Question....Bobber or Chopper, what is the difference?

Ripper_Rudnick

My thought was always:

Bobber - Uses stock front forks or at least stock length, rigid or shocks.

Chopper - Extended front forks, backbone, down tubes, etc.

Just wondering what everybody else thinks?

jfplaying

Got the low down on that myself. It's a time thing.
50's/60's stripped (for weight) were called bobber's,Late 60's/70's more for hyway touring, I think

Cafe_Shop

It's a bobbers are choppers but not all choppers are bobbers kind of thing.

The cue for me is length. Bobbers look... well... bobbed. Choppers that aren't bobbers tend to look stretched.

royfisk

I dont know where the term bobber really come from but I do know that in the early 70"s I never heard it. As a matter of fact it seems like only recently has it come about in a form of like its a old saying, but I am 45 years old and grew up in a limy / american bike shop and like I said never heard till the past few years. My guess would be someone like orange county choppers used it and everybody started useing it. If you really pay attention to these so called know it all shows they are wrong on alot of of there information. I could be wrong on this but would think that one of these programs started the whole thing. But it could be a west coast thing too. I was once told Arlen Brando started it in one of his movies.

jetmechmarty

I copied the following from WIKIPEDIA:

"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 form of 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."

arty (in Georgia)

royfisk

So how would one build a hardtail bobber yamaha???

Ripper_Rudnick

Good question.....I call my yamaha a bobber, although it is a rigid. A chopper to me is a crap ton of rake. Oh well, no matter what anyone calls it, I guess its correct in their eyes.

KYLEPRESTON

OK, This is only my take and any and all included ideas can and maybe total bs.
Having said that, WWII ends our boys come home a few things happen. While in Europe they like what they
see in the motorcycle. They have also learned to do with less.Supplies are scarce and they want all they have fought for. new house new life new car.
supplies are scarce and people having gone throught a life altering experience want change.
the motorcycle is more popular than ever, sense of freedom. The want something that is there own.
they start chopping of parts from these bikes especially the guys who buy used they see the trend and go with it.
hence the chopper. Now bobber's are a different story, subclass of chopper and the idea of wanting your own bike.
prior to 1920-1930's board track racers were hot. low, lean and short. the guys who were making these bikes
took inspiration from there memory of board track racers and put that style.
into the chopper somewhere mid 1940's. so that's it in a nut shell

Cheers Kyle

RI_rider

I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THE LENGTH OF THE FORKS. ALSO. THE ANGLE OF THE TANK. I ALWAYS FELT THAT IF YOUR JUST BARELY SEEING OVER THE RISERS. THEN ITS A CHOPPER. KINDA LIKE THE OCC P.O.W. BIKE. IT ALWAYS SEEMS THAT SENIOR IS JUST BARELY SEEING OVER HIS BARS. HAHA, SO YA. THOSE TWO THINGS. SENIOR HAS GOT THAT CRAZY TANK ANGLE. AND JR. HAS ALWAYS GOT THE LOW AND LONG THING GOING ON.

A BOBBER TO ME WAS ALWAYS SMALLER, LESS STRETCHED OUT. AND OLD SCHOOL LOOKING. CHOPPERS SEEM TO BE ABLE TO HAVE NEW AND OLD SCHOOL STYLING.

hesredbird

My understanding of the bobber/chopper thing is this. The flyers from WWII came home after the big one and wanted to feel the excitement of being a dare devil without being afraid of being shot at. They bought WWII surplus Harleys cause they were cheap. They didn't like the performance and look of them so they customized them. They "bobbed" (bob= to crop or cut short) the rear fender and removed all the military and unnecessary parts from the old bikes. It was this act of cutting fenders and eliminating extra parts that the word bob job or "bobber" came from. They also painted them with "Nose Art" like they painted their "bombers" (8-Balls, naked or near naked pin-up girls etc). The Chopper culture arose in the 60's and really took off with the adoration or envy of Hell's Angels".

an, all that watching of the History Channel finally is paying off.

76xs

I've had these same questions and my family and i decided mine will be a chabobber. It will be a hard tail but the forks and the rest of the frame will be stock. So chabobber it is, and thats what i tell people it is.

royfisk

I guess its sort of like jaloppy and doodlebug.

Ripper_Rudnick

Roy, yeah, but Jaloppies were cool!

I like the ChaBobber......ChaBobber.....has a nice ring to it.

KYLEPRESTON

WHAT ABOUT BOPPER? IT FLOWS

Ripper_Rudnick

Like a "B Bopper", Those crazy kids, dancin to that new Elvis guy...... the devils music I tell ya.

royfisk

So whats a flat tracker a stripper?

Ripper_Rudnick

Yes, everything boils down to Strippers and martini's....... Now let's use Stripper and flat tracker in a conversation.....

Roy - "That was a great bike show, did you see that Flat Tracker?"
Dave - "Yea, now I need a Martini and a Stripper to get it out of my head."

- OR -

Flat Trackers are like Strippers, you throw money at both hoping to make them go faster.

Actually it is called, "having a sence of humor". Just joking around.

royfisk

Bottom line is they both perform better naked

Ripper_Rudnick

OH TOUCHE' ..... Nice work Roy!!!!!

Roy - 1
Dave - 0

BTW - I see you run a junkyard.....cars / trucks? or bikes?

royfisk

All above

johnnyflattrack

Does anyone have an easy diagrahm for a flattracker who wants to wire a points ignition for total loss. I have done before but cant remeber how it went.Need help Please

Thanks Johnny#33

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