I´m not actively trying to sell it although, of course, if a serious buyer shows up, we can start talking business... I´m going to donate part of the selling profit to help  children and teenagers with mental problems. The subject is close to my heart, because I´ve worked several years in a project in which we helped youngsters to hold on and find better ways to cope with life. And also because I`m the father of a 12-old boy.
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I´m starting my own business, little by little, manufacturing custom bike parts and bikes. Ie: bullets and other work with lathe and router , sheetmetal work, welding, designing and so on. If there is interest in my work, maybe ordering stuff from me, I´m here to help you!
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Cheers to all crazy Bike-Builders who want to live their dream and make the world a little better place to live in! Ari
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I participated in Design bike- contest, and three days ago I got a phone call, and the promotor of the contest told me I won! So, first prize in the Audi Bike Design contest. It really warms, and, of course one thousand euros main prize also makes me happy... So things are going pretty well here. I`ve started designing a new bike with a whole new frame design. The style will be something fat and low Bobber-style with a vicious looks and mean lean! We´ll see if I get it done by the start of the driving season and summer rallies.
Ari Eskola: "Deadly Mantis" Chopper Trike
I made a boyhood dream come true. As a young boy I built few kustom bikes; I even had an old Schwinn cruiser! That was my pride and joy and, of course, it got stolen. In the 1980´s there weren`t too many American bikes here in northern Finland. It was a rare piece those days. I´ve always admired the American Hot Rod and Kustom-building tradition, and I wanted this bike to really stand out as a showbike, to hail the American style. It´s been in shows here in Finland,  and is in a bike museum right now. It has gained good response.
I bought an old bike for handicapped people from a flea market, ripped the rear axle away and started making a design of my own. The whole process took about 420 hours, designing and drawing excluded. The frame is self-designed and manufactured from steel tube by cutting long parallel wedges with an angle-grinder and then welding the pieces together.
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The rear lights are made of an old lavatory- sink drain parts and red light lenses are from some old industrial electric- equipment from a junkyard! Inside of the delicious Jack Daniels- box is a battery, which is charged via an old Bosch dynamo.
The front fork is made of stainless steel and then polished. The frame, front fork, apehangers, seat, fenders, chainguard, all the bullets, pedals, SF-sign, are all self-made. I also did the painting and polishing.
My bike project contains lots of grinding and welding mild steel and some machining as well. I really enjoyed manufacturing this DEADLY MANTIS trike (named after an old sci-fi film, and because of the front look of the bike, with its bulging eyes). It was a learning process, also, and it has assured me in finding my own style and way of making special kustom bikes. I´d like to thank my family and friends for support and taking part in this process, giving good advice and understanding, and some hard to get- old- skool parts.
I´m not actively trying to sell it although, of course, if a serious buyer shows up, we can start talking business... I´m going to donate part of the selling profit to help  children and teenagers with mental problems. The subject is close to my heart, because I´ve worked several years in a project in which we helped youngsters to hold on and find better ways to cope with life. And also because I`m the father of a 12-old boy.
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I´m starting my own business, little by little, manufacturing custom bike parts and bikes. Ie: bullets and other work with lathe and router , sheetmetal work, welding, designing and so on. If there is interest in my work, maybe ordering stuff from me, I´m here to help you!
.
Cheers to all crazy Bike-Builders who want to live their dream and make the world a little better place to live in! Ari
.
I participated in Design bike- contest, and three days ago I got a phone call, and the promotor of the contest told me I won! So, first prize in the Audi Bike Design contest. It really warms, and, of course one thousand euros main prize also makes me happy... So things are going pretty well here. I`ve started designing a new bike with a whole new frame design. The style will be something fat and low Bobber-style with a vicious looks and mean lean! We´ll see if I get it done by the start of the driving season and summer rallies.
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The rear end was originally a one- speed, but I machined a fitting piece and turned it into a five- speed with a classic Simplex gearshift. Simplex, though, is not match for its name, ´cause it´s really not that simple to adjust! But it works well now, and what wouldn´t you do for the looks an´style!