Motorcycle Dictionary

Chopper: After World War 2, servicemen who were lucky enough to return home decided to remove all of those “unnecessary” parts from the motorcycle. They did away with the parts that were thought to be too heavy, big, ugly, or just not essential for the vital function of the bikes. The soldiers also deemed fenders, turn signals and front brakes unnecessary. In order for the motorcycles to sit low to the ground, the soldiers began removing the large, spring-suspended saddles. This allowed the bikes to sit as low as possible on the frame and to lighten them in order to improve the performance of the bikes for dirt-track racing and mud-racing.
Along with the change in weight, the Chopper’s overall appearance began to change. Large “Floorboard” footrests were replaced with Forward-mounted foot-pegs. Front tires, headlights, and fuel tanks were made smaller, and the paint jobs for the Choppers were modernized. Choppers were either painted in flat black or in shiny metallic “metal-flake” colors. Chrome became a necessity for the Choppers as well. The new chrome parts were either factory or “fabricated.
Depending on the taste and wallet of the owner, “chop shops” would build high handle bars, or later “Big Daddy” Roth Wild Child’s designed stretched, narrowed, and raked front forks. The shops would also build custom exhaust pipes and many “after market” kits which followed in the 1960’s into the 1970’s. Along with custom exhaust systems, sissy bars, which usually stick up higher than the rider’s head, also became a popular addition to Choppers due to new laws that were put into effect.
Although these “new” lighter and lower bikes allowed for easier handling and better performance, the overall idea of the Chopper was to show off. They were made to rouse others who were riding a softer style stock Harley Davidson and driving the bigger, over-sized cars during that time.

Bobber: After the soldiers began returning from World War 2 in the late 1940’s, they also began to do something else: they began to buy the old military issued bikes and make them their own. The soldiers would repaint these bikes and customize them to their liking, but before they did that, the soldiers would “bob” down their bikes. After making these new bikes their own, many of the soldiers formed their own Motorcycle Clubs (MC).
Many people believe that the Bobbers originated from the military bikes that were brought back from Europe, except the Bobber had a rear fender that was bobbed (cut) down to about one-third of its original size and the front fender was usually removed. Often, the handle bars were swapped with wide, custom low-rider bars, but then again each bobber was specific to the taste and style of its rider.
Today, Bobbers are one of the most desired motorcycles out there. Still, people cannot “place their finger” on what a Bobber really is, but if it is missing a front fender and the rear fender is just about gone, then you have found the Bobber. It’s just your choice as to how you want the rest of it to look…