Choppers Are Radically Customized Motorcycles

Before there were choppers, there was the bobber, meaning a motorcycle that had been "bobbed," or relieved of excess weight by removing parts, particularly the fenders, with the intent of making it lighter and thus faster, or at least making it look better in the eyes of a rider. Choppers would grow into and explore the dimensions of the space between the stripped-down bobbers and weighed-down dressers.

In the post-World War II 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.

After this there were radical changes in the bikes or to the choppers, there was a state wherein many of the people would strip every piece of the bike and rebuild it strip by strip. Building a chopper requires lots of knowledge about the engineering of the bikes. They fabricated the different parts including the exhaust pipes or gas tanks so that they could feel the experience of their self designed bikes. It was at this stage that the people began to call these bikes as choppers because they had chopped each and every part of the bike and created something new.

In the 1960's and 1970's some of the movies like the "The Wild One" and the "Easy Rider" featured these choppers and thus the chopper was in the limelight. It was after this that the nation saw many chopper enthusiasts, the bikers spent several weeks or even months designing their customized bikes and all for various needs like comfort, touring, speed and even to create the styling statement.

In the 1980s the motorcycle companies also began to offer the customized bikes or the choppers based on some of the most popular designs. They were trying to capitalize on what people thought was temporary demand for this product. But after the economic recession the culture of choppers saw its decline. After 1990 the steady evolution of the motorcycle continued. New factory bikes are more and more technically sophisticated with plenty of accessories, yet the Chopper continues to thrive as riders seek that minimalist simplicity that only the Chopper can supply. Are Choppers here to stay? Absolutely! No machine looks as good and none are more fun to ride.