Choppers, bobbers and other observations

If the frame hasn't been raked out by "chopping" off the steering head and welding it back on at a flatter angle to the pavement, it isn't a chopper.
Extended forks do not make it a chopper. And when they use a telescopic fork, which cannot possibly work at such an extreme rake, they're just stupid. There are dedicated raked frames with leading link 'springer' type forks that can work (the Sugarbear fork comes to mind) as they should, but most are hardtails with a huge back tire run at low pressure to absorb pavement irregularities. At all the Harley dickhead bump events like Sturgis and Daytona Bike Week, choppers have given way to big front-wheeled bagger tail-draggers. I doubt they get ridden much, either. On my ride to Sturgis in 2009, I saw exactly one raked-out bike on the highway. The rest were in trailers.
 
Danno said:
If the frame hasn't been raked out by "chopping" off the steering head and welding it back on at a flatter angle to the pavement, it isn't a chopper.
Extended forks do not make it a chopper. And when they use a telescopic fork, which cannot possibly work at such an extreme rake, they're just stupid. There are dedicated raked frames with leading link 'springer' type forks that can work (the Sugarbear fork comes to mind) as they should, but most are hardtails with a huge back tire run at low pressure to absorb pavement irregularities. At all the Harley dickhead bump events like Sturgis and Daytona Bike Week, choppers have given way to big front-wheeled bagger tail-draggers. I doubt they get ridden much, either. On my ride to Sturgis in 2009, I saw exactly one raked-out bike on the highway. The rest were in trailers.
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In the UK if it ain't rigid it ain't a chopper
 
Danno said:
If the frame hasn't been raked out by "chopping" off the steering head and welding it back on at a flatter angle to the pavement, it isn't a chopper.
Extended forks do not make it a chopper. And when they use a telescopic fork, which cannot possibly work at such an extreme rake, they're just stupid. There are dedicated raked frames with leading link 'springer' type forks that can work (the Sugarbear fork comes to mind) as they should, but most are hardtails with a huge back tire run at low pressure to absorb pavement irregularities. At all the Harley dickhead bump events like Sturgis and Daytona Bike Week, choppers have given way to big front-wheeled bagger tail-draggers. I doubt they get ridden much, either. On my ride to Sturgis in 2009, I saw exactly one raked-out bike on the highway. The rest were in trailers.
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You can also increase rake by stretching the front down tubes of the frame. This is done by welding a section into the down tubes and bending the top tube at the rear. This is a much better way to to keep the bottom of the frame closer to parallel with the ground while allowing a longer front fork.

The original "choppers" were Army surplus WLRs with the rear fender "chopped" and sometimes the springer front end was extended with Ford radius rods.

The rake of the steering head is irrelevant.
 
Dan1950 said:
The rake of the steering head is irrelevant.
Click to expand...
Discussions like this are highly subjective. The origin of the word chopper when referring to a motorcycle is one with the steering head "chopped" to increase the rake and catch up to the front axle depending upon extension. If you set the rake according to the extension, the bottom of the frame stays in place. It's a matter of only running the front axle forward without raising the engine or frame. Cutting and bending and extending downtubes is a safer route as many early choppers had the front ends fall off in use, but it's difficult to get a lot of rake like that without turning the top tube (s) into a hurdle.

The term "bobber" came from the war surplus machines whose owners' "bobbed" the rear fender.
 
Danno said:
Discussions like this are highly subjective. The origin of the word chopper when referring to a motorcycle is one with the steering head "chopped" to increase the rake and catch up to the front axle depending upon extension. If you set the rake according to the extension, the bottom of the frame stays in place. It's a matter of only running the front axle forward without raising the engine or frame. Cutting and bending and extending downtubes is a safer route as many early choppers had the front ends fall off in use, but it's difficult to get a lot of rake like that without turning the top tube (s) into a hurdle.

The term "bobber" came from the war surplus machines whose owners' "bobbed" the rear fender.
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My '67 BSA had a weld on hardtail and a 2" stretch in the front down tubes. It sat level with a 14" over stock girder front end. At one time I had a 22" over girder on it but even though it handled well enough on the highway, it was too slow to turn in and was not suited for the winding roads of the Allegheny Valley in Western Pennsylvania.
 
1972 I was into chopper seen! Built this in our garage 18 years old. My dad lost lots of sleep!!!


Choppers, bobbers and other observationsChoppers, bobbers and other observations
 
It is difficult enough to get a proper motorcycle going and handling well, without being stupid. Function must dictate form. You don't see many production motorcycles which are really bad. So the manufacturers must know something. I would rather modify a Fordson tractor than a motorcycle. The result would be similar.
 
acotrel said:
It is difficult enough to get a proper motorcycle going and handling well, without being stupid. Function must dictate form. You don't see many production motorcycles which are really bad. So the manufacturers must know something. I would rather modify a Fordson tractor than a motorcycle. The result would be similar.
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Is your bike standard then Al…?
 
Fast Eddie said:
Is your bike standard then Al…?
Click to expand...
One of my mates said to me 'at least your bike looks right'. I told him that it could not be built in any other way. Everything on it has been dictated by function.
However some people are very shallow.

 
acotrel said:
One of my mates said to me 'at least your bike looks right'. I told him that it could not be built in any other way. Everything on it has been dictated by function.
However some people are very shallow.

Click to expand...

Choppers, bobbers,custom bikes are dictated by fun
They have been popular since the 1940s at least maybe longer? so they must have something going for them!
I'm really not sure where this thread is going
 
acotrel said:
One of my mates said to me 'at least your bike looks right'. I told him that it could not be built in any other way. Everything on it has been dictated by function.
However some people are very shallow.

Click to expand...

That’s a ‘no’ then…
 
baz said:
Choppers, bobbers,custom bikes are dictated by fun
They have been popular since the 1940s at least maybe longer? so they must have something going for them!
I'm really not sure where this thread is going
Click to expand...
Exactly.

We are all too quick to jump on the ‘oh but they’re not practical‘ band wagon.

Guys, this is a Norton forum… if we were all obsessed with pure practicality we’d all be riding Honda’s FFS.

As if there’s not enough narrow minded cancel culture BS already these days. If someone wants to rake out their front end, or whatever, then I say go for it !
 
Does 'fun' include getting chucked on your head ? Riding any motorcycle is about risk management. In many countries motorcyclists pay insurance both when they race or ride on public roads. If you get killed, it costs me. In Australia, if your vehicle is modified, you need an engineer's certificate to get it registered. - Minimum cost $2,500. When I was a kid we used to build hot-rod cars, until one well=known guy wrote himself off in a very big way, after becoming famous. What do ape-hanger bars and the forward front wheel tell you about a motorcycle ? You don't have to be stupid. Most old British bikes will do somewhere near 100 MPH.
 
I had to laugh. My Harley loving friend is a member of the God Squad. He built a sand-racer motorcycle which has a turbocharged V8 Chev engine. He and his religious friends started racing it on a dirt track around his back yard, out one gate and in the other. By about lunch-time they had all managed to crash it, and some of them were seriously hurt. But most of them smoke dope, so probably did not feel much anyway.
 
$2,500 would take ALL the fun out of modifying a motorcycle. Again dealing with world cultures! I wouldn't own a chopper if I rode in the Alps or on a unlimited speed highway. But I rode mine to Florida on 95 when the speed was 60mph. Never been down under.
 
acotrel said:
I had to laugh. My Harley loving friend is a member of the God Squad. He built a sand-racer motorcycle which has a turbocharged V8 Chev engine. He and his religious friends started racing it on a dirt track around his back yard, out one gate and in the other. By about lunch-time they had all managed to crash it, and some of them were seriously hurt. But most of them smoke dope, so probably did not feel much anyway.
Click to expand...
Yes but they are all having fun on a motorcycle Al, when has the last time you been out on your bike Al, its OK to talk about bikes but riding is what its all about and we all do mods to them at sometime in our lives, yes choppers can be dangerous and not practicable but its all about having fun building one and taking it out, might not be the best thing on the road but its how you enjoy it and thrill of building something with your own hands is such a pleasure as well a high you get from that and riding it as safe as you can.

Ashley
 
acotrel said:
I had to laugh. My Harley loving friend is a member of the God Squad. He built a sand-racer motorcycle which has a turbocharged V8 Chev engine. He and his religious friends started racing it on a dirt track around his back yard, out one gate and in the other. By about lunch-time they had all managed to crash it, and some of them were seriously hurt. But most of them smoke dope, so probably did not feel much anyway.
Click to expand...
I have to say that does sound like a lot of fun to me
But then I ride a commando on the public roads so I'm a moron anyway
 
acotrel said:
I had to laugh. My Harley loving friend is a member of the God Squad. He built a sand-racer motorcycle which has a turbocharged V8 Chev engine. He and his religious friends started racing it on a dirt track around his back yard, out one gate and in the other. By about lunch-time they had all managed to crash it, and some of them were seriously hurt. But most of them smoke dope, so probably did not feel much anyway.
Click to expand...
Interesting bunch

God's Squad CMC History - God's Squad

God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club (GSCMC) was originally established in Sydney and this is where our colours find their origin. The initial Sydney chapter, where Paul Eddison was chosen as president, was founded in 1971, and functioned there until 1975. In 1972 God’s Squad began in Melbourne...
gscmc.com gscmc.com

stumbled on

Nortons with Attitude - Page 3

Nortons seem under represented here, So thought I would brighten up the place, Feel free to add to the thread only if you got something cool to share such as your own pix, or similar cool pix, or just something cool. 7655676557765587655976560
www.chopcult.com

Nortons with Attitude - Page 3

Nortons seem under represented here, So thought I would brighten up the place, Feel free to add to the thread only if you got something cool to share such as your own pix, or similar cool pix, or just something cool. 7655676557765587655976560
www.chopcult.com

Anyone know what Steve's sig was about?
"Throw yourself at the ground and miss!"

www.accessnorton.com

hobot will love this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IyLovut ... re=related
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com
 
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