THE LONGBIKE I CRASHED! Click on Read more at the bottom of this topic to read the whole story.
This clean beauty is from the hands of Peder Johansson (Hogtech). In Sweden he is called Greven (The Wizzard) for how he bends the steel. I was happy to get the chance to do the Brickyard Killer project with him, as I already knew his work on the MCM project Kaminari bike and the many choppers he built before.
In the summer of 2008 I went to Sweden to bring the 70% finished Brickyard Killer back to Peder and help a little with finishing the Hogtech S&S bike. We wanted to show them both at the Hogtech booth at the Norrtelje bikeshow.
I had a great week with a lot of wrenching going on, but also enjoying the Swedish hospitality (thanks Visjna), lifestyle and meeting the most fantastic people (like Andreas, Lexi, Tolle, Robban, the guy from Mectec, Henkan and all the guys from Twin Club mc, Mala, Totte etc.. ).
A day before Norrtelje the S&S bike was finished and Peder wanted to take it for a spin, he said to me; 'you take the Outlaw!' I was exited because I never rode a longfork before.
Before we left somebody put a nice load of grease on the chain because it was a little dry (you feel 'm coming? Sprocketbrake...grease!).
The bike was not ridden for over a year, so it took some effort to get it going. But then it ran, and I turned! the special clutch lever/throttle, put it in gear...Blam/ little jump. Engine off! Clutch was sticking. Started again, made a little speed stepping and kicked the gear in...
I was riding a longbike! Peder took me on a run trough a landscape that looked like Heaven. He was having a hell of a time, riding the S&S bike like a beserker.
I on the other hand was sweating to keep this 1800cc bike without brakes (due to the grease), no clutch what so ever and a engine without bottom or toppower, but tons of torque at mid rev. that kicked in like a mule.
Needless to say I didn't enjoy much of the landscape, I was trying not to lose Peder as I didn't know my way around in his neck of the woods.
When we arrived back at the "ranch", the engine was very hot and ran quite high stationairy, but I felt mighty cool as I did not crash the bike.
So when I entered the grevelpath to his house I shifted down, but past the neutral and couldn't get it back, the clutch still wasn't home, I pushed the brake but that slid through due to all the grease and the high idling motor just kept moving.
I saw several opportunities to stop, none of them good!
I could crash into the woods, the brand new bike transporter, the mini van, the house or let myself fall with the bike and slide on the grass in front of the house. I choose for the latter. I ruined the grass (see red arrow on bottom photo) by dropping the bike and rammin the footpeg in the ground, by using my body I could protect the 40.000 euro bike The front fork slid under the bike transporter and halted at one of the transporters wheels. Only scratching the front fork and breaking a little piece of the transporters fiberglass body.
A pale Peder jumped from his bike and shouted if everything was OK? I thought that was really nice, because I excpected him to shout: 'What the f**k are you doing to my bike'? Later on after a Swedish Moonshine(dangerous poison that turns your brain to jelly) session I thought it was quite funny to get a magic marker and write on the chipped bike transporter: "Paul Funk was here! june 2008". Yep, as my friend Aad later mentioned: They were really happy to see me go!
