Covetousness might be one of the seven deadly sins, but it's definitely one that I'm familiar with. The prize I've had my eye on? None other than this magazine. Ever since I was the editor of ATV Rider, I've had my eye on STREET CHOPPER. Now, from a career perspective, it makes absolutely no sense. STREET CHOPPER is a magazine pulled from the ashes due to a TV-fuelled trend. Now that the trend in question is fading from the unconscious mainstream, why the hell would I want to be here of all places?
It's simple, really: freedom. From an editor's perspective, the last few of the magazines I've worked on have been bastions of conservatism, mostly the personal kind, maybe a little the political kind.ATVs are a family-oriented activity for the most part, and baggers are mostly ridden by guys getting on in years. Now, I respect my readers enough to give them what they want, not what I want; after all, if you're not into the magazine, you're under no obligation to buy it. So with my last couple of projects, I've kept the wacky/creative/off-the-wall ideas to a minimum. And, as you may have guessed, I see STREET CHOPPER in a slightly different light.
Just as there aren't many limits to what you can do to a chopper, there shouldn't be many limits on What appears in STREET CHOPPER. Choppers are artful, hand-crafted, badass machines, and the magazine dedicated to them shouldn't be any different. I, for one, am sick of cookie-cutter magazines with the same stories about the same bikes, the same events, and the same rides.
Many magazines (my last few included) are product-driven. Folks want to know what to buy for their machine, how to put it on, what to ride and where. Choppers are passion driven. There isn't much Rhyme or reason that says you should get home from a long day of work, tip your hat to the family, and head into the garage until 1. Or keep wrenching on that '58 Pan (or '72 Ironhead, or whatever) when you could just go out and buy something new and bulletproof. There is no sanity or logic to Taking an obscure motor or driveline out of some unobtainable machine or '60s dirtbike, popping a turbo on it, and welding up mounts so that it fits in an old Paughco rigid frame. There just isn't. It's called passion, and I'd like to take some of my passion for making entertaining and educating magazines, blend it with some straight 50-weight, and some custom-bent bar stock and make The best damn chopper magazine on the planet.
Like life (and '80s H-D powerplants), this will be an evolution. This mag, like most of the choppers out there, is done on a budget, and we'll be adding on to it as we go...customizing and tweaking...also like most bikes, it'll probably never be done. Actually, my job was already started by the capable hand of Courtney Halowell in the last few issues, and I'm just continuing the process for As long as they'll let me.Billy Bartels, Editor At Large(which means I don't spend much time in the office)