American Motorcycles Norway

This guys touring wih their motorcycles have just raised their tent for a night of camping. Better hope they dont get no rain as those old cotton tents where far from water proof.
An early Harley DL in the back ground.

Making a mudflap

Beeing inspired from this weekends touring I decided to mount a couple of my freshly picked stars. When the stars where on I came to think of I had planned making a mudflap for quite a while.



Never throw away a pizza box. Its perfect for making templates (and far cheaper material than leather or stainless.



Mudflap layout including
"bling-bling".



Leather ready to be cut, thicknes is close to 1/4".



Finnished, mudflap is mounted and ready for use.

American Motorcycles Norway

Another picture from Eastern Norway, Halden - Moss area. This Harley B-789 seem to be a 1914-15 model as the fueltank appears to be edged, not rounded corners as from 1916, its anyway a magneto model with acetylen lights. Carbide tank attached to the left fork leg.

On the road

Trying to give the 39 what it deserves!
OK, there is nothing like a combined roadtrip where one can get both sceneric roads, talk to some people living at the country side where the A4 living still haven settled everyone, and not to forget maybe even do some picking.

If you go where these roads lead you you will never be bored;






If you go deep enough into the Norwegian country side you will find cool people like this old gentleman that never throwed any of his cars away in a long life, just stacking them all over his farm. He is kind of a mechanical homegrown genious and there are loads of clever homemade devices on his farm. Who else do I know sleeping next to his lathe, Ehrm noone.








Starting a small tour, you will met a bunch of those WWII Canadian Chevy`s











Old Peugot`s










Scoda`s












Counted 6 Hillmann Imp`s of various models












What?












Another Scoda












Ahhrg, picking time. A Guide marker light!!!












Double Ahhrg, found four fender trim stars. I love those trim stars.











Leaving the gravelroads let me end up at Norway`s cape South. Only 2518 km to get to cape North. Oh well another day maybe.









Passed an old closed military airport. Found there is other guys & girls than those innterrested in motorcycles sleeping in tents and boozing too. Those are MHKF (I think) all fidling with WWII vehicles.












WWII cars












Willy`s jeep



There was even a bunch of planes, love this early DC-3. A shining aluminium bird.

American Motorcycles

During the 1800`s and early 1900`s half of the Norwegian population went overseas to the US to get work and make a new life. Gustav was one of those leaving Norway in 1926 to work as a lumberjack in Butt Montana.
Of course his first savings where used to get a Harley Davidson.

Shame on me!

Shame on me, have only made one small trip with my trusty W from 39 so far this summer. Why, have no exuses, time perhaps. Charged the battery as well as changing the headlamp internals today and decided to take a spin as well as my daily swim.
Damned how well the W handles on tiny curved roads compared to the WL with its fat tires.
The 18" baloons are some damned well handling tires, consider parking the bobber for a while?

Oh, it should be required for everyone taking a daily swim in a nearby lake all trough the summer.

B&H shifter / mousetrap

Just got this cool item in the post, a B/H shifter with clutch mouse trap. Still missing the B/H clutch handle tough!

Good Grief

Sometimes my own actions make me worry, imagine buing a NOS exhaust system for a bike still on the "wish list". Oh, well I recon people started with less to get their dream bike?

American Motorcycles Norway

This photo is not much of an bike pic. even if the bike is present. Still there is a history to tell. T-1167 is a Harley from approx 1919-20. This bike was in duty as transport for post in a small community near Ørsta in the Western part of Norway.

Both headlamps on the bike are home made additions, kids seems to be proud of posing with the bike.
Looking at the buildings in the background of the picture tell what an average home would be like in the rural parts of Norway just 70 years ago, no fanciness, hardly paint, times sure have changed.
Snow is present in the mountains when picture was taken wich means this is either spring or fall.

American Motorcycles Norway

OK, as some might remember I have previously had a couple of pics showing Rjukans firebrigade in the erly twenties where they used a bunch of Indians.

I got the photo included in this post from Bjørn Andre who is currently restoring the Spanjola (remember the post?, this was a home made superbike with a V 4 engine based on two Indian Power Plusses). This bike was constructed by an engineer working at the Hydro plant at Rjukan. The Vemork Hydro plant is where the Germans produced the "heavy water" trying to get the nuclear bomb to finnish of the WWII. Those plans where ruined by some Norwegian saboteers and in 1965 a film was made, "Heroes of Telemark" by Anthony Mann where Kirk Douglas was the main actor.

Well, Bjørn Andre wrote the text following the picture;



This picture was taken during "the great strike" among workers in
Norway in 1921. Most of the Rjukan firemen was at strike.
The "firemen" in the picture where mostly men in high positions at
the Hydro plant. Those who had motorcycles was called in for fire
duty. At the time the Rjukan fire brigade had four motor vehicles;
three Indians H-338, H-339 and H-382 and a FWD fire truck
(see picture above). H-338 and H-339 was bought in 1919, H-382 and
the FWD the following year. The fire truck body of the FWD was made,
and the Indians was modified for fire equipment in Rjukan.
The XXL motorcycle "Spanjola" was in the making in these
surrounding buildings at the time.

Thanks a lot Bjørn Andre, and good luck in your progress with the Spanjola.

American Motorcycles Norway

Injun from eastern part of Norway, B-560. This bike had his home in the Rakkestad area, between Moss and Halden.



This ca 1916-17 Injun Power Plus is captured in 1921 by the wife of the driver and owner of the bike. His passengers are three brothers, all cousins of the driver. Those guys seems to have a jolly god time.

American Motorcycles Norway

This is a pic that was shown in "Sidevogna" years and years ago as a small capture, here its in full size for you to view closely the details . This nice shot have to be taken in the later part of the thirties as the to Harleys are both VLD`s from 35-36. One cool detail is the registration number with just one number difference. The Indian is a 31 101, cool bike too.
Out for a ride on a sunny day bringing your girls along, bet these guys had a nice time.














The driver/owner of C-6733 is a pretty tall guy, uh?

Way back in the picture is a STANDARD petrol pump. Wouldn`t mind having one of those in front of my workshop. This is most likely a Tokheim dome pump from the US. As you all should know merchant store clerk John Tokheim working in Iowa in 1898 invented the petrol pump. He is of Norwegian origin, Tokheim beeing a small farm in Odda by the Hardanger fjord.

There you see, details, details just in one pic.

American Motorcycles Norway

This is a little Indian Prince. Hardly think they ever sold any of these in the US where cubic inches was an issue. Quite a number where sold in Scandinavia.

American Motorcycles Norway

Whoever makes decisions regarding the wheater seems to be in a bad mode these days.
Its pissin down with rain.
Oh well, some ol motorcycle snapshots from Yesterdaze will make my day brighter.

Both these pics are from the Telemark region.



Someones knee got to be hurting quite bad, check out that damage to the fueltank on this old Power Plus.



This is what seems to be a brand new Harley 45" with sidecar, is this a 1937?, help someone. Looking at how the cellulose paint shine on the sidecar this bike have recently left the shop showroom.

Lady ACE

This photo is not from Scandinavia but I find it cool enough to be posted anyway.
To me the ACE is one of the most desirable motorcycles I can think of, ligth and fast. The Lady seems to be pleased with her ACE even if she have had to pull her wrench.

Beat it!!!

Aint that what its all about, beat it!!


Got those photos of my ol self in a mail today from Oscar, http://ppchoppers.blogspot.com/
Thanks a lot mate for beeing there at the right time to make those shoots.

Grevbo Engineering

OK having given my mountain trip companion back to her mother, now sunburned, dirty and full of mosquito bites (but still in a good mood) I turned my Beemer in direction east.

In a beautiful small farm community called Grevbo not far from the city Borlange in Dalarna Sweden is the home and bussines headquarters of Jørgen`s ""Grevbo Engineering".

So, what do he engineer?
American motorcycles with Injuns as his speciality. Well, I find the last been true with modifications as he spend his time working with Hendersons these days (and Super X`s). And what work he does, beeing a Henderson owner doesn`t feel as scary anymore.
The place was packed with tools and jiigs for working on Henderson engines, a home made linebore device made for US fourcylinders beeing the most impressive.
In addition to the toolings where a number of engines and bikes (yes Hendersons) in different states of progress, ranging from his own just finnished KJ to an early K model.

Pics cant tell what it was like staying there for a couple of days, and Jørgen even found time for me despite all his work waiting. Thanks a lot.









The boss in his office, I wouldnt mind having accsess to the display counter









Jørgens Injuns ranging from a 1914 electric start Hedstrøm engined bike to the alter Chiefs. A 102 Scout bobber was really cool.










Jørgens KJ, just finnished. What a bike this is.









An early K waiting for its engine before leaving for western Norway. These early K`s are just so slim.










Having a break with some Swedish "Tårta" or what ever they call it.










Super X ready to go to a new home.










KJ just arrived.










Another K in progress, Indian four in the back ground.











A Henderson De-luxe wich will eventually end up in Norway too.












This line bore tool is just so cool. It can be set up to line bore the gearbox hub bearings too, wich I had to scrape to fit in my engine.











Another view of the linebore toolings. Coooool.











Two Henderson engines in progress.










Yet another engine.

This whole visit was breath taking and I feel pretty small taking in consideration what Jørgen have achieved in his workshop in such a short time.

Summer time, into the mountains

Today is kind of different from what have been the "normal" in a long time, I`m home and it`s raining. The last two weeks have been spent pretty much on the road with my "secret life" Beemer sidecar outfit.

Looking back 20-25 years with motorcycling its harder ahd harder to find these beautiful spots where one can stay alone with a camp fire for days and days, fishing your own meals and so on.
First of most remote gravel roads leading into the mountains are closed of wirh a locked gate now or there have been built a huge number of cabins on the location with the size of a house.
OK, enough complaining, there are still some places left to go. I was lucky to be able to lend a little lady from her mother to go on trip to such a place last week where we did swim, fish and kept a campfire going for days lit only once by a single match. Life aint to bad.









All packed and ready to go









"Your home is your castle"









1/4 of a mile with beach all for oneself. Beeng a shallow lake make the water temp very pleasant.








Camfire is important to keep the mosquitos away after the sun goes down