I was thinking about what it is that makes a chopper so appealing. Trying to figure it out may not seem like anything worth hours of pondering, but just what is it about long, stretched-out choppers that makes them so attractive?
I know why I enjoy them, but I had to try to come up with a way to clearly explain it to those outside our world. After all, the majority of big-rake choppers don't handle extremely well. Modern improvements have made a huge difference in this area when compared to choppers built 20 years or so ago. Some have marginally comfortable accommodations for a passenger, while others have no provisions for a second person at all. Many are very fast due to their extremely lightweight chassis. This is great, but the disadvantage is, for some bikes anyway, poor braking performance. While great strides have been made in improving this area in recent years, it doesn't matter because of the tiny footprint of a skinny 21-inch front wheel -- no matter how many pistons that front caliper may be packing.
So just why do we love them so much, and why is STREET CHOPPER growing exponentially with every issue? I have my own theory to run by you that I've bounced off a few people. I call it the T-bucket syndrome -- partially because I couldn't think of anything more intelligent and witty to call it, but mostly because it makes sense. At least it makes sense to me and a few other similarly twisted minds.
For those of you who are not familiar with the hot rod automotive world, T-buckets are stripped-down examples of hot-rodded cars in their purest form. They are usually based on old Ford Model T-bodies -- hence the T-bucket designation -- and aren't equipped with anything that doesn't propel, turn, or stop it -- just like a chopper. Building one goes something like this: You take the lightest chassis you can find, give it just enough bodywork to hold the driver and passenger in place, and stuff it with the biggest damn motor you can come up with. If you really want to get crazy, you could add a set of front brakes to your bucket, but you'd be in violation of the hot-rodding purity law of 1950. OK, so I made that last part up, but you get the idea. Choppers and the Ts have but one basic function: to blow minds while cruising up and down your favorite boulevard. That's it. Nothing more is necessary.
To make the point a little clearer, I like to look at the other members of the four-wheel drive hot rod family and try to see how they relate to their motorcycle counterparts. The look of a big '50 Mercury with a chopped top could be considered similar to a full-bodied Ness creation. A '32 Deuce Coupe would be the distant cousin of the Softail Springer, and the Electra Glides would probably fall somewhere in between a Packard and a '56 Cadillac. The problem with all these car and bike styles is that many variations of them seem to come and go with the passage of time. But choppers, just like T-buckets, change very little and look as fresh now as they did 20, 30, or more years ago. The basic styling queues are still there -- they are just updated while retaining a line of continuity to the past.
You may agree, or more likely, totally disagree with my theory, but at least it's a good start for debate. In fact, we'd really like to hear your thoughts on what makes the chopper scene what it is now. Any stories relating to similarities or differences between now and days gone by, and what you like or dislike about the two different time periods, are things we are very interested in hearing about.
Some of the things I like best about the wonderful world of motorcycling are the diverse trains of thought and styling tastes of all those involved in the sport. None of us are wrong, just as none of us are right. We're all just doing our own thing, in our own way and trying to have some fun as we go along. When it comes right down to it, isn't having fun the primary motivation for doing what you enjoy anyway?