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A chopper is a radically customized motorcycle, archetypal
examples of which are the customized Harley-Davidsons seen in
the 1969 film Easy Rider. Many of today's custom motorcycles are
sometimes mistakenly called choppers, but a truly custom-built
motorcycle has additional - usually chrome - accessories and
billet parts added on to the bike for aesthetic value, while
originally such modifications were purely functional in nature.
after World War II . Many veterans had been trained to work on
automobiles and motorcycles bought up surplus military bikes
and removed all the unnecessary parts like windshields and
saddlebags to minimise weight. Rear fenders were "bobbed" or
shortened just enough to handle a passenger and keep the rain
and mud coming off the rear wheel from hitting them in the back
and front fenders were removed completely.When individuals were stripping their stock motorcycles and
bobbing their fenders, the term "bobber" was born. When
individuals started cutting (or chopping) and welding their
frames thereby repositioning/restyling them, the term "chopper"
was born. Chopping was the next phase in the evolution that
followed dirt track bobbing.
To build or chop a traditional chopper an unmodified factory
bike is used (usually a rigid Harley Davidson) and everything
unnecessary to either move or stop is stripped or chopped off. the frame is
cut up and welded back together to make it lower and lighter.
Performance parts are added or modified to increase speed. and make it as fast and
maneuverable as possible.
Companies like Jesse G.
James' West Coast Choppers have been successful in producing
extremely expensive traditional chopper-style bikes and a wide
range of chopper-themed brands of merchandise such as clothing,
automobile accessories and stickers.
Despite the name, a large percentage of the
motorcycles produced by popular companies such as Orange County
Choppers, Indian Larry, Falcon Motorcycles and Von Dutch Kustom
Cycles are better described as 'custom' bikes rather than
choppers.
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