From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kustoms are modified cars from the 1950s and early 1960s done in the customizing styles of that time period. The usage of a 'k'for 'kustom' rather than a C, is said to have originated from car builder George Barris This style generally consists of starting with a 2-door sedan, lowering the suspension, chopping down the roofline, sectioning and/or channeling the body, and removing most of the body trim, door handles, etc. Paint jobs often were black primer, though just about every other color was used, and this paint job was usually topped off with flames, scallops, or Von Dutch style pinstriping.

These cars can also be referred to as Custom cars, Leadsleds or Sleds. The term Kustom is generally used as a signifier that the cars was done in the 50/early 60s style as opposed to later more modern styles.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Type:	Public company
Founded:	1903
Location:	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Key people:	James L. Ziemer, CEO Thomas E. Bergmann, CFO James A. McCaslin, Div. President & Div. COO Donna F. Zarcone, Div. President & Div. COO
Industry:	recreational vehicles
Products:	motorcycles
Revenue:	$5,015 million USD (2004)
Employees:	9,000 (2004)
Website:	http://www.harley-davidson.com/

The Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HDI) is an American manufacturer of motorcycles based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of the two remaining American mass-producers of motorcycles (along with Victory Motorcycles). The company emphasizes heavy bikes designed for cruising and known for their distinctive exhaust noise.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles (popularly referred to as "Harleys") are distinctive in design and attract a loyal following, and hold their resale value very well compared to other vehicles. A well maintained vehicle might never drop in value at all, although regular maintenance is expected.

The company supplies many domestic police forces with their motorcycle fleets. Harleys are especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper-style of motorcycle. It also licenses its logo, which is a profitable side business ($41 million of revenue in 2004, or almost 5% of net income).

Since 1998 Harley-Davidson has also owned Buell Motorcycle Company.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chopper refers to a particular type of motorcycle that was radically customized to meet the owner's design needs and desires, archetypical examples of which are the Harley-Davidsons as seen in the 1969 movie Easy Rider.

In the United States post WWII era motorcycle enthusiasts coming home from the war started to remove all parts which were deemed too big, too heavy, too ugly and/or not absolutely essential to the basic functionality of the machine. Typical elements fitting these criteria would be fenders, turn indicators, and even front brakes. As well, almost certainly the large, spring-suspended saddle was removed in order to sit as low as possible on the motorcycle's frame. These machines were modified to lose weight for dirt track racing advantages. (See the origin of the “Hell’s Angels” for more on dirt track racing)

James "Wild Child" Greene of the now world famous Wild Child's Custom Shop is heretofore recognized as the pioneer of the modern chopper design. Wild Child’s jumpstarted an American institution with its famous "It's a What?" magazine debut marking the beginning of an era at the same time as other friends later becoming "kustom kulture" celebraties of their own. Examples being, Sam/George Barris, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Ray Fharner and others of the era. Based out of Kansas City, Missouri Wild Child’s captured the imaginations of what‘s become five decades of prominent American motorcycle culture.

The oldest known chopper motorcycle photograph, built by Wild Child's Custom Shop of Kansas City, Missouri.

Forward-mounted foot pegs replaced the standard large 'floorboard' foot rests. Also, the standard larger front tire, headlight and fuel tank were replaced with much smaller ones. Many choppers were painted preferably all in either flat black or in shiny metallic “metal flake” colors. Common, were many chromed parts (either one off fabricated replacements or manually chromed stock parts). According to the taste and purse of the owner, later “chop shops” would build high handle bars, or later “Big Daddy” Roth Wild Child’s designed stretched, narrowed, and raked front forks. Also were custom built exhaust pipes, many of the “aftermarket kits“ followed in the late 1960s into the 1970s. Laws required (and in many locales still do) a retention fixture for the passenger, so vertical backrests called sissy bars were a popular installation, often sticking up higher than the rider's head.

While the decreased weight and lower seat position improved handling and performance, the main reason to build an evil looking chopper was more likely to show off and provoke others by riding a machine that was stripped and almost nude compared to the softer-styled stock Harley-Davidsons, let alone the oversized automobiles of that time.

The now famous Ed “Big Daddy” Roth at Wild Child's for his first look at a “chopper.”

Choppers enjoyed a large resurgence in popularity in the late 1990s with companies like Jesse G. James Jesse James‘ West Coast Choppers producing extremely expensive traditional one off chopper style bikes and a wide range of chopper themed brands merchandise such as clothing, automobile accessories and stickers.

A distinction should be noted between true chopper (or chopper-style) motorcycles, and custom motorcycles, or 'custom cruisers'. Despite the name, a large percentage of the motorcycles produced by popular companies such as Orange County Choppers are better described as 'custom'.

On this same subject a distinction should be made between choppers and bobbers. While both tried to improve performance by removing any part that didn't make the motorcycle perform better, they differed in an important way. Bobbers kept the original factory frame, while choppers have a modified from the factory frame.

When individuals were stripping their stock motorcycles and bobbing their fenders, the term "bobber" was born. When individuals started cutting (or chopping) and welding their frames thereby repositioning/restyling them, the term "chopper" was born. Chopping was the next phase in the evolution that followed dirt track bobbing. While people assume that the chopper style motorcycles were built purely for aesthetics, there is a real performance advantage to the raked front end on these choppers. These motorcycles have a much more stable feel at high speeds and in a straight line than motorcycles with original factory front suspensions. However, like any other modification, there's a downside: the raked front end feels heavier and less responsive at slow speeds or in curves & turns. This is due to the longer trail measurement associated with increased rake.

More information on this particular modification can be found on Wikipedia's rake and trail page. In short, remember that changing the rake and trail of a motorcycle design requires modification of the design itself. This is a job that requires in-depth input from a motorcycle designer who is experienced with such design changes.

Which brings up one more option a chopper builder has: raked trees. Raked trees are designed so the lower tree sticks out further than the upper tree, thus increasing the rake of the forks in relation to the steering head rake. What this does, for those still following along all the imaginary lines, is position the axle closer to the frame rake measurement line, or shortening the trail. Thus, when adding raked trees to a raked frame (which sports a longer trail), the trail is shortened to a more manageable level. However, be warned that adding raked trees to a frame with short rake and trail can be hazardous, as shortening an already short trail measurement can lead to an unstable situation as speed increases. Misuse of raked trees can be quite dangerous, so a bit of research is in order before turning the first wrench on any chopper project. Just remember that because it looks good in a magazine doesn't automatically mean it will work on your bike.

Despite the personalized nature of choppers, and the wide availability of alternative designs, chopper builders overwhelmingly choose fat rear tires, original or recreated air-cooled, pushrod v-twin engine, and rigid-looking frame, even for a softail. As a result, the once unique looking custom chopper design starts to lose its uniqueness. Modern bobber builders tend to distinguish themselves from chopper builders with bikes styled before the chopper era.

Three wheeled choppers, most often referred to as Trikes are also a common configuration that is now regaining popularity. Usually made from car drive trains like the old VW bug, three wheelers are gaining acceptance for various reasons; the are safer and easier to ride and carry cargo and passengers. Chopper builder Rat Race Productions of Phoenix is one of the most prolific and popular trike producers.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

the legendary AJS 7R 350 cc Boy racer

A Cafe racer, originally pronounced "caff" (as in Kaff) racer, is a type of motorcycle as well as a type of motorcyclist. Both meanings have their roots in the 1960s British counterculture group the Rockers or the Ton Up Club, although they were also common in Italy, amongst Italian motorcycle manufacturers and other European countries.

Rockers were a young and rebellious Rock and Roll counterculture that wanted a fast, personalised and distinctive bike to travel between transport cafés along the newly built arterial motorways in and around British towns and cities. The goal of many was to be able to reach 100 miles per hour (called simply "the ton") along such a route where the rider would leave from a cafe, race to a predetermined point and back to the cafe before a single song could play on the jukebox.

Riders rejected the large transportation-oriented motorcyles of the time by taking these motorcycles and removing any unnecessary parts off them. The bikes had a raw, utilitarian and stripped-down appearance while the engines were tuned for maximum speed.

Because speed was valued more than comfort, bikes were fitted with single seats and low handle bars, such as ace bars, or even one-sided clip-ons mounted directly onto the front forks for more precise control and to escape the wind. Distinctive half or sometimes full race fairings, and large, hand-made, aluminium racing petrol/gas tanks were frequently left unpainted. Swept-back exhausts and rearset footpegs were used to give better clearance whilst leaning through corners at speed.

These motorcycles were lean, light and handled road surfaces well. The most defining machine of its heyday was the homemade Norton Featherbed framed and Triumph Bonneville engined machine called "The Triton". It used the most common and fastest racing engine combined with the best handling frame of its day, the Featherbed frame by Norton Motorcycles. Those with less money could opt for a "Tribsa" - the Triumph engine in a BSA frame

The cafe racer has a lot in common with the chopper or bobber scene in the USA and both have their roots with post-World War II veterans. While American GIs would take military-spec Harley Davidsons and "chop" off anything unnecessary to improve performance, European veterans took similar measures with their motorcycles. Both looked to make the standard factory motorcycles faster and lighter, although only the Europeans strived for better handling. The defining factor was the difference between the nature of the US and European road systems, the Americans favouring a low heavy cruiser style of motorcycle for straightline comfort; the Europeans preferring a higher, better handling motorcycle more suited to the more twisting roads of their nations.[citation needed] It must be remembered that it was also a style born largely out of the poverty of Post-War Europe and so not given to the excesses of later Harley-Davidson Billet-Barge style customisation.

Cafe Racers have also been called "Street-Fighters" in reference to World War II veterans' fighter airplanes and have been described as the original "sport bikes" of today.