Choppers

Chop Talk

Many new sites offer custom built choppers - that is - those cool, elongated motorcycles made famous in the film Easy Rider. But how did these curious and iconic motorcycles come about? It is a long, and undoubtedly somewhat sordid history, but we'll stick close to the genesis of the chopper to keep things nice and family-friendly.

Soldier boy

In Europe during World War II, American soldiers had plenty of contact with the leaner, more exciting breeds of motorcycles seen there. Upon returning home, they shared what they had experienced with less well-traveled biker friends who were intrigued and motivated. It wasn't long until everyone with a bike began to chop their machine down to the bare essentials until they arrived at what today we consider the chopper.

Bobbing

First, though, things moved slowly. The initial modification was usually just the front fender, a piece that upon closer inspection, proved pretty superfluous. The process of shortening or removing the fender was called "bobbing," which led to the nickname "Bobbers" for these bikes. For two solid decades simple modifications like this were being performed by amateurs across the nation. It wasn't until the late 1960s that we saw some of the hallmarks of true choppers: ape hangers; fat rear tires; slim front tires; minimal headlight; raked forks. Then, of course, came Peter Fonda.

Sweet and lowdown

The year was 1969, a seminal year for many reasons, not least of which was the cult film Easy Rider. The bike was slim, almost cat-like. The elongated frame made every movement seem slower and more graceful, but they packed just as much power as a regular Harley. Key to their performance was lower body weight  thanks to "chopping" all the extras off. Choppers had taken hold and they were just getting started.

Shortly after the movie, the backyard, chopped bikes began to give way to professionally designed motorcycles, mechanical incarnations of a rebel. Arlen Ness, grandfather of custom bike building, paved the way for what we have today - copious amounts of mean looking machines called choppers.