When I first started drinking (semi) legally, a beer (Younger’s Tartan bitter if you remember it) cost 79p in the local biker pub, and BSH was, I think, 95p. These days both a beer (well, round my way anyway) and a BSH cost a fiver each, but what would you say if we could do you a special deal, and do you a BSH at just £3.83 instead of £5? That’s a saving of (works out on fingers) 23% – nothing to be sniffed at!

EAST COAST HERLEY CLUB KINGS LYNN CREW SHOW • The recipe for this excellent...