| No one knows who exactly built the first choppers, but | | | | of what choppers could look like. The bikes that Dave |
| it is generally agreed upon that they were built by | | | | imagined soon came into actually being. The seventies |
| soldiers returning home from WWII. Soldiers who had | | | | were definitely made for custom bikes. |
| ridden bikes in Europe found that the Harleys being | | | | Interest in motorcycles kind of fizzled out around during |
| produced in the US were slow and bulky, something | | | | the 80's when young people were more interested in |
| that is still true today. In an effort to lighten these bikes | | | | building muscle cars out of models from the late sixties |
| up the riders started to remove unnecessary parts | | | | and seventies than they were in motorcycles. At the |
| and "bob" the fenders. Had the European motorcycles | | | | same time a lot of riders were converting to Japanese |
| been readily available in America I believe that these | | | | sport bikes and moving away from the Harley scene |
| bikers might have abandoned Harley right then and we | | | | and any choppers you did see just seemed like relics |
| would have a completely different biker scene than | | | | from a bygone era. The biker scene didn't go away by |
| what we have today. | | | | any means, but it definitely went underground as far as |
| These early modified bikes were called Bobbers and | | | | the general population was concerned. |
| the term Choppers actually didn't get popular until the | | | | Of course, everything we know today about custom |
| sixties and early seventies. Most sources reference | | | | motorcycle building as been brought about by cable |
| the movie Easy Rider as the start of the cultural | | | | TV trying to fill the dead air with stories about anything |
| phenomena, but national news about the antics of the | | | | they could and the first show done about Jesse |
| Hells Angels certainly had the image of the biker | | | | James was never intended to turn into a new |
| outlaw already fixed in the public's eye, a much badder | | | | television genre, but it did. The well-to-do suddenly |
| version than we saw in the movie The Wild One from | | | | decided they needed a custom bike and not knowing |
| 1953. | | | | any of the history of motorcycles they immediately |
| The new generation that was chopping bikes made | | | | started calling every custom motorcycle a chopper, |
| their own style by not just bobbing the bikes but by | | | | even though by definition it wasn't. In fact the bikes |
| adding additional rake and longer front ends and of | | | | made popular by builders not on TV were usually |
| course the obligatory sissy bar. The bikes we know as | | | | more in the style of Pro Street motorcycles that were |
| choppers were born. I think it's interesting that even | | | | run on the drag tracks then by anything that |
| though the two terms "bobber" and "chopper" became | | | | resembled a true chopper, with a few notable |
| distinct 40 years ago they are now being used | | | | exceptions. |
| interchangeably, mostly by people who don't really | | | | As the desire for custom bikes and motorcycles in |
| understand the terms at all. | | | | general bloomed in more middle class citizens, these |
| The choppers of the late sixties went from just being | | | | new riders were more likely to take the time and |
| bobbed Harleys with no turn signals and mirrors to | | | | understand their bikes, many of which had to learn to |
| being also modified bikes with ape hanger handle bars, | | | | work on them out of pure necessity, like the original |
| like Sonny Barger was using back in the late 50's, | | | | bikers did. Motorcycles and custom bikes became an |
| skinny front tires and the already mentioned sissy bar. | | | | acceptable form of fun for everyone and the image |
| Now we were no longer just removing unnecessary | | | | of the outlaw biker as been converted into the lawyer |
| parts but were also adding a few touches of our own. | | | | or plumber biker. |
| Back then there were no "custom bike builders" and | | | | Even though we still have some real choppers being |
| most of the work was being done in the rider's own | | | | built, the true meaning of the word has probably been |
| garage. As we went into the seventies, builders began | | | | lost forever, but not the spirit of those that built them. |
| to get really creative and the bike as a form of art | | | | As custom bikes go out of style we're left with a very |
| was born. | | | | large core group of new riders who will now ride the |
| Artist David Mann captured the entire chopper lifestyle | | | | rest of their lives, and many of them will be also |
| in his work, and builders actually tried to now build bikes | | | | building choppers. |
| based on Mann's more extreme artistic interpretations | | | | |