mandag 31. desember 2012

Pics from Yesterdaze

The first day of a new year.

A new year in which each day that lies ahead of us is as clean paper sheets. Sheets we need fill with what we like and what make us happy, do I need to suggest motorcycles, riding and more related activities.

Nope I guess not.

Enclosed picture show young and proud members of the NMK`s Drammen department. One of the first branches of the Norwegian Motorcycle club.




From left to right; Thomas Bråthen born in 1893, Knut Espedal born in1898, Narve Wiker born in 1890, Peder Espedal born in 1895 and finally Alf Justad born in 1893.
Bikes in the same order; Harley, Henderson two Harleys and another Henderson.
Knut Espedal we know from a previous post covering his spectacular crash in the 1923 ISDT in Sweden.

I have dug quite a bit in the Espedal brothers history and albums, keep an eye up for more stories on them.


Happy New Years eve!

To all our friends, blog followers and whoever else pass by this little single star on the big big Milky Way generally called the WWW;
We wish you all the best for the year to come, take care of your loved ones and do not take life to seriously at all times, allow time for riding your cicle and have fun with your friends.

Sverre & Øyunn
AMcN

søndag 30. desember 2012

Dreaming of summer

It's stormy outside and it's hail in the air.


I am dreaming of summer ahead of me.
What is better than getting the camping gear packed on your bike, convince your love to come along in the sidecar and go camping. To ride the country roads looking for the right spot to raise the tent, a location next to a lake or a stream, ideal for a camp fire.

Arghhh! still 3 months till spring is here.



onsdag 26. desember 2012

Mechanical workshop


Another picture swiped in a historical archive, employees at Ørebro mechanical workshop lined up to all be part of the photo.
Quite an impressive horn on the 1917 Harley with sidecar, at right in the picture.

The Harley to the left side is obviously having some issues, lets hope the steering head bearing is not taken apart outside. The bearing is easily misplaced if lost in gravel, I know from experience!

mandag 24. desember 2012

Flying Merkel and a wicked sidecar

Damned, its not always that easy to keep up with a foreign language.

Wicker sidecars, their apperance look so fragile to me. This particular sidecar is attached to a dream of a motorcycle, a deep orange Flying Merkel, aint that nice?
Do me a favour, click the link, enjoy the pictures and learn more on this great machine, once an important player in the American motorcycle scene.






This pic. is gently stolen from a website dedicated to local history.

onsdag 19. desember 2012

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintanance.

Imagine yourself finding an old motorcycle that have been maintained in accordance to the manufactur spesifications.
Theoretically it should be as new, theoretically that is.

When buying a new Harley in Norway back in 1920, it was followed by a 84 pages thick book in how to maintain your new investment.
If just those yesterdaze motorcycle riders had bothered to read this great booklet. We as the restorers of old bikes know many didnt.

Take a look at the pages in this booklet describing where and how often to grease and replace oils, impressive 42 items in need of care, 42!!!

Wonder if modern riders would have been capable of motorcycle maintanance according to Harley Davidson 1920`s spesifications?


Chart for lubrication right side.

A few key words; Lubricate your inlet rocker arms every 70km`s, remove grips and refill with grease avery 11000 km`s, add grease to your saddle post and spring every 700 km`s, ......... 
Chart for lubrication left side.

A selection of care point on the lft side; lubricate horn bearings every 1400 km`s (you better do, if not it wont Oogahh when you need it), the gear change pivot bolt need some grease every 700 km`s, ........



Did Sørensen & Balchen sell many Harleys in Norway in those early years of Norwegian motorcycle culture? YES they did, just check the sales figures as per April 1920; 1336 motorbikes, whow!
In 1917 & 1918 they could not get enough bikes from the factory to meet the demand, this because WWI opted the Milwaukee factory to sell more bikes to the army.







mandag 17. desember 2012

Great times since long forgotten

I just love advertising from the early days of motorcycling. Who would not like to own a Harley Davidson after having seen this double paged add from 1914.


More winter pics from Norway

Today most motorbikes are used as pleasure toys, we ride them on a sunny day and park whenever the weather is wet or cold (at least most do).

Not was the scene like this back in the time of yesterdaze motorcycling.

Motorcycles had to work as commercial vehicles, summer and winter. During winter, skis where added either to the side of the bike or the front whell was replaced by one. The variation of ski setup`s for bikes where as many as the number of inventors.

I have since long planned on making an article digging deeper into motorcycle ski setups and those who made them, hmm I need to get some work done on this eventually.
Below are three different photos showing commercial bikes used in the harsh enviroment of the Norwegian winter.   Look at the clothes these guys carry, fur beeing a keyword, and I am quite sure there is Wolf fur used on the gowns worn by the two passengers in the top picture. They are both sales re-presentatives hence they have their own driver. Both the second and the third picture show postal carriages. One is underway to deliver and the other is ready to take of.
No wonder some used the word "workhorses" when talking on their commercially used motorcycle.    



A mudflap could lead to a pair of beautiful Panheads

I met Tim trough e-bay.
Actually I have learned to know a lot of great people trough e-bay, having spent quite a few hours there looking for just the right part, this is an extra outcome of the effort.

Tim makes some great leather mudflaps with lots of spots and jewels. A mudflap like this will add to the apperance of your old scooter that is for sure, and not to forget it keeps the water from hitting your legs and more.

A joining of practical and estetic joy, that is!

Tim sent me a couple of pics showing his beautiful Panheads, a solo 1950 and a 1958 sidecar rig. Both of them impressive machines, and good to know they get ridden.

If your in a mudflap mood, look out for Tims great looking ones on e-bay.  






torsdag 13. desember 2012

It is winter, that is for sure

Damned, it is depressing when your outside thermometer read below  - 22 degree Celcius, add this with the fact that the inside one, mounted on your workshop wall read zero degrees, and I am quite sure the outcome of this gives less than none inspiration for motorcycle maintanance.


It is almost as it is good to be back on work now, then I dont have to see all this snow coming down, neither do I have to spill my strength in shoveling.

It would be more fun if one could use even winter days for riding like the chaps in the photo below, maybe it is time to convert one of the old hogs to a snowmobile?    


Guys where tougher in the old days, like 85 years old Bernhard pictured a cold winter day in 1965 on his Indian Power Plus. Bernhard was then regularly riding his old Indian that he had owned for years. Wonder where this bike went when bernhard didnt ride it any longer?? Late sixties, well I assume they where still taking bikes like this to the local scrapyard.