So here's my question......
What is the "official" name, term, style, of these ridiculous contraptions? I mean, I have never actually heard them called a particular style. Put a long raked front end on a bike, everyone knows its a chopper. Strip it down, chop up the fenders and add a solo seat, its a bobber. Even the more esoteric like Vicla. Most people know apes, Cholo pipes, spokes, white walls, fancy paint and chrome = Vicla. What are the 26-30 inch wheel bikes called? And I mean by the owners, not by guys hurling insults????

Just curious.

 

Custom bagger or Chopped bagger.


I built mine from a retired Police Road King. I raked the neck 7 degrees, and added 1/2" backbone stretch to keep the fairing close to the stock position. The bolt on necks push the fairing away from the rider more than I like, and the weld-on necks are clearly added on. I wanted my frame to look like it came from the factory in it's current state, and the way to do that is with a raked plug, re-using the stock neck. Cover and paint, and you wouldn't know it was modified.

I've also got billet triple trees, upgraded motor mounts, Progressive monotubes in front and Progressive 940s in back. I built the motor up to 107", at 10.75 compression, tw8 cams, bigger throttle body, ported heads and clutch upgrades. It's not a show bike, but a daily rider that rides and handles much better than a stock touring bike.


I built my first long bike back in '76. I had a friend who let me know in no uncertain terms that I couldn't call myself a bike builder until I could handle basic frame mods, including raking (we called it "chopping"), hard-tail conversions, and downtube mods. When I asked for his help in chopping a Harley WLA frame, he drew a picture on the back of an envelope and said "here". lol I still have that, along with a frame sketch he did freehand that you could build a bike from. No internet back then, if you were lucky, you had a friend like mine, otherwise, you got what you could from Easyriders, and a handful of other periodicals.


I've owned choppers and bobbers, Brit bikes and Harleys. I like them all, even the German and Japanese bikes. I don't care what you ride, and as long as you can stay in your half of the lane, you're welcome to ride with me ( I like to ride tight and fast with other riders).

 

Awesome, informative post. I have a lot more respect for these now, even though they're not something I'd personally ride. Thanks for sharing your story!

 

Big Wheels are for children that never grew out of the 1970's.

 

I don't like them myself, but here's a really nice looking one I saw last week in Germany:

 

 

Wow! nice. Even the ones around it are sweet. What were they asking? In US please.

 

About $80K US.....

 

Theoretically, a larger tire (taller) should decrease braking efficiency too.

 

Yes it does. Taller front tire has increased leverage over brake disc.