Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more. Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Ben Branch -
Spirit of Munro
The Spirit of Munro is a salt lake racer built as a hat tip to legendary motorcycle racer, Burt Munro. Munro’s original streamliner was based on a 1920 Indian motorcycle, the bike was ancient by the time he set his last record (at 47 years old), it’s a staggering testament to his abilities as an engineer that he was able to set so many records with it, including the under-1000cc world record which still stands today.
Rothco Special Ops Tactical Softshell Jacket
The Rothco Special Ops Tactical Softshell Jacket is the sort of thing you want on you when the weather is being deliberately difficult, and can’t make up its mind between winter and summer mode.
Yamaha A-N-D FFE 350 by Julian Farnam
This is the second piece in a new series on Silodrome written by the talented Jason Cormier, Jason is a writer, an avid motorcyclist,…
Titan Multi-Tool Collar Stays
Titan Multi-Tool Collar Stays are the sort of gadget that we all secretly wish Q would issue us with, whilst making wry jokes and inadvertently blowing up a mannequin with a ballpoint pen.
Honda CB750 Scrambler by LHC
This bike started life as a 1982 Honda CB750 before Richard and Lex at Left Hand Cycles got their hands on it and set about creating the rather unique bike you see above and below. Left Hand Cycles is based in the Netherlands and tends to focus on motorbikes from the ’60s and ’70s, their previous work has included a Yamaha XS650 and a beautiful old air-cooled Moto Guzzi.
Sledge Tee by Hammarhead Industries
Hammarhead Industries is a unique little company owned by a man by the name of James Loughead, he’s a PhD and is the Assistant Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Last Great Race On Earth – The 1979 Iditarod
The Iditarod is one of the most difficult races ever devised by the mind of man, it’s a brutal winter race that takes place in Alaska between Anchorage and Nome. The fastest recorded time is 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds and that includes very little sleep.
Wood Watch by Slim Timber
The Wood Watch by Slim Timber is an achievement tried by others in the past, but never to quite this degree of success. Each of the wooden creations is made from stabilised seven-ply maple skateboard wood, the stabilisation is achieved by placing the wood in a partial vacuum which sucks the air out of it, this air is then replaced by resin – making the wood water-resistant and very hard wearing.
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta
This is a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta and it’s a very, very beautiful thing. Sadly they were only produced in very limited numbers (350 total) between 1963 and 1964 meaning they’re not the sort of thing you’re likely to see parked outside the local Hyatt.
Graham Hill Cufflinks by One Bond St.
These sterling silver cufflinks by One Bond St. are a fitting tribute to Hill, they bear the colour scheme of his famous BRM P261 Formula 1 car as well as his racing number. You can pick up a pair for £90 and add a little bit of subtle 1960s motor racing flair to your wardrobe.
2013 Brammo Empulse RR ‘Sauvetage’
I love electric motorcycles, they don’t make the same thundering roar as more traditional gasoline powered bikes but they do offer extraordinary torque, low maintenance and an interesting engine noise not entirely unlike Luke Skywalkers Land Speeder.
Ducati Garage Rock Sunglasses by Oakley
These are the Ducati Garage Rock Sunglasses by Oakley, they’re designed to be worn under helmets by motorcyclists and feature about as much technology as you’d expect from a collaboration from brands with pedigrees like these two.