Motorcycle adventure and LITO purchase.

In the late 90s I read online that there was a group who called themselves Swedish Offroad Entusiasts (SOE) . It was a group of guys who gathered at 9:00 am at Mc Donalds Sveavägen Stockholm on Sunday mornings --- then they went off for a day of driving on gravel roads in Stockholm area.

I had my Husqvarna 510 TE that was well suited for such driving.
I showed up the first time together with 7-8 fellow enthusiasts. At this time it was a guy called Janne Öst that would lead today's driving.

Janne became a good friend and we often drove together, through him did I also know Kjell Petterson, a car dealer in Solna, called for "Map-Kjell". He had an incredible track of all the small winding gravel roads in south of Stockholm

Kjell and Janne (right).

With the help of the "Blue map" he had recce miles after miles of small roads south of Stocholm. With Kjell as the leader we could drive 150 miles on the most wonderful gravel roads - different from Sunday-trip to Sunday-trip
I already had modern instruments like digital camera and GPS with recording capability ( positions stored every 100 meters). Thanks to that I could dataplot our tours , otherwise I would not have had a clue where we have been.

Example of a GPS plot of a Sunday-trip.

Some of the most memorable trips were when the old double motocross World Champion (-59 and 61) Sten"storken" Lundin was the leader. Sten was then 69 years old. He is a very OK and decent guy but a little reserved to new acquaintances. He never drove with big groups ,maximum 3-4 drivers.

Once we where-- Kjell . Janne, Bosse Rindar and me. We met at the Shell Botkyrka for a day of driving. Sten on a Yamaha SR 500, of course rebuilt and tuned by his own ideas.

Sten with his rebuilt Yamaha, Bosse Rindar and myself (to the right).

I had gone with Sten as the leader a couple of times before and thought that I would somehow provoke him to show how fast it goes when a World Champion draws on what he can. A little cocky, I said to him, "Sten, now when we go away , please do not keep "old-womanish-tempo" all the way, but do pull on a little bit. "

He laughed and said: You can overtake if you want.

We drove off and I located myself close behind Sten who drove normally rapid pace the first miles. When we turned into the very curvy gravel road between Skottvagns Mine and Akers Styckebruk I quickly noticed that it was now he delivered Master-driving. I got to run 100% of what I dared and I managed to keep the "gravel-spray-distance" to him all the 15 miles to Aker.

As a matter of fact Sten Lundin was Mr.ELEGANT in the motocross history . He had an upright relaxed driving style, and a distinct ability to find the right and fastest track.

His main rival during the active period was Bill Nilsson, he also double World Champion (-58 and -60), had a bit more hunched powerful driving style. (like a panther before a leap)

Stone and Bill's different driving style.

Having the opportunity to stay close behind the MC-history legend on a rough gravel road is an experience you will never forget. It was the MC-trip of my life.
The other guys got a little behind. We had finish refueling at Åker-styckebruk before Kjell as the first man appeared. He felt peraps a little passed. He had studied the traces of me and Sten and said he was able to sort out what track belongs to whom?

Given that Sten was regarded to bee the master of finding the right and fastest track, I did not take that as a compliment.

I spoke with other motocross riders who were active during the same time as Sten. He told me that he was trying to sneak in behind Sten during training and tried to learn his track. When Sten noticed that he just stopped .
Well at our Sunday tours, we used to stop at scenic spots and eat our own snack.

Sten and Kjell (right).

On one such occasion, I asked Sten if he had knowledge of a motocross-machine of the type he drove during his heyday, that was for sale --- I get a bite. He knew of a newly renovated Lito that were for sale 'It's pricey, but it's a real bike, no fake, prod.no.26
"The owner was a motor writer named Bo Ingvar Svensson in Landskrona.

Bo Ingvar Svensson.

Sten had been a little involved in the renovation of the Lito no.26 . Here on a test drive.

The owner of no.26 Bo Ingvar had agreed to buy Sten's old Word Champion- Lito which was under renovation. No. 26 would be sold before this purchase.

I was also invited to the home of Sten to have a look at his renovation.

When Sten should put together his old World Champion bike, it was pretty much that was missing and he had to provide. This applies to several essential parts. The scarred gas-tank was still there and among other things hubs. fork and backswing.

I had a cup of coffe at Sten and his wife Britt in their villa in Nacka.

Well, I got in touch with Bo Ingvar. Bought his no.26 Lito , and he in turn bought Sten's Lito which he later sold to an American museum. Available online at the address: http://www.mxworksbike.com/index.php/1961-monarch-lito Sten and his Lito described there on quite a few pages and images.
Surely it is Bo Ingvar who is the author and photographer

Stens's LITO at MXworkbike.com American Motorcycle Museum.

Bo Ingvar is an interesting person with a great interest in engines. He has been the editor of a number of engine historical publications for example Mercedes prewar compressor cars. He is also artistically talented. I have for examplea a number of lithographs of old Swedish Cross Champion (Sten Lundin, Bill Nilsson, Gunnar Johansson, Rolf Tibblin). They are signed by himself and the respective champions.

I met Bo Ingvar first time when I went down to watch the no. 26. It was just before Christmas 1999, he had in his photo studio put up the bike in front of a table with served, coffee, ginger, saffron buns and burning candles. He was incredibly engine knowledgeable and interesting to listen to.

I realized quite soon that he in any case had not been driving the Lito very much. When I wanted to test drive he seemed a little concerned. "Do you think you can roll-start it" It almost seemed like he did not even know how to start it. It turned out to have some reasons.
He said he had been at a party with some old motocross racers. After the number of beers they got the idea that they would go down to the basement and start up the host's old 500cc motocross machine. The host tried to kick with clogs on and ran into a pompous backfiring. His leg was seriouslu broken!
This was the background why he didn't like to kick the Lito.

Later, I learned how to start it on the first try even though it stood in months.
You shift into gear and pulling the motor backwards so that the piston is just after the compression flood the carburettor and kick with full force. Absolutely no throttle.
Then it starts with lovely tones. One need not apply to shoes or clogs - rough biker boots should be.

Bo Ingvar's accurate source research and easy-going writing style can be enjoyed in for example his series of articles in "Motocross" about Litoverken and Lito No. 26.

It should also be mentioned that the renovation of no 26 was carried out of Henry Nilsson in Vegby

Henry Nilsson "in action".

No.26 under renovation in Henry's workshop.

Coffee-time in Henry's Kitchen.