We don't want to make a habit of featuring insurance company advertising, but you have to admit this is very compelling. The idea is that motorcycles don't crash alone, so Allstate Insurance will be there to help you recover when and if you’re bike is involved in a crash – isn't that nice. How many bikes do you think they crashed making this dramatic commercial? I bet it was a lot more than the five that made the ad.

Our friends at Falcon Motorcycles sent us this beautifully shot and edited video of their stunning Kestrel. Photographer Travis Shinn (who has photographed P Diddy, 50 Cent and Marilyn Manson) shot this video on his Canon 5D and Noah Goldsmith of Safe Camp edited the footage. The shoot mainly took place along the LA river in downtown Los Angeles. If you're wondering who was lucky enough to ride the bike in the video, it's Ian Barry the builder and part owner of the LA-based workshop.

Written by Andrew Jones (AKA Pamberjack)

In a moment of google-based wondering last night I did a search for "Heartbeat Motorcycle". Now our American comrades may not be familiar with this TV series, but most Aussies and Brits will know of the show. Think good-hearted cop show set in a small English village in the 1960s as seen through very rose-coloured glasses – or John Lennon spectacles, as the case may be. The show itself is pretty lame, but it does regularly feature a nice old English motorbike as ridden by the local friendly policeman.

I was fully expecting the results of the search to be something straightforward like a Norton Commando or a Triumph Bonneville. But it wasn’t – the results told me the bike was made by Francis Barnett, an old English motorcycle manufacturer based in Coventry and specialising in frames made from “triangulated straight tubes”. Now call me naive, but I’ve never heard of this company before. So I consulted the Google Images oracle, and was wowed by the results. Being a fan of old faired-engine motorbikes I was impressed to see that their flagship offering in the late 1930s was an incredible-looking 250cc two-stroke single that is noted in the history books as one of the first ever motorbikes to sport an engine fairing, along with some sweet aerodynamic mudguards ala the BMW R7. And is it just me, or does everyone go weak at the knees at the sight of these old black-on-black British bikes?

Larry's business is Meticulous Motorcycle Painting, so when it was time to paint he wanted to show some of his skills. "I love scallop paint, and I thought that would look cool on this bike, so that's what I did. It's champagne with red scallops, pin striped in black. The engine was carefully sanded and prepped then painted. The seat was shaped starting with the stock XL foam. It's a love it or hate it sorta thing, but I wanted it to flow with the lines of the tank and tail section."

The bike was built on and off by Larry over the course of 2 years – and he is obviously proud of his creation. "I love the way it turned out, and it's a total blast to ride! Can't weigh much more than 250 lbs, handles great, tons of torque, and stops on a dime with the disk brake. I've seen people at shows walk right by $60,000 choppers to get to the XL... that feels good." 

Thanks to everyone who have supported Pipeburn by purchasing from our humble store.

Yesterday the guys at Deus Ex Machina put on their 'Parallel Universe' day – a festival celebrating all Parallel Twin motorcycles. Andrew Jones our resident photographer/writer dropped by and took some snaps of the goings-on. We hope you like them. 

Written by Andrew Jones (AKA Pamberjack)

Ever had one of those moments where you’re having a few drinks with friends and you come up with a great idea? You know the kind – usually they involve movie scripts or fast food creations. My dad says “everyone has a brilliant idea now and then, but it’s the people that do something about them that matter.” Well, meet Robert Maddox. His moment of enlightenment involved a old-school Electra bicycle and a pulse jet engine. What’s a pulse jet engine you ask? It’s a stupidly simple form of jet engine that was invented over 100 years ago. You may also know it by its other name – the German V-1 Flying Bomb. Here's a video of Robert test riding his unique creation:

Amazing stuff. And as you can see, this isn’t your usual backyard botch-job. This guy obviously lives and breathes this stuff. Just look at the details; the 1940s styling and the board tracker influences, white tires and acres of polished chrome. Wanna know the best bit? He sells them.

Rick Sanders started searching for a café racer donor bike at the beginning of 2010. "In the early spring I came across this red 1975 Honda CB360T bone stock, decent shape but not running, so on to the trailer it went" said Rick. You see Rick's usual ride is a BMW R1100, so when he took on this project he wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. "I'm no mechanic, but I can turn a wrench" he says. "Its amazing what people can create and conceive with motorcycles. Any café bike I was going to build was destined to have clip-ons or clubmans, so that became the starting point. Complete rewire of the front end, removed the gauges, bars, mirrors and turn signals. All that's left up front is the new headlight and re-designed tach. I wanted drum brakes, so off with the rotors, calipers, hydraulics and levers. Each drum brake has its own custom made brake stops and MSR adjustable levers. Bar-end mirrors and machined aluminum bar plugs finish off the clip-ons."

Rick had the front fork, engine covers and top fork clamps polished and shaved. Then he sent the rear fender support, kick stand, center stand, swing arm and fender brace off to the chrome shop. The custom anodized gold wheels were built by Buchanan - Sun rims 18 x 3 with SS spokes and nipples on fully polished Honda drums. The battery, tool and air boxes went to the resell pile. Two 32mm KN pod filters take up the space now along with a oil breather/collector system. The seat was rebuilt cafe style, which included an enclosed battery box, twin bob tail lights and rear sets by Raask. Thankfully not everything on the CB360 has been replaced. The tank, frame, engine and exhaust are all from the original bike.

Nearing completion of his project, Rick had one of the toughest tasks ahead of him - choosing a name. "It seems all special bikes bear a name sake" says Rick. "It took 3 months of pondering before the name "Red Bone" came to me during a ride. The year 1975 had many world turning events, but one that hit me was the end of the Vietnam War and I am a Vietnam Vet. I am the first son of an interracial marriage, between a black military solider and a white Canadian nurse, and that took a lot of courage back in 1955 - when America was still pulsing its segregation view points. Many white and black mixed Amerasian children were left behind after the US pulled out of southeast Asia. This not only occurred in Vietnam but in Thailand, Japan, Philippines and Korea. The term "Red Bone" was used to describe racially mixed children ever since the early slave days. Now I've built a half breed motorcycle. One half is Isle of Japan – building bikes for the world, and the other half is the Isle of Man – calling and thrashing for the streets of London, Berlin and Amsterdam."

This super clean and lean 'Brat Styled' CB400 was built by Jared Johnson and Joe Carlino from the newly formed Holiday Customs. The project started when Joe purchased a beat up old 1975 Honda CB400. After stripping the bike down to the frame they then painted everything black. Joe found a tank off an old Suzuki 125 and had to pound out the inside so it would fit. The velocity stacks were found NOS in a box from the 70's and Jared came up with the idea to have them stick up to add a little flair. The bike is actually for sale, so if you live in the Portland area and are interested in buying this CB400, you can email the guys on holidaycustoms@yahoo.com (unfortunately they don't have a website up and running yet).

Pipeburn: Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Tyler Gilchrist: I’m a photographer and bike rider living in Toronto, Ontario. I’ve recently arrived back from living in Boston where I picked up my 1969 Triumph Daytona. I also run a blog called Northshore Run.

PB: What inspires you?

TG: Getting out of the city and - as clichéd as it sounds - feeling the wind in my face inspires me to ride. Seein’ guys do their own thing with their bike - regardless of brand or style - inspires me to find out more. The custom bike scene in Toronto is starting to catch on. There’s definitely some good guys in the city with some pretty sweet bikes. Lots of 70's CBs and cafe'd out Japanese bikes mixed in with HDs and the odd old-school British bike. Pipeburn, Scott Pommier's Chasing Thunder and artcoup.com inspired me to pick up a camera and start snapping photos of the bikes and other weird shit I see along the way.

PB: What do you ride?

TG: I ride an '04 Triumph Bonneville. I also have a '69 Triumph Daytona and a '74 Honda CB 200 I'm fooling around with (meaning they are mostly being neglected). I’ve got too many options to decide on a next purchase, but I'm thinking about a rigid tail for the Daytona.

PB: Where would you like your photography to go in the future?

TG: Not sure it's going anywhere, but we'll see. I love grabbing pics of unposed bikes and daily life in the city - if all photography does is make me slow down and appreciate that, then I'm happy.