An article in Easyriders magazine number 40, from October 1976 by Shotgun showed different styles of choppers. More then forty years later these drawings still stand. The bikes you see nowadays looks a lot like the illustrations below made by Dennis McKay 43 years back.
Here’s one artist’s idea of the different style of chops, and in some ways a history of the chopper style of building bikes. But how the hell can anyone possibly lay down the entire trip behind buildin’ scooters? We’ve been through so many changes for so many varied reasons that it would be almost impossible to document where we’ve been or where we’re going.
Years ago, or in the beginning—whatever—bikers didn’t do anything except remove surplus crap from their scoots. Later they tore off the hinged section of the Fatbob fender and put a solo seat and pillion pad on in place of the large seat. Then came risers that raised the stock bars and next came the higher bars, etc. From that point on it evolved into an endless series of innovations, slowing only long enough for a new idea to emerge.
Take, for instance, a rider who may have been riding for about ten years. If he had flicks of every bike he had ever owned or built, they’d be a history in themselves. I know many of us started out with Fatbobs, tore them off, then years later, and a lot less gas (that costs a lot more), we’re right back to fat tanks.
Some areas of the country have evolved in different ways than others. Some have been
race, hot-shoe builders from the gate. Other areas have been into flash and doodads since
the first extended front end. But no matter what the characteristic that sticks with an area, the racers continue to build badder bikes, and glitter freaks get flashier.
So actually who gives a shit how we’ve progressed or who gets the credit for the ideas and innovations as longas we can continue to progress, do our thing, and, of course, ride ‘em. But for the sake of trippin’, here are one artist’s ideas of styles of scoots from different areas and different eras.
—-Shotgun