There are a lot of symbols of death and rebirth on the bike; it's an old Finnish custom to ward off evil spirits. For example, the hourglass jockey shifter symbolizes time running out. The cross on the petcock and omega design of the framework symbolize rebirth. "It not a good thing or a bad thing, but just natural parts of life," said Isto.
The bike's engine is a vintage '42 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 handmade mono-strut girder-style lower leg that fits the curve of the front wheel perfectly and is mounted on the left side of the bike. Notice also that the rear wheel is also attached to a mono rear mounted from the right side to give the bike its balanced look. The rear brake is an outside-shoe setup 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 footpegs were made by Stefan of Chemical Choppers and the foot controls by Jussi Hayha, both of Tampere. The tires are white Firestone Racing models and balance out nicely with the flawless black and pearl-red paint job by Pasi Kovula. The hand-tooled leather seat was done by Sweet Liquid Skin.
We know what you're thinking: "This doesn't exactly look like what I think of when I think 'motorcycle.'" Remember what motorbikes looked like back in the late 1890s before Bill Harley and the Davidson brothers had a few beers together and came up with the first modern bike? Also, take a look again at what they came up with back then and what the company's products look like today. Could this be the new design for bikes in the future? Doubtful at best, but we're sure that there are some innovations and attention to craftsmanship that we would like to see come back. Take for instance the inset brass plate that guards the frame's paintwork from the chain rubbing against it. It's the hard-to-notice little things like that and the overall attention to perfection that clinched First Place from the jury, not to mention the spectators who awarded this creation both best in class for the Scandinavian Championship as well as the People's Choice Award.