Choppers
Recognized by their long forks and chopped frames, choppers have found new appeal among today's motorcycle enthusiasts and continue to inspire motorcycle customizers around the globe. Choppers takes a unique look at these classic pieces of twentieth century Americana.Written by experienced motorcycle writer Mike Seate, Choppers provides a comprehensive look at how choppers originated and evolved and what has fueled the current resurgence of interest in building and riding custom motorcycles. Early chapters explore the post-World War II bob job Harleys that predated the chopper. Interviews and historical photos detail the development of the chopper from its earliest days, through the outlaw longbike period of the 1960s and 1970s, to the twenty-first century chopper renaissance.
Ryan McNabb from Ooltewah TN, USA:
"This is a really fun and interesting book. Well written, highly literate, very informative, it gives you the skinny on the real origins of these bikes, their place in motorcyle history, and their place in American history (grudging acceptance, in both cases.) Not just for bike lovers, this book would be appreciated by anyone interested in popular culture after WW2, especially the beat/hippy generations: what really happened at Hollister, CA? What's the story behind "Easy Rider" and its influence? Also, for the riders in the audience, you get lots of interesting insights into the mechanics of these bikes: what is the origin of the Wide Glide fork? How did bobbers get their name? Why did these bikes take on the unique look they did? It ends with a look at custom bikes today, which is sort of mandatory, but not as interesting as what led up to them, in my opinion. Highly recommended."
Rodero Salazar from Detroit, USA:
"Anyone who's a fan of customized motorcycles will dig this color history of choppers! Author Mike Seate, who writes for IronWorks, Easyriders and a few other bike mags, has pretty much nailed the chopper experience from its start to current heyday. From the TV stars like Billy Lane and Jesse James to the old skool builders who hand-built fabricated chopper parts from scratch, Seate's book covers it all in detail. There's some mind-blowing old photos and lots of trick European choppers most US riders have never seen."
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