MARCOS SHOVEL - BY THE OLD SCHOOL

Text: Jens Fredrik von der Lippe («Greven») Trondheim

Tore "Marco" Markovic (54) in Rams MC in Trondheim, is hereditary. His uncle, Terje Branco Markovic, also called "Marco", was one of the pioneers in the biker community in Trondheim in the 70s, and helped start MC-Trondheim in April 1972, the club which in 1977 changed its name to Rowdies MC Trondheim, from which the Rams MC originates. Tore's father is a personality from the car cross, motocross and hill running environment in Norway for many years, both as a performer and judge and has also owned many types of MC, not least Harley-Davidson.

Rams MC in Trondheim

Tore became an early member of a biker club in Trondheim, which no longer exists, and from 1993 he has been a member of Rams MC in Trondheim. Tore was also bitten by the motorsport bug and for a time did it big in motocross and especially downhill racing with a crude self-built bubble, which he still has and which stands in the garage and nags every spring for Tore to take up the sport again. Presumably it will happen one day.

The chopper has become exactly the way Tore wants it

The bike that Vanessa Patrachi from Trondheim presents on the front page of Scanbike is Tore's early shovel which he acquired way back in 1988. From that time, only 1, 2 and 4 gears remain and a Massey Ferguson light. In the years he has owned it, it has been under constant development and today it appears with a frame that Ivan i Rams MC built out at Custom Speed in Trondheim, 18 inch extended Custom Speed fork, 18 and 21'' fat spoke rims and not least with a spectacular Weber gasser (1 X 44) which he used on the crossbobla and which he was able to adapt on the chopper. Other goodies are a SS Billett Crane H4 race model benefits with reverse drive for use with e-ignition. Regulator from Floberghagen (keeps what it promises, never failed - not even when he welded the frame). He twisted the fishtail pipes himself. With a lot of good help from ClubBrothers, and not least from Gris in Rams MC, the chopper'n has become exactly how Tore wants it.

"Gas until it crashes"

The machinist is 1600 cc and Tore likes that it blows well around his ears. Took a Buell to the drag strip once, and the bike now appears in a nostalgic appearance with Ommedal flame painting, upswept fishtails, sissy bar, wide handlebars and rigid frame of course (although he has put an Øhlins sticker where the frame tubes only meet at the fan box), while the has the power and driving characteristics to assert itself in the sharp class. The speedometer is childish, Tore thinks, so he has instead mounted a tachometer on the handlebars and replaced the shift light with an oil lamp. The kick disappeared due to a severe foot injury Tore got a 2 meter high concrete pillar over his foot a few years ago which crushed his foot blade and thus unfortunately the kick disappeared and was replaced by a Right Side Electric Starter from the USA which sucks the current from a Lithium chopper battery, no bigger than it can easily be hidden under the hall. Tore is a scrappy biker, fostered and raised in oil and exhaust and with a body that you wouldn't really think was built for speed. You better think twice - Too Cool to School!