There are many unique things about being an American. Being able to begin your life in humble circumstances and rise to greatness is the pilot light in the furnace that makes up the American soul. You can do anything here.
Another part of American culture is that the people who often fully appreciate the American dream of opportunity are immigrants. The stereotypical foreigners come here to pursue a passionate dream. Some of them dream about choppers. Steinar Bergby came to the U.S. from Norway with passion and a plan.
“Steinar and I grew up in the same area of Norway. We were great friends from age 19. We both talked a lot about coming to the states and living the American life. Steinar took the first step and made his way to America,” says Frank Pedersen, co-owner of Motorcycle Works.
Steinar ended up in landing work as a flight instructor in the Kansas City area and began to carve out his new life. He taught flying and kept enticing his friend Frank to come over to the land of fast planes, wild choppers and nice American girls.
“I came to the U.S. in 1984 and Steinar offered me a place to stay. He was the only person I knew in the U.S. and he had contacts here for work, etc. I lived with him for a while and started doing work on motorcycles in the K.C. area. Eventually I opened my own shop and went into business for myself in 1994,” Frank says.
Frank began building long bikes when they weren’t the hot item, but Frank’s framed machines were easy to ride and fast. He utilized some of his “European” ideas and styling to create quite a stir in the K.C. motorcycle community. This eventually led to coverage in several national magazines including Easyriders.
“Things have really grown since I opened the doors here. Eventually the need for another person to have some ownership came to light. I made one of the better moves for my business and made Jeff Schneider a partner. He and I now own Motorcycle Works together,” says Frank.
Steinar and Frank have remained friends throughout all the years. In fact, Steinar has flown in several times to join the group from Motorcycle Works at Sturgis and Daytona. During these times he has ridden one of Frank’s personal bikes called “Time Machine.” He liked the setup of the bike and finally after all the years of friendship, Steinar decided it was time to have Motorcycle Works design and build him a chopper. Frank was excited about the project to offer some appreciation to the man who helped him come to America.
Steinar now flies all over the world as a captain for SAS Airlines. In fact, Steinar owns another unique machine called a Pitts airplane. It is a cool old time bi-plane that has fabric covered wings. It has been meticulously restored to its glory. Steinar loves flying his old biplane and doing tricks in the air whenever he has a chance.
“I decided I wanted a bike to compliment the Pitts plane. Since it is a unique plane I wanted something drastically different than many of the cookie cutter choppers out there today,” says Steinar.
Frank and Jeff went to work on some ideas. They came up with an eight-inch upstretch and three inch forward frame in their “backroom division,” which is also known as Viking Frames. Then came the powerplant.
“It had to be a v-twin, but we wanted something off the wall. We debated all the big inch stuff and hot rod evo styled options and eventually settled on the 100 cu. Indian Power Plus engine. It has plenty of power and reliability and it is definitely unique. The choice of the engine also influenced us to add the old Indian plunger style rear suspension. Everyone is really happy with how it turned out,” says Jeff.
To add a little “Old World Style” to the chopper, the decision was made to use a SU carburetor. The old Jaguars ran these types of carbs in their three/two setups. Special modifications had to be made to the intake to adapt to the Indian motor and be left side mounted.
With the big decisions made, next was the sheet metal. Being a full fabrication operation, the crew at Motorcycle Works made the fenders and gas tank. To complete the Indian theme Coops Custom Paint put the unique paint scheme appropriately named “Crazy Horse.”
“The paintjob matches Steinar’s airplane. It is not the traditional type of color for our bikes, but it is different and it was what he wanted. When you put the two of them together it really looks kick ass,” Frank says.
Motorcycle Works is located in Olathe, Kansas. They offer a full line of custom frames, sheet metal and parts for all types of v-twin motorcycles. They also specialize in fat tired monsters. As Frank says, “The wider the motorcycle the narrower it makes the rider look.” They are on the web at. http://www.choppersforever.com
Tech Sheet
Frame: Viking “Indian Plunger Chopper” with 3 inch top-tube & 8 inch down-tube stretch
Rake: 40 degrees
Sheet Metal: Motorcycle Works
Paint: Coops Custom Paint, Independence, Missouri
Seat: Motorcycle Works Pan/Autotrim Unlimited Upholstery
Front Suspension: Motorcycle Works 49 mm, 16 inch over conventional telescopic with 5 degree raked triple trees
Handlebars: Motorcycle Works
Hand Controls: Custom Chrome 72-81 Style for Hydraulic Clutch
Foot Controls: Thunder Heart
Rear Suspension: Motorcycle Works Old Style Indian Plunger Replica
Front and Rear Brakes: 4-Piston HHI Caliper
Front and Rear Rotors: Motorcycle Works Maltese Cross
Sprocket: Motorcycle Works
Wheels: DNA 18 X 10.5 Rear, 21 X 3.5 Front, Both 80 Spokes
Front Tire: Metzeler 120/70 – 21 inch
Rear Tire: Metzeler 280/35 – 18 inch
Engine: 100 cu. Indian Power Plus
Exhaust/Heat Shields: Motorcycle Works Header Pipe with Old School Megaphones
Fuel Delivery: Old Style SU from Rivera
Transmission: Roadmax 6 Speed Right Side Drive
Primary: Harley-Davidson Dyna Enclosed
Lighting: Dual 4.5 Inch High/Low beam
