The Rise and Fall of Choppers

Choppers had a meteoric rise in popularity through the 60s and 70s, only change and then die in the 2000s. Or did they die?
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Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
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[@johncartwright8154]

Old English geezer here. I was a Mod, riding a Lambretta LT175 with loads of lights and mirrors, and a tank aerial (with de riguer foxtail) that caused police to ask me to remove it as it was so long it was a hazard to other rode users. I saw 'Easy Rider' when first released and bought an ex-GPO (Post Office) BSA Bantam 125cc and put Ape-hangers on it. Unfortunately I didn't think to install a longer throttle cable, so on first ride of this 'customised' sled, turning the bars to the left opened the throttle wide and I fell off. I was such a twat in my youth.

[@zipper978]

Hah my friend was my friend was a punk in London. He told me stories about hating Mods. He drove a group of Mods off the road once 😂

[@robertmartin8233]

We all were, first bike was a Garelli record 50cc, put the ape hangers on it and thought it was the coolest thing ever all my friends riding honda and Yamaha Suzuki 50cc were so jealous, now 6 months away from being 70 years old, I've been riding a Suzuki Vs 1400,1995 for the last 18 years and I can honestly say that this is the best bike ever.

[@mottthehoople693]

have you changed? I heard somewhere that us males only mature about 6 months before we die...

[@johncartwright8154]

@@mottthehoople693 no, my wife of 43 years still thinks I'm a twat!

[@gabrielmalta1962]

LMFAO I just had the same experience as a 23 year old with a Suzuki Intruder GN125. Bought it with armpit driers already and parking it was always an adventure, hitting the rev limiter on neutral whenever I had to turn left. Hasn't happened since I swapped for a cafe-racer style flat bar though.

[@matthewmarquisee238]

One of the best things about this video is the narrator. It's a real human instead of a robot voice.

[@user-McGiver]

''robo voices'' are used by non-english speakers...

[@matthewmarquisee238]

@@user-McGiver there is one robo voice I always hear that has almost a NY accent.

[@chrislye8912]

I agree and I like his accent.

[@rupertbollywood1190]

He's most likely reading out a script generated by AI. I don't imagine any skills or effort go into his videos - just reading in front of a mic while putting shutterstock clips in sequence. He's just an algorithm jockey. He's good at working the algorithm. This channel seems like pure KZbin business, for the $. He's got one vintage bike, and is too young to be a guru on all these subjects. He Googles, researches, generates a script and reads it. Same formula on all his videos. Like Gordon Ramsay in Kitchen Nightmares. He doesn't care that I'm writing this - he's watching the analytics page. So don't cry about me telling the truth. HE doesn't. He's a businessman.

[@noahway13]

That is REALLY getting to be a big thing. The a.i. even writes it, and then it might get a little edit job before it goes out. But not always. AND THEY SUCK. Its like they are reading Wikipedia in an awful robot/human voice.

[@judih.8754]

Indian Larry has been gone for 20 years now. He was a great builder and quite the character.

[@JeffKopis]

Arlen Ness is gone too. I dunno if Denver from Denver's Choppers is still around. Or Rick Fairless from Strokers Dallas. Those guys were the real deal.

[@Prosecute-fauci]

He only built 3 motorcycles…

[@SirFartzoLot]

Ashes are at the motorcycle museum

[@kevinfox500]

Paul Cox, Larry's old seat guy, keeps Gasoline Alley going to honor him. Had the honor pfmeetong Larry and the noys at Laconia in 2000. Quite tye charachrer, with an amazing story. And heart.

[@nikdrown]

Billy Lane still doing it and has a modest channel with some cool content!

[@browngreen933]

You never mentioned the biggest influence on the radical choppers of the 1960s- 1970s -- LSD

[@terrycreech8801]

You're exactly right that's the years I grew up driving choppers that was the last of the real biker generation right there

[@teeess9551]

@@terrycreech8801 Sad ha ha Harley riders

[@AlexRye-sv6no]

​@@terrycreech8801What makes a "real" biker?

[@phil6506]

@@AlexRye-sv6no commitment to his/her lifestyle

[@pa4tim]

@@AlexRye-sv6no Only driving a motorbike in all weather and in all seasons. I switched to sidebikes because I could still ride in the snow and transport my dog and f.i. grosseries. I started in the 80's when I was 18, I'm now 61 and my main transport is still a motorbike.

[@WitchcraftCycleWorks]

Some of us are still building choppers just like it all began. We take a perfectly good, stock bike, and cut, chop and rake it. No huge budgets, no professional garage setups, no sponsorships. Just old school do it yourself choppers.

[@tr4nsg0th1ca]

That's how I built my 75 ironhead. Granted, she's not a true chopper since I never cut the frame, but I prefer the norcal style anyway. According to my uncle, she looks just like the bike his friend had in the 70s 😁

[@mikemoss6045]

I'm only 38 but I'm gonna sound 80 with this.. that's the problem with the younger generations. Heres an off topic example: the commodore 64 computer had manuals ranging from 80 pages to 240 something pages. You had to know what to type to do the things. And now it's all point and click.. or point and touch thanks to "smart devices"

[@crackbandicooch4095]

I’m 23 and have just got into it! Youngest dude in my area. I’ve been chopping Hondas while I learn and saving up for a shovel. Nothing beats flying through corners on a chopper there’s something about it. Plus Bart didn’t even touch on foot clutch’s!

[@Nicoya]

I think you missed the main seed of the chopper movement: the high bars, upright seating position and raked forks were all originally modifications aimed at improving highway / long ride comfort. Of course they quickly wrapped around to being incredibly impractical for those very same highway miles as people took things to absurd extremes, but it does nonetheless root the choppers in a practical adaptation of the motorcycle's fundamental form, the same as the cafe racers, scramblers, and so on that you mentioned.

[@dougiequick1]

Thats why the best designs of motorcycles for doing real iron butt miles look absolutely NOTHING like what you describe

[@Nicoya]

@@dougiequick1 They look nothing like the caricatured choppers that evolved out of them, that's for sure. From an ergonomics perspective they were much closer to what you'd find on a modern goldwing or adventure-touring bike.

[@abigstorm]

@@dougiequick1 not nothing, think of goldwings and hd baggers, even the adv bikes people do big miles on, they're all upright seat, medium - big rake (not so much the adv), pull back and high bars, even mini apes, it's not so far off. I agree with original commenter, origins were in making highway cruisers (with flair). Sissy bars, back rests for attaching bags to and leaning back on, high bars to rest on, highway pegs to stretch out legs.

[@amerigo88]

What about the stories I have read that wartime motorcycles had been field modified with high handlebars (ape hangers)? The idea was that if the enemy had stretched a wire across the road at the height of a motorcycle courier's throat, the handlebar would push the wire safely over his head? At the beginning of the "Colonel Blimp" movie (highly recommended), we see a wire across a road used to drag down a motorcycle courier.

[@Nicoya]

@@amerigo88 I've heard that story but I don't think there's much evidence to support it, and some of that evidence is conflicting (some say it was the Germans stringing up wires, others say it was the Japanese). The more plausible origin is that the higher style of ape hangers were used to give the rider extra leverage when lifting themselves out of the seat when going over bumps, as the bikes at the time had no meaningful rear suspension (usually only a sprung seat on a rigid frame).

[@seanmakesthings]

Orange County Choppers was such a low point in Chopper history

[@cobra5088]

Agree! Every trendy who previously would only ride a crotch rocket jumped on the bandwagon thus making it lame AF.

[@walmorcarvalho2512]

I'd say it was kinda of a forced "Last Hurrah", like they tried to make them pop again but it was all too shallow and gimmicky to last

[@thra5herxb12s]

They weren't built for riders, they were built for collectors. Riders build their own.

[@seanmakesthings]

​@@thra5herxb12s OCC made it their mission to let everyone know their machines were for riding, even though they almost never hit the 100 mile mark, let alone 10 mile mark. They were made for riders, but they were completely un-rideable. That doesnt make it a "collectors" bike, that makes it an unrideable piece of metal.

[@CODY1989...........]

@@seanmakesthings You mean piece of 'shit'...

[@gqp3215]

I built Harley’s at York Park. in 1984. AMF sold it to Willie G Davidson and friends and we made the first evo, a great engine. I ran multi spindle screw machines that spit out most of the parts on the motorcycles. I worked right next to the bomb line. The old factory was an arsenal. New building there now. Bought an 81 AMF 1340 super glide while there. 20% employee discount and $500 rebate on a hog made my day, a leftover that didn’t sell in the 81 batch of bikes. Bike still running today😊

[@johnhill7058]

York Park quality control was legendary ( sarcasm).

[@kevgardner8548]

York was the first factory tour I ever went on was with my dad at the York plant. I was 9 years olds and I’d been riding since I was 6 years old. Yeah a Sears mini bike.I was mesmerized. I recogognize now now that AMF was arguably the lowest point in Harley’s manufacturing history. Forty years later I bought a Harley. Electra glide Ultra. Nice bike, but far from there BMW’s I own now.

[@JA-zh5xi]

People quickly realized the choppers from the early 00’s were unrideable and mostly poorly built. They really are $5000 bikes. The big front tire bikes of today will be the next type of bike that will go for less than $10k in the next 5 years. Take a rideable bike and make it look dumb and less rideable.

[@dougiequick1]

Amen .....ignorance on display. Loved by? The ignorant. I was in love myself....when I was TWELVE lol...THEN I got a motorcycle, rode motorcycles worked on motorcycles and raced motorcycles and just naturally the chopper very quickly lost ALL it's alure....even the "bad ass" look evaporated into "DUMB looking"

[@MisterOcclusion]

Those big front tire baggers instantly make me think of that plastic Big Wheel kids trike. Grown men literally reliving their childhood, and looking silly doing it

[@garysavala665]

Indian Larry forever

[@stonehobson2487]

Choppers were unreliable in all decades. Always breaking down on the road, always fiddling with it. Lots of baling wire.

[@fderbar1]

I have a $5000 bike and it's perfectly rideable. It's a 2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350. I've had it for 1 year and 10 months. I have 26,000 miles on it

[@kct9967]

My youngest is 21 and he and his friends are all in on 70s choppers, I love watch them run around looking for parts or building their own bikes!😂😂😂

[@timothyporras3720]

Tell them thank you for keeping us RAGS alive 🙏 live to ride Harley-Davidson choppers 4ever 120yrs

[@osdreadlord3205]

A lot easier to learn to work on those. 👍

[@tr4nsg0th1ca]

​@timothyporras3720 I ride a 75 ironhead done up in the 70s norcal style, and I absolutely adore it. Such a fun scoot to ride!

[@hinoramei7733]

I'm not much into choppers but I like this, I didn't know younger folks were too into them. Everyone younger than Millennials seem to really be into the sport bikes. Choppers shouldn't die out, they're total expression.

[@stevelawrie9115]

I'm a motorcycle rider and have been my whole life. I have never made or owned a chopper but from an outsider's point of view, personally I liked Indian Larry's work best.

[@klowen7778]

Yep, and the chopper fad also grew out of a blue collar sensibility, where it became more 'Tribal' and mostly about 'Harley Davidson', than simply a 'motorcycle' thang (aka, 'ricers', 'jap crap', etc.).

[@telcobilly]

Same here! He was a decent, legit guy as well. I remember a bike build off episode where he cut the trophy in half because he said the other guy deserved it as much as he did.

[@ashdavies4200]

@@telcobilly indian larry was the greatest ... it was billy lane he beat in the bike build off ... and imho indian larry was a better bike builder.

[@TheHelado36]

I agree with you. Larry made rustic, plain and simple choppers but also made them look like jewels ( but in a legit and sophisticated way) NOT CHEESY like others!

[@jimconway3301]

I built a 1951 Panhead dresser chopped in 1971. Won a bike show my first time out. Sold it in 75 to get money to get married. A week ago my brother gave me his 1995 Dyna low rider. I'm 73. Can't seem to shake them.

[@lostcat9lives322]

You don't shake them. They shake you.😊

[@johnhill7058]

why does one choose their path.

[@JohnMcClain-p9t]

I'm 66, been building since the mid seventies, still building frames today.

[@WolfA4]

I had to sell my chopper when I moved back to my home state. I still miss my bike even tho it spent more time leaking oil than not.

[@JohnMcClain-p9t]

@@WolfA4 The main issue of "leaking" is vertically split cases versus horizontal. Honda set a new standard with their small and big, 750, I've never liked the multi cylinder so I just accept "they mark their spot". Maybe sometime soon you'll be back in a place a chopper works for you, I like the twins, V and vertical, I just accept the oil stains.

[@user-KrackerJack]

Indian Larry's bikes were more ridable then the other "choppers"

[@francomartini4328]

My first encounter with choppers was the movie _Easy Rider,_ it was 1969 and I was 12 years old. In my teen years I was the typical penniless teenager who was into the whole custom car and bike scene (and wanted to be a rock star) but had to live these enthusiasms vicariously through magazines. With choppers it was through _Easy Riders,_ which was pure chopper porn. I got married in 1978 and life happened, so the dreams of my youth faded and were abandoned. Fast forward 25 years and along comes _American Chopper._ At first there was a sort of naive charm to this father/son team trying to start a chopper-building business but within a couple of years it had devolved into show about a dysfunctional family that build motorcycles that will never be ridden as high dollar promotional items on commission from corporate clients in between throwing furniture at each other and generally smashing up their workplace. The Teutuls were only ever reality TV stars and were never part of the traditional chopper-building scene like Arlen Ness or Indian Larry or Billy Lane. _American Chopper_ ruined American choppers.

[@chassisresearchkid]

Orange county CRAP!!!!!

[@dougiequick1]

Amen!

[@ulanarni8804]

Yes this is the truth. It was nothing, only a big air number. Einfach nur Bockmist mit großen Mäulern.

[@jamiemoffatt50]

They’re more than you’ll ever be! 🖕🤡🖕

[@calysagora3615]

@@dougiequick1 More like B-men actually. xD

[@ronm6585]

A chopper is "Your Style". Thanks bart.

[@taurbaby]

Always loved the look of the skinny choppers of the 1970s...with the weber carb sticking out the side!

[@baconsarny-geddon8298]

Yeah, I love that 70s "digger" style; Super skinny, crazy rake, a narrow, stretched out gas tank, low handlebars like drag bars or pull-backs, wild induction set-ups, like multiple carbs or even supercharged. Molded frame. Sometimes HD v-twin, but alot of guys also used cb750s, or other Jap 4's. Wild paint with stuff like gold leaf, or pin-striping. It's nice to see Arlen Ness get some appreciation in this video; His 70s and 80s bikes were unmatched.

[@spamfriedmice4800]

Dellortos too

[@taurbaby]

@@spamfriedmice4800 my shovelhead has manifolds for both...but the reliability of that old s&s wins out for me!

[@dcamnc1]

Yeah, raked 70’s kick start shovelheads are what I picture when I think chopper.

[@timothyporras3720]

S U brotha !!! Or SShorty 20"over sugerbear 🐻

[@123gmor]

Dennis Hopper's bike was definitely better than Fonda's Captain America. Much more rideable with its forks and front brake, but also better looking.

[@telcobilly]

I always liked the Billy bike more. Had function with the form.

[@thejunkman]

Peter Fonda even stated in interviews that the "Captain America" bike was difficult to ride. I am amazed how he was able to handle it on camera, especially "offroad" going into the hippie commune with a passenger.

[@Camaroguy69]

@@thejunkman In 1969 I was 11 years old. I loved the the opening scenes and the theme song of easy rider ...that was the best part of the movie! The rest was about drugs and sex, I wasn't in to that... hey I was only 11 years old. But I was just getting into mini bikes ( the Honda mini trail 50 ) and motor cycles. A friend of mine made a chopper bicycle with a lot of rake on the fork. It was hard to turn at low speed. Choppers were all about being cool and the guys who rode them were really cool. No money or fame just being cool and they were, I thought so even when I was a kid. I'm 66 now lol.

[@TheRealSykx]

Plus Hopper's has a front fender, riding without a front fender is miserable if you ride for more than 5 minute stints and in any weather.

[@jacked-666]

The pro street look has always been my favorite although with the bad back It would definitely have be a softail.

[@montyscribner700]

My first chopper build was in the mid 70s. It was built out a Triumph and looked pretty much the same as Indian Larry's version mentioned in this video. And, indeed the things you mentioned such as it was a ridged frame, the ride being terrible, the handling being awful I didn't have a speedometer so I had to be super conscious of my speed and also it didn't have a gas gauge of any kind so if I didnt want to have to push it I had to be really tuned into the distance I traveled since my last fill up. But cool? Oh yah, baby, I would not have traded it for any other bike on the road.

[@xmanual]

I always enjoy your content. I ride a West Coast chopper. It’s incredibly uncomfortable and brutal, but it’s visceral and analog. Every ride feels like an event.

[@braapchop5925]

Love it. You got a CFL or a shop built?

[@xmanual]

@@braapchop5925 CFL. Wouldn't be able to afford a shop built even if I could find one.

[@jantje155]

the chopper scene is small, but very much alive! Chopper riders are also called 2%ers now, as only about 2% of motorcycle riders still build and ride their own choppers. Choppers are wild, crazy, sketchy machines, and each has it's own quirks that only the builder knows. This gives them more 'character' than any other style of motorcycle, in my opinion. You have to be kinda crazy to ride an old chopper.

[@braapchop5925]

Love this comment….as you get it. An I’ve always claimed it’s the 1/2%er’s. Those who build and ride are the rarest riders on the road.

[@larsblankenfjell9814]

Ha ha, you right, Im one of these crazy guys, I love my Chopper, it doesn't matter if my ass hurts after 50km, or bumps feels very nasty at times, but Its so fun to ride, with a foot clutch, hand shifter, 16" extended fork, drum brakes, and some oil leaks greasing up my Jeans, but what hell, I love it!!!!!

[@jantje155]

@@larsblankenfjell9814 fuck yeah brother!

[@TheWolfsnack]

Embrace the insanity!

[@GlennDuke-yc5ky]

That is not what 2%ers means. It refers to hard core bike gang members.

[@joachimlagerstrom8958]

Great video! I often ride my chopper to work even though it takes 10 minutes more to get there. It is 10 minutes more of me with a big smile so it is definetly worth it. Can't explain why but it is a true joy riding it. Bad handling, noisy, awkward riding position... Love it!

[@larsblankenfjell9814]

If I feel bad for whatever reasons, I take a Ride on my Chopper, and have a smile all over my face

[@rickvia8435]

When I got a 1973 Sportster in '78, this 19 YO had gone to Heaven early. It went thru MANY iterations before I grew up 6 years later and bought an Electra Glide. That Sportster was my real 1st love and I'd love to own another someday.

[@trippkklimka3283]

I have two 1974 ironhead sportsters you may be interested in.

[@oldphart-zc3jz]

They're dirt cheap to buy so go for it. The best Sporty in functional terms and ease of wrenching is the five speed solid mount (not the four speed with the unfortunate "clutchernator" charging system though you can stick a five speed engine in their frames if you move the kickstand mount which is easy work. Ironheads are cheap to buy but expensive to (properly) overhaul and not as durable as the later solidmount Evos which may be HDs most refined engine. See the xlforum for everything there is to know about Sportsters of any generation. Solidmount five speeds in "get on and ride" condition go in high teens to mid-twos in much of the US with many low-mileage examples remaining.

[@thesmokingburrito9097]

David Mann Paintings Were freakin Awesome!

[@Danquet]

My first chopper build was a 1969 Triumph Bonneville on custom hard-tail frame, and a 40 degree rack with 20 over extend forks. Painted black with tweety bird on the coffin style gas tank. I loved that bike until I got older and my kidney"s couldn't take it any more. I'm 78 years old now and I putt around on a2017 Harley Sportster XL1200C. Great for city driving but not for long hauls.

[@walterfechter8080]

Once, long ago, I had a chance meeting with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. We didn't talk too long about choppers, but he did let me in on some wisdom when it came to extended forks. "If the forks are longer than six inches over stock length, take them off, put on shorter forks and then go out and have fun on the bike." I never cared for the gaudy plastic-looking OCC bikes. A famous West coast bike builder once deemed the OCC guys "cake decorators." I couldn't agree more. Build right. Ride safe.

[@alternator7893]

Easy rider is one of my favorite movies ever!. They actually made three captain America bikes for the movie. One was destroyed as per the script (the one that blows up at the end of the movie). The other two were stored in a warehouse in Ventura California, but they were stolen before the movie came out. To this day, no one knows where they are or what happened to them

[@empireoflizards]

I think it was around 2005 our company retrofitted a CNC pipe bender for a company in Carson City NV called Paughco Inc. who builds custom bike parts and whatnot. The owner had what appeared to be a replica of the Captain America bike with supposedly some of the original parts. The story I heard was that after it was stolen, some of the parts were allegedly recovered.

[@patrickshaw8595]

@@empireoflizards Paughco is one of the original makers of aftermarket chopper frames. Back then if you ran an S&S engine in a Paughco Frame that was about the ultiimate.

[@alternator7893]

@@empireoflizards After the bikes got stolen. And since they couldn’t find the whole bikes. The theory (and probably most likely outcome) is that they got dismantled and parted out by the thieves. There’s a replica in a museum(I don’t remember the name of the museum. I think it might be in private hands now. Might be the one you’re talking about), that was made to be an exact replica of the one from the movie. And I mean EXACT. Same year original parts, same year original engine, tranny, etc.. The team who built it spent hundreds of hours looking at footage and making it a virtual clone from the one from the movie. And they even got Peter Fonda to ride it. Reportedly, when he first straddled the bike he said: “Boy this brings back memories”

[@truantray]

Fonda stated that the bike was so unstable he refused to ride it and they cut some scenes because of that.

[@dougiequick1]

probably kept the motors and scrapped the rest of the garbage

[@nickchapman8474]

It's insane that no one else is saying that 97% of having a motorcycle is because it looked cool. That's why choppers exist. They look cool, and people like looking at cool things.

[@dnswhh7382]

It is like Bruce Willis said: „It‘s not a motorcycle“

[@CaptainJohn]

It’s a chopper! Haha awesome reference

[@NoNonsenseFarming]

@@Manskilz Zed had it coming.

[@CB-fn3me]

@@Manskilz Zed probably wasn't dead at that time. Just in agony from having a red hot poker up his Khyber Pass...

[@SirFartzoLot]

It's a chopper baby, Zed's dead....😂

[@Trash2000s]

Yep. That movie proves choppers were well known and established before Occ. obviously easy rider too, just sayin.

[@thejerseyj5479]

Dick Dale, the king of the surf guitar at 4:08. This guy did it all, one of the greatest guitar players ever also raced cars, bikes, surfed all day all swung all night. He also had a pet lion.

[@skootr924]

And a super nice guy. Love his video for the tune called,"Nitro"

[@ninji5226]

I went to a rat rod copper motorcycle show last year while friends and I were riding around. I would never buy one but I couldnt stop staring at them because there was always a bolt or part that just caught my eye. Choppers are like that, they are just unique and fun to look at.

[@truantray]

But horrible to actually ride.

[@aegrotattoo9018]

Exactly. You'll never know what obscure part or 'thing' on a vehicle will trigger an idea for a good modification.

[@ninji5226]

@@truantray For sure, their like sculptures though and I really dig the Frankenstein vibe they give off. I also love Sport bikes and the way they represent the pinnacle of performance, but they are also horrible to ride, and, kinda all look the same. Just good to have variety.

[@dougiequick1]

When I look at em? It just hurts my brain

[@GlennDuke-yc5ky]

If you are riding on two wheels you are a real biker. Ride safe and happy trails!

[@aladinfox4098]

Well i never knew that ! The origin of the Easy Rider bikes and those who built them is interesting and has parallels with origins of various musical styles.

[@jamesparsons5212]

Choppers were originally built not only for the artistic expression of the ridet but also to give the rider a more relaxed and laid back riding position. The longer front forks made the chopper more stable on the highways, but it does make them harder to corner. Sugarbear builds his front ends to actually handle better than most chopper front ends.

[@JukeboxGothic]

I just remember a cartoon I saw in the eighties whenever I think of choppers. Four guys hiding around a corner holding sawed off shotguns and axes while another guy knocks on a door and asks, "Did you advertise the chopped Vincent?".

[@JohnMcClain-p9t]

I started building chops in the 70's, built my own last in the nineties, still riding it these days. 90 in STD panhead, Delkron cases in a custom built frame built on my own tubing bender and frame table. I've got a frame bent up and ready to weld in my machine shop right now. I've been rebuilding old 60's triumphs lately to get some younger generation into the scene. Got my young niece working on her 61 T100 Triumph. Locked and cocked and ready to rock! Down here in eastern NC. John McClain, GySgt, USMC ret.

[@KitLaughlin]

A fantastic documentary, Bart. Thank you.

[@Jay-jb4vr]

I’m one of the younger guys here, I’ve owned 8 motorcycles, so far and my favorite is my 79 xs650 chopper, I don’t know if I have the head for a complete build but that isn’t stopping me I’ve been fixing and flipping most of the bikes I’ve owned and I don’t see myself selling my current chopper till I build one to replace it. To me choppers are an experience, expression and exhaustion all together from the pain in the *** they are to the feeling of completion after you believe it to be a 10/10 rideable bike just for it to break down and have another problem! Haha I enjoy every bit of it. My first bike was a 96 virago an 01 r1 my 81 Yamaha chopper my 79 chopper(after the 81 took a dookie) a 01 sportster another 80s xs650 chopper( frame only till I finish it) 80s sportster. Most recently an 01 dyna and 08 softail anniversary that my friend had sitting for 5+ years I just couldn’t let them sit. Anyway I’m Turning 24 this year, I loved the video ride hard and long brothers and sisters may the gas stations in heaven have 93 gas for us.

[@Julian-yx4we]

I’m really loving this series you’ve done on biker history/culture. Please do a video on Bosozoku, it would be wild. 😁

[@ed9603]

To truly get a look at the many bike builders go research the series THE GREAT BIKER BUILD OFF WHICH THERE ARE MANY TRULY GREAT MOTORCYCLE BUILDERS AND YES A LOT OF CHOPPERS

[@oikkuoek]

The key into Chopper is that they are unrideable for common folk. Also they don't fit on your regular pick-up bed or van, so they are less likely to get stolen when parked on side of a street. When you ride your chopper to a clubhouse or bike meet, you will be judged as a person by your chopper. How far have you come, how much rake can you handle, can you hold on to ape hangers, where and how you pack your gear? It's the showcase of your ability and stamina as a rider, more than skill level of a designer, which is also on the spot too. If you REALLY know what you are doing, you can build a smooth and steady long distance cruiser that looks absolutely ridiculous. Those who know, know. And they will salute you.

[@braapchop5925]

My man…..awesome comment. Respect. 👊🏻

[@NickTaylorRickPowers]

It's not how you stand by your chopper It's how you struggle to do a 3 point turn with your chopper

[@johnhill7058]

full points for justification of a basically poor design and your admiration for criminals.

[@braapchop5925]

@@NickTaylorRickPowers Not all men are dainty an weak like yourself, and for those men, it’s no struggle. 😁

[@tonynewton2250]

They are less likely to get stolen because criminals have too much self respect to be seen on one. They don't really like being laughed at as they ride along, so they steal real bikes, not this hacked about shit.

[@mywhatahampster]

Great video! The chopper and to some degree the cafe racer/scrambler are great platforms for people who don't want to just ride, but also want to build. It's the process of building these bikes that people learn to weld, paint, fabricate, etc... and there's no cooler bike in the world than the one you fabbed parts for, welded the frame, and painted yourself. Also I agree 100% the simpler "garage built" chopper aesthetic is way cooler than the lavish OCC stuff.

[@matthewnaylor4412]

It's the love of the bike and making it your own, you don't want it looking like every one else's, it's your vision of how it should look and that's what makes it special.

[@braapchop5925]

Well said. 👊🏻

[@girthquake9655]

There hasn't been a fall of choppers. Go to Fuel Cleveland or Momma tried. Choppers are going strong. It's art. Expression of yourself.

[@bartmotorcycle]

I agree, I think its just not as mainstream anymore which is good

[@truantray]

Call it art, but don't call them motorcycles. They just get trailered around to bike meets.

[@girthquake9655]

@@truantray Do they really? I should trailer mine to meets then. I'll let my buddies know to do the same because that's what you think they do.

[@BonelessVR]

@@truantray You're around the wrong people then. That's a you problem bud.

[@tjroelsma]

@@girthquake9655 Some of the more outrageously styled choppers look virtually unrideable. OCC choppers being prime examples of that. If you look at some of their creations, they're not as much rideable as moveable under their own power and are purely for show. Bikes & Beards rode a couple of choppers and his comments were rather scathing: dangerous, impractical, zero comfort etc. You are probably one of the enthousiasts who built/modified his/her own chopper so that it not only looks good, but can actually be ridden (reasonably) well as well. And kudos to you for that.

[@edgardocenteno4618]

I am glad and proud to say that chopper culture is still well and alive around my circle. They get fixed more than they get ridden, but that’s why you gotta have more than one.

[@nicholausstraach458]

“The were just regular guys like you and me, who also were creative and talented, so not like you and me” 😂😭

[@doodleydoo169]

I’m telling you man, hear me out. Choppers can actually be comfortable bikes to ride. I don’t mean all time, on every road, or every chopper, but there are some out there meant to be ridden a lot. Still nice looking custom builds without the crazy over exaggerated stuff. For a good cruise on some long open roads, they can be pretty relaxing rides.

[@seanmakesthings]

I understand why you might think the chopper scene is just "art on two wheels" but it's so so so much more than that. Nearly every real chopper goes in deep on performance in some aspect, and yes there are show bikes, but 90% of guys aren't building those, they're building bikes that can handle well for long distances at high speeds, while still looking awesome and unique

[@braapchop5925]

So true….those that get it, get it.

[@briandauphinais7894]

In 1969 when I was 10 years old, I saw a guy in my neighborhood on a chopper wearing a bandana and an army jacket. As he stopped at the stop sign in front of me, I took a mental snap-shot and knew... I would someday be a rider. Excellent video, thank you!

[@PanRider939]

Saw Easy Rider when I was a kid, wanted a chopper so badly, never did, never regretted it. But I did put ape hangers on my CB350, took off the side covers and painted the tank in red yellow flames, that was kinda cool, even bolted on some forward pegs. Such a rebel.

[@duncanstone8758]

In 1972, when I was 18, I took my 1970 CB350 and painted the tank and side covers metalflake blue, put slightly longer tubes on the fork, replaced the stock handlebar with Z-bars, added a contour seat, a short sissy bar, and shorty mufflers. I thought it looked really cool and was still a good road bike. Saw Easy Rider at the theater and watched Then Came Bronson on TV. One of the chopper magazines at that time had an article on putting a hard-tail rear end on a CB350.

[@PanRider939]

Crazy what we do. Another iteration after the yellow flame was lace on gold. I sprayed the tank and covers gold from a can, then along the bottom about 4 inches of curtain lace stretched against the tank masked off the rest, I sprayed red paint through that. Forgot the Dunstal pipes. Then a guy I knew that was high on drugs set alight to it. Insurance put it right back to stock. After that I kept my bikes more or less stock. It was a fun time.

[@PanRider939]

Then Came Bronson, I remember that, it was a favourite. There was another one I’ll try find it.

[@johnvencill1511]

Those cb350 Hondas were great bikes​@@PanRider939

[@p.kuansuwan2070]

8:23 An HRD in a chopper video? Very cool. There’s always something to learn, the rich history and diversity of these machines are what first got me into cars and now motorcycles.

[@chrishoesing5455]

Grease Monkey is a beauty. Clean, solid, shiny... Very astheticly pleasing, while not looking uncomfortable and stupid.

[@basedury]

I'm in Denver and there are always a few choppers at bike night. Most of the ones I see are that 60s/70s style, which I love. Glad the fat tire chromed out 90s/2000s choppers are mostly gone.

[@MisterOcclusion]

Gauche is the word that comes to mind with commercial choppers, especially the branded or themed ones. About as “cringe” as buying a Harley Davidson branded Ford F150

[@YerGoodBuddyKeith]

I adore choppers since i was a kid. Everyone tried talking me out of them but I'm glad i pushed on. It's a unique thing that i completely understand not being usable for everyone. I'm currently chopping a cn750 into a denver chopper inspired build, and I'm buying a magna v65 to build a high speed david mann inspired build

[@danamuise4117]

Gotta love the no front brakes!

[@sammylacks4937]

You don't really need them do you?

[@John_Ridley]

Probably not a problem since most of these bikes aren't safe to ride over about 40 MPH anyway. Also, most of this type of rider believe that the lightest touch on the front brake lever will immediately cause you to crash.

[@braapchop5925]

@@John_RidleyJust a takes a man with tremendous talent to tame the beast…..and most men simply aren’t cut out for it.

[@TheWolfsnack]

I rode with minimal or no front brake for a couple of decades....(the old FL front brakes were more a suggestion)....mechanical brake on the back....so back then you learned to effectively use compression instead of brakes to slow down....still do, even with dual disc front and disc rear....

[@777Brad]

That was a great retrospective on the chopper. The fact that the chopper really is more of an “art” than it is designed to be functional is unique in motorcycling. And for that reason alone is worth being celebrated and continued.

[@daverose2279]

good video the purpose of a chopper is a state of mind, it may not be the best preformance bike but it feeds your soul. when you get on an 8 or 9 food chopper you have to totally focus on controling the beast. the rest of the world is gone. also on a long straight road they are soo comfortable. sorry i have a bias if you cant tell. :-) please make more videos this was good

[@braapchop5925]

So true…..👊🏻

[@fulgurbikes9940]

Great chapter, man! I truly believe that the chopper is the most unique form of art on two wheels. And, I also agree that the more mainstream it goes, the more it losses it's soul and purpose. The dingy, low profile, underground chopper manufacturer is the one you want to look for.

[@NoNeedForSensorsOnYouTube]

I had a HD chopper in the late 90's. Never again. What an absolute waste of what could've been good, comfortable, enjoyable motorcycle time. 😂

[@browngreen933]

TRUTH. I built a '48 Panhead chopper in my dad's garage in 1971. I suffered through it for 3 seasons then put it back to stock. Luckily I saved all the original parts and didn't cut up the fork or frame. A stock Harley is a MILLION times better!

[@dougiequick1]

Glad you learned something at least! Best way to learn sometimes is doing it wrong...lol...As long as you survive it anyway! Like marrying the wrong the woman first? to learn what to look for in a woman afterwards? Again provided you SURVIVE such! lol...ask me how I know THAT lol

[@Highairboarder]

How ​@@dougiequick1

[@renaebearden]

Choppers started for me in 1969 on a candy red Stick Shift Sting Ray. One guy out side a local bar in small town Nevada awnsered when I asked "where do you get a bike like that" he said " you dont get them you make them". Ever sence then the Sting Ray was long and low and so where all the motorcycles I made after that. Its still a wonderful time now as it was then and i'll never look back, except to look at some the pictures of the coolest bikes I have ever built. Great video and thanks, Rob.

[@914050]

11:40 - One of the key things about the Easy Rider "Western" concept is that instead of the traditional East-to-West direction, they travel from West-to-East. This is reversal and rejection of the traditional narrative of Westward expansion and the American Dream, and one of the reasons the film is so impactful. As the characters travel east looking for freedom or enlightenment or whatever, they become increasingly disillusioned by the country they experience along the way.

[@dougiequick1]

Like Fonda's character said before their tragic end "...we blew it man" or a line very close to that....wrong way

[@Cabalero24]

интересное замечание!

[@prabhakararaju1072]

Thank you for such an engaging discussion on choppers! As someone whose knowledge of choppers comes primarily from movies and KZbin, and who has never seen one up close, I'd like to share my perspective. I believe the essence of a chopper lies in its minimalist design-making every part of the motorcycle lean and light to achieve that signature relaxed look. Among all the designs and engines ever used, the V-twin motor stands out as the heart of a true chopper. Its robust, chunky appearance contrasts beautifully with the stripped-down frame, making it the visual focal point of the bike. To me, the V-twin's design has an almost human quality-it resembles the chest, lending choppers a unique human-machine synergy. It’s like a motorcycle that’s undergone a heart transplant, where the V-twin is its powerful, beating heart. This feeling is perfectly complemented by the iconic twin-engine sound, which adds to the chopper's soul and character.

[@ccave-ss8lj]

Chopper philosophy: cant leave well enough alone

[@BonelessVR]

Better than big wheel baggers and stretched 600's.

[@blacksquirrel4008]

Yeah, Vincent Black Shadow with ape hangers!

[@dougiequick1]

@@blacksquirrel4008 SACRILIDGE! dont even say that! man!

[@MisterOcclusion]

@@dougiequick1the moment Bart mentioned a chopped Vincent, my chest tightened…

[@rickrandom6734]

If I win in lottery I will buy restored Brough Superior and let to Orange County Choppers customize it.

[@trevorzealley729]

There is art in the words of this chopper history . Thank you for giving us a deeper understanding of a world wide culture and influence .

[@csj9619]

"Wrench" was my favorite chopper mag ever. Not sure if it's still in print, but worth checkin' out back issues.

[@mikemeier7228]

beatiful video man, when I was 16 I first came in contact with them and it's a slippery slope. I am 27 now and have built multiple bikes myself, just how the did it back then. The information is correct and I don't find anything wrong in the video. However, this is a personal guess, the long handlebars and sissybars along with the long forks in the 60s where not for show only. Like you said many vets adopted a life on the open road. The layed back position really shines when you want to ride for a long time. If you have a sissy bar and a backpack you can lean back without having to do any core muscle work. If you pair it with high pullback handle bars you really sit on those bikes like you would in a car. My long distance bike is an 80 inch shovel with a hardtail frame, 12 over springer, mid apes and a high sissy of course. I can tell you I can spend an eternity on that bike. Feet forwards are the natural succesor of the motorcycle. It can surpass any bike in terms of comfort and power. While power is definitely something that is desired, they pretty much maxed out comfort in the 60s with the choppers.

[@gaydes1012]

the 2000s didn't kill choppers, it just buried them, it's gone back to being a grassroots movement, Weems Motor Co is a great channel to get a look into the "chopper revival" that's happening, it's just cool dudes building bikes in their garages, going to shows to share them with other people, riding them all across the country, and just enjoying the experience of riding and building bikes, other good channels to look at include 947 Works, The Motorcycle Archives, and The Eazy Co.

[@curlymaplebandit3107]

I grew up in the SF Bay Area in the early 70s looking at choppers out the back window of my mom’s station wagon. Now creeping on 60, my daily ride would fit right in. Rigid Paughco frame, stretched 6” up, 3” out. 40* rake, 10 over forks… high whiskey bars that are narrowed to 18” end to end. She isn’t fast, she doesn’t handle great…. she’s fantastic. Chops didn’t get too wild looking till after David Manns art started showing up in Iron Horse and Easy riders.

[@chopperking1967]

Iron Horse! That was a magazine.

[@spacetruckin6555]

I still want an Exile Cycle/Russell Mitchell bike to this day. They were just so mean and clean.

[@oldphart-zc3jz]

Note Low Rider/Super Glide were direct copies of the PRACTICAL custom (the frame is not cut so it's not a chopper) bikes workingmen built to use as daily transpo. Sportster forks handle better and weighed less. Mag wheels weigh more than spokes but don't loosen, pit and corrode nearly as easily. Belt drive, disc brakes etc were done by owners long before Willie G wisely copied what the market wanted in a practical package. The HEAVY, bulky accessories on baggers were and remain maintenance obstacles and since builders were mechanics they used to remove it from the used baggers they bought to modify. Copying what owners built made perfect sense and being less expensive to manufacture made production sense too. I've '78 and '82 FXS and (except for the fecal electric starters whose goofy mounting and low power are why most owners removed them) they were reasonably good machines for the era and easy overhaul is why so many run today. Modifying US-built motorbikes changed from being performance-centric to folk art. Choppers are folk art, human perception has rules so art has rules (golden mean etc) so folk art has rules. That also means everything one could do to a classic American v-twin within the esthetic parameters its engine, transmission and (practical) wheel choices was already done by the 1970s. Moderns are so conformist that modern builders often use HD-style drivetrains due to lack of imagination and inability to think outside the constraints imposed by those drivetrains. This explains why so may show bikes (which have to be "different" to attract attention while function does not matter even slightly. Many of the really odd builds would be much better off with liquid-cooled Japanese or European drivetrains whose shapes work better with the weirdness du jour. The original chopper culture like original cafe culture has receded but some in the vintage motorbike world preserve the knowledge and communities. The best personal historical insight into choppers remaining is found on Jockey Journal, Chop Cult and the Seedy X Facebook group which includes bikers like Snow who ran Iron Horse for the few years when it was good. Seedy X is the only venues I know of with informed (because those guys built or were otherwise involved) the esthetic understanding of WHY choppers which look good look good. Real choppers (motorcycles chopped by their owners and bros in the original ways) didn't "fall". The (serious) community was always tiny not least because you have to wrench and/or paint/fab/mold to enter it. Being a passenger on what someone else build on a production line is not the same thing. What DID "fall" hilariously was the fad of the TV soap opera inspired machines which UNlike most functional purist choppers were never intended to be daily rides. Look at bikes from the men who started it all in the ~three decades post-WWII. Those guys had day jobs (legal or otherwise, it's still work) and rode to work. The ANTI-functional fecal nonsense TV shows marketed to people who don't wrench but had buckets of money before the 2008 recession succeeded briefly because Harley could not produce enough big twins to feed the market. The "Harley famine" coincided with deep customer pockets whose money chased many clone bike builders whose execution varied greatly in quality. (If you buy anything with S&S crankcases contact S&S who can tell you of they came with a crate engine or were sold loose to builders who may or may not have used quality innards in their chase to make bank.) BTW the Harley famine is why Polaris offered Victory (which they screwed up twice with styling mistakes, early Vics look like Honda Shadows and later ones look like the clone "choppers" they imitated. (If it's a stock bike it isn't "chopped" which implies, wait for it, CHOPPING which includes rake, stretch and other modifications DIFFERING from stock.) Words mean things especially with respect to machinery. Victory didn't sell enough to stay in business so Polaris wisely shut it down in favor of buying the Indian name then slapping it on much more wisely styled offerings, market success proving said wisdom.

[@danewood2309]

Choppers are still very Popular in the UK and Europe, with variations over the years ...... inluding the 90's British Street Fighters which featured heavily alongside more traditional Choppers in Magasines such as "Back Street Heroes" and "A.W.O.L" (A Way Of Life) , and which also featured many of the N.C.C ( National Chopper Club) Bikes and other Club Bikes . and the black and white section where you mention the "stingray" , is a clip from the British Childrens show Blue Peter showing Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves riding the " Raleigh Chopper" Bicycles

[@telcobilly]

I caught that too. I lived in the US when the Schwinn Krate bikes came out in the 60s and then our family moved to South Africa where the Raleigh chopper bikes came out in the early 70s. Two different bikes, same idea.

[@jonloder]

I got my '93 Shovel-head about 85% complete and then lost my working facility. It's been sitting in storage for the last 6 years. This vid may be the motivation I need to clean my garage and get to work! Thanks for posting.

[@ryankelly7562]

Wow, this was so well put together, thank you. I watched it start to finish. And for anyone worrying, choppers are still very alive and well, and they ain't goin nowhere

[@gymshoe8862]

A Certain percent of people will be braindead, so there will always be a market for a chopper.

[@markblundell9461]

I’ve been building chops since 1975 and I soon found you could combine form and function, I just did a road trip covering over a 1000 miles on a hardtail. It was more fun than riding my adventure bikes.

[@ratthechicken]

I was introduced to choppers by the 2000s era skulls and fire boomer hyper cringe. So no matter how much history I learn about early choppers and customs, I can't shake how much my skin crawls seeing a chopper.

[@mynameisnobody211]

Haha Yep, they’re gay, boomer cringe

[@HasRedBeard]

I just picked up a 77 CB750 hard tail springer, it's a Mullins survivor. Not a daily rider but I love it.

[@braapchop5925]

Before long, it’ll become your daily…..and riding anything else will just feel boring.

[@oo-dd3lk]

Totally impractical, but works of art, is a fair description.

[@aamry]

The "They may not work right, or be comfortable" made me laugh outloud

[@MegaBruceC]

I started building my Sportster with an '04 engine in 2020 and am still trying to get past the design phase, and into the actual build! I got rid of that bike and decided to work on my "new" Sportster, a '98 Hugger 883.

[@MrCracker0316]

A chopper to me is like setting in your recliner, nice an relaxed cruising down the highway.

[@davidcantwell2489]

As a sport bike rider, that's what we call the "Human Parachute " position.

[@michaelsmith2733]

Mr. Cracker, I feel the same as you, I've owned many motor cycles in my life one was a slightly leaky AMF Sportster built with about the same dimensions as Fondas easy rider bike, but with a flame paint job. I used to ride it all over the Pacific Northwest and I felt quite comfortable riding it. My wife how ever was in tears on the back. She never did complain or whine about it and only let me know when I traded it years later for an Electra Gluide. She's a good sport, I had no idea she was suffering so.

[@williammcdaniel3377]

Great video. I grew up around bikers in the late 70’s. Your historic info on choppers is right on. However, it would have been nice if you mentioned the shift around biker demographics that occurred in the late 90’s. 70’s bikers were working class men and veterans (especially Air Force). They were hard men to say the least. The drank, did drugs, sold drugs, fought, and never allowed their women to have their own bikes. The post 90’s bikers were mostly upper middle class guys. Small businessmen, dentists, accountants, and lawyers. That’s why the look of the bikes changed so much. Hard men = hard bikes, rich men = gaudy bikes that don’t ride.

[@Mike-jv8bv]

they never really fell. i still see choppers to this day, Motorcycles never go out of fashion.

[@cleon5766]

Most definitely did as a kid I would see them here n there now I don't see them at all I think baggers is the new trend for bikers

[@stevenwilliams1805]

Are you sure many of these choppers you see aren't just factory bikes with a bunch of aftermarket bolt on parts. I understand it could be a bunch of real choppers around the area that you live in but, I don't see many in my area. And I'm new to riding so I notice bikes a lot more now.

[@tattoowho]

​@@cleon5766seems to me the number of chopper shows that are still pulling decent crowds would indicate that they are still relevant. They may have have a big boom when the TV shows were popular, but they didn't go away, just leveled back off.

[@RobKaiser_SQuest]

It's crazy how motorcycles, automobiles, trucks, tractors etc and even motorsports all had a virtually identical form to their modern counterparts by the 1920's.

[@tsoliot5913]

Ive been seeing more young dudes rolling on subtle choppers and vintage shovelheads around town. I appreciate the more understated designs and pipes with actual baffles in them.

[@resin8n]

Enjoyed this vid. I've built and ridden a few choppers in the 70's & 80's. I enjoy all forms of motorcycling, though now I ride more comfortable bikes with suspension!

[@teamgonzo9289]

Team Gonzo here. "Bobbers"= police motorcycles, that was strip down. The reason we wanted extended forks on the big Harley-Davidsons. Is much simpler than you think. The scavenging pump, on these engines are in the rear of the crankcase. Raising the front end insured a constant flow of oil, breaking and leaning it in corners. California was going to outlaw extended forks until, a writer took a chopper from Barstow to Vegas across the desert and made it without crashing. So the DMV said if it can make it from Barstow to Vegas across the sand, it's good to go!!! 👍🇱🇷 Let me see how many movies of choppers made it into the Congressional library in Congress!???? Oh yeah that's right "Easy Rider"!!! I haven't read this guy's book yet. But being raised in the Coachella Valley, where you can ride all year round at sea level. There were many clubs. The whole thing about choppers is being free brother. A personal expression. Just saying....................

[@stevegappa2959]

"The reason we wanted extended forks on the big Harley-Davidsons. Is much simpler than you think. The scavenging pump, on these engines are in the rear of the crankcase. Raising the front end insured a constant flow of oil, breaking and leaning it in corners. " might be a side benefit, but I never heard any chopper builder saying I want extended forks to increase oil flow...just saying..

[@gregoryscott7088]

@@stevegappa2959 And neither "breaking" and leaning it in corners" would be a side benefit to extend forks.

[@ronfriedman8740]

Good video! During the chopper craze of the early 2000s there was also my preferred TV show called Biker Build-off. Two celebrity bike builders would be pitted against each other to design & build the baddest bike in 10 days before meeting for a ride together to a bike rally where attendees voted for their favorite. Unlike the often comical drama of the Teutul family, Biker Build-off highlighted the skill and engineering challenges of the best builders of the day. Still, I don't think there is any bike that was ever built on the series that I'd want for a daily ride...certainly not for a 1,500+ mile ride. Personally, nowadays, it's all about comfort and not "if you can't fit in your pocket, you don't need it"--Indian Larry. I'll take a hotel room with a hot shower over sleeping on a bed roll next to my bike. Enjoy the summer and ride safe.

[@westcoast3595]

Well built chopper rides well. Orange County choppers from the show look like they ride like crap. Jesse built riders. Indian Larry built riders. Sugar Bear built riders.

[@ArmstrongArmory]

Right, I don't think it's fair to paint all choppers with the same brush n say, they "suck". Secondly, they will NEVER go away, just as soon as enough yuppies quit riding them, ill probably be back on one lol. But I've always been counter culture🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gabrielmalta1962]

They're never meant to be rode, just look good on TV. It's the equivalent of SEMA builds with bluetooth driveshafts.

[@Paughco]

I've had my '50 Pan since 1962. It was stock when we bought it off this old guy, and I rode it to high school. Crashed it in '65. Got it running again in '59 Swing-arm frame. Now she's a bobber/chopper. Still with the handshift and suicide clutch (not the treadle - the clutch is made from a shifter off a '71 Superglide. Dentist mirror for a rear view. No apes. Just drag bars on 6" risers.

[@dougiequick1]

"no apes" ....well at least that part sounds great

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Choppers are very popular in the Netherlands.

[@philhawley1219]

So is marijuana.

[@NotThatBob]

In my younger years I LOVED choppers. Not the TV type, but the non flashy type I'd see in my neighborhood. But the bike I could afford to own and maintain was a Suzuki. Man I learned to love that bike so much. Never ever broke down. Got a flat once. Every 2 years I'd ride coast to coast and back. Nothing beats riding. But I have to say, the old style choppers were the best looking bikes ever imo. Very fun video to watch.

[@dirkdiggler5164]

Personal expression of a chopper: "I don't / can't ride this motorcycle more than 15 miles from my house, but you better say I'm a biker or I'll punch you in the face."

[@TheDesmoto]

You clearly have no clue. We ride em (not the glam choppers, genuine ones).

[@dirkdiggler5164]

@@TheDesmoto Yeah. You ride them. From bar to bar. 15 minutes at a time.

[@nonyabiz1209]

​​@@dirkdiggler5164How is that any different than owning a touring bike and a bobber? You taking your bobber on a week long road trip? Doubt it. Btw, I don't own 'a chopper'. I do have a 96 superglide I ride often '15 -30 mins at a time. Nice change up to a heavier tour bike.

[@dirkdiggler5164]

@@nonyabiz1209 Well, I don't own a Bobber, not that there's anything wrong with owning a Bobber. A Superglide , you think of that as a chopper? I don't think of a Superglide as a chopper. That's got proper front and back suspension, a huge seat, pretty standard handlebars. I'm talking about bikes like in the video. Those silly Easy Rider movie bikes, the OCC stuff and all that. Nobody really rides bikes like that for any distance. OK, maybe there was 1 guy who went to Sturgis on it in 1976, I get it.

[@anthonystramella7018]

I had one of these custom choppers. It was made by American Ironhorse out of Texas. Two retired rocket scientist started it after they retired from NASA.I had their Tajas model with a S an S 111 C.i. Super Sidewinder. That motor was a beast. It was the most uncomfortable bike I ever owned. I won 5 trophies at bike shows with it. I gave it to friend of mine as a gift for helping me get through some times.

[@laurenmartinez55]

Choppers are just American bosozoku with somehow less functionality

[@skottlee8959]

Typical weeb comes in with a brain dead opinion

[@JeffKopis]

"bosozoku"?? Please explain.

[@dougiequick1]

Sadly true. Sometimes I want to wear a Tee shirt that says "CANADA" lol....especially if I were in europe...or anywhere lol

[@laurenmartinez55]

@@JeffKopis it's a common term, Google can explain

[@tuskratscrew703]

@@JeffKopis japanese bikes tweeked out with long seats stretched fairings and no pipes...made to ride into urban battle...subculture not for sqaures

[@BusterKitten]

as a Harley rider since 1971 and racing motorcycles since the late 60s, I've learned a few things about motorcycle history. I must say, this video is pretty good at accurately (for the most part) conveying what most of us old farts grew up with. Appreciate your acknowledgement of Ben Hardy and Cliff Vaughs. Not many people today know about these two artists. P.S. and you're right, choppers aren't bought, they're built.

[@truantray]

My favorite TV chopper special was one of those fake deadline competitions. One genius decided it would be cool to route the exhaust gases under the seat pan. Everyone around him telling him how badass it looked....then a few miles onto a freeway and he set fire to his ass. No one does that level of stupid like America.

[@dougiequick1]

Funny thing several manufacturers have routed exhausts right under the seats too...no actual fires maybe but roasted butts? PLENTY for sure! Honda even routed the exhaust on a 200ish hp race bike where the GAS TANK normally is to move the weight of the fuel down where the exhaust would have been for a lower center of gravity...yeah that totally roasted the rider's torso laying "on the tank" for an entire hour long or or whatever Grand Prix....stupid is everywhere sometimes

[@deadon4847]

That was Billy Lane, lmao when that happened.

[@abaneyone]

As a motorcycle enthusiast who grew up in the 70s I'm impressed by your breakdown of the topic. Being into motocross and road racing motorcycles, we hated choppers because they seemed so impractical for how we wanted to ride. However, they do have an enduring coolness that will last forever. Art form over function is what all choppers are.

[@teakey]

And yet they are the coolest bikes out there.

[@chrislaws4785]

I grew up watching American Chopper, and while i cant afford these expensive choppers, i WAS able to buy a Harley Sportster. It has the old school peanut tank, with the high back rest like you would see on a lot of the old choppers. Im also fixing to put some ape hangers on it, So i TRY and keep some of that old school styling on my bike.

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

I remember when choppers were hugely popular in the 1960's. They started fading out of style in the 1970's and then sports bikes became huge in the 1980's. In the 1960's there were kids' bicycles styled like choppers, but the bicycle boom of the 1970's made 10 speed bikes more popular.

[@Sunny8888]

Well said . ... Personally I think Choppers are very cool looking but not necessarily comfortable to ride or handle/brake well. When I was a kid my Uncle, who rode an Electra Glide, told me "don't get a bike with "Ape Hangers" . . . high bars . . .because the arms will fatigue faster from constantly reaching up". He also said, "it looks cool but it's not fun after awhile if your arms get numb". So, I've owned a number of bikes and scooters, over my life and whenever I got one I looked for comfort, performance, reliability, parts/service availability, and price. Some amount of cool would be nice as well but that wasn't my main goal in the purchases. Sometimes cool costs extra. That said I do appreciate the expression in the design and features of the "homemade" Choppers. They are indeed a work of art. ....