Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: lucian on June 08, 2018, 07:06:05 PM
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While scanning CL I was surprised at how many choppers there are out there. It is probably one of the only MC styles I have never ridden. I can't help but wonder about what it's like to ride one. Surely someone in this vast pool of motorcycle wisdom has the good , bad and ugly on these contraptions.
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(https://thumb.ibb.co/bULhV8/chopper_Steve_001.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bULhV8)
No not me
Sit on a skateboard and go down a big hill, kind like that.
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Choppers can be interesting , as long as there are no curves in the road , or bumps :shocked:
Dusty
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Me on this ugly Triumph chopper a few years ago...A guy wanted me to adapt the spring front end...I did that and a few other things to make it less lethal.. It goes down the road straight, it stops and turns ok ...But it's no fun to ride .....I've ridden other choppers and they were ok within the limitations of a chopper.. But they also sucked to ride in my opinion
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3760/9265666066_bf99dc56b6_z.jpg)
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I don't think I have ever seen one on the road, but I do live in Maine. Probably not a great pot hole machines. Are they mostly just for show, or do people actually put miles on these things?
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Had a 750/4 Honda engine in a hardtail. 15 over extended tube front end. Only rode it around town trips for bar hopping. :shocked: No cross country rides. Ran 15lb air pressure in the rear Conti tire. No pic. Baby blue with dark blue pinstripes. I had my Eldo for touring. :thumb:
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I don't think I have ever seen one on the road, but I do live in Maine. Probably not a great pot hole machines. Are they mostly just for show, or do people actually put miles on these things?
I've challenged people on that over the years, and I always hear about some guy in the next town over that rides his chopper ALL the TIME, EVERY where, and all like that.
On the other hand, I actually DO do a lot of riding on my non-choppers. I ride cross-state, cross country, cross borders. I stop in many motels, in many campgrounds, at many parkway overlooks, in restaurants, gas stations, etc.
And I know what kind of motorcycles I see that are "riding a long way"- traveling gear, license plates, conversation. And extremely few of them are choppers.
(interlude - I've said this before, and as a result, some folks will send me pictures of Finnish guys on choppers they've shipped from Finland to Arizona, riding Route 66, or a picture of Doug Wothke riding around the world on a chopper, or some such. Ok, got that.)
EXTREMELY few. I know what I see, and I'm not believing that I'm riding around the country in some chopper-less bubble that's following me around. Thus, MOST of the claims that "Oh, he rides that chopper everywhere" are really B.S., or else "everywhere" means "everywhere inside the city limits" or something.
That being said, every man to his own motorcycle, and ride something you enjoy, even if it's just bar-to-bar. But there's a lot of silly talk about ....
Lannis
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I agree Lannis. Since getting a touring bike and doing some long distance rides, I have yet to see one of these on the road. I know they exist, perhaps at bike week events and such. But for all the ones I see up here on CL and many newer ones for sale , I get the feeling they are more for the enjoyment of the builder and not a rider. Some are unquestionably works of art but without function are they really a motorcycle?
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I used to work at a Harleycentric independent shop. We had a lot of choppers in for service. I would do the work, I would make the owner roadtest them. Some were downright dangerous. Some that had raked trees were not so bad. Always had to check for fatigue cracks at the weld joints. Some I saw that were homebuilt should have never been on the road.
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I agree Lannis. Since getting a touring bike and doing some long distance rides, I have yet to see one of these on the road. I know they exist, perhaps at bike week events and such. But for all the ones I see up here on CL and many newer ones for sale , I get the feeling they are more for the enjoyment of the builder and not a rider. Some are unquestionably works of art but without function are they really a motorcycle?
In the same sense that a '53 Chevy slammed to within 1 inch of the pavement, so that it can only drive very slowly over very smooth roads, it is.
I've ridden one or two marginally rideable choppers in my younger years. A rigid rear end (hardtail or struts) always limits how fast you can go around a curve. A long wobbly springer, with flex "built in" by the elastic modulus of the metal out of which it is made, limits what kind of road surfaces you can ride over without losing control. But if someone is Determined to ride one across country, they can do it the same way that someone who is determined to ride across the country on a Honda Mini-Trail or a Whizzer can. So never say never ... ! It's just "not often".
Lannis
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Some were downright dangerous. Some that had raked trees were not so bad. Always had to check for fatigue cracks at the weld joints. Some I saw that were homebuilt should have never been on the road.
The cheap way (Guzzi Content) to extend a front end was with "slugs"; extensions for the front tubes that screwed into the top of the fork tube in place of the top cap, which then screwed into the top of the "slug".
If the screw joint was in between the top and bottom clamp, as would happen if it were a 4" or 6" slug, you lost a good bit of the structural integrity of the tube, but would probably be OK. However, chasing after that "rad" look, some people used 8" or 12" slugs, and the screw joint would be BELOW the bottom clamp. Now THERE was a death trap ....
Lannis
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I rode a couple in the '70s. Both Yamaha 650s
Both had extended forks, one had a rake change and the other not. The one that was raked drove OK, the other one, not so much. Of course I was loaded at the time, so who knows?
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I got a pile of complete worn out Shovelhead shite from a buddy for a cheap price and decided to build a chopper out of it. It ended up being one of the most fun bike builds ever. Since I always shoot for the museum quality, rivet counting type of restorations, building the chopper was a freeing experience.
I was quite an honor to have my chop selected to be in the Mama Tried bike show in Milwaukee right out of the chute. Later that year I rode it to Detroit to see the Oily Souls bike show. The bike ended up winning Best In Show - Ride In category out of hundreds of bikes.
I set this one up in the standard chopper hard core format; jockey shift, suicide foot clutch, open belt primary, and no front brake. Since I was only going to a rear brake I wanted it to be reliable so I deviated from tradition and went with a disc. You haven't really experienced motorcycle riding at its most elemental until you master a foot clutch, jockey shift bike. It is a fun skill once mastered, but a bit intimidating until it becomes second nature. An old fart like myself that can still handle a rigid frame, jockey shifter is kind of rare these days, at least around this area.
Try it, you will like it!!! :evil:
(https://s20.postimg.cc/8mdz2d6al/007.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/a1fjr37dl/)
Jockey shift setup shown here.
(https://s20.postimg.cc/hu67j989p/009.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5fjfixgrd/)
(https://s20.postimg.cc/vb3621xzx/012.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/cvip4njvd/)
One of the best looking engines ever made, the Shovelhead
(https://s20.postimg.cc/pa5h4u671/001.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6htm199sp/)
(https://s20.postimg.cc/jyqkka4ql/010.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/qp71tprw9/)
I have another chop project in the works, maybe 2 or 3. :) They are fun!!
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Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. :thumb:
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Commuting in stop-n-go traffic on a daily basis will get your skill levels up. I have a tank shift with suicide clutch. Loads of fun. :shocked:
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Dave, that is pretty to look at... .. :thumb:
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That is one sweet looking shovel. Great job. I own a couple FLH shovels. And they are a lot of fun to ride. Of course I'm always tinkering with them. I rode my friends hard tail pan chopper 30 yrs ago and my back still hurts.
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I extended the front end of my '49 BSA Golden Flash (ZA10GF, iirc) with a 12" springer rake kit. It was a 650 in a plunger frame, which gave it hard tail lines and horrible handling. The springer did nothing to improve the handling, but it might not have hurt, either. I also put a sprung solo seat on it, just to add more bounce. It was hilarious. I knew so little about steering geometry that I didn't know it was a thing.
Nevertheless I rode it for a couple of years and it was the last of my non-guzzis to be sold. 200 mile days were about the max. Mostly I just rode it to school and around town though. As bad as the suspension was, it wasn't the worst part of the bike.
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These chopper riders from Finland shipped them to Houston just to ride to Sturgis..
(https://photos.smugmug.com/All/i-Z8Kjm85/0/7053df75/L/IMG_0029-L.jpg) (https://fotoguzzi.smugmug.com/All/i-Z8Kjm85/A)
and they knew how to strip it down and replace a clutch in the parking lot of a hotel in Luck Wyoming..
(https://photos.smugmug.com/All/i-kJx7Vht/0/5d2d4cd6/L/IMG_0027-L.jpg) (https://fotoguzzi.smugmug.com/All/i-kJx7Vht/A)
there's a lot of hard core chopper riders in the USA.. I respect them/\.
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My guzzi friend Anne likes them...... :popcorn:
(https://thumb.ibb.co/eo8vJT/image.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eo8vJT)
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Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. :thumb:
Hmmm yeah.
Does that particular bike have to have that gearshift/clutch setup..?
You can almost see how you could... :popcorn: :drool:
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Rode one similar to this about a half mile in town. No brakes and it took about 8 moves to turn it around on a city street. Never again.
(https://image.ibb.co/fhEnxo/chopper_Steve_001.jpg)
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Rode one similar to this about a half mile in town. No brakes and it took about 8 moves to turn it around on a city street. Never again.
(https://image.ibb.co/fhEnxo/chopper_Steve_001.jpg)
But you survived mate.
Gotta' be a bonus.
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These chopper riders from Finland shipped them to Houston just to ride to Sturgis..
(https://photos.smugmug.com/All/i-Z8Kjm85/0/7053df75/L/IMG_0029-L.jpg) (https://fotoguzzi.smugmug.com/All/i-Z8Kjm85/A)
and they knew how to strip it down and replace a clutch in the parking lot of a hotel in Luck Wyoming..
(https://photos.smugmug.com/All/i-kJx7Vht/0/5d2d4cd6/L/IMG_0027-L.jpg) (https://fotoguzzi.smugmug.com/All/i-kJx7Vht/A)
there's a lot of hard core chopper riders in the USA.. I respect them/\.
But see, that's what I'm talking about. I've got that same picture on PhotoBucket from the last discussion about this, 5 years or so ago.
If all we got is to trot out this same group of riders (from overseas, no less) whenever we talk about "riding a long way" on choppers, then that's sort of the answer.
And when you talk about "hard core" riders on this Wild Guzzi list, it means something different than writing about it somewhere else. I KNOW and have ridden with some true "hard core" Guzzi riders; and that means riding a LONG way. When we say "hard core chopper riders", it generally means something completely different; usually a "badass" image, all about appearances, reputation, association with gangs, all that B.S. I've never seen or even heard of a "chopper" rider that could stay with most of the guys on this list for even a day .... when it comes to RIDING.
Lannis
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Try it, you will like it!!! :evil:
(https://s20.postimg.cc/8mdz2d6al/007.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/a1fjr37dl/)
That's good looking; I had two pans and a shovel (the '54 had a tank shifter) and like the old Harley engines.
I have to admit though, if you said "Here, Lannis, take this bike; I'm feeling generous today!" (and I realize that the contingency is remote), I would have to put a front brake on and close up the primary. Other than those things, I expect I could ride that bike across the country and enjoy it ...
That's some nice work, though.
Lannis
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All but one year I have trailered to Bike Week from New York. I don't ride on salt and ice. Other than for track days its the only time I trailer a bike. Virtually every year I have been passed by guys on Harleys riding down from say Michigan or Wisconsin or New England in 30 degree temps at 75 MPH. No windshield, beanie helmets.
These guys are hard core and I respect them.
Pete
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All but one year I have trailered to Bike Week from New York. I don't ride on salt and ice. Other than for track days its the only time I trailer a bike. Virtually every year I have been passed by guys on Harleys riding down from say Michigan or Wisconsin or New England in 30 degree temps at 75 MPH. No windshield, beanie helmets.
These guys are hard core and I respect them.
Pete
Does "Harley" = "Chopper" here? I know quite a few Harley riders that would be "hard core" by any Guzzi riders definition.
Lannis
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A friend/customer brought me that bike, mostly there and a box of carbs the previous owner was trying to install. The 72 Sporty motor was somewhat fresh. The carbs were 2 stroke set-up. I told him to go to a swap meet and get me a CV take-off from a big twin. I then found a machinist that was making manifolds to adapt any carb to any HD, he was 2 town east of me. Mounted it and jetted it, final set-up was big twin dyno jet kit. The Iron Head Sporty likes fuel, I took it up to at least 100mph and it was still pulling strong, faster than anyone else is going to ride the thing. Savior frame has 2 springs on the back axel, 1 on ea side, problem is the wheel goes on a side tilt if you hit the pot hole crooked. I tried to get the back brake to work, was wore out, had to push lever to the ground and no front brake. I hit a RR crossing at speed and almost bailed off, bike jumped around taking up both lanes and front end flopping both ways. Was last time I went fast on it and it sold for big $ and never leaked a drop.
Then I got asked to build 5 Custom Chrome kit bikes w/RevTech motors so off I went playing OCC and that was a blast.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/nnx6a8/the_shop_031.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nnx6a8)
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Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. :thumb:
But it's barely what I call a chopper.
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But it's barely what I call a chopper.
Good point. Maybe that's why it looks so good. Maybe it's a "bobber" instead.
I guess defining a "chopper" is like defining a "classic". Perhaps a "chopper" requires an extended front end, with or without a raked steering head?
Lannis
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(http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL683/2961393/5987839/407051830.jpg)
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Many years ago I had a '70's Honda 500 4cyl with the forks about 6 over with stock rake. Also had a '56 Triumph that look a lot like RER's pic but with a stock front end with the chrome nacelles. So I would say it was more of a bobber.
Tom
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(https://thumb.ibb.co/evRpv8/016_E7832_ECC8_401_F_883_D_2223_F030_F074.jpg) (https://ibb.co/evRpv8)
Sweet.
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Can't believe no one's used the term "visceral" so far <shrug> I do like the bobber/chopper what ever you call it, nice work!
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I expected to see some cool Guzzi choppers, but I guess the wide engine does not fit well with such style (more of a cruiser).
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My first motorcycle was a Suzuki Savage, a 650 cc single that was a bit of a chopper. It rode pretty well, and I really enjoyed riding it.
Here's what mine looked like (but without the windscreen):
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/SuzukiSavage1988.jpg/600px-SuzukiSavage1988.jpg)
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When I first started riding I wanted a chopper. What I had was dirt bikes. :grin: I guess I spent too much time reading chopper magazines and hanging around with old time riders. The central theme about choppers to me was that you build it yourself. This is mostly an illusion, since few people have the skills to extend a springer or girder front end, or fabricate a custom fuel or oil tank, construct a seat, do a proper weld on a frame. SO, the magazines became a pipeline to supply
suckers customers to the guys who could make those products. So many choppers are bolted together warehouse specials. :embarrassed: I always enjoyed seeing the home made bits that solved various problems, or provided some touch of originality or art. I had a "poor boy chopper" Triumph with an extended front end and struts for shocks. But it was pretty much unsafe junk, and I ran it into a utility pole, :boozing: thereby fulfilling the prophecies of most everyone who knew me..... :grin:
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I rode a couple in the '70s. Both Yamaha 650s
Both had extended forks, one had a rake change and the other not. The one that was raked drove OK, the other one, not so much. Of course I was loaded at the time, so who knows?
Loaded?! John, I'm shocked!! :grin:
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When I first started riding I wanted a chopper. What I had was dirt bikes. :grin: I guess I spent too much time reading chopper magazines and hanging around with old time riders. The central theme about choppers to me was that you build it yourself. ....
That's how I remember it when I was coming along.
1) Go to an LAPD or CHP auction (take a battery and some gas and a tire pump). Do NOT bid more than $250 for a tired, worn out Duo-Glide panhead police bike; that would be a ripoff.
2) Strip it down to the frame. Scale the dresser stuff into a lake or sell it for scrap.
3) Cut the frame join from the bottom up just behind the steering head, about halfway through so that it can be raked.
4) Stick an 8' bar through the head, heat up the cut frame point, and (using the long bar to maintain alignment and keep it pointed "straight ahead") gradually bend it back the desired amount.
5) Cut two triangular plates to reinforce the new head angle, and weld them on.
6) Get out the Bondo and "blend" all the joints and lugs so that they're nice and smooth.
7) Buy a junk springer front end from a pre-'49 Harley. (If you can get an "XA" springer, so much the better; they're already 2" longer than stock). Take two sets of Ford Model A wishbone radius rods (common junkyard parts) and weld them in place to extend the front end the necessary length.
8) Customize as desired. A "jockey lid", forward controls, spool front hub, and Maltese Cross taillight are "de rigueur" for proper street cred.
9) Try looking as much as possible like a Dave Robinson drawing as you jam down the Ventura Highway ....
Lannis
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That's how I remember it when I was coming along.
1) Go to an LAPD or CHP auction (take a battery and some gas and a tire pump). Do NOT bid more than $250 for a tired, worn out Duo-Glide panhead police bike; that would be a ripoff.
2) Strip it down to the frame. Scale the dresser stuff into a lake or sell it for scrap.
3) Cut the frame join from the bottom up just behind the steering head, about halfway through so that it can be raked.
4) Stick an 8' bar through the head, heat up the cut frame point, and (using the long bar to maintain alignment and keep it pointed "straight ahead") gradually bend it back the desired amount.
5) Cut two triangular plates to reinforce the new head angle, and weld them on.
6) Get out the Bondo and "blend" all the joints and lugs so that they're nice and smooth.
7) Buy a junk springer front end from a pre-'49 Harley. (If you can get an "XA" springer, so much the better; they're already 2" longer than stock). Take two sets of Ford Model A wishbone radius rods (common junkyard parts) and weld them in place to extend the front end the necessary length.
8) Customize as desired. A "jockey lid", forward controls, spool front hub, and Maltese Cross taillight are "de rigueur" for proper street cred.
9) Try looking as much as possible like a Dave Robinson Mann drawing as you jam down the Ventura Highway ....
Lannis
(https://crosscountrycookinwithpapajoe.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/56.jpg)
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(https://crosscountrycookinwithpapajoe.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/56.jpg)
Hal Robinson, then. Get 'em mixed up.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/General/i-JwSSJJM/0/0df435ff/O/19b0f5e9baf207f2f1418971b10c118c.jpg) (https://lannisselz.smugmug.com/General/i-JwSSJJM/A)Either one!
Lannis
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Here is one of a few I had in the 70's, this was around 1979 and my last chopper.
(http://a4.pbase.com/o6/75/452075/1/93756854.iSqVmwWu.Chopper.jpg)
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Jerry, Sweet bike!!
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Loaded?! John, I'm shocked!! :grin:
Back then when i got loaded it wasn't on very fine Colorado Malt Whiskey.
(https://www.forwhiskeylovers.com/sites/default/files/styles/uc_product_full/public/store/stranahan-s-colorado-small-batch-whiskey-750mlstranahans.gif?itok=yGeg_lBu)
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Yes. And the answer is "depends on how they're built". Some are rickety deathtraps, built by people who have no concept of geometry or fabrication. Some are fantastic. Which can be said of any custom vehicle, really.
Got one in the garage now, being built. The frame was built by CycleOne Manufacturing, front end is Harley, engine is SOHC CB750. 6" up in the downtubes, 4" out in the backbone, gooseneck gusset, 36 degree rake. Trail should, when all is said and done, be about 4.5".
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Never rode one, and maybe I won't, but I've seen some I liked and some that made me scratch my head. Here's one I saw at the Kentucky Kickdown a couple of years back. CB750 with chain frame and bars. The thing wobbled like a bowl full of jelly. Imagine peering around the side of the tank to ride it and all of the other scary stuff! Skilled welder, no doubt.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/kTsJC8/IMG_0134.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kTsJC8)
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I’ve ridden a number of choppers over the years. All of them had atrocious steering, very little cornering clearance, a punishing ride, and some sort of ridiculous handlebar. They are very popular here, but none of them get further away than the local taproom...at least when under their own power. I think that choppers are not motorcycles in the same way that I have come to think of them. Instead, they are more an artistic interpretation for motorheads. I like good looking bikes, but not at the cost of mechanical competence.
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Rode a rat BSA with at least a 10" extended/raked front and no front brake in the late 70's. This explains why I've never ridden, much less owned, another chopper.
I do appreciate the workmanship and even beauty of a well executed custom though...
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I made and rode a chopped Duo Glide from Cleveland, Oh to Florida to CA and back. It helped to be young at the time but I rode it for 5 years then got some sense. At the time if riding an HD you needed to sleep with it to be sure it would still be there in the morning. Finally ended up with road bikes or sport touring. I would still be riding but last year I met the back end of a pickup and broke my neck. Am able to stagger around a little but not able to ride yet.
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Hang in there. :thumb:
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If your chopper is uncomfortable it was built for someone else. Google El Diablo Run. Put it on your bucket list.
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I built this one when the OCC chopper craze was going on, from an '02 Sportster that I purchase new.
Started as a standard red 883 with wire wheels.
The forks are Seeger Cycle 8" over tubes with an additional 13 degrees of rake, they use a ball joint on the lower tree
so you don't have to cut the neck.
I used a set of Softtail tanks, dash etc. The Harley guys usually take a second look trying to figure out what it is.
It rides way better than you would think, super stable and not at all floppy.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/j6JmQT/IMG_0649.jpg) (https://ibb.co/j6JmQT)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/hkFpeo/IMG_0648.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hkFpeo)
deactivate my account (https://deleteacc.com/t)
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Uhh,
Anyone here ever owned/ridden a chopper?
That would be no. <shrug> Sorry, not my thing at all.
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Earlier this month on my morning walk I happened across this Chopper parked on the side of the road. The rider has his tools out working on its ignition advance weight springs. Nice guy, younger than his bike. I guess my point is, with an old school Chopper expect more wrenching than riding.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/mCLNFT/IMG_5145.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mCLNFT)
how to delete (https://deleteacc.com/z)
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I got a pile of complete worn out Shovelhead shite from a buddy for a cheap price and decided to build a chopper out of it. It ended up being one of the most fun bike builds ever. Since I always shoot for the museum quality, rivet counting type of restorations, building the chopper was a freeing experience.
I was quite an honor to have my chop selected to be in the Mama Tried bike show in Milwaukee right out of the chute. Later that year I rode it to Detroit to see the Oily Souls bike show. The bike ended up winning Best In Show - Ride In category out of hundreds of bikes.
I set this one up in the standard chopper hard core format; jockey shift, suicide foot clutch, open belt primary, and no front brake. Since I was only going to a rear brake I wanted it to be reliable so I deviated from tradition and went with a disc. You haven't really experienced motorcycle riding at its most elemental until you master a foot clutch, jockey shift bike. It is a fun skill once mastered, but a bit intimidating until it becomes second nature. An old fart like myself that can still handle a rigid frame, jockey shifter is kind of rare these days, at least around this area.
Try it, you will like it!!! :evil:
(https://s20.postimg.cc/8mdz2d6al/007.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/a1fjr37dl/)
Jockey shift setup shown here.
(https://s20.postimg.cc/hu67j989p/009.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/5fjfixgrd/)
(https://s20.postimg.cc/vb3621xzx/012.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/cvip4njvd/)
One of the best looking engines ever made, the Shovelhead
(https://s20.postimg.cc/pa5h4u671/001.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6htm199sp/)
(https://s20.postimg.cc/jyqkka4ql/010.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/qp71tprw9/)
I have another chop project in the works, maybe 2 or 3. :) They are fun!!
WOW! Came across this while doing a search. WOW!
So clean looking, with no wires on the handlebars.
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(https://i.ibb.co/KLT0Kbw/20191125-084418-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KLT0Kbw)
1969 r69us I built in the 70's 650cc big bore kit 10 inch over Harley wideglide 21 inch front wheel.
BMW purist are still hunting me for building it.
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NO. A thousand times, NO.
Nor did I ever wear platform shoes, dance disco, watch Dynasty, or wear my shirt halfway open with gold chains.
What a horrible thing to do to a motorcycle.
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I once rode a shovelhead sportster with 10 over forks and some wacky close together shorty antenna handlebars. That thing was terrifying.
It did sound cool though, after about 137 kicks and my buddy almost having a heart attack trying to start it, and it had great power.
Slow speed handling was nuts, it just wanted to fall over at any speed under about 40, and any lean angle would fight to yank the bars from your hand and bottom out on the steering stops.
It had character, but what a pile of crap, lol. We rode from Nashville to Chicago all in one day, Andy was on the shovel, and me on my Breva 750. He was ready for a drink long before we made it there, lol.
He would have traded his right arm for a ride home on a trailer.
A couple of days later, we did it again, but in the other direction. Once home, his bike sat for a month untouched. He really had to build up any desire to ride it after that.
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Been there done that still doing it! wifes BSA my Tri.
(https://i.ibb.co/bNMHLzj/CHOPPERS.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bNMHLzj)
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In a previous life I co-starred with Fonda and Hopper.
https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-easy-rider-captain-america-bike-sold-20141019-story.html#:~:text=Autos-,'Easy%20Rider's'%20'Captain%20America'%20bike%20sold%20for%20%241.35,some%20question%20the%20bike's%20authenticity.
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I see about one a week here in SoCal on the road. Some are quite nice and some are atrocious. Not my cup of tea. As I was heading up to Anza a couple of weeks ago I saw a guy on a rat chopper doing 80 mph in a 55 zone around some corners with just a german helmet and sweatshirt on and he had those super narrow high ape hangers. Incredible!
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Wow. In the late '90s I traded my VFR for my buddy's Honda Shadow for an afternoon. I could barely make it around any curves, such was the the difference in the rake of the two bikes. Almost ran off the road a few times. I couldn't even imagine riding an actual chopper, but my hat's off to those fellas.
Best,
Mike
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Still have my rigid Bonneville that I bought in '74 and built the way it is in '78. Now I gotta go dig it out and post a pic or two...
I built a few Brits and a Pan for myself in the '70's. Finished many chopper projects for others. Made many custom wiring harnesses, fuel lines, oil lines, tuning and final assembly stuff. None of 'em ever handled for s#!t, but some were beautiful to look at...
Larry
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No but I’ve watched Easy Rider 13 times🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
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I've ridden two chopped 650 Yamaha twins. My cousin's bike was extended but not raked. It was tipsy and I was high, I changed my mind when I got on it. Later, I was working a summer laborers job when going to college when one of the permanent guys had one the was raked and extended. I was a little nervous when I got on it due to my previous experience but it drove just fine. Really nothing to report. Just rode like a normal motorcycle.
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Loved Hopper's Pan!!! I have both Franklin Mint model bikes
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I delivered a Frisco style Shovelhead from Wichita to Weatherford OK in '77 . Had to rise it because it was too long to fit in the truck . The entire trip was uncomfortable and a bit scary . This was during an oil boom , guys had money to burn on silly shyte , the new owner rode it once and parked it on his back patio , for all I know it is still sitting there .
:laugh: Was somewhere South of Wichita on I35 , bombing along at about 55 when a car load full of young ladies pulled up beside and started doing what teenage girls do , I couldn't even wave back in fear of the damn thing spitting me .
Dusty
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Is it a chopper? I guess no. maybe bobber? No, but front fender is mandatory here by law.
Just customized.
Runs fine, some luggage OK, long trip OK, even handcrafted in Germoney.
(https://i.ibb.co/fCr5c4T/20180808-160147.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fCr5c4T)
(https://i.ibb.co/VWMFhLy/20180808-160154.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VWMFhLy)
(https://i.ibb.co/xh68dYt/IMG-20190913-WA0008.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xh68dYt)
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In 1987 I bought a new Yamaha XV750. A perfect touring bike (air cooled V-Twin with cardan shaft too).
After I have ridden it to the North Cape I decided to convert it to a chopper.
It looked cool but of course it was not a Harley and riding it became very exhausting.
(https://i.ibb.co/Vq4bB8g/xv.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Vq4bB8g)
I owned it until 1992 ...and then the Guzzi virus struck.
I was searching for an air cooled bike and it had to have a cardan again.
BMW was also an option but the 1000S just looked too sexy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJJSayaN0SU
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Is it a chopper? I guess no. maybe bobber? No, but front fender is mandatory here by law.
Just customized.
Runs fine, some luggage OK, long trip OK, even handcrafted in Germoney.
(https://i.ibb.co/fCr5c4T/20180808-160147.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fCr5c4T)
(https://i.ibb.co/VWMFhLy/20180808-160154.jpg) (https://ibb.co/VWMFhLy)
(https://i.ibb.co/xh68dYt/IMG-20190913-WA0008.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xh68dYt)
Now thats a very cool custom, well done. I would say it's a chbobber. :thumb:
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My brother built one out of a pan head back in the mid 70s.I rode it down my Dads driveway and it almost flopped over when I turned into the street.When constructing it with the raised front he noticed that the carb was not Level any more,which led to the explosion and nenaming of thePhoenix.Luckily he was warming it up and got off to close the garage door when it went up like Hoppers in easy rider.Almost burned Dads garage down.
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Way back when choppers were invented, they were heavy weight Harleys that had much stuff removed to make them handle better.
Then (slight fork extensions were added and properly done, they too helped improve handling.) These were done in he late forties and up through the fifties. In the sixties came the fork extensions for style and the handling went to shit.
A chopper was originally chopped for the reduction of weight and handling improvements. It was only when it was done for style that the handling went to hell. My first was a 58 panhead and my second was a 49 flathead 45" that Inused to ride in the woods and on trails. Both handled better than stock. In the eighties I did a shovelhead and rode it across country between Washington state an Illinois. It too handled better than when it was new. None of these were done for looks, but they all were done as choppers.
I never had any liking for any bike that couldn't handle and didn't consider them real choppers, just show bikes.
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(https://i.ibb.co/BKMs0Tj/image.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BKMs0Tj)
Around painting my V7 Sport frame Dellorto SS1 argent and reassembling it, I helped Marcell (pictures, at Bike Week) build this BSA A65-engined chopper over the winter of 99-2000. It was 100% Y2K compliant. Sitting in forever traffic at Daytona Bike Week, not so much....
So we pulled over into a parking lot to wait for the bottom end to heal enough so we could get back to the campground. Some 100% in-shape woman, dressed in a not really there lace catsuit/leotard, asked if she could pose on it for her husband (a $$$-looking non-biker guy) to take some pictures. She did. He did. It was quite the performance. It was probably good that neither of us had wives at the time that would have asked for an explanation of our evening.
At least it helped lighten the mood. The engine got a full rebuild after we got back to TN.
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We want to see the picture of the model on the bike it will pass the censors.
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Deb and I were cooking across Kansas, doing about 80 mph when we were passed by a guy on a chopper like we were standing still. His arms were straight up in the air with some very tall ape hangers and no shirt on. I think of that sometimes, it impressed me. I was on a Cal2 and she on a trusty Ambassador. I was thinking of a highway patrol nicking us in that flyover country but he sure was moving along so we picked up the pace but never did see him again. I thought that’s the way to get across Kansas but if he ever had to stop in a hurry there is not a chopper I’ve seen that was built to handle the leverage that those handle bars would put on their mountings.
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(https://i.ibb.co/BKMs0Tj/image.jpg) (https://ibb.co/BKMs0Tj)
Great photo !!
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We want to see the picture of the model on the bike it will pass the censors.
You'll have to find the bling-looking husband and his fantasy-bent (no pun intended but it works here..) smoking hot wife. He had a plain film camera with a flash, not the typical Polaroid thing. When we watched them strut down the street afterwards, we figured it was more of a personal fantasy/bucket list thing between the two of them. Looked like his night was going to go well... We did actually watch the adult-oriented biker magazines over the following year to see if any of their pics happened to be submitted. Nope.
Sometimes it's hard to remember or imagine pre-phone/camera days, just like no internet. We sure didn't carry a camera. Around the more serious 1%er crowds, it's not the thing to do.
More chopper stuff- Another time, not far from here in SC, I was about 16-17. Dad and I were driving home in our 1959-60 GMC snub nose log truck with a silage forage box on the back. It held about 3 tons of silage, two days of feed for our dairy cows. Roadworthy & legal were relative terms back then, especially with a farm tag. We Turned a corner and heard this funny squeak-crunch sound behind us. it wasn't a normal truck sound. We stopped to check. Bubba redneck was picking up his cb750 chopper (fairly long front end, cheap but looked like fun to me) while picking asphalt gravel out of his raw thigh and butt. There was a 20+foot gouge in the pavement. He was wearing overalls, maybe a tshirt and barefoot. Nothing else. One of the pegs dug the gouge while he apparently kept his feet up. One leg of his overalls was near split in two. He must have been flying as he came up behind us, but at least he didn't hit us or get seriously hurt as we turned.
He and his bike were probably less legal than we were. We set him up, he said "nope, I'm fine. Didn't see you turning" and we all went our own way asap.
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I had a SX650 yamaha with a worn-out swing arm bushing. The swing arm axel wouldn't come out to replace the bushings ... so ... I cut the swing arm off and replaced it with a hard tail . Well , the hard tail didn't fit with-out extending the frame 8" so the bike grew - 8" .
Then
I found a 10-10 kit for it (10" over + 10 deg. rake). So , the bike was really long , but not any taller.
You might think it would be hard to drive , but you'd be way , way off . It handled like a dream ! The "Drifting" effect going around curves was wonderfull !!
Best I can figure , the extra length gave leverage to help the rear drift. I ran 15# of air in the 400/18 rear tire and bumps under 2 inch were no problem either.
The alternator developed problems and suffering form sticker shock at fixing the alt. I sold it . It was 40,000 miles old by then anyway and I had my eye on a RD250 that was really impressive . The SX650 never got over 40 mpg and I was tired of it too. So away it went !
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:laugh: Was somewhere South of Wichita on I35 , bombing along at about 55 when a car load full of young ladies pulled up beside and started doing what teenage girls do , ....
Dusty
Care to expend on that? For science.
Please, thank you...
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Care to expend on that? For science.
Please, thank you...
:laugh: The picture in my head is blurry , ever ride a Frisco style shovelhead ?
Dusty
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Back in the early 1970's, I had a small shop w/2 partners in Norfolk, Va. We were dirt bike specialists but also got street bikes in to work on. I had a day job, (Ladies dress shop manager) & came to the bike shop in the late afternoon. I came in one day to find my partners had left me a Ducati chopper parked next to my table.....(yea sacrilege...I know). I got the thing running & decided to take it for a run around the block to check it out. I came to the first turn...the front wheel(waaaay out there) flopped over & the thing finally started to turn...took the whole street, fortunately there wasn't a car parked at the far curb. I got it back to the shop in one piece....First & last time on a chopper, never again!
Ronkom
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(https://i.ibb.co/rptVc0j/Rocket3001.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rptVc0j)
Some time in the early 70's . Exhaust system was quite the labour of love , hundreds of small notches cut
in the tubing and acetylene welded , not too sure I'd do that again ! Peter
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(https://i.ibb.co/QpLv8Pg/2497.jpg) (https://ibb.co/QpLv8Pg)
30 years later , this one took me 3 years to complete and have ridden it for 12 years . Dependable beyond
all expectations and was dead stable on the highway .For those that may of heard of this road in B.C , it's
done the Duffy Lake road a number of times . Sure got peoples attention :grin: ( colour maybe ? ) Peter
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(https://i.ibb.co/0FQyVrG/IMG-0241.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0FQyVrG)
Me on my 1971 Honda CB 750 Chopper (Which just went up for sale this week), at the 2019 Distinguished Gentleman's Ride! Choppers RULE!
:bike-037:
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To me, a chopper has a long front end.The frame may be custom or altered to make the bike sit level.Like the 750 Honda in this thread Or a long front end on a stock frame so the bike looks way jacked up. And choppers often have other custom features.
A bike stripped of unessary stuff for better performance was called a Bob Job. Now it's a styling thing and called a Bobber. Generally speaking, a bob job has a stock length or slightly extended front end and is less showy, not considering chrome, than a chopper. The sharp looking Shovelhead shown a few pages back is a bob job in my opinion.
I don't care for bikes with long front ends.
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To me, a chopper has a long front end.The frame may be custom or altered to make the bike sit level.Like the 750 Honda in this thread Or a long front end on a stock frame so the bike looks way jacked up. And choppers often have other custom features.
A bike stripped of unessary stuff for better performance was called a Bob Job. Now it's a styling thing and called a Bobber. Generally speaking, a bob job has a stock length or slightly extended front end and is less showy, not considering chrome, than a chopper. The sharp looking Shovelhead shown a few pages back is a bob job in my opinion.
I don't care for bikes with long front ends.
Stripping unnecessary gew-gaws off a bike, or adjusting the suspension to get a little more clearance for the primary case, or tuning up the engine all sound like reasonable ideas for a motorcyclist.
REMOVING the suspension, removing 75% of the braking ability, and destroying the handling so that you can look like something from an EasyRider cartoon all sound like unreasonable ideas done by someone different than ... a motorcyclist. Like wearing a patch over your eye or having your leg surgically removed below the knee so that you can be a pirate and make life more difficult for yourself.
Never have understood the motivation. Still don't.
Lannis
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Me ,about 5 years ago on a 650 Triumph that was a long fork chopper..A friend's bike, I shortened a 70's aftermarket springer fork so the bike sits level. I replaced the no brake front wheel with a 21 inch Honda dirt bike wheel with a reasonably effective brake..The bike handles ok if you are aware of the limits...The ugly styling was not by me,LOL
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3760/9265666066_bf99dc56b6_z.jpg)
A 60's Triumph 650 bob job I built from a pile of mismatched parts. The bike handles good for a rigid and stops well. It's about 340 pounds and be hustled along a good rate on smooth roads until the rough ride wear you down...My race bike rider has it now...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/8101/8531915954_20142e2a73_z.jpg)
53 Triumph 650 I owned for many years. Original rigid frame and front end. It's a mild bob job and ride and handling coments from above apply...
(https://i.imgur.com/9ApZuyxh.jpg)
My first true love, 67 Triumph 650, photo is from about 1975 when I first got the bike....It had 8 inch over forks when I bought it ...I scrapped the long forks and got stock length tubes...Stripped off unecessary parts, Japanese bikes of that era couldn't keep on the backroads if they were on tow rope, lol ...Daily rider for 5 years...
(https://live.staticflickr.com/5644/23691158100_67601888a0_c.jpg)
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Great looking bikes, RE. :thumb:
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thanks LowRyter
And this is the only bike I wish I had back....In 2004 I decided to give up bikes to concentrate on hot rod trucks.I was 57 then and thought too to ride, LOL ..I sold This BSA and the 53 Triumph. A stupid move and to this day I search hoping to find the BSA for sale in the New Orleans area.
It's a 55 A10 650 with a high performace engine parts.Bike was build from Ebay and swap meet parts..I tried to recreate a 50's Brit bike bob job...Mustang tank and so on..The all welded frame was better than Triumph ,it could be pushed hard into the turns...37 Chevy truck in the background..
(https://live.staticflickr.com/8048/8119728129_f95cdd22bb_z.jpg)
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Almost....never do I see a chopper on the road.
What happened to all the OC choppers?
I do see the same ones for sale, over and over.
I see some old school shovels parked at a bar,though.
For that matter, all I see being ridden are HD's.
Or clones.
I haven't seen a Brit bike in years.
.
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Almost....never do I see a chopper on the road.
What happened to all the OC choppers?
I do see the same ones for sale, over and over.
I see some old school shovels parked at a bar,though.
For that matter, all I see being ridden are HD's.
Or clones.
I haven't seen a Brit bike in years.
.
It really does depend where you live.
This is the closest to a chopper I have ridden.
(https://i.ibb.co/gFVH1M6/IMG-1280.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gFVH1M6)
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Well, I drug it out out of its corner of the garage and washed ten years of crud off of it. Owned since '74, built like this in '78. Rode hard and put away wet. Front end is a '74 Trident, that I brought back from England. Has a Routt 800 kit, 9.5 to 1 pistons, Megacycle cams, belt-drive primary with a dry clutch, balanced bottom end, Amal Mk II's, battery elimininater. The last time I tried starting it, a valve must have been stuck open, the piston kissed it, now no compression on one side. I think I have a winter project...
(https://i.ibb.co/Rj8DR7K/IMG-1390.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Rj8DR7K)
(https://i.ibb.co/dDHQ4vZ/IMG-1391.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dDHQ4vZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/d7z6hP0/IMG-1394.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d7z6hP0)
tom brady crying gif (https://imgbb.com/)
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Is that the original frame modded or an aftermarket one?
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Front of the frame is stock, the hardtail was a bolt-on, now welded AEE with a 4" drop and a 2" stretch. Back fender, rim, and sissybar were from J.C. Whitney...
Larry
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What do you mean a winter project ? You could have that top end off and the valves out in an easy afternoon ( without power tools ) ! Peter
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What do you mean a winter project ? You could have that top end off and the valves out in an easy afternoon ( without power tools ) ! Peter
Yeah, I could. The whole story is that it hasn't run at all in ten years, and the previous ten years to that, I rode it maybe once or twice a year to a Brit show. It really needs a full mechanical restoration. 30 year old tires, leaky forks, front brake inoperable, engine oil leaks, etc...
Larry
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This is my chopper.....
(https://i.ibb.co/wYVf1Yv/bobs-chopper.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wYVf1Yv)
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Since Moto-Uno is not going to show you his I'm going to do it for him
(https://i.ibb.co/M1f6GKF/CIMG3018.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fN9vnZj)
(https://i.ibb.co/6bq4hS1/CIMG3028.jpg) (https://ibb.co/y5x8TCY)
Of course being built by Peter, what else could he call it?
(https://i.ibb.co/94LrXTm/CIMG3022.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1X5mVqY)
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uh......
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^ I can tell by your response , that you're favorably impressed :evil: , Peter
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Yeah, I could. The whole story is that it hasn't run at all in ten years, and the previous ten years to that, I rode it maybe once or twice a year to a Brit show. It really needs a full mechanical restoration. 30 year old tires, leaky forks, front brake inoperable, engine oil leaks, etc...
Larry
Except for the cubic $$ bling builds, that sounds like the current state of many choppers in general...
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^ I can tell by your response , that you're favorably impressed :evil: , Peter
Well I for one was impressed, I like the fact that it has a soft-tail
And didn't you ride it out from Ontario to BC?
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Early 70's, 17 years old, a senior in high school, mostly rode dirt bikes and a 350 Honda street bike, a close friend somehow got his hands on a triumph mildly chopped -custom hardtail frame with a slightly kicked out front end- side car rig. Holy crap. We would put a keg of beer in the side car and turn the headlight off at night and take turns riding in the side car cruising the back roads of Washington state party hopping. Both of us agreed that we would rather ride in the side car than be in charge as that thing handled so badly. So we went slow. Man it was fun. One day we took the side car off and rode it. It was fun but what a steaming pile of a bike. It actually turned better with the sidecar attached and attracted more girls- especially with all the other party fixings we could carry. It was the 70's. More than once it was four of us and a midnight cruise to the beach on that rig. So, choppers, as bad as they were, back in the day they had their use.
I rode a few other choppers in the early/mid 70's and hated them.
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^^ Unfortunately not , at that time I was moving everything out here . It did get me to a rally in Oregon a couple of
years ago that ended up being about 500 miles each way , pretty much the furthest I've ridden it in a single day . And
thanks for showing the pics :) . Peter
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I met a guy out here in Kona, a number of years ago. This is part of the conversation in parking lot near Safeway.
Me: "What engine is that?"
Him: "It's a Dodge Colt."
Me: "Mitsubishi?"
Him: A reluctant "Yeah."
Me: "You must be from Iowa."
Him: "How do you know that?" Hawaiian plate on the bike.
Me: "It was a guess. Next guess would have been Wisconsin."
Him: Puzzled look.
Me: "You guys have a long Winter"
He had an Eldo with a Dodge Colt engine stuffed into it. One carb. No side covers w/a car battery. Almost everything else was stock or chopped. My guess from the welds and homemade brackets was that he had access to either gas or an arc welder. I don't have any pix. Sorry. :grin:
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Does a Honda Fury count as a chopper? I rode a friends the other day,and man that bike was sweet! It even had the "right" sound...I think, whats the right sound for a chopper? :grin: :grin: :grin:
Rick