'Finnish' your bike the way you want it
Motorcycle building is tightly controlled in Finland. Enthusiasts haven't been allowed to build choppers, as there's been no uniform inspection regulation in place. This will all change next month with a new law.
“The new law means more freedom to build bikes how you like them to be built -- so personalising your bike to look like yourself. We can build longer bikes, wider bikes, and we can change engines," says Samuel Heikkinen of the Modified Motorcycle Association of Finland.
The chopper is a stretched-out, bare bones motorcycle. Fans say they give riders an open-road sensation. Choppers are considered machines of self-expression and home-built creativity.
Jussi Lundelin, who has paid tribute to country music icon Willie Nelson with his bike, says the new rules support his lifestyle.
“The new law means freedom to me," he says.
Vesa Ikkala, a fellow biker, says he appreciates that he can now fit out his bike as he pleases.
“I can change my bike to whatever comes to my mind," he says.
Who said bikers were just tough guys? One custom creation, built by a biker for his wife, symbolises love and commitment, with the word 'dedicated' printed across the tank.
Choppers were born in the 1940s when servicemen returning from World War II began stripping motorcycles of all non-essential parts. Choppers were more widely commercialised in the late 60s with the biker odyssey Easy Rider in which two hippies search for freedom.
Today's chopper enthusiasts still hit the road in search of freedom. Lundelin is already building his next fantasy bike in his head.
"It's a long, narrow bike which I can ride through Norway and back," he says.
Source: 'Finnish' your bike the way you want it
