I love the look of a bobber and thinking making my own, but I'm curious and so that I am sure of what I'm doing and talking about... what actually makes/determines a bobber? Thx!

 

In the old days, 50s and 60s "bobber" usually meant taking stuff off a dresser, (baggers now) usually bobbing (shortening) the fenders too while leaving the fork length and neck angle (rake) alone.

When slugs ( a fork tube extension ) and longer fork tubes came along and you added them to your bike it was instantly a chopper. Why, because it was the most radical change you could easily make to your bike at the time. That's how I remember it anyway!

 

aaahhhhh that makes since, that helps thx. It may sound funny, I know one when I see one, but I just wanted to make sure I know WHY it is what it is.... thanks cynic... any other inputs would be great....

 

removing everything that does not make it go or stop... that is bobbin a bike... they used to do it to cut weight and make the bikes faster... most had red rims cause they where that color in military storage for some reason... After the war alot of the vets came home and either took or got old militarty issued Harleys... they then proceeded to cut them up... my grandfather used to tell em stories about how to "really build a bike" as i grew up and eventually started to build my own... always wanted to get him an old pan head and help him bob it... sadly that is not going to happen

 

As far as I'm concerned(which doesn't mean much)a real "bobber" should only be a completely stripped down, rigid flathead, knuck, or pan with footboards and a springer.The word bobber is getting thrown around pretty loosely these days.Red rims and white walls and flat black paint is NOT a bobber

 

.Here's a pretty cool one

 

ahhh a girter front end!!!! i want that so BAD!!! man i want a girter on my bob something fierce!

 

The thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't have to be a rigid frame to be a bobber.

I call my sporty chop a bobber because that what most people recognize it as, when it reality it's a chopper.

~Joe

 

Yeah man! I got a 10 over girder on my '73 CB chop........it's on a plunger frame too.
I'll try and get some pics for ya

 

Your Sporty is definately a chop.....and a fine one at that.Alot of people think it has to be long to be a chop but thats just not the case