Bobber or Chopper
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
Both customs. IMHO, Bobber style bikes started with the idea of taking the stock piece and making it perform better. Not a lot of aftermarket or HD hot rod engine pieces in those days, so the cheapest and most practical method of gaining speed was reducing weight. Women "bobbed" their hair during WWII to make care easier and presumably cheaper. "Bobbing" a bike (like the hairstyle) was cutting off excess weight that couldn't be unbolted. Fenders primarily. Sprung seats, a virtual necessity for riding comfort with a rigid on a rough road are still used on bobbers, and disappeared from choppers. Comfort as well was secondary to looks. I was never a fan of the ultra thin chopper seats which often looked like little more than a piece of toast wrapped in leather. Bu they looked good until your kidneys started to bounce.
Extended front ends of 2"-4" give a rigid framed bike a noticable improvement in cornering clearance. XA springers were 2" longer than a big twin springer and were very popular.
IMO, a true "Bobber" is a machine that minus any one piece, you no longer have a complete operating motorcycle.
IMO, "choppers" evolved when form started to be more important than function. You can have a nice paint job on a bobber, even though it doesn't make the bike go or handle better. Choppers tended to make a certain look the goal, rather than an improvement in performance. Extremely long front ends, beyond any handling improvement, stretched frames, goose necks, etc. didn't make the bike work better, but they gave it the desired look.
Extended front ends of 2"-4" give a rigid framed bike a noticable improvement in cornering clearance. XA springers were 2" longer than a big twin springer and were very popular.
IMO, a true "Bobber" is a machine that minus any one piece, you no longer have a complete operating motorcycle.
IMO, "choppers" evolved when form started to be more important than function. You can have a nice paint job on a bobber, even though it doesn't make the bike go or handle better. Choppers tended to make a certain look the goal, rather than an improvement in performance. Extremely long front ends, beyond any handling improvement, stretched frames, goose necks, etc. didn't make the bike work better, but they gave it the desired look.
Last edited by DaddyKnuck; Feb 9, 2011 at 09:59 AM.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 990
Likes: 3
From: lakeside ca.
been around bikes for a good part of my life now 70
never heard the word bobber back in the day all we knew was chopper
or dresser .
lots of new designations for bikes have come in the last 50 years call them what you like they are all good..
never heard the word bobber back in the day all we knew was chopper
or dresser .
lots of new designations for bikes have come in the last 50 years call them what you like they are all good..
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
I think the name was somewhat regional. Bob jobs or bobbers were popular around here in the 50s. Conversely, I never heard the word "dresser" until relatively recently (80s). Before that they were garbage wagons or barges.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 554
Likes: 23
From: Crawford Co, AR
Chopper = crap added
Bobber = crap removed
Bobber = crap removed
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Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,548
Likes: 163
From: Mt. Airy, MD
I'm not sure there is any definitive answer to this. My personal opinion is that chopped and bobbed are 2 different words for ALMOST the same thing. Although, within the category of stripped down bikes, I tend to think of anything with a long raked front end as a chopper, and anything with stock rake as a bobber... but thats just ME. Hell, I've built one of each and I'm still not sure which is which...lol.
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Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 149
Likes: 1
From: Battle Ground WA
Both customs. IMHO, Bobber style bikes started with the idea of taking the stock piece and making it perform better. Not a lot of aftermarket or HD hot rod engine pieces in those days, so the cheapest and most practical method of gaining speed was reducing weight. Women "bobbed" their hair during WWII to make care easier and presumably cheaper. "Bobbing" a bike (like the hairstyle) was cutting off excess weight that couldn't be unbolted. Fenders primarily. Sprung seats, a virtual necessity for riding comfort with a rigid on a rough road are still used on bobbers, and disappeared from choppers. Comfort as well was secondary to looks. I was never a fan of the ultra thin chopper seats which often looked like little more than a piece of toast wrapped in leather. Bu they looked good until your kidneys started to bounce.
Extended front ends of 2"-4" give a rigid framed bike a noticable improvement in cornering clearance. XA springers were 2" longer than a big twin springer and were very popular.
IMO, a true "Bobber" is a machine that minus any one piece, you no longer have a complete operating motorcycle.
IMO, "choppers" evolved when form started to be more important than function. You can have a nice paint job on a bobber, even though it doesn't make the bike go or handle better. Choppers tended to make a certain look the goal, rather than an improvement in performance. Extremely long front ends, beyond any handling improvement, stretched frames, goose necks, etc. didn't make the bike work better, but they gave it the desired look.
Extended front ends of 2"-4" give a rigid framed bike a noticable improvement in cornering clearance. XA springers were 2" longer than a big twin springer and were very popular.
IMO, a true "Bobber" is a machine that minus any one piece, you no longer have a complete operating motorcycle.
IMO, "choppers" evolved when form started to be more important than function. You can have a nice paint job on a bobber, even though it doesn't make the bike go or handle better. Choppers tended to make a certain look the goal, rather than an improvement in performance. Extremely long front ends, beyond any handling improvement, stretched frames, goose necks, etc. didn't make the bike work better, but they gave it the desired look.
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 127
From: Middle of Kansas
Thanks for all the input guys. At least now I know I am not confused anymore than you guys. LOL. I mostly agree with the stripped down stock bike as a Bobber, and with the stretched out raked front ends as Choppers. Although I think there is a lot of crossover between the two. Back in the 50's, when I had my 1942 "45", I removed the windshield, and took off the back of the rear fender by removing the hinge pin. I just thought it was stripped down. Now when I see the bobbed rear fenders such as the one on my Softail Custom, and that reminds me of a Bobber. But then the front end is raked a bit, more like a Chopper. Most of the custom bikes I saw in the late 40's to early 50's, I would call Bobbers, and most of the custom bikes starting in the 70's, were pretty much Choppers. And as said above, I like them all. Harley's are just a most unique machine.