OLD MOTORCYCLE RELATED HAPPENINGS IN FINLAND SPRING 2003
By country representative Fiskis Ekman
You probably know Finland best from the hi-tech industry like Nokia and lo-tech operation like Santa Claus and his gift factory up north in Lapland. But somewhere between these extreme points you can also encounter more important activities. For example the hobby involving antique American motorcycles. Due to the climate, the hobbyist dedicates approximately 5 months of the year to riding and 7 months to restoring. Traditionally the major part of the restoration work is done by the owner, using a lot of work & home fabricating and very few repro parts. Not counting your own time, this keeps costs low, and it is not unusual that the Finnish hobbyist owns 10-30 old bikes. The most common bikes are Eastern Europe, Japanese and British.
In the 1920s and 30s Harley-Davidson was the most common motorcycle with around 2000 titled bikes with Indian was not very far behind. The strong American machines were superior to the European bikes on the dirt roads of those times with conditions varying from lousy to bottomless mud. Between 100 and 200 of these are estimated to have survived in some form.
The 100th anniversary of H-D inspired the national antique motorcycle club Veteraanimoottoripyöräklubi to display some Harleys in their stand at the annual motorcycle exhibition in Helsinki in February. As an addition to the selection of typical Finnish pre-war Harleys like JDs and VLs, there was also some examples of the Italian branch of the Harley family tree.
The Harley-Davidson Club of Finland saluted the anniversary by putting up an exhibition of their own at the Design Museum in Helsinki April 25-27.. That was definitely the best history oriented Harley exhibition ever in this country. About half of the 70 motorcycles were 40 years or older. The oldest was an original paint 1918 F in beautifully patinated un-restored condition. Also vintage Harley toys and literature were on display.
One highlight of the show was the reunion of the four legendary ‘52 FS Panheads imported to Finland in 1952 for police patrolling during the Olympic Games. They had been separated for 41 years since the auction in 1962. Because the importer concentrated on Hondas, these were the only post-war Harleys in Finland until 1972 when the agent changed. These four motorcycles played an important part in pioneering the Harley hobby in this country, and they have had the same owners for decades. They all have sequential serial numbers conveniently ending 1, 2, 3, and 4.
No 1 was the first to shake off the sidecar and the silver and black police uniform and get some heavy chroming, metallic paint and extras like buddy seat, safety guards and saddlebags. That was in 1968, and the guilty one is the writer of this story. In 1972 it was damaged in a fire and built into a chopper. In the 80’s it was completely rebuilt during 5 years and again restored to an appearance close to that of 1968. In the 90s also the original sidecar was salvaged and restored to match the bike.
No 2 was transformed into the first true chopper in this country in 1971. It got its final form in 1976 and has been ridden every year by the owner during his 28-year ownership.
Nr 3 disappeared for a long time from the scene but was ridden for some time in a slight customized form in the 70s in an other part of the country. It was disassembled and stored away for more than a decade, but was finally restored in the late 90s by the person who has owned it since 1971. With its silver paint, radio generator and large outside oil tank, Nr 3 is the one closest to the original “Law Enforcement” look of 1952. Unfortunately the original sirens and Motorola radios were scrapped before auctioning the bikes to the public, so chances are slim that any of the bikes will ever appear exactly like they were originally. Only Nr 1 has retained the sidecar. There were only 186 made of the 52FS, so it is quite a rare model.
Nr 4 changed owners several times during the early 70s but was upgraded at the same time from a parts bike to a basket case and finally got a semi-bobber look around 1975. It was soon thereafter bought by a national rock star and since his early passing away, it has been in the possession of an investor.
The biggest happening in the antique motorcycle field in Finland is an annual meeting called the Veteraaniralli. This year it takes place near Oulu in nothern Finland 25.-27. July 2003. A few examples of vintage American iron are usually showing up, and some British too, but traditionally the major part is Japanese and Eastern European.
During a few years we have enjoyed the informal Pocketvalve Rallye in August, and it will probably take place again this year. In addition to the JDs, all pre-war total loss road oilers capable of maintaining a cruising speed of 70-80 km/h are welcome.
An old bike related swap meet is held twice a year. At the spring swap in May there was a 1924 Indian Chief 80-90% complete basket case for 7.000 euros. Next swap is in the autumn.