Oops...

Regular readers will recognise the two vehicles being apprehended by one of the Isle of Man's finest men in blue at this year's TT...
Yup, the nearest is the 'Teabie' as built by Viz for his Manx holiday, and t'other is the Dudette's GSX. However, unlike many of the people pulled over on the Island, the misdemeanor was not one of excessive speed in a built-up area, but because a number plate had absconded...

SF198 Fighting Talk

It’s nothing new for the daily papers to print shite. Most of them regularly assail their readers with half-arsed and irredeemably trivial ‘news’ stories, which jostle for position with TV reality show exclusives or paparazzi upskirt shots of the latest celebrity pop tartlet.

And, more dangerously, the media is able to manipulate public opinion to suit an agenda, and indeed can be powerful enough to influence the decisions of Government. Take, for example, the rapid, knee-jerk banning of mephedrone after a hysterical media-led outcry, almost entirely based on speculation and relying less on hard facts than your average Enid Blyton book.

So, when motorcycles recently came under the scrutiny of one particular ‘journalist’ seeking to provoke a sensationalist reaction from the public, we decided enough was enough. Enter stage left Paul Routledge, professional busybody and Mirror columnist (and gobshite…MDM).

Read the rest of this Fighting Talk in Streetfighers issue 198, on newsagents shelves from Thursday July 1st, and then make your comments here!

Knob Twiddler

The convenience of remotely-mounted shock dampers is made all the more interesting by the close proximity of a nitrous bottle... Tweak the wrong one when you're sat at the traffic lights and the slightly stiffer suspension setting that you were hoping for is replaced by an additional 50bhp when you hit full throttle. Alternatively, if you want to humiliate the Ducati-riding multi-millionaire in matching red leathers and Desmodecicci, you could end up with no more power and a suspension action like a hippo surfing in custard...

Chopper Power!

Anyone who was first taking to two wheels in the Seventies will remember two iconic products from the Raleigh stable - pedal bikes that have now gained classic status and are worth inordinate sums of money to certain collectors. However, rather than look at the ludicrously heavy and over-stylized push irons through rose-tinted glasses, we think that this is by far the best thing to do with a forty-year-old pushbike...

SF198

Those of you wise enough to subscribe to Streetfighters (thus saving money, getting yourself a cool and froody gift and receiving the magazine early) will hear the soft 'plop' of SF198 as it hits your doormat tomorrow morning (or Saturday if Pat is being lazy). It'll be a slightly louder 'plop' than usual, as issue 198 comes complete with free stickers!
Aside from the freebies, there are features on perhaps the most powerful Yamaha v-twin in the world, three tricked-up Kawasaki Zeds, a triumverate of modded Gixers, a race rep 400, a 'fightered Hayabusa, a blinged R1 and a radical Suzuki Kettle, plus all the regular news, products and racing and project updates as well as a pull-out guide to the biggest streetfighting event of 2010, the Streetfighters 7 STunt Festival at Wembley on July 25th!
And those of you too short-sighted to have subscribed will have to wait until Thursday July 1st to be able to get your mag from the newsagent...

Brum, brum, pop!

One of the most talked about bikes in the ACU Superstreet pits for 2010 has been the turbocharged hayabusa of Dave Holland. Tipped by many to be a contender for this year's championship, 'Dutch' has had his fair share of bad luck so far, and this impressive video from 'Doctor Dave' Smith shows his latest mishap...

So, Is It Or Isn't It?...

... a streetfighter?
Ignore the voluminous rear mudguard and check out the spec - bespoke frame, footepgs set to the rear as rearsets rather than forward controls, flat drag-style-handlebars... a 'fighter or not? You decide!

Attention, Race Fans!

Especially those who favour motorsport that's carried out over 440 yards of tarmac or concrete...
This weekend sees two drag racing championships pass their mud way point. The Straightliners series returns to Elvington on Sunday for Round 4, with the ultra-competitive 9.10 bracket class being the most varied and exciting class, even though it's not as fast as Top Bike (or Comp if the quick boys turn up).
Meanwhile, today is a Peak Performance test day at Santa Pod, followed by the ACU Summernationals meeting tomorrow and Sunday. With the meeting being over just two days (normally ACU drag meetings have qualifying on a Friday, or run through to a Bank Holiday Monday), qualifying is going to be intense, and the forecast suggests that the exciting Superstreet class will be the one to watch! Each qualifying run will really count, and with rain today the likehood of an intense one-shot qualifier is high...
More details on the Elvington Straightliners round at www.straightliners.co.uk and further info on the Santa Pod Summernationals at www.eurodragster.com or www.200mph.net

Beem' Me Up

Yeah, yeah, so it's been a while since the last blog post, so sue us! Deadline hassles, the TT and illness have combined to make us too frickin' lazy to bother, but as the next issue of the mag is just about complete and ready to roll off the printers, we're getting the opportunity to collate our thoughts and plan the next trip to the pub...
While the official BMW race team over on the Isle of Man didn't achieve much in the way of race success, here's an example of the new S1000RR that has opened a few eyes!

While the engineremains internally standard,with the addition of a full titanium exhaust and a Power Commander V, an astounding 203bhp makes its way through to the back wheel, and with the suspension lowered front and rear, a pair of BST carbon fibre wheels bolted in along with a 9" stretched swinging arm and a few subtle clutch modifications, this bike ran a very impressive 8.497 second quarter mile, topping out at 158mph after hitting the rev limiter before the 1340 foot mark. And that's with a 1.394 sixty foot time! Impressive huh? Looks like it could be the ideal RWYB tool!

SF197

Apologies for the minor hiatus in online reportage, due (this time) to Will being struck down by a psychotic, throat-strangling, intergalactic virus and MDM having a holiday throwing himself off mountains aboard two-wheelers without an engine.
A brief gap before the annual Guiness-binge that is the TT allows us to inform you that Streetfighters #197 is now in the shops, full of all the usual shininess, innovative builds, race reports and irreverent editorial that you've come to know and love (hopefully).