TURN THOSE DOWDY MXERS INTO FANCY US STYLE FLATTRACKERS !

I can understand the reasons for using motocross bikes for flattrack in the UK - lack of framer bikes , cost of either type , ease of getting one , trying to find one over here etc etc ..... there's plenty of good reasons for having a MX bike .

BUT we all want to look cool as Spingsteen while we're doing it right ? Yes is the answer , so you need a framer right ? Wrong , maybe there is a way ! And since i have a MXer sitting there i thought i better lead the way , so here it is - it's not finished yet but the shots show what you can do with just a tank ,seat and handlebars and a whole bunch of spanners !

This will be a feature on my web site with all the build info and pics when it's finished and right now i'm hoping to have her together in some form to take to Kings Lynn for the TT meet on Sunday , so i'll finish the feature after the weekend .

The point of it all is to get some (more) cool looking bikes out there and sell some bars/tanks /seats !

You know who to ring .

(needs 19" rims, shortened forks and a low level exhaust next i'd say) :-)

This is the link to the feature and pics on my Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157621956380972/

(pics now words etc when she's done!)

Just added two more pics , one of her after the TTrace (bit dusty n tired!) and one of how the seat units look with the number board stickers on . Note lowered front forks .

WISH I WAS A RICKMAN , DIDDLE DIDDLE..etc

OK so my mate Steve (marble head) has a great project on the go and he's sent me an update - which goes something like this ...........

Hi Steve!
Here’s a couple of picks of my 1970 Rickman Metisse project, not quite a flat tracker more of a supermoto street scrambler but should be a lot of fun all the same!
I have had a modified swing arm made to suit the wider tyre, longer adjustable shocks to help it sit right and counter the longer Husqy forks (I need to shorten the fork tubes by 1-1/2” if any one knows how)
and 17” Excell rims.
The engine is a Triumph TR7 with an alloy 800cc big bore, belt drive primary, E3134 cams and a hydraulic clutch conversion. The engine is stripped down at the moment as I am replacing all the bearings in it and the gearbox. I’m also having some machining done on the casing to offset it for the bigger rear tyre!
On the wish list is a 32mm Mikuni flat slide carb (when the budget allows).
I am using Magura Fat bars and Magura radial brake & clutch master cylinders at the moment but this may change as I have a Beringer 4pot calliper for the front and there isn’t as much feel as I would like!
Any way it is a work in progress so watch this space!....
All the best Marble Head.

Just look at them pics , de-licious !

Next up my old Drag race buddy Turbo sent these pics of his BSA project just finished , only to tell me he can't keep it and it's gone straight on e-bay !

He's gutted , but someone will get a real nice bike .

I'll put the e-bay link here .http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230362743042&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Next race the TT at Kings Lynn , see you all there - it's great .

REDMAXSPEEDSHOP UP N RUNNING !

Yep , spent all week moving in and decorating - and here are the pics . Got plenty of space and a courtyard for Barbies too ! Visitors by appointment please , the new address is -

Unit 2 , Eastover farm , Abbots Ann nr Andover , Hants , SP117BU . Thats just off of the A303 and near the Junction of the M3/A34 join , 1 hr outta London - down sarf !

Gotta phone number too - 07907529858 , if no answer send a txt cos the reception is very crap there . See you soon Steve . (Last pic is some new rearsets we are doing for Trackers and Cafe racers £99 pair - fully adjustable too ! Bargain )more pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157620781315460/

SIDEBURN GIRL LOOSE IN NEW SHOP !

Yep , get a camera out and there she is ..... Now the shops's done thought we'd show you a few shots we took in the shop last week . Hope you like 'em . In fact there will be more of these splashed around the web site , so see if you can spot em . (see Gary for new Sideburn shirts)http://www.sideburnmag.blogspot.com/

JACK'S CAFE REUNION DAY ON THE A5.

Had a great day out on the old Norton to Jack's Cafe on the A5 , bit wet on the 80-mile trip up there. But what i do like is when you get there all the Brit bikes and Cafe racers get pride of place Parking out the front and all the other shit parks out back ! Should of bought yer old bikes out and not wimped out on those Moderns . They should do that for the Rockers Re union run to Brighton cos they let all the Mods park their hairdryers to gether and all the other bikes go anywhere ! go figure - and it's supposed to be a classic day ! Rant over .

We had a cuppa slosh , listened to the Rapiers then hid from the pissing rain before hitting the road again . Then Sideburn girl dissapears from the Radar on her Cafe Bonnie , and finally appears with oil every where (her boots are now waterproof !). Blown base gasket , so it's off to the Pub and wait for the AA (1.5 HRS!) then back on the old steed for an almighty thrashing back to Winchester in the pouring rain . Typical day in the life of a rocker 1960 or today i'd say .

NEW PREMISES ! AT LAST (PARTY ASAP)

WOOO HOOOO , finally signed the lease for the new shop in Andover Hampshire , just off of the A303/A34/M3 and it's looking good . Nice big workshop , sales/display area , a store big enough for my 51 Mercury and a big yard for Parties n Barbies . Cool , get the key 10th July and start moving it all in - Party due mid August i reckon ! Here's a few pics , but it won't feel right till it's full of Flat Track stuff , and loadsa Bikes . This is the REDMAXSPEEDSHOP .(to see what we're stocking go here http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157617350628117/ )

CZECH US OUT - RACING 1000MILES AWAY !

Pics Sideburn girl took on our 2000mile trip to the Mefo European Shorttrack races in the Czech Republic on Sat and Austria on Sunday ! Pics of the World Longtrack Championship finals too (as we were tacked on the end of that really) .Many thanks to Jan and the boys(Dutch Brothers) for a great time and to all the Brits who were out in force . We put on a good show and boosted the attendance significantly , Mr Hall kicked ass big time and was a pleasure to watch ! Sadly Marco had a big crash in Austria and we wish him a speedy recovery . Here are some of the more lighthearted pics we took , follow the links for the rest of the racing and try my U-tube for some videos later on (once i've trawled thru them). And next year everyone should come along and we'll have a big party cos it's about £3 for the best steak you'll ever eat ,and racing on the most awesome tracks this side of the USA ! -DO IT . http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157620385970204/

http://www.youtube.com/user/REDMAXSPEEDSHOP

GETTING IT OUT THERE /SPREADING THE WORD !

..... And the word is - Shorttrack (UK) ! Been doing my best to promote our sport from my end and here is the result of one line of enquiry . We run the bikes at the Hot Rod Hayride every year and got noticed by a few people in the car world , who wanted to know more . Keith Harman is a journo and all round nice guy who spent the best part of a day down at REDMAX HQ in Hampshire just shooting the breeze in the sun talkin bikes with me - and this is the result .A two page write up in Classic American Mag (out today) with some great pics by Keith and Sideburn girl . This is a big selling magazine on the shelves at Smiths etc so i think that's good coverage for the series with motorhead kinda guys . Lets hope they come and take a look !

We (Me , Anthony Brown (D.B.A blog )and Sideburn girl) are off to the Czech republic now for a race on Sat then Austria on Sun for another ! It's the European Mefo Flattrack cup and for some reason we had to go .... Oh yea it's the MILE race and you can't get to do those outside the States normally , so we're off . Be back with some photos (much) later . Steve .

STATION 165 TEAM AT ANMAN VALLEY HALF MILER

Redmax Thunder bikes gets better all the time !- i know i'm biased but there it is , anyway we see more n more different and unusual bikes every meeting and Anman Valley was no different. The racing was tooth and nail once the track drained a bit of water , the grip came back to us and the smiles came back to our (dirty) faces! Anyway there's a few teams you may have heard of out there , Skooterfarm and CCM being the most high profile i guess , but lurking beneath the waves are other 'teams' waiting to bite yer leg orf ! One such bunch of guys is the Station 165 team - and a nicer bunch of guys you could'nt hope to meet . Thunderbike runners ,one on a XS650 first time out (for the bike that is ) and the other on his home-framed Rotax racer (and a work of art it is too!). Anyway , wot's it mean then ? i asked and it turns out that one of the guys used to work out of a unit sited on a old fighter base called Station 165 where the Yanks flew something similar to Mosquitos out of - before they all went home . Hence the cool name . Some pics of the guys here or click this link to see all the half-mile pics .http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157619366049473/ The Red bike there is a Skooterfarm bike , Jasons showpiece Woods Rotax with a nosebleed ! His crankcases cracked across the front and spewed oil , ending his day ,The last one is me getting 'reminded' not to do donuts on the outside track whilst waiting for the restart !(Sideburn girl on camera as always , so excuse the cheesy ones of me winkin' at her !)

DAVE-JA-VU (1974)

So - i'm at this autojumble right and i've just stole an origional Wes Cooley early Arias helmet off of this guy for £25 and i'm thinkin' there's gotta be a Trackmaster frame here somewhere...... and then i see this old guy with a cool book stall and i says "gortany books on Flattrackin guv ?" an he says no . End of , you would think - but then i spot a massive collection of old MCN's so i lift one out from the middle of the pile from 74 and corblimeyguv wot ave we ere? Only about the only interesting MCN ever - Big flattrack report on front page and a big centre page pullout ! So i paid the man a quid and legged it .Then next week i'm up at Daves and pulled it outta the bag and he says "i don't believe it ", in a kind of Victor Meldrew way and pulls out his childhood scrap book with one of the pics from MCN cut out n pasted in (from his dads paper) when he was a kid ! , the very pic that inspired him for all these years . Dave - ja - vu . Told you . So i've scanned the rag (badly it has to said) in order to share the wonder that is MCN with you guys , Enjoy .