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One old school rigid kicker shovel in a 51 wishbone frame most of old style pipes, spoke wheels and such. .Other new pro street style rigid low and fast. And of coarse pipes no baffles. Ride safe. Wild Bill
This is one of the old school choppers my son has built, probably the one he has put the most miles on. For me personally not that much fun to ride especially with the jockey shift, but my son loves riding them
Here's what I was riding in the early 70s. I even took my riding test on it to get my license. The main thing about riding it was the turning radius.
Sweetness!!! That look right there is what got me hooked back in the 70s. 77/78 my aunt and uncle had a friend that would show up on this loud *** chopper all chromed out. Id stare but was too damn shy to say take me for a ride!! Thanks for jogging that memory!
This is one of the old school choppers my son has built, probably the one he has put the most miles on. For me personally not that much fun to ride especially with the jockey shift, but my son loves riding them
Oh ya. that's the stuff right there. Girder front ends also work for me. Gorgeous.
I am getting the sense that life with a chopper is not such a reckless idea after all.
I've had about 20 choppers (all rigids, pans, shovels and a couple of knuckles) Had front ends up to 24" over. All looked cool as hell. Only a couple had front brakes and all had apes. I also have a couple of pre '40's hot rods. You can't forget what they are. They are 80 year old technology. You are always working on them. I mean a 2 hour ride and figure about 2 hours wrenching. They will leave you stranded more often than a good looking chick. Kickers are fun until they flood. You need a tow back more often than I care to think about. I had to buy a trailer. They are cool and they are fun but an engine that old is getting tired. I'm old now and love my Road King. Push a button, sit back and enjoy the ride and know when I leave I'll be coming back on the bike, not hitching rides. If you go rigid, don't be alarmed when you start pissing red. 100 miles in a day is a good workout. On the plus side, everyone in the world bought one and now that the fad is over and they know what they entail, is trying to unload them. Their a few cents on the dollar right now (not original untouched Harleys, but choppers). Know that they are a money pit (again just like a good looking chick).
My idea of good looks is based on Frisco styled bobbers of the mid 60s.
Cleaned up, good lean angles, decent rubber and nice paint.
Then along came extended forks as the new fad.
The first ones that were around six inches actually added a little bit of extra high speed stability without too big a penalty in the turning radius or "flop" departments.
I raked the neck cups three degrees on my Deuce and added four inch over Forking by Frank tubes and couldn't be happier with the effect.
The bike feels heavier at speeds over 80 with less wander and yet with cartridge fork valves and better shocks it is nice and predictable in the corners.
Building a super long bike with more than six over seems like you will have to make compromises in your riding style just my opinion.
I've had about 20 choppers (all rigids, pans, shovels and a couple of knuckles) Had front ends up to 24" over. All looked cool as hell. Only a couple had front brakes and all had apes. I also have a couple of pre '40's hot rods. You can't forget what they are. They are 80 year old technology. You are always working on them. I mean a 2 hour ride and figure about 2 hours wrenching. They will leave you stranded more often than a good looking chick. Kickers are fun until they flood. You need a tow back more often than I care to think about. I had to buy a trailer. They are cool and they are fun but an engine that old is getting tired. I'm old now and love my Road King. Push a button, sit back and enjoy the ride and know when I leave I'll be coming back on the bike, not hitching rides. If you go rigid, don't be alarmed when you start pissing red. 100 miles in a day is a good workout. On the plus side, everyone in the world bought one and now that the fad is over and they know what they entail, is trying to unload them. Their a few cents on the dollar right now (not original untouched Harleys, but choppers). Know that they are a money pit (again just like a good looking chick).
80% of the pride was having it dialed in with all the correct gaps, twist of the throttle, priming and kicker, with ignition on at the top of power stroke, completed by the big *** smile when it fired on first kick.
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Have one of each
