This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since June 2006.

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 built motorcycles are mistakenly called choppers. These custom built motorcycles have additional (usually chrome) accessories and billet parts added on to the bike for aesthetic pleasure while originally modifications were only functional in nature. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Chopper may mean: Chopper (motorcycle), where many parts were removed (chopped) or replaced Raleigh Chopper, a bicycle model styled and named after these motorcycles Helicopter, slang for chopper (archaeology), a type of crude stone tool Mark Brandon Chopper Read, Australian criminal, author and recording artist Lambda Chi Alpha, nickname for... Mika Kallios KTM125 racing motorcycle A motorcycle, also called a motorbike or just a bike, is a single-track, two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ... Archetype is defined as the first original model of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are merely derivative, copied, patterned, or emulated. ... Logo on a 2003 Harley Davidson The Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HDI) is a manufacturer of motorcycles based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Easy rider is an arcane United States slang expression whose meaning has varied with time. ...

History

In post-WWII United States, servicemen returning home from the war started removing all parts deemed too big, heavy, ugly or not absolutely essential to the basic function of the motorcycle, such as fenders, turn indicators, and even front brakes. The large, spring-suspended saddles were also removed in order to sit as low as possible on the motorcycle's frame. These machines were lightened to improved performance for dirt track racing. (See the origin of the "Hell’s Angels" for more on dirt track racing.) A saddle is a seat for a rider fastened to an animals back. ... Look up Frame in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hells Angels New York City The Hells Angels is a motorcycle club formed in 1948 in Fontana, California, where the local chapter remains active. ...

James "Wild Child" Greene of the now world famous Wild Child's Custom Shop is heretofore recognized as the pioneer of the modern chopper design. Wild Child’s jump started an American institution with its famous "It's a What?" magazine debut marking the beginning of an era at the same time as other friends later becoming "Kustom Kulture" celebrities of their own. Examples being, Sam/George Barris, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Ray Fharner and others of the era. Based out of Kansas City, Missouri Wild Child’s captured the imaginations of what‘s become five decades of prominent American motorcycle culture. Kustom Kulture is an all-encompassing term used to describe the artwork, the vehicles, the hairstyles, and the fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. ... Ed Big Daddy Roth (March 4, 1932 - April 4, 2001) was an artist and the creator of Rat Fink and other characters, custom car builder, and one of the people responsible for the Kustom Kulture / Hot rod movement of the 1960s in Southern California. ...

The oldest known chopper motorcycle in USA, built by Wild Child's Custom Shop of Kansas City, Missouri.

Forward-mounted foot pegs replaced the standard large 'floorboard' foot rests. Also, the standard larger front tire, headlight and fuel tank were replaced with much smaller ones. Many choppers were painted preferably all in either flat black or in shiny metallic “metal flake” colors. Common, were many chromed parts (either one off fabricated replacements or manually chromed stock parts). According to the taste and purse of the owner, later “chop shops” would build high handle bars, or later “Big Daddy” Roth Wild Child’s designed stretched, narrowed, and raked front forks. Also were custom built exhaust pipes, many of the “after market kits“ followed in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Laws required (and in many locales still do) a retention fixture for the passenger, so vertical backrests called sissy bars were a popular installation, often sticking up higher than the rider's head. Image File history File links FirstChopperMotorcycle. ... Image File history File links FirstChopperMotorcycle. ... Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... A tire or tyre (see spelling differences and etymological origins) is a device covering the circumference of a wheel. ... A SAAB headlight with combination projector/reflector optics A headlight or headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as night or precipitation. ... Fuel is any material that is capable of releasing energy when its chemical or physical structure is changed or converted. ... A sissy bar, also called a bitch bar or passenger backrest is an addition to the rear of a motorcycle or childs bicycle seat that allows the rider or passenger to recline against it while riding. ...

While the decreased weight and lower seat position improved handling and performance, the main reason to build an evil looking chopper was more likely to show off and provoke others by riding a machine that was stripped and almost nude compared to the softer-styled stock Harley-Davidsons, let alone the oversized automobiles of that time. Logo on a 2003 Harley Davidson The Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HDI) is a manufacturer of motorcycles based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Car redirects here. ...

The now famous Ed “Big Daddy” Roth at Wild Child's for his first look at a “chopper.”

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (715x708, 235 KB) Summary Ed Big Daddy Roth (then friend of The Wild Child) eyeing the first known chopper before Roths later chopper magazine career, built by Wild Childs Custom shop. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (715x708, 235 KB) Summary Ed Big Daddy Roth (then friend of The Wild Child) eyeing the first known chopper before Roths later chopper magazine career, built by Wild Childs Custom shop. ...

Traditional choppers

Satart in Sweden 1927 [1] In the United States servicemen returning from WWII were looking for a thrill. Many veterans had been trained in WWII to work on automobiles and motorcycles and were looking to add a little excitement to their post-war lives with their newly acquired mechanical skills. Motorcycles and Hot Rods were the perfect venue for them. Motorcyclist bought up surplus military bikes but found all the weight just a bit too restrictive so they chopped away all the unnecessary parts like windshields and saddlebags. Then in an effort to make the bikes a bit lighter and handle better all the unnecessary weight was chopped off. 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.

This type of home done customization led to the rise of the "bobber". Then in the '60s, motorcyclist found that a longer front end allowed the bike to run smoother at faster speeds. The degree of neck rake and length of front end was modified on these bikes with this in mind. The Girder and Springer front ends were the most popular forks for extending. This does make the bike harder to handle at slower speeds.

To build or chop a Traditional Chopper an unmodified factory bike is used (usually a rigid Harley Davidson) and everything unnecessary to go and stop is stripped or chopped off. Then the engine and transmission are removed and the frame is cut up and welded back together to get it lower and lighter. Performance parts are added or modified to increase speed. The true function of a Chopper is to make it as fast and maneuverable as possible.

Today's chopper era

Choppers have enjoyed a large following. Companies like Jesse G. James' West Coast Choppers have met success producing extremely expensive traditional chopper-style bikes and a wide range of chopper-themed brands of merchandise such as clothing, automobile accessories and stickers. Jesse G. James Jesse Gregory James (born April 19, 1969) is an American and CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles, and the host of Motorcycle Mania and Monster Garage on the Discovery Channel. ... West Coast Choppers is a company best known for selling chopper-style motorcycles. ...

A distinction should be noted between true chopper (or chopper-style) motorcycles, and custom motorcycles, or 'custom cruisers'. Despite the name, a large percentage of the motorcycles produced by popular companies such as Orange County Choppers, Indian Larry and Von Dutch Kustom Cycles are better described as 'custom'. A custom motorcycle is one that is highly stylized or which treats aspects such as frame geometry or engine design in an unusual way. ... Orange County Choppers (OCC) is a custom motorcycle manufacturer founded by Paul Teutul Sr. ... Indian Larry Desmedt (1949-2004) was a noted bike builder, stuntman, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles. ... Kenneth Howard (September 7, 1929–September 19, 1992), also known as Dutch, Von Dutch or J.L. Bachs (Joe Lunch Box), was a motorcycle mechanic, eccentric, artist, pinstriper, metal fabricator, knifemaker, and gunsmith. ...

On this same subject a distinction should be made between choppers and bobbers. While both tried to improve performance by removing any part that didn't make the motorcycle perform better, they differed in an important way: bobbers kept the original factory frame, while choppers have a modified form of the factory frame.

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.

While people assume that the chopper style motorcycles were built purely for aesthetics, there is a real performance advantage to the raked front end on these choppers. These motorcycles have a much more stable feel at high speeds and in a straight line than motorcycles with original factory front suspensions. However, like any other modification, there's a downside: the raked front end feels heavier and less responsive at slow speeds or in curves and turns. This is due to the longer trail measurement associated with increased rake.

Changing the rake and trail of a motorcycle design requires modification of the design itself. This is a job that requires in-depth input from a motorcycle designer who is experienced with such design changes. This article or section needs to be wikified. ...

Which brings up one more option a chopper builder has: raked trees. Raked trees are designed so the lower tree sticks out further than the upper tree, thus increasing the rake of the forks in relation to the steering head rake. What this does, for those still following along all the imaginary lines, is position the axle closer to the frame rake measurement line, or shortening the trail. Thus, when adding raked trees to a raked frame (which sports a longer trail), the trail is shortened to a more manageable level. However, be warned that adding raked trees to a frame with short rake and trail can be hazardous, as shortening an already short trail measurement can lead to an unstable situation as speed increases. Misuse of raked trees can be quite dangerous, so a bit of research is in order before turning the first wrench on any chopper project. Just remember that because it looks good in a magazine doesn't automatically mean it will work on your bike.

Despite the personalized nature of choppers, and the wide availability of alternative designs, chopper builders have overwhelmingly chosen fat rear tires, a rigid-looking frame (even for a softail), and an original or replica air-cooled, pushrod v-twin engine. In the UK, due to the cost and lack of availability of the v-twin engine, many chose to use British engines from bikes such as Triumph or BSA; lately as availability has increased, Japanese engines have seen more use. Some people feel that the variety of engines and other components used more recently (especially on bikes built outside of the US) is diluting the signature appearance of the chopper style. Modern bobber builders tend to distinguish themselves from chopper builders with bikes styled before the chopper era. The Harley-Davidson Softail frame is designed to look like the hardtail bikes of the past, while still offering the comfort if rear suspension. ... Honda 90° V-twin A V-twin is a two cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration. ... Honda 90° V-twin A V-twin is a two cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration. ...

Three wheeled choppers, most often referred to as Trikes, are also a common configuration that is now regaining popularity. Usually made from car drive trains like the old Volkswagen Beetle, three wheelers are gaining acceptance for various reasons; they are safer and easier to ride and carry cargo and passengers. Chopper builder Rat Race Productions of Phoenix is one of the most prolific and popular trike producers. The Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known as the Beetle, Fusca (in Brazil and Uruguay), Coccinelle or Cox, Vocho (Spanish), Bug, Volky or Käfer (German), Escarabajo (beetle in Spanish) is an economy car produced by the German automaker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. ...

Trikes, however, suffer from some serious handling flaws compared to normal two-wheeled motorcycles. If a trike rider hits a bump with enough force to cause one of the rear wheels to leave the ground the trike becomes, in effect, a motorcycle that is aimed at a sharp angle in relation to its direction of travel. Physics aside, there are no accident statistics to show how much more unsafe trikes are compared to motorcycles per mile traveled.

Finally, an often overlooked style of chopper is the chopper bicycle. Inspired by the smooth, low lines of chopper motorcycles, todays custom chopper bicycle designer builds bicycles that pay tribute to the motorcycles they resemble. A lowrider bicycle, also known as a chopper bicycle or muscle bike, is a highly customized bike, with stylings inspired by both lowrider cars and chopper motorcycles. ...

Popular culture

From the film Pulp Fiction: This article is about the film. ...

Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros): Whose motorcycle is this?

Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis): It's a chopper, baby.

Fabienne: Whose chopper is this?

Butch: It's Zed's.

Fabienne: Who's Zed?

Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.

• In some of Black Label Society's videos, (namely Suicide Messiah) band members are seen riding choppers.

Maria de Medeiros, DamSE (pron. ... Bruce Willis (born Walter Bruce Willis on March 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. ... Black Label Society is a Heavy Metal/Southern Metal/Sludge Metal band formed by Zakk Wylde aka Jeffery Phillip Wiedlandt, with 8 albums released to date. ... Suicide Messiah is a single released by Black Label Society on their critically-acclaimed 2005 release, Mafia (album). ...

See also

• Mini chopper
• café racer
• Street fighter