Ulf Sandberg's motorcycle basement

Ulf Sandberg from Oslo has a basement living room that is a little out of the ordinary. "Furnished" with motorcycles that are a little out of the ordinary, such as BSA DBD34 Gold Star, Velocette Thruxton and Norton Manx, IKEA and Ekornes have had to report their passports.

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A basement living room like this is the dream of many motorcycle enthusiasts. Imagine having a fire in the fireplace, sipping a glass of something good, and right in front of you is a collection of motorcycles like this. You can become a "house pig" of less. Ulf's long life on 2 wheels started in the 60s. In 1967, he got his first two-wheeler, a 1958 Lambretta 125 cc from the janitor at school. At that time, he was already hereditary with a father who was a keen motorcyclist. The scooter was immediately stripped of all ink and sawed off. "It became a kind of off-roader with knobby tires, because I couldn't drive on the road. Østmarka became unsafe, and my mother and occasionally the police got a little angry," says Ulf. Later it was Vespa , Tempo Fighter and eventually a Norton Commando . English motorcycles eventually became an obsession that has remained to this day. At the age of 16, Ulf had a summer and evening job at BMW importer "Motorspeed AS" in Oslo. There he was involved in unpacking and preparing the first BMW R90/Sports that arrived in the country. Ulf says that "This was big, it was one of the most advanced in technology at the time, and one of the most expensive motorcycles on the market. So I can't do without one like that either."

"Gnomen's" old MANX machine

Ever since the late 1960s, Norton Manx has been an unattainable dream for Ulf. When such a motorcycle was put up for sale in NVMC's club magazine "Sidevogna" in 2001, he had no choice. "You don't get a chance like this twice in your life," says Ulf. The bike turned out to be the only 500cc Manx ever sold new in Norway, and not just anyone bought the bike. The owner was Werner "Gnomen" Lorentzen himself. This was in 1952, and if the Manx is a "hot" machine today, it was no less hot back then. Back then, the Manx was ravaging racetracks all over the world and took a number of first places. Norton 's Manx models are named after the tailless cats on the Isle of Man where the legendary TT races have been held since 1907. The Gnome won the Djurgårdsloppet in Helsinki with this bike in 1952. When Ulf bought the Manx in 2001, it was disassembled and lying in boxes and crates. He spent 12 years and a lot of money to get it finished. Here, invaluable practical and spiritual assistance from Arne Eftestøl in Bryne must be mentioned. Later, there have been some short trips and a bit of parade racing. "It's a bit impractical without a kickstart and without support," says Ulf.

Velocette Thruxton

Ulf has always had a soft spot for café racers, and can't get enough of his Velocette Thruxton . There are a few examples in Norway, but none have been for sale. When one appeared in Denmark, Ulf went shopping. "The bike was incredibly good and I've done nothing but ride it," says Ulf. This is an early Thruxton , which is original except for some upgrades such as electric start, electronic magneto, etc. "All original parts are included, so it's probably legal," says Ulf. Last year he and his wife were on the Isle of Man with the Velocette. He got to ride many laps, and it behaved as it should.

BSA DBD34 Gold Star

In the series of English café racers, there is a model that can best be described as "the original". We are talking about BSA DBD34 Gold Star. The model is legendary and the prices accordingly. Ulf bought it in Bergen a couple of years ago, and it was newly restored at the time. All the goodies such as the GP carburetor and RRT2 gearbox are in place. Ulf says that "It is geared to about 100 km/h in first gear, so heavy traffic must be avoided. The smile factor is high on this one on evening trips to Ytre Enebakk and Tyrigrava".

Ducati 450

Ducati in an off-road version is rare to see. Ulf's bike, more specifically an RT450 from 1971, is one of about 300 produced for the American motocross market. The road traffic law in the USA was considerably less restrictive and free movement of motorcycles in the outback has its roots in the USA. However, the Ducati was not a success because 2-strokes dominated this market throughout the 70s, and the Ducati faced strong competition from, among others, Suzuki TS250 and Tamaha DT400. However, Ulf likes this bike, and the engine with angle drive and forced valves is particularly interesting. However, the bike was in poor condition when Ulf took it over, and the engine and gearbox had to be overhauled. "The truth is that this is neither suitable for the motocross track nor on the road, but it's so cool," says Ulf.

With Norton ES2 to the Isle of Man

Ulf restored this Norton model for his wife in 2001-2002. “It’s an incredibly good bike that has since gone on and on, almost boring like a Japanese bike,” says Ulf. In the summer of 2017, Ulf and his wife visited the Isle of Man, where it was given a ride on the famous circuit. The rest of us can only dream, because for many classic enthusiasts, riding the asphalt on the famous island is the dream itself.