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The Sand Flea: Sideburn’s Suzuki VanVan 125 beach bike


Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125
Growing up in In the 1970s, my Fab Four was never John, Paul, George and Ringo. It’s Snorky, Fleegle, Droopy and Bingo — The Banana Splits. Conceptualized by Hanna-Barbera, the show features four creatures who, like the sports team’s archetypal mascots, are dressed in feathered costumes and firefighter helmets.

They’re a pop band, living in a shared hallucinatory house and getting into Three Stooges-style ludicries. Hey, it was formed in California in 1968, what do you expect? It was still shown on UK television years later, when it served as a basic colored eye candy for 30 minutes of sunshine, especially for a child who grew up wearing a cardigan at home. in the washed gray drizzle of northern England.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

But what sticks in my mind the most is the six-wheeled Amphicat all-terrain stroller that the stars rip off in the show’s title sequence. It was The Banana Splits and their strollers that inspired this 2003 Suzuki VanVan 125. At least in part. The other part is Sideburn, the magazine I edit.

Sideburn has a lot of weight on the trail, but always finds room for those following the street, art, photography, film, road trips, and adventure riding. However, since becoming the official magazine of the American Flat Track pro racing series in 2020, I’ve been thinking more about the professional sport and how it views the exclusives. new fakers, who have embraced it at races in Texas or Ohio. This Suzuki is a reminder to myself and potential readers that Sideburn is more than just racing.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

The base to build must be one of the earliest VanVans in the UK, a 2003 model. These 125s are very popular with learners, as the saddles are very low and they are extremely reliable. I’ve always loved the look. They’re funny, adorable, instantly recognizable, and as menacing as a supple bear.

This one has less than 10,000 miles on it, but has 20 owners on the log. The last owner, an elderly man, bought it in a locker and never rode it.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

With the look of Fleegle’s Amphicat tattooed in my memory for over forty years, the first thing was to find another VanVan rear wheel, so that I could have my own two-wheeler with the brim on the side. front and rear.

Soon, Suzuki would almost certainly equip the VanVan in this way, but backed off late in the development process. The distance between the front forks, the width and shape of the front fender, and its mounting bracket all allow the same 180/80-14 ball tire and rear rim to fit—and more naturally than stock, More conservatively sized 130/80-18 bikes were delivered with.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

Both wheels were tough enough, they were sent to CJ Powder Coating, Grimsby, to be switched to two tones. It was difficult to get a straight line where the two colors met, but CJ persisted.

Then the famous long-standing British company, Hagon, attached the existing front disc hub to the new rim with stainless spokes. I have disassembled one of the last brand new 14-inch Dunlop K180 tires in the country.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

You might notice the Sand Flea’s defining element: the front basket holds the Dometic Patrol 20 cooler than the cooler box, an end-of-life kit I’ve coveted for a while. JB Fabrication, of Lincolnshire, built a basket out of steel tubes around it. JB also welded brackets for the 6-inch projector headlights and Motone Billet turn signals.

Three-clip hanging basket. How does that affect handling? Well, it’s not going to win any test competition, especially when the cooler is filled with some drinks, a bag of ice, and my bread, but I can live with it.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

The stripe paint job for the deck seat in summer sorbet was completed by Paint By Matt, of Leeds, Yorkshire, while the chair was embroidered and restored by Holy Goat Motorcycle Seats, Devon. The new powder-coated chassis has been bolted back together with a Hagon-adjustable monoshock that replaces the corroded stock RSU.

The stock exhaust’s track matches the all-terrain feel of the bike, and I like the oversized stock muffler, but this is a custom bike, so it was chopped to make room for a classic Supertrapp, one of the neatest final cars ever. Small diameter exhaust pipes can be installed.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

The Biltwell Mushman pegs, left over from my hooligan rider Harley Sportster, are made to fit. The Motone Cuda taillights and license plate holder are attached to the rear fender, while the KC headlight cap brings back the spirit of the good times of the 1970s in me as memories of the imported Saturday morning TV.

And I finally found a home for the hand tool leather steering wheel pads made for me by Busch & Busch, of Reno, Nevada. I stored it away years ago, just waiting for the right project and fitting it into Renthal bars.

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125

There’s only one last thing: a flag. Not every bike can carry a flag, but Sand Flea can, and one made by my friend, Fionnadh Lyle, with even more 1970s inspiration, this time in the shape of the SB, for for Sideburn, in the font Cooper Bold. It is suspended from a flexible CB in the air.

With a 20-litre capacity up front, a back shelf for beach towels, and flying its own whimsical flag, Sand Flea has the full 12 hp of the good times and a reminder that life isn’t always. only checkers, you win and loser.

Sideburn magazine | Facebook | Instagram | Photo of Charlie Davidson

Sideburn magazine's custom Suzuki VanVan 125





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