Custom Choppers

I remember a time when guys rode traditional motorcycles. Motorcycles they took pride in because they were built by their favorite manufacturers, such as Harley-Davidson, Indian, or Victory. The motorcycle company's reputation or iconic status was enough to get the rider his sought-after attention. But something changed over the years. It was not enough to have just any motorcycle. You had to have a custom bike. Like a volcanic explosion, custom choppers flexed their muscles and flowed on to the scene like stylish bad boys. Now you cannot escape them, because custom motorcycles are the standard---no longer the oddity.

One built in a garage from odd parts and welded together like some two-wheeled motoring Frankenstein's monster. Not only were the dimensions exaggerated, but the color schemes were outrageous. You needed to capture every eye as you rode down the American highway like some modern-day easy rider.

A popular expression used by dealers of custom choppers was "put something exciting between your legs." Nothing could be truer. Where tough guys congregate on chrome-shining steel beasts, so do the babes who love these wild-eyed, free-spirited, and untamed men. The chopper became a symbol of sex appeal. Virile guys who took command on their custom motorcycle were more likely to attract a hot babe than a some wimpy Hollywood wannabe hunk. Unless you had a hot set of wheels between your legs, you weren't considered a man.

The motorcycle was always a symbol of freedom, rebellion, and the counterculture. Ever since the days of Easy Rider with Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson riding down a stretches of Southern and Southwestern roadways with the wind blowing through their hippie hairstyles, the classic bike became a part of Americana, like mom and apple pie.

The custom chopper nowadays is less about freedom, rebellion, and the counterculture and more about commercialism. The new bike you see on the roadways of suburbia are built by profit-minded individuals, fueled by their own creativity. Popular TV shows, like American Chopper, have boosted the image of the custom-built motorcycle and brought it to a wide swath of fans, from die-hard enthusiasts to novice biker aspirants. Choppers are now being built with corporate logos, such as insurance company GEICO, video game developers for Gears of War, and even high-end automobile manufacturer Cadillac.

Yet the corporate logo is not a badge of honor. Custom bikes have become less about the rider and more about the message they are promoting. Adorning these motorcycles with flashy colors and other types of fancy bells and whistles have turned them into show pieces rather than pleasure-riding machines. The bike was meant to be a road companion like the family dog is a home companion. In the past, a spiked collar was the only accessory you needed to put on your pet, but now---just like with these custom choppers---you have ridiculous gear that only puts shame and humiliation on your four-legged friend. So why do we embellish our motorbikes like we embarrass our dogs? It's just humanity's vain attempt to say: "Look at me!"

In the final analysis, the motorcycle will always be a means of transportation for the rider and perhaps one piggyback passenger. You can ride a classic bike built by Harley-Davidson or straddle one of those garrish motorcycles customized by Orange County Choppers or Paul Jr. Designs, but you will always get from point A to point B in bad boy style. It all depends on how many eyes you want staring or glaring back at you as your rip down the road on your polished-chrome-and-steel-hide horse. Giddyup!

~Andrew K.