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 • Morning/afternoon/evening (delete as applicable), how’s it going? Welcome to this new issue of BSH!

KICKBACK • IT’S BEEN A GOOD FEW YEARS (I ACTUALLY CAN’T REMEMBER HOW MANY EXACTLY) SINCE I LAST WENT TO A KICKBACK EVENT, BUT I’D HEARD GOOD THINGS FROM PEOPLE WHOSE OPINIONS I RESPECT ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WAS SINCE IT’D MOVED TO THE THREE COUNTIES SHOWGROUND IN GREAT MALVERN, SO I THOUGHT I’D GIVE IT A GO.

The Original Sin (NOT QUITE) • IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT BIKER CONVERSATIONS, ISN’T IT? IF A CUSTOM BIKE CHANGES SOME OF ITS COMPONENTS, IS IT STILL THE SAME CUSTOM BIKE?

JUGSTERS MCC’S BOSTED BLADDER RALLY • THE JUGSTERS MCC RUN A PROPER OLD SCHOOL RALLY AT THE MOIRA SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB, IN DERBYSHIRE, WITH FOCUS FIRMLY ON SOCIALISING AND RAISING MONEY FOR CHARITY.

BLACK N CHROME for The Win • AS I’M SURE I’VE SAID BEFORE (IT’S MEAGE, Y’KNOW, MAKING ME REPEAT MESELF), THE REASONS FOR BUILDING ACHOP, OR ANY FORM OF CUSTOM, ARE MANY AND VARIED, AND IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING AND ENLIGHTENING WHEN YOU HEAR OF ANEW ONE.

GOT THERE IN THIS END • AT THE AGE OF 14, I GATHERED ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO SNEAK OUT OF SCHOOL AT LUNCHTIMES TO THRASH MY DAD’S HONDA C50 UP AND DOWN OUR SEMI-DETACHED SHARED DRIVEWAY. SOON AFTER, HE PROGRESSED TO A CB500 WHICH I COMMANDEERED WHILE HE WAS AT WORK, BUT IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE MY NEIGHBOUR GRASSED ME UP, AND ANON-PICK-ABLE LOCK WAS APPLIED.

THAT CORNISH ATTITUDE… • WE’RE COMING TO THE END OF OUR LOOK AT THE BIKES OF CHOPPER CLUB KERNOW (THAT’S CORNWALL TO YOU AND ME), WITH ONLY ONE MORE NEXT MONTH TO COME, AND THIS MONTH IT’S THE TURN OF TOM LAWSON’S 96-INCH (1573CC), ULTIMA-ENGINED, ATTITUDE CUSTOMS-BUILT CHOP TO TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT.

BEER, BIKES & BANDS • BEER, BIKES & BANDS IS AN EVENT THAT’S BECOME A REAL SEASON OPENER FOR THE EAST ANGLIAN CHOPPER CROWD – IT’S A FREE TO ATTEND DAY SHOW, WITH CAMPING IF YOU NEED IT, THAT RAISES MONEY FOR VARIOUS CHARITIES DEAR TO THE ORGANISERS’ HEARTS, AND A HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY AT THAT!

THE MIGHTY ZED • ASSUMING YOU GAVE IT ANY THOUGHT AT ALL, I BET YOU WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE KAWASAKI Z1000, THE FAMOUS AIR-COOLED ZED THOU FIRST MADE IN 1977, WAS CONSIGNED TO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY IN 1984 WHEN KAWASAKI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD LAUNCHED THEIR NEW LIQUID-COOLED SUPERBIKE, THE GPZ900R, DIDN’T YOU? WELL, YOU’D BE WRONG…

BATABIT BIKE SHOW • EACH YEAR IN DOHA, QATAR, THE BATABIT BIKE SHOW BRINGS TOGETHER THE FINEST CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES FROM ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA. NOW IN ITS SIXTH EDITION, THE SHOW’S GROWN INTO THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CUSTOM BIKE EVENT IN THE REGION – IT’S A HIGH-ENERGY GATHERING WHERE ARTISTRY, ENGINEERING, AND REGIONAL IDENTITY INTERSECT ON TWO WHEELS.

BLLiLDinG ThE DREAM • “MAYBE OTHER BUILDERS CAN RELATE, BUT I GET HAUNTED BY VISIONS OF BIKES THAT I SIMPLY NEED TO BUILD, USUALLY WHEN I CAN’T FALL ASLEEP,” SAYS JOE FROM EL LOBO CYCLES. “THEY USUALLY START OFF BLURRY, WITH JUST SOME VAGUE OUTLINES, BUT THEY START TO COME INTO FOCUS THE MORE I THINK ABOUT THEM.”

BACK STREET HEROES

SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBER • CHOPS & BOBBERS, TRIKES & BIKES – JOIN THE BSH COMMUNITY TODAY

HOW TO AIRBRUSH • LAST ISSUE WE SHOWED YOU HOW TO, IN A VERY GENERAL WAY, AIRBRUSH A UNION JACK FLAG EVEN IF YOU’VE NEVER PICKED UP AN AIRBRUSH BEFORE. THIS ISSUE, FLAMES!

TANK ART • ART IS, AS ALL ARTIST TYPES’LL SAY, SUBJECTIVE – BASED ON OR INFLUENCED BY PERSONAL FEELINGS, TASTES, OR OPINIONS, AND OVER THE NEXT FEW ISSUES WE’LL DEMONSTRATE THAT. HERE’RE A FEW MORE TANKS AND MUDDIES SPOTTED THIS AND LAST SUMMER.

HONDA CB350S • AS WE ALL GET OLDER, THE APPEAL OF HYPER-FAST,...