Just visited Finland to race the first two rounds of our own Viking Cup. Varkaus 312 meter in east an Kauhajoki 650 meter in west hosted and it was brilliant racing and amazing tracks. But most of the rides we seen in Finland before is rebuilt MX bikes, but there are a few exceptions and this years Vintage Real Deal offered both a Harley-Davidson XR750 from 1972 – the first year with aluminium engine and an even more rare bike; a Norton 820 cc in a Red Line frame.
This particular bike ended somehow up in Finland in the mid 1990’s and the original idea was to convert it to a street legal bike. Since the bike was lacking an original frame it turned out to be mission impossible. The unridden and unfinished bike was parted, and both tech and the Honda front end moved on to another project.
The present owner Juha Pekkanen bought the tank, saddle, primary chaincase and quick change rear wheel and turned it into a classic road racing bike and raced it as such in Nordic events between 2005 and 2010.
As Juha decided not to race the bike himself any more, he turned it in to the present flat track version and “employed” Janne Palokas as rider of the beauty.
And thats how the bike was introduced to the majority of the Nordic flat trackers. Signed up to Viking Cup for the first time this year we all had the pleasure to lay eyes on this thouroghbred flat tracker in Varkaus Finland at first. With owner Juha Pekkanen as the mechanic Janne Palokas manage to get in top of the podium in the Vintage Real Deal class both in round 1 in Varkaus as well as in the 2nd round at the Kauhajoki long track just the day after. Points leader and the third round coming up we bet Janne and Juha are stoked even though they have to battle XR 750’s again as well as some other rare Vintage flat track bikes and their speed loving riders.
We are for sure stoked about seeing this bike again in less then two weeks, when the last and finale round of this years Viking Cup is raced in Vetlanda Sweden July 4-5.
Bike facts
- Frame Red Line from beginning of 1970 (maybe 1972-73). Its one of only 10-12 Norton Red Line frames made by Linn Kastan the original “Mr Trackmaster”
- Front end Marzocchi 35mm fork tubes with Honda front hub.
- Rear wheel with original quick change hub and Grimeca brake caliber.
- Aluminium VM2 rims front and rear.
- Engine 820cc Commando with ported cylinder head, Megacycle cam and Steve Maney crankshaft.
- Gearbox is Norton with RGM close ration gears.
- Original Norton clutch.
- Amal MKII carburettors
- Vape electronic ignition.
Since this particular bike was built togheter the present owner Juha Pekkanen raced it for some years but this weekend it was Janne Palokas time to show what the bike was ment for.
Janne Palokas raced the bike with honor and the fights between him, Gunnar Solvang in Vintage True Gold on a WL/KR and Mara Mäki-Jouppila on a XR750 1972 was pure joy and heartwarming for all of us getting schills from the smell, the sound and the beauty of this iconic rides.
Racingshots by JP-Purtilo at Burt racing and Timo Eronen.
