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 -
Honda CB550 by Steel Bent Customs
This 1976 Honda CB550 Super Sport has been kept true to form by Steel Bent Customs, the addition of a few minor and very tasteful modifications have created a bike that would fit in perfectly in both the late-70’s and the present day.
eBay Find: Norley Café Racer by Santiago Choppers
Santiago Choppers have established themselves for far more than just raked-out chrome show bikes, this Norley Café Racer is a great example of their detail-oriented design style.
Ducati Flat Red
This remarkable custom Ducati was built by German garage JvB Moto, it initially started life as a 1:12 scale model and was entered into the ”Design your Dream Ducati” contest organised by Ducati in 2004. The design, called “Flat Red” went on to win the competition and was then built full scale by JvB Moto.
Dan Wheldon vs Jenson Button Circa 1989
This almost prophetic home video from 1989 shows Jenson Button and Dan Wheldon racing in a British kart series as children, Jenson is #14 and Wheldon is #1, Antony Davidson is on track as well although his number isn’t mentioned.
Saturn 5 Engines and Wernher von Braun
This photograph really puts the size of the Saturn 5 rocket engines into perspective. They were utterly, ridiculously large. That relaxed looking chap is Wernher von Braun, the greatest rocket scientist in human history.
Opel Rocket Motorcycle
In 1928 Fritz Von Opel set about building the world’s first rocket powered motorcycle, dubbed the Opel Raketen Motorrad, the bike was designed to use it’s internal combustion engine to reach 75mph at which point the rider would hit a foot pedal which ignited the 6 solid rocket boosters.
Bubble Visor from Dime City Cycles
Something about the classic bubble shield makes me nostalgic for a time before I was born, the visors were initially made famous in the 60’s and have been a popular helmet addition ever since.
W650 Flat Tracker by Deus Ex Machina
Deus Ex Machina have produced some of the coolest modern day flat trackers currently on the road and this W650 is no exception, something about the look of a classic flat tracker appeals to me greatly, I’m not sure if it’s the mud-flinging capabilities, the promise of long rides down empty beaches or the fact that the lack of a rear seat means I have an excuse not to lug the Mrs around with me (which I’m joking about if she reads this).
Sig Haugdahl and the Wisconsin Special
Editors Note: A relative of Sig is currently looking for the Wisconsin Special, it’s known to still exist as of 2008. If you have any…
Ingersoll Bison Collection
Ingersoll has been producing watches since 1892, the German watchmaker produces some rather unique timepieces with this member of the Bison Collection being a great example of their work.
1950 Triumph Thunderbird Brochure
The Triumph Thunderbird was originally produced between 1949 and 1966, the 500cc Triumph parallel twin was bored out to 650cc to boost horsepower in order to appeal to a wider, more American customer base.
Vintage Motorcycle Tires
I quite often get emails from readers asking me where certain motorcycle builders get their vintage motorcycle tires (well, retro motorcycle tires is probably a more accurate description), so I decided to create a post dedicated to the older style tires.