Twin Club MC is one of the oldest and most respected motorcycle clubs in Sweden. It was founded in Norrtälje in the autumn of 1969. For 34 years, since 1974, Twin Club MC produced the biggest and most prestigious Custom Motorcycle Show in all of Scandinavia. Builders from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, Germany and all over Scandinavia and Northern Europe ride their creations in, to the delight of the over 10,000 people who crowd the Societetsparken on the harbor in the heart of this ancient town. Last year the show was chosen by American Motorcycle Dealer Magazine, a well respected industry publication, to be a European affiliate show for their World Championship of Custom Bike Building.
This years first place winner was Itso Kotavuopio of Tampere, Finland.It blew the crowd and the judges away.
Please keep in mind that this show is not a “Chopper Show” but a CUSTOM BIKE SHOW although there were plenty of sweet choppers also entered.
Isto's inspiration came from his experiences with death and re-birth at an early age. In small towns in Finland, old ornate horse drawn hearses are still commonplace. Most of the ideas for the fantastic hand made details were taken from these vintage 1800 carriages.
Looking at the bike, it's difficult if not impossible to tell what's going on under its shell and how it was put together. “That's one of the mysteries of life” Isto explained. I'll try to unravel the mystery here. The frame was made out of 25mm, seamless hydraulic tubing and covered in hand fabricated 1.5 mm. Sheet metal. The sheet metal was first shaped on a Pullmax then finished off by hand hammering to its perfect shape. The frame and fuel tank were then molded with lead, just like vintage custom car makers like George Barris did in Southern California back in the 1950s.
The rims were another major project. Isto drew up the plans and laser cut the blanks himself. He then twisted the spokes, ground them round and hand polished them. Being a Silversmith by trade, Itso took the time to design and hand fabricate each exquisite detail piece you see in the photos. The Flying Eyeball headlight itself took almost 100 hours to complete. It's got a modern bulb and lens wired in.
There are lot of symbols of death and rebirth on the bike. It's an old Finnish custom to ward off evil spirits. For example the hour glass jockey shifter symbolizes time running out. The cross on the petcock and Omega design of the framework symbolize rebirth.
The bike’s engine is a vintage 1942 600cc. 741 Indian remade with JE pistons, a Harley-Davidson M-18 Linkert carburetor and a Wico magneto.Isto also designed and fabricated the exhaust pipes.The 30-degree raked neck attaches to a hand made mono strut girder style lower leg, fitting the curve of the front wheel perfectly, while mounted on the left side of the bike. Notice also that the rear wheel is also mounted to a mono, rear mounted from right side to give the bike its balanced look. The rear brake is an outside shoe designed by Isto himself.
The oil tank had to be custom made, as well, to fit in with the lines of the bike. The handlebars are Bicycle style. The foot pegs were made by Stefan of Chemical Choppers and the foot controls by Jussi Hayha both of Tampere. The tires are white Firestone Racing and balance out nicely with the flawless black and pearl red paint job by Pasi Kovula. The hand tooled leather seat was crafted by Sweet Liquid Skin.
I know what you're thinking, this doesn't exactly look like a contemporary motorcycle. Remember what motor bikes looked like back in the late 1890s before Bill Harley and the Davidson brothers had a few beers together and came up with the bicycle-related modern motorcycle. Also compare those bikes with some of today’s whacky designs. Could this be the new composition for future motorcycles? Doubtful at best but I'm sure there are some innovations and attention to craftsmanship, I for one, would like to see return. Take for instance the inset brass plate that guards the frame’s paint work from the chain rubbing against it. It's the hard-to-detect little things and the over all attention to perfection that cinched the jury first place and the spectators who awarded this creation both best-in-class for the Scandinavian Championship as well as the Peoples Choice Award.
Isto will surely face stiff competition from builders from all around the world when they meet for the finals in the AMD ProShow World Championship of Custom Bike Building at Thunder Road in Sturgis August 2006, but win or loose, Isto, the silversmith from the little town of Tampere, Finland, will surely mark his place in Custom Bike Building history.
–TBear
You can reach the Twin Club below:
