Anyone here ever owned/ridden a chopper?

[lucian]

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.

[guzzisteve]

No not me

Sit on a skateboard and go down a big hill, kind like that.

[oldbike54]

 Choppers can be interesting , as long as there are no curves in the road , or bumps 

 Dusty

[Rough Edge racing]

 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

                           

[lucian]

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?

[Tom]

Had a 750/4 Honda engine in a hardtail.  15 over extended tube front end.  Only rode it around town trips for bar hopping.  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. 

[Lannis]

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

[lucian]

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?

[apex1397]

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.

[Lannis]

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

[Lannis]

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

[LowRyter]

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?

[Dave Swanson]

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!!!   



Jockey shift setup shown here.





One of the best looking engines ever made, the Shovelhead






I have another chop project in the works, maybe 2 or 3.  :)  They are fun!!

[lucian]

Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. 

[Tom]

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.   

[LowRyter]

Dave, that is pretty to look at... .. 

[Sykestone8886]

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.

[rodekyll]

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.

[fotoguzzi]

These chopper riders from Finland shipped them to Houston just to ride to Sturgis..



and they knew how to strip it down and replace a clutch in the parking lot of a hotel in Luck Wyoming..





there's a lot of hard core chopper riders in the USA.. I respect them/\.

[chuck peterson]

My guzzi friend Anne likes them......

[Huzo]

Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. 

Hmmm yeah.
Does that particular bike have to have that gearshift/clutch setup..?
You can almost see how you could...

[PeteS]

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.

[Huzo]

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.

But you survived mate.
Gotta' be a bonus.

[Lannis]

These chopper riders from Finland shipped them to Houston just to ride to Sturgis..



and they knew how to strip it down and replace a clutch in the parking lot of a hotel in Luck Wyoming..





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

[Lannis]

Try it, you will like it!!!   

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

[PeteS]

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

[Lannis]

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

[guzzisteve]

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.

[wymple]

Wow, that's some nice work. That one even looks ride able. 

But it's barely what I call a chopper.

[Lannis]

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