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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The History of The Chopper

By Adam Owens


Following World War II, when the American troops returned home, they stayed loyal to the Harley Davidson company, but they were not satisfied with their new motorcycles. A lot of them encountered riding more exciting and lightweight motorcycles seen in Europe. Being schooled in the service to fix automobiles and motorcycles, they wanted improvements made. To reduce the weight of the bikes, the fenders were shortened or eliminated completely. The front side fender was taken away and the rear one shortened to minimize mud and water splatter from the rear.

Because of this, the expression bobber was coined and the chopper was created as motorcycle enthusiasts made efforts to customize the bikes. To use with dirt bike racing was their original purpose. Any element that the riders believed were needless was chopped off, and this process of chopping is where the term chopper came from. Pieces that were often chopped off include big seats, crash bars, windshields, headlights and front fenders. The fuel tanks were designed smaller and large footrests were replaced with forward-mounted foot pegs which made the cycles lighter.

The incline of the fork to ground level was reduced by raking the front end of the bike which increased the bike's wheelbase. The handlebars were also raised and so they named them ape hangers. Every rider was making a bike that was uniquely their own by making modifications and improvements where necessary. The front tire started to be smaller and the rear end tire became fat. There were a number of riders who began to alter these bikes and sell them to others who did not want to do the work themselves. A growing number of choppers were being manufactured as the demand grew.

The fad for choppers slowed down for many years, but fairly recently it seems to have made a comeback. Choppers built by top manufacturers receive a high price. The chopper became increasingly popular after it was noticed in the film Easy Rider. Out from the chopper revolution emerged the Shovel head FX Super Glide, which was one of the Harley Davidson models. While the idea that the chopper was more for exhibit, there is actually an improved performance in the raked front end. When going at high speeds, the chopper feels more stable on the highway than the original factory suspension, but there is one drawback to this. It is bulkier and significantly less responsive at low speeds and in curves.

A hand-crafted chopper created from scratch may perhaps be good to obtain if you want something that is unique and custom built. The management of the motorcycle is a lot more challenging and the ride is rough, but these radical attributes are necessary to get the desired looks. The low-rider appearance having its low frame to ground clearance, is one particular look that is becoming more popular.




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