Piston Pilots Choppers: July 2009

Monday, July 27, 2009

Police Bike...

The Icelandic police department has been using Harley-Davidson in their service for many decades now. This restored ’59 Duo-Glide is the only vintage bike that the Icelandic police department has not sold or thrown away. It stands hidden away in a stairway at the police headquarters in Reykjavik. At least it did back in 2004 when I got the chance to take this picture.

Cool Chop...

There were lots of cool bikes at Super-Rally in Sweden 2004.. Hell there are many cool bikes at every Super-Rally each year! This cool pan-shovel chopper is one of many...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Oslo Open 2005

Oslo Open is an annual motorcycle gathering held in the capitol of Norway each spring. It has also been the Norwegian championship of custom bikes and choppers for the last 4 years. The one day event brings together every aspect of motorcycling and celebrates it as our way of life!

Pictures from the 2005 event… enjoy;o)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Dragracing hero...

The dragracing community lost a true hero in 2006. Svein “Gotten” Gottenberg was killed in an accident at Mosten Raceday in Denmark.

A few years earlier (in Finland) Gotten's engine exploded and the front cylinder blew off, tearing the whole front end from the bike, midways down the strip. An accident he walked away from! At Santa pod UK in 2005 the same thing happened again, but then the frame did not crack in half. Anyway as you can se from the pictures, parts where flying near Gotten pulling his left hand away from the handlebars. A year later he crashed at Mosten and this time he didn’t walk away from it… R.I.P. (The amazing pictures where taken by Stefan Boman)

A rare sight....

It’s not every day that you get to see a seldom motorcycle like Vincent. To se a Vincent chopper is most likely something you never get to se! Well, one autumn day in the year 2003 I got the chance to se Norway’s one and only (I assume) Vincent Chopper! This bike belongs to a bloke named Nils Arne. I personally don’t know the guy but was allowed too take a look at his wonderful bike (and snap some pictures;-) And yes it is a wonderful bike! And it’s the only one just like it! Therefore much more rare than an original Vincent!!
The bike is built in some what of a Swedish style but with a Norwegian flare to it.. The style is typical for the bikes build in the mid eighties in the Trondheim (the Biker Capitol of Norway) area. Actually many of the parts on this bike are made in that area, like the Custom Speed front forks. Hail to him who dares to be different!!!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

A Pan from Trondheim

Winter vehicles

Nice roads back then....

A picture taken from the book "Þá riðu hetjur um héruð" which tells the story of the motorcycle in Iceland.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

First Run 2005

The third weekend in February H-DOCN (Harley-Davidson Owners Club Norway) holds its annual "First Run" at the town of Røros (one of the coldest places in Norway). It's not the biggest Rally in the world (usually about 10-15 participants) but probable one of the most interesting and amusing gathering in the whole wide world!! I know! I’ve been there ;o) Twice....