It's probably not too often that a jet takes the cover of a chopper magazine, but on the front of Street Chopper's August 1974 issue, the winged machine became a synonym for the element that bike enthusiasts seek in a ride: speed. The pages of this issue were full of tips on how make your bike go faster and draw more attention.
In "Super Fast," readers learned about Bob Appleton and the Jap Eater: a '67 XLH dropped into a custom frame, designed and built by Appleton himself. Representing a trend in motorcycling at the time, the Jap Eater was described as a caf racer, but built more to the owner's preference than to the current fad.
Readers were brought up to speed on how to bring their bikes up to speed in "Honda 750 Turbocharger Kit." The article revealed that with the kit, a stock bike made the 1/4-mile in 12.5 seconds at 116.88 mph - an impressive record for 30 years ago.
"Porky's Special" featured images of Leo "Porky" Gastellun's tricked-out '74 Harley. With the oil lines, spark plug wires, and tie-wraps dyed to match the candy pearl purple paint and grape-colored velvet seat, Porky showed us that the time and effort he spent on this project was well worth it.
"The Streaker" showcased Duane Dier's '51 Harley panhead: a bike that took him two years and $1,000 to construct. A style that can still be seen on the streets today, the Harley panhead has proven it stands the test of time.
In addition to features and photo spreads, bike builders were introduced to a series of technical articles about how to install a beltdrive, mend an exhaust leak with a spigot replacement, and build a mini-chopper with a few bolts and a welding rod.
Whether you sought to break from the norm in bike building or break the sound barrier, Street Chopper showed you how to do it in August 1974. Visit Time Tripping next month for another trip down memory lane.