How The Chopper Came To Be
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Following World War II, when the American troops returned home, they stayed loyal to the Harley Davidson company, but they were not satisfied with their new motorcycles. They had observed motorcycles in Europe which were far more thrilling and lightweight. Being schooled in the service to maintain automobiles and motorcycles, they wanted improvements made. Consequently, the fenders on the bikes were shortened or removed altogether to lighten the weight. Although the back fender was shortened so that dirt and water would not splatter up from the tires, the front fender was completely removed.
As customizations continued to be produced by riders, the chopper came to be and the term bobber was coined. The original plan was to transform these bikes for dirt bike racing. Any part that the riders felt were needless was chopped off, and this process of chopping is where the term chopper came from. Windshields, big seats, crash bars, big headlights and front fenders were all chopped off and removed. The gasoline tanks were made smaller and large footrests were replaced with forward-mounted foot pegs which made the motorcycles lighter.
The wheelbase on the bike was increased by raking the front end which decreased the angle of the fork to the ground. The term ape hangers was spawned when the handlebars were raised. Modifying the cycles became a preoccupation for many riders as they took out parts that they felt were unnecessary or made other parts smaller. The rear tire was designed fat and the forward one was made small. A few riders began to produce and sell custom bikes as a business. When the craze caught on choppers began to be produced.
For some time, the appeal of choppers tapered off but we have seen a comeback recently. A lot of people are looking for choppers that are custom built by the world's top designers. Following the movie Easy Rider with Peter Fonda, choppers became particularly popular. The Shovelhead FX Super Glide made by Harely Davidson was a response to the popularity of the chopper. The chopper is a lot more than merely looks since the raked front end actually does improve performance. Any time going at increased speeds, the chopper feels more stable while traveling than the original factory suspension, but there is one drawback to this. It is heavier and significantly less responsive at slower speeds and in curves.
If you want a custom developed motorcycle, then you need to look into buying a hand-crafted chopper. While they are probably not easy to ride in a number of situations, they do look very impressive. One type that is gaining interest is the low-rider type which includes a low frame to surface clearance.
Additional Links:
The Specific History Associated With The Chopper
The Evolution Regarding The Chopper
Just How The Chopper Happened To Be