Another season getting closer to an end

Oh my, its for sure god to get back shore. When even weather gods are playing on your team, your life is likely good. This was my initial thoughts when I watched the weather forecasts earlier this week, still on the rig.
For how long was Adam in Paradise? I got the flu yesterday but heck I am giving a shit, I wanna drive my motorcycle!

Time to get some dust on my 39 W, I always tend to forget how well a old hog running on them 18" ballon tires handles compared to the later 16" wheels & tires.

My route for todays drive took me trough sceneric countryside where colours have changed from the green colour of summer to autumn`s brown, yellow and orange. Winding roads where pure joy from riding brings a huge smile on my face.
Drove by my friend Villys place. His Motorcycle garage is way above what most can ever dream of and he is wrenching all sorts of old bikes including a skirted Indian Chief.

Pointing my nose towards the valleys again, spending another couple of hours riding single lane roads. oops, saw this road from passing by a junction. Where might that road lead to?
Turning back to investigate further, you never know what is hidden in the unknown.
Well, this road didnt bring any since long forgotten dumpster place, it finally went into a lake next to a place wich would be an ideal location for a camp fire next summer.

American Motorcycles

Another way cool image from one of the Danish beach racing events held at the Fanø beach. Spoke of this before in my post on Chr. Bohnstedt Pedersen the guy with an Militoir inline 4, if you remember (if not click on the Chr. B P name and you will be brought there to refresh your memory).

Picture from the 1923 Fanø races, from right to left; an Indian bigvalve Power Plus racer, a OHV FN, then a unbelivable beatiful Excelsior racer (that bike is for sure a story in itself)and finally a Harley racer with an interesting setup. The Harley engine is an early banjo case two cam engine, the frame is a factory keystone.

Oh boy, wouldn we have loved to be at the scene?

Steves Super X

Got this cool photo a while back from my Super X friend Steve living in Indiana.
We have been fortunate enough to meet at a couple of occasions, Wauseon last where I checked out his great original looking Super X low frame 45".
here is a pic of Steves X (to the right) and a friend of his bike, both X`s are in time capsules rather than gloss and shiny nickle plating.
I love them bikes and having seen John R. beating his X on the Wauseon track I look forward to try mine, eventually!

Hornsbergs Velodromen Sweden

Long time ago when I wrote a post on my facination for the US boardtrack racing I came to mention we had one track for motorcycle racing with banked curves in Scandinavia too. This was named "Hornsbergs velodromen".The Swedes Paul & Ruben Ljungberg built this concrete race track with a huge bank loan back in 1922-23. It was fisrt opened for the 1923 season and was really busy for a couple of years to come. To provide additional income boxing matches where held inside the track when not used for racing.

The track was located on a beautiful spot at the country side by Kungsholmen, this a part of the capitol Stockholm.
Next to the track where on one side a huge allotment for Stockholm citizens, on the other a huge victorian building where a children orphans home where housed.
The track was used for bicycles and motorcycles, even a car was once tried but as the track was as short as 333 1/2 meters it became to narrow.
Luck didnt follow the Ljungberg brothers, the track didnt get approval for racing in 1927 and they soon faced bankruptcy.
In 1931 this great innovative track was torn down in favour for an ordinary sports ground, sigh!

This post is to share a link with an actual film from a race at the velodrom found in a Swedish film arcive where in the middle there is a sequence with real motorcycle racing. Click on; Hornsbergs velodromen Motorcycle racing 1925

Imagine when Master Erik Westerberg, "Kjøttbullen" Liljekvist and invited race heroes from Norway, Denmark and Finland roared their bikes around the concrete wall.
Wonder if Master Erik ever used his open port 8 valve two cam Harley here??

Some stills from the movie to give you an idea what this was all about.

Allans Indian Bobber

Couple of days ago I got an e-mail from the most friendly Dane ever Allan, a proud member of the Killer Bobbers located in the Danish capitol Copenhagen.
Since I first met Allan at A-bombers I know him from riding his lowrider skirted Indian Chief. Not anymore, check out his new Indian toy.
What a gem this bike is.

American Motorcycles Norway

Argh!!!, what a picture this is. There you have Herman Oppen to the left in the picture, well seated on his Henderson De-luxe C-1118. Herman is a guy filled with determination. Just look at him, no kidding this is a go fast guy with an "eat my dust attitude" written in his face.

Then there is the still unknown dandy on his ACE A-1507, looking as cool as a James Dean loong before James was ever born.
Mr. Cools`s ACE is a sport model, look at them wide handlebars they will get your body down when needed.

Whilst Herman have ripped off all parts on his bike causing excess weight Mr. Cool have kept his bike as clean as if it had just left the factory in Philadelphia. Just as clean as his white collared racing jersey.
No grease or oil on this gentleman, girlies watch out your harts will get lost with this fella.

Stay tuned, you will get better known to Herman and C-1118.

27.01.2012:
Digging further into the history of the persons and bikes in this picture reveals I was wrong when naming the Henderson owner in my initial post. This Henderson used to be owned and ridden in road trials such as the Trondhjemsridtet 1921 by Johan Hellum. Hellum a former Norwegian athletics champion would by 1922 or 23 become the Norwegian Henderson general agent for a number of years, an interesting person whom is to be further investegated.
Herman Oppen is the new owner of Henderson De-luxe C-1118, and boy is this Henderson getting a tough life in mr. Oppen`s hands. More to come on Mr. Oppen and C-1118.

06.03.2012: As the amount of information is growing on this spesific picture I now know Mr. cools name is Alf Granheim. Alf competed in many early Norwegian motorcycle races. His favourite bike was the ACE brand. Those magnificent, though fragile fours where sold by Gresvig in Oslo. Hopefully we will get to know more on Mr. Granheim and his ACE`s.

American Motorcycles oddball

Much to my despair, I can not manage to figure out what brand this bike is. Any ideas, suggestions will be truly apprechiated.

This bike once belonged to a lucky Swede, one can just wonder if it ever survived?