Maantie kutsuu! (1937)

The film tells the story of modern motorcycle riding in Helsinki in the late 1930s. When the spring sun begins to warm up, members of the Helsinki Motorcycle Club go on a bike ride. The bikes are repaired and in the morning they gather at Töölöntori Square, where the journey towards the countryside begins. The idea is a journey for the sake of the journey itself, without any benefit. The road, the machine and its control are the world of modern man: “The motorcyclist is created to race.” “The song of the power of the engines is playing.” In keeping with the romanticism of the machine at the time, women are also included. Specifically, the film presents motocross on forest trails and skilled riding on the road – without hands or standing on the bike. The images also feature many bikes from the late 1930s, such as HD, Triumph, Norton, NSU, Ariel, Royal Enfield and New Imperial.