History Of The Chopper

Consider the classic Harley chopper, a motorcycle that has been modified heavily from stock, primarily to remove bulky fenders and trim in favor of light, slimmer options, to change the steering angle and frame geometry, with wheel, fork, and gas tank choices made in such a way as to lengthen and narrow the bike, creating a longer bike that, yes, didn’t handle as well as the original, and often was considerably less comfortable and didn’t necessarily stop as well. But they looked wonderful as objects d’art, if not examples of superior craftsmanship and creativity. They were the “thing” in the 60s and 70s, and the more radical the better, until they kind of disappeared from the scene by the end of the 80s except in Sweden, of all places, where they took the ball and ran with it, creating the “Swedish style.” But we loved ‘em, just the same, and a new generation of bikers and builders have discovered the chopper as a form of creative expression with a vengeance… read more >