Cruising through Griffith Park at last year's sidecar rally.

What is it about sidecars that makes people smile, point, give the "thumbs up" and sometimes stop the rider to ask giggly questions? We’re not sure, but we have the same reaction ourselves — except for the giggling, of course. Never ridden in a sidecar, you say? If you’re going to be in the greater Los Angeles area October 25, 2009, you need to check out the 38th Annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally.

Now heading into its 38^th year, the annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally was inspired by a simple ride some 37-plus years ago, when organizer Doug Bingham and some pals stopped at Griffith Park for a break while out for a ride. They liked the spot so much, they decided it’d make the perfect place for a sidecar rally, something Bingham had been wanting to pull together.

Doug’s not exactly a stranger to sidecars. Known to sidecar fans as “Mr. Sidecar,” Doug’s made his living with sidecars through his business, Side Strider Inc., which he launched in 1969. Forty years later, he’s still importing sidecars, building sidecars and providing sidecars for bicycle races and the movie industry, where Doug gets to mix it up with the Hollywood glitterati. Ever seen the sidecar chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? You’ve seen Doug’s work, because he’s the man the producers turned to for that scene, relying on Doug for equipment and expertise.

Sidecars are Doug’s life, and the Griffith Park Sidecar Rally is Doug’s way of making sure everyone has an opportunity to learn what he’s known for decades; sidecars rock. Don’t miss it! – Richard Backus

Check out last year's 37th Annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally in the video below!

Riders line up for the Race of the Century exhibition race for bikes 100 years old or older at the 2008 Barber Vintage Festival

Heads up! October’s just around the corner, and that means the 5th Annual Barber Vintage Festival is coming up fast! Motorcycle Classics will be there, hosting the Motorcycle Classics Café Bike Show sponsored by our friends at Dairyland Cycle Insurance. BSA or Beemer, Harley or Honda, if you’ve built a classic with a café twist it’s time to shine it up and show it off!

And believe us, you will get to show it off, as the Barber Festival is quickly growing into one of the largest, best-attended classic bike events in the country. What started as a fairly intimate, 5,000-person show in 2005 has grown exponentially every year; expect 30,000 to 40,000 classic bike fans to show up for this year’s event!

The show’s incredible growth is hardly surprising. Hosted by the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, arguably one of the top – if not THE top – the show is held on the grounds of the Barber Motorsports Park, home to one of the finest race tracks in the country. Racing is a big part of the weekend, featuring the final round in the 2009 American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association’s slate of classic racing.

The museum will also host Friday night’s Motorcycles by Moonlight benefit dinner, featuring special guest Kevin Schwantz, who amassed an amazing 25 Gran Prix wins in his career.

The Motorcycle Classics Café Bike Show will run from 10a.m. to 5p.m., Saturday, October 9, with an awards presentation for Best of Show and People’s Choice at 4p.m. Glenn Bator from Bator International and Bator Auctions will guide the annual auction through its paces, this year in a new, dedicated space next to the swap meet area. Bikes for auction will be available for viewing all day Friday and the auction will be held Saturday night.

Returning events include the Race of the Century, the AeroShell Aerobatic Team and the Rhett Rotten Wall of Death stunt show. Seminar speakers this year include Matthew and Big Sid Biberman, John Healey and Don Hutchinson. Don’t miss it, ‘cause it’s gonna be huge! – Richard Backus

Four-time World Champ Doug Polen (#23) chats with second-place finisher Mick Hart (#775) and third-place finisher Tim O'Mahony (#290) after winning the Battle of the CB160s LeMans Start exhibition race during the 2009 Bonneville Vintage GP at Miller Motorsports Park, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.

As a four-time World Champion, you can bet Doug Polen rides to win. So when Polen swings a leg over a bike, you sort of assume a rider of his caliber will smoke just about all comers, regardless of what he’s riding. But could Polen, who made his name riding100-plus horsepower bikes like the Ducati 888 and Honda RC45, successfully compete against seasoned veterans in the Lillipution world of 14hp Honda CB160s? And starting at the very back of the pack? He could, and he did, and he won.

The fact that the Battle of the CB160s LeMans Start at the Bonneville Vintage GP is actually an exhibition race doesn’t change the competitive spirit one iota. Regardless of whether they’re racing for points or for fun (and believe me, they’re always racing for fun), the guys and gals who race in the CB160 category are in it to win. So when Polen ran across the track last Saturday and jumped on his little CB after bump-starting it to life, it was anybody’s guess just how this little “exhibition” was going to play out. I always like rooting for the underdog, so it just felt right thinking that maybe, just maybe, somebody would really give Polen a run for the money. Oh ye of little faith.

Polen did have a slight advantage over the competition, as the bike he was riding was actually a CB200, which, we understand from owner Wick Wilkinson, started life as a CL175. But that only gave Polen a 2hp or 3hp advantage – at best – over the rest of the field. And to make things at least a little bit fairer, Polen was placed in the very last spot on the lineup, number 37 of 37 riders. (9-11-09 Update: Michael Bateman informs me that Polen's bike was powered by an essentially stock but carefully built CB175 engine. He also tells me the 175s have about a 4hp advantage over the 160s, not the 2hp to 3hp I suggested. Michael should know; he helped Tim O'Mahoney build the bike. - Richard Backus)

Riders dash for their bikes in the Battle of the CB160s LeMans Start
at Miller during the 4th Annual Bonneville Vintage GP.

Small bike, last spot, whatever the hand he's dealt you know a competitive guy like Polen is going to hit the tarmac running, but I don’t think the other riders were prepared for just how quickly Polen shot from the very back of the pack to the very front. The LeMans Start race is only a seven lap affair, so that meant Polen had to work his magic quickly. And that he did, working his way to the front of the pack in, oh, the first lap.

Remember, these bikes typically top out at around 80mph, but with Polen riding you could swear that from the moment he hit top gear to the end of the race he never varied his pace. And in fact he didn't. Although he put space between himself and the rest of the pack pretty quickly, he didn't walk away from everyone, as veteran vintage racer Mick Hart challenged Polen for the lead every step of the way, Hart pushing his Honda flat out through the turns to make Polen work for his victory. When the checkered flag dropped Polen was in the lead, with Hart right on his heels and Tim O’Mahony a little farther back in third place.

Polen clearly loved it. “The worst moment was going down through 36 different guys into turn #1,” he told me later. “The best thing was being able to ride that bike at its limit, being able to go around the track flat out. I never had to lift it once, that was great.” Too cool, and great fun. We'll post more of the fun at the 4th Annual Bonneville Vintage GP in coming days. – Richard Backus