In case you were not aware, this year is Street Chopper's 40th anniversary.
Over the four decades this magazine has existed, it has both set the standard and pushed the envelope on just what a chopper is. From early garage-built long bikes to bobbers and hundred-thousand-dollar builds, we have certainly covered what a true street chopper has evolved into.
For the ruby anniversary of our magazine, we will be producing two separate editions of Street Chopper with our main focus being to celebrate both the past and present.
In the first issue, which you are holding in your hands, we bring you current bikes from around the country shot by the world's most talented photographers. Call it history repeating itself or things coming full circle, we are featuring rigid, owner-built choppers and bobbers that are powered by Knuckle, Pan, Shovel, Sporty, and Triumph engines. Although these bikes may look a bit different than the ones back in the day, they still have the same premise and soul that the choppers of days gone by possessed. Just like the motorcycles we have featured in the past pages of Street Chopper, the bikes featured are not rat bikes or hack-jobs. Even though they may be loud and stinky, the bikes all have had extensive attention to detail, care when building, and most of all, pride of ownership.
The Fall issue of Street Chopper will be the commemorative anniversary issue packed with what has gone down with the magazine since the dawn of its existence. It will be written with the help of some past editors along with the world's most renowned chopper builders who offered to lend us a hand telling you about each of their experiences with the magazine over the past 40 years.
There also will be a few events commemorating our 40 years in the publishing business, so you may want to check out streetchopperweb.com to see if there is one going down in your area.
I am excited to be part of this anniversary year and to be lucky enough to have the people upstairs put their faith in me to be the lead on Street Chopper. Maybe by sticking out my neck (and shooting off my big mouth), the powers that be are just giving me enough rope to hang myself. Regardless, I feel that since this magazine has "special issue" status and gets printed only two times a year, it needs to be exceptional and be packed with subject matter that is going to make you hold onto it for years to come. Speaking of exceptional, our hard working group of contributors should be commended for staying true to what a real chopper is, yet adding enough variance to keep you entertained and enlightened. Thanks Guys!
Lastly, I wanted to thank you the reader for supporting us through four decades of freewheelin' fun. Keep your knees in the breeze brothers and sisters, cause this one's for you! Soak it up and let us know your thoughts by dropping me a line at jeff.holt@sorc.com. SC