The Rise Of The Chopper Motorcycle

The military history of the motorcycle goes back as early as 1913. General John Pershing rode a Harley Davidson motorcycle chasing the imfamous bandit, Pancho Villa,  into Mexico in 1916. By 1917 approxamately 2/3's of the Harley Davidson Company's sales were to the military. Worald War 1 saw around 20,000 Harley’s in military service, rising to over 90,000 in WW 2. These bikes had many duties in wartime, from being used for communications transportation, to combat  tactical assault missions in World War 2. this large wartime motor pool trained thousands of men as automotive mechanics. A lot of these soldiers had been trained to repair motorcycle engines as well.

After WW 2 was won by the allies, a large number of these skilled soldiers went into business and their newly learned mechanical skills was the vehicle for these opportunities. The majority of these mechanics went into the automoblie repair business but many also went into the motorcycle repair business. A lot of these returning soldiers souped up cars and motorcycles as thrill seeking vets bent on experiencing the high of combat. The huge stockpile of military motorcycles provided a easily acessable, and reasonably priced, market for these thrills seeking GI's. These new bikers started modifying the big, heavy, and utility military bike, removing parts that were not really necessary for the basics; starting, riding, and stopping!

All of the big and bulky accessories and parts were removed., including the big headlights, saddlebags and floorboards. The mirrors and lights were discarded with newer and sleeker taking their place. The wooden and metal floorboards were tossed and forward foot pegs took their place. Front fenders were removed and rear fenders either taken completely off or chopped down in size, leaving just enough room for a passenger over the back tire. The original large and fat front tires and fuel tanks were removed and replaced smaller ones. the power robbing exhaust systems were replaced with straight pipes. The purpose of all of this stripping down was done to make the bike lighter for street and dirt racing.

 

The big spring suspended leather saddle seat was discarded in favor of a smaller padded seat which allowed the rider to set lower on the bike. The “sissy” bar backrest became standard equipment. Thus the custom, bobber and chopper type motorcycles came into being and whole new lifestyle was born. The biker lifestyle!

 

All of this changing of the military motorcycle created an entire industry catering to the explosive new style of motorcycle. Custom bike builders and "chop shops" opened up across the country. A person could buy a stock Harlety Davidson motorcycle and take it to one of these shops and ride out with a completly customized chopper. All removable parts are removed from the original frame which is then cut, or chopped, and welded back together the end result bring a lower and longer frame. This method of customizing is what led to the motorcycles being renamed as choppers. Chopper builders usually favor the fat rear tires, a rigid frame, and a new original engine or replica air cooled v-twin engine. The custom, as well as, performance parts and acessories are chromed and installed on the bike. A chopper style bike inevitably has a extended and raked front fork. Girder and Springer front ends are the favore forks and are still widely used of choice to get this raked look. Although these bikes are usually not as responsive to handling and have a heavier feel at slow speeds and on curves they will usually handle better than the stock front-end bikes at higher cruising speeds.