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Bobber/chopper!

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by Big swede, Jul 13, 2016.

  1. Big swede

    Big swede Active Member

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    Hi guys!
    I must ask about this bobber/chopper thing. What is the reason you do it? Cause it won't approve anything, just make it look like shit...
     
  2. JPaganel

    JPaganel Well-Known Member

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    Bobbers and choppers are different.

    A bobber was originally a poor man's sportbike. Performance is all about power to weight, so people removed everything that wasn't essential to starting, driving, and stopping to make a weak-engined old bike as fast as possible. Since these were usually made from cheap old Harley bikes, they were often hardtails.

    People now try to make bikes look like those old bikes and cut up perfectly good moderately old bikes into them. As far as I can tell, it's all about looks and short trips.

    Choppers were originally drag racing bikes. Long raked forks were for straight line stability, straight pipes were for light weight and making the most power out of the anemic old engines. Chrome was to prevent rust. These bikes were made of surplus army and police Harleys, back when those were the cheap and crappy bikes.

    As with bobbers, people spend a lot of money to emulate a cheap bike of many years ago because it looks cool. Very few people would actually race a chopper any more.


    Today we have drag bikes and race bikes made out of real performance machines, and choppers/bobbers are nothing but a fashion trend.
     
  3. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    When done correctly, and with the right platform, boty styles of custom motorcycles look fantastic. The trouble is that far too often people who have never done any metal work think that it's an easy job to do; so they rush and end up with a pile of dog crap that is often also unsafe.
     
  4. Big swede

    Big swede Active Member

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    That's pretty much what i mean, i know it can look great but those bikes are pretty easy to count, the big mass looks like crap. Therefor it would be better if those people learned how to fix a decent bike first, then they can try that bobber thing....
     
  5. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    Head over to the showcase and check out @BaldWonder's example. His bike is proof bobbers CAN be done right.





    he also got pods to work. shhhhhh!
     
    k-moe and TheCrazyGnat like this.
  6. Big swede

    Big swede Active Member

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    It can be done right, yes. Just saying 99% of them hasn't been done right. Make it right or don't...
     
    k-moe likes this.

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