Motorcycle Views

• Ducati Recalls 2017-2018 Supersport and Supersport S Motorcycles. The Airbox Blow-by and Fuel Tank Overfill Hoses May Be Routed Too Close To the Exhaust Manifold, Which May Cause the Hoses To Melt.

Chop, chop, chop to create a minimalist machine - the Motorcycle Chopper

To celebrate the recent reintroduction of American Chopper to the Discovery television network, I am showing you what I have about choppers.

I once visited the headquarters of Orange County Choppers (OCC) in New York State and wrote an article about it including pictures. Click here to read that article.

Just what is a motorcycle chopper? Like the bobber, the chopper is created by removing or chopping off unnecessary components from a motorcycle. Who needs a windshield, front fenders, big headlights, crash bars, and big seats? Create a motorcycle chopper. Chop off those components and make the motorcycle lighter.

Bikers started raking the front end of their motorcycle choppers so the angle of the fork to the ground began decreasing allowing for a greatly increased wheelbase for the chopper.

The handlebars on the chopper were raised high and called ape hangers.

The front tire was made small and the rear tire was made fat.

Some bikers even removed the battery and used a magneto to reduce chopper weight.

The gas tank on the chopper became small as was the headlight.

Anything deemed unnecessary was removed. This made for a bike style that was unique and tailored to the rider.

Each rider decided just what needed to be done to his motorcycle to create the chopper he desired.

Choppers have a long history. After soldiers returned home from World War II, they seemed dissatisfied with the motorcycles that were available to them from Harley-Davidson and Indian. They remembered the machines they had seen in Europe that were lighter in weight and seemed to have more excitement. The soldiers started to hang out with their motorcycle buddies to regain some of the camaraderie they had felt in the service. These groups of buddies soon decided that their motorcycles needed changes. Motorcycle choppers were born.

First, they either removed or shortened (bobbed) the fenders on their motorcycles. This reduced the weight and made the bikes look better in their eyes. These bikes began to be called bobbers. Changes kept occurring but it wasn't until the late '60s and early '70s that the bobbers gave way to the choppers.

After release of the seminal movie Easy Rider in 1969, a whole new movement began. Riders wanted a motorcycle like the one ridden by Peter Fonda in the movie. They wanted a chopper.

As always occurs, this rise of the chopper created by individual backyard mechanics, soon was followed by talented designers whose choppers were sought after. An individual didn't need to actually do the work, just express what he wanted to a chopper designer. Arlen Ness was one of the first such designers.

Chopper creation slowed a little as many motorcyclists started customizing their bikes instead of chopping them. Then in the 1990s the chopper seemed to become more popular. Choppers are not just indigenous to Harley-Davidson. Numerous choppers have been built from British and Japanese bikes.

I took a few pictures of some choppers at a Polar Bear Grand Tour meeting at the Fort Dix Club in New Jersey. Note the similarities in the two bikes even though the red chopper is extremely low to the ground and the other chopper has ape hanger handlebars and is more of a rat bike.

To allow you to pursue the subject of choppers on this site and on the Web, a subject, Choppers, has been added to the Motorcycle Views site.

Also, I have created a Chopper Gallery of chopper pictures.

Choppers started because riders were dissatisfied with what Harley-Davidson was producing. Rather than abandon the Motor Company, riders streamlined the Harley bikes by removing excess equipment and then modifying the engines, rake, and suspension. The result was a personalized chopper much like the bike in Easy Rider.

The steady evolution of the motorcycle continues. New bikes are more and more technically sophisticated with plenty of accessories, yet the chopper continues to survive as riders seek that minimalist simplicity that only the chopper can supply. Are choppers here to stay? Only you have the answer.

When you get the urge to ride a motorcycle, you start asking lots of questions. Simple things like, "How do I start a bike?" or "How do I shift gears?" Of course, these questions always involve talking about basic motorcycle parts and how they work together.

Just to give the steps to start a motorcycle on a hill involves a tremendous number of motorcycle parts. A brand new rider may not even know where to look to find a motorcycle part. Once the motorcycle parts are identified by a new rider, they can begin to learn the basic procedures to operate the machine.

To get you going, we'll give you pictures of a motorcycle and point out these major motorcycle parts that you need to know. You will then be able to click on links to gain additional information on the particular motorcycle part.

I'm using one of my own motorcycles, a 1994 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLH 1200, for the pictures. Now, Harleys can be a bit different from other bikes and I'll try to point out these differences to you. Not all bikes have the same motorcycle parts in the same places. Each bike has its own terminology for naming motorcycle parts and even the way that the parts are interconnected may be different from bike to bike.

Learning about motorcycles can be a lifelong pursuit. Learn about how the major parts of a motorcycle work by clicking the following image or link:

How Do Motorcycle Parts Work?

Here are a few updates to the 2018 motorcycle models:

• 2018 Harley-Davidson Models
• 2018 Honda Models
• 2018 Indian Models

My memoir, Normal Secrets, is a departure from my previous four motorcycle-themed books. It covers much of my life and reveals some secrets that almost no one knows about me. In fact, many secrets I didn't even know myself until recently. You'll also find out how fate changed my course in life many times as I struggled to find out who I was, what I wanted to do, who I would love, how I came to become both a motorcyclist and a moto-journalist, and how I came to become an author in my late seventies. It's a true story that begins in the Midwest and spans more than a hundred years. The book is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, Audible, and CD editions.

Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com.

50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales, my latest motorcycle book, is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, Audible, and CD editions.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon.

Many readers have indicated that they wanted MORE motorcycle stories similar to those contained in my previous book, 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales. This new book gives 50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales for your reading enjoyment. Most of the stories were submitted to Motorcycle Views by visitors to the site.

I wrote 19 of the stories. My late wife, Jane, wrote four stories that are published in the book posthumously. The other authors are motorcyclists from all walks of life. They tell their own personal stories of what happened to them as the rode their motorcycles.

You'll find humor, risk-taking, adventure, 2-up excursions, world travelers, stupid tricks on bikes, lessons learned, and hazards while riding.

I don't intend to write any additional books of motorcycle stories so these two books become a 2-volume series.

You may want to consider buying both 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales and 50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales to have the 2-volume set together with a total of 100 Wild Tales. Remember, each of these two books has an Audible audiobook edition. Many people enjoy listening to a book these days on a car or motorcycle trip. Why not take 100 tales along with you in this 2-volume set.

I have been pleasantly surprised at the reception of my audiobooks. I did not realize that there was such a big market out there for audiobooks. Many listeners use the Whispersync for Voice feature on Amazon to link together the audiobook and the Kindle book so they can switch back and forth between the two. In fact, if you already have the Kindle edition, you can get the Audible edition at a reduced price.

I am currently working on a podcast that features my audiobook for Normal Secrets. I'll discuss it in the next newsletter and place it on my site when it's complete.

Currently, I have four audiobooks: 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales, 50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales, Normal Secrets, a memoir, and Motorcycle Kick-Starts. Click the following covers to see these audiobooks on Amazon. They make great inexpensive gifts. (They are also available on Audible and iTunes and other outlets.) Normal Secrets and 50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales are also available in a CD version.

Walter's Audiobooks:

I am featuring five (5) of my Motorcycle Terms in each issue of the newsletter.

• CC
• Heel-Toe-Shifter
• One-Off
• Suicide Clutch
• Wrench
  
  
• All Motorcycle Terms

• Motorcycle Salvage Yards: Where you can find motorcycle parts.
  
• Motorcycle Seat Heights: Lists seat heights by motorcycle make.
  
• Famous Motorcycle Movies: The great motorcycle movies are discussed.
  
• Motorcycle Models: We give links to major motorcycle model pictures and specifications.
  
• Motorcycle Recalls: Gives all motorcycle recalls for the last ten years by make and year.
  
• Women on Motorcycles: These women ride their own bikes.
  
• 10 Ways to Be Safe on a Motorcycle: This article could save your life.
  
• 10 Motorcycle Myths: There are many myths about riding.
  

This newsletter is now issued quarterly. Expect newsletters on the first Sunday of each quarter, namely in January, April, July, and October.

11. Newsletter Archive:

12. The Motorcycle Views Website is also on your Smartphone or Tablet:

13. Social Media:

For New Subscribers:

NEW: This newsletter is now issued quarterly. Expect newsletters on the first Sunday of each quarter, namely in January, April, July, and October.

Walter's Books:

Walter's Audiobooks: