Norsk Motorcykle Klub NMK

In 1916 a group of men came together and founded Norways first Motorcycle club, " Norsk Motorcykel Club ". Sverre Strand was directed as the organisations first chairman, the other 6 founders and members of the board as well as the club where: Halvor Haneborg, Finn Hjortnæs, Tycko Lindros, Macke Nicolaysen, Sverre Nærup og Poul de Roger.



This is a pretty crappy picture of the first Norsk Motorcykle Klub NMK logo, I find the design very cool.




Most of those beeing a member of NMK in these early years where engineers, business managers, wholesalers and in general people from the upper class.

In the early years of the organisation reliability trials where held on public roads, like from one town to another and back. Most of the focus was getting the bike to take the beating of the country roads to get you home.

After the WWI NMK arranged the famous Kristianaia-Trondhjem-Kristiania trial, arranged for the first time 29-31 of August 1919. This was a distance of more than 1000km, an unheard distance back then.



















The above scan is from "Norsk Idretts og Sports Blad" covering up the facts on this spectacular event.

17 drivers participated in this first Kristiania-Trondhjem and back trial, 16 Norwegians and one Danish driver. The weather was really bad when crossing the mountains and soon close to half of the participants where out due to technical problems. The remaining ten where true heroes. Events winner was Erik Gotaas at 398 points, second was Oscar Wiger 403 points and third pr. Bjørnstad at 465 points. The Danish participant riding a small BSA crossed the finnish line at 1035 points.

Erik Gotaas who drove his Excelsior celebrated his 20 years birthday at the day of finnishing the trial, a brave youg man compared to his older and more experienced competitors.
Other bikes finnishing where Indians, Harleys and a Reading Standard





On the 7 of desember 1920 "Norsk Motorcykle Klub Kristiania" (now Oslo) was founded as a branch of the existing organisation.
In just a year the club had 288 members, all recomended by a previous member and approved by the club board.


The club arranged several races, one of the first was the "Korketrekkeren race" or in english "the corckscrew race" This was an uphill race from Svendstuen to Frognerseteren, loads of curves rising 250 meters from start to the finnish line.
The first Korketrekkeren was arranged 22 of october 1921, when Macke Nicolaysen NMK Kristiania set a time record of 2.59 1/5.









The picture above is from a race held in 1927 where driver Torbjørn Tollefsen lost control of his Harley outfit coming out of a sharp S curve, throwing his chair monkey Fr. Dieseth out of the chair. This rather spectacular scene resulted in an injured driver and an unhurt monkey. I bet the spectators where pretty shaken by this accident!

Other races still remembered where held at locations nearby Oslo such as Dælenga, Bjerke Travbane, Frogner Stadion, Frognerkilen and Gjerssjøen where the two last where during winter time on ice as they are both lakes.





This picture is taken during a race on the ice of Gjersjøen.

In a few years NMK was getting branches in other major cities too, such as Bergen and Trondhjem.

American Motorcycles

Poul Jørgensen on his Excelsior big port racer at Fanø beach speed trials in 1921.
The Schwinn built Excelsior bigports where fast machines in their time making life pretty hard for Indian and Harley on the racetracks.

I love those early machines where the controls are all mechanical, rods and ball joints. Just think about the labor cost on this compared to the later bowden cables.
Imagine the roar of those exhaust pipes at full throttle along the track.

American Motorcycles Norway

F-15599 with owner Torstein Skattebo behind the controls is an intersting machine. This as pictureis taken as late as in 1936 when on a longer tour crossing the Dagali mountains. Looking at the bikes condition it have to be well maintained staying this fit at almost 20 years of age.
This Harley is a 61" (1000cc) magneto model with acetylene lights.



Pillow rider, cant really figure out where she keeps her feets when on the back?

Christian Bohnstedt-Petersen II

Those still remebering my write up on the great Danish motorcyclist Christian Bohnstedt-Pedersen will remeber he did some spectacular racing with Reading Standards on the Fanø Races held on the Fanø beaches from 1919 to 1924.

Here is some more photos of Christian and his Reading Standard machines taken on the Fanø beaches.
Who might this brave sidecar girl be?



1921 at the Fanø beach race. Standard bike with sidecar, humm well not quite standard is it with those roadster bars?
I like the handlebar risers used by Reading Standard, like those to come from Flanders years later.

UPDATED INFO, 27.11.2010:
Spoke with Christian Bohnstedt-Petersen`s grandson Frank who could inform that the brave woman in the Reading Standards sidecar was his grandmother Vera. At the time of the race when this photo is captured Franks father Henry was a lad aged 6. Wonder if he was on the beach looking at his parents?



1921 at the Fanø beach race. Testing the performance of a standard bike.




1920 at the Fanø beach race. This is a serious racing machine, direct drive, no gear or clutch, just "off you go".
Both cylinders have cooling ribs removed and holes drilled in the cylinder walls to improve cooling and get rid of waste oil.
Frame have been modified with keystone style front motor mount as well as the entire frame is shorted.

Custom aluminium footboard mats

Metal casting, I love it. The process is so cool, pouring floating metal as if it was water into a premade mould and voila, let it cool down and you have a part for your motorcycle.

I`ve since long thought about making some aluminium footboard mats for my boardtracker, why? dont know, just because it looks cool on a custom built machine I recon.

Anyway, as my local metal pourer is going to close for retirement I had to get the project going, its a shame his bussines wil be discontinued. Hmm, maybe I need to get on with casting my own stuff from now on.

The finnished alu mats are 1 mm thicker than original ones and a little bit shorter as I was to lazy to compensate for shrinking on the plug used for making the core boxes.

They look cooool on a bike, will post pics of mats on bike later on.

Took a bunch of pics this time, for you to enjoy;






Core box, mirror view of part to come. metal is to be poured into the V formed portion to spread better before cooling.






Core boxes lined up ready for pouring metal. Oven in the back with melted aluminium.






My metal pourer ready dressed (hmm, he have been in the bussines to loong as he wear ordinary jeans and shoes).






Melted and ready for pouring.






Loads of energy, better watch out if this starts floating around.






Pouring metal into core boxes, floats like water.






Having cooled for a while core boxes are ready to be split up to view the part.






A bunch of mats, two not yet ground of from the pour. In the foreground is the "original".






Details went out really well, this is of course depending on the quality of the sand in the corebox.

American Motorcycles Norway

D-1376, a late teens Harley? Cool to see there is a reg. plate on both the bike and the sidecar. I`ve seen quite a few older sidecars with plates, have a old National myself with plate on.
Have never read if this was the standard in the early years of Norwegian Motorcycling, somthing to look into.

No big deal figuring out who in this pic is the boss / rider, hint; dress code.

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New toy

Ah well, one never get to an end do one? I`ve always fancied the thought of building a periodic mild dresser based on either a knuck or a 48 Pan.
There are not to many unmolested 48 Pans out there, offset springer and all.

Will try to post along the rebirth of this old gal.

Garage party

Having finally got my new motorcicle garage to a certain level there was time to get together some friends to talk motorcycle, drink & play load music til late at night Saturday.
Sunday morning was less great, but hey we need to do this again soon.



Odd, Geir and Bjørn



Oscar, the Panhead man aka Pistion Pilot aka Bikerboden.



AMcN, thanks a lot Fred for your shipment of jerseys!

Cool parts

Fairbanks Morse XLCH magneto with rev. counter for use on WL bobber, hmm what an idea.

American Motorcycles Norway

These two Harleys, X-43 & X-86 both origin from the Northern part of Norway. Pictures are not the best, tough interesting still.




X-43, a 1924 Harley Davidson 61" (1000cc), This model have the later style timing cover (pressed steel) and oilpump wich where used on all later models. Earlier models had cast aluminium cover with integrated oilpump.

Passenger is the local road inspector, kind of laidback guy?



X-86, another early twenties Harley with sidecar. This is an electric J model.

American Motorcycles Norway

Peder Bjerkseth worked as priest in the small town Snertingedal from year 1917 to 1930.
Peder was an enthusiastic motorcycle driver in his younger years. His first motorcycle E-177 where a Henderson from 1916 with a National sidecar. This must have let him down eventually in a few years as he in the later pictures shown operates a 1918-1919 Harley 61" (1000cc)IOE on the same E-177 plates. Another fact is the National car is now altered to work as a sled behind the Harley during the winter season.




Peder ready to bring relatives home from a Sunday party. Wife and kids in the back.



Peder with family in the sidecar. The Henderson is a bare magneto model, no lights just the ball horn to warn whoever gets in his way.



Peder have uppgraded himself to a "state of the art" Harley Davidson with skies for winter driving. Peder is well dressed to cope with the cold winter.
Peders Harley beeing a magneto model is equipped with a unknown brand acetylene headlight.



The National car previously attached to the Henderson is now degraded to a snow sled behind the Harley.
According the text on the picture this vehicle was the Bjerkseths family transport for eight years (winters).


Further pics from the old albums belonging to Peder Bjerkseth;
http://www.rolfsteinar.net/snertingdal/bj/index.html

11.11.2010; got an e-mail from my friend Nicklas in Sweden who states this Henderson is not a 1916, rather a 1917-18. OK, if Nicklas say so its for sure the truth as he knows most details on these early motors.

JD Cutdown project

Messinger Motorcycle Racer, the look of speed.







JDH Sport fuel tank next to a standard tank, quite a difference.



















Hmm, this old girl will be getting quite a bit of cosmetic surgery in time to come.

American Motorcycle Norway

This picture show Knut Haugen from Fagernes and his Harley Davidson D-1238, an early twenties 61" (1000cc) magneto model w. acetylene lights. Bike is equipped with John Manville speedo, made for Harley in the earlier part of the 1920íes. As this is a magneto model there is a manual Klaxon horn mounted on the handlebars. These horns where named "Oogah"-horns, guess why!