When speaking in slang, the word "chopper" describes a customer who buys or sells a commodity with the hope of making a quick buck but has no true conviction for the trade. Choppers are also short axes with a blade, helicopters, and kitchen utensils to chop vegetables and fruits. Chopper bikes, however, are a whole other thing.
They are custom vehicles that were born in the 1950s in California (where else?). The steering angles of choppers are extreme and sometimes uncomfortable, while the forks are stretched out almost in a yoga pose. Choppers are either modified bikes or built from scratch, to the owner’s taste...sometimes with great results, sometimes with questionable results.
10 The Red Bolt
This Yamaha custom chopper has it all: shiny colors, shiny mechanics, and unique style. The choice of colors and patterns is on point. The stripes fit perfectly into the chopper’s attitude - aggressive yet glamorous. The choice of red ensures that people will turn their heads when this Yamaha rides by. As the history and tradition of the chopper have it, this Yamaha custom one is as iconic as it gets.
9 Silver
Silver seems to be another color that looks great on custom choppers. This looks almost like a bullet, fitting since choppers were born out of warfare. In fact, these vehicles were created by veterans of World War II, soldiers who were looking for comfortable and easy to ride bikes. The soldiers removed all the big and bulky parts, such as fenders, turn indicators, and even front brakes. That’s how choppers came to be.
8 Born in the USA
It doesn’t get more American pride than this starred and striped chopper. It’s a classic and traditional custom chopper, with sharp and shiny colors, designed to impress and carry a message. It doesn’t matter when this chopper was built, because it looks like a timeless classic.
That’s one of the best characteristic of these bikes: they always look like the originals, the choppers that started it all in the 1950s.
7 The Golden Rush
This custom chopper is a work of art. Even the chassis is painted in an effort to design and personalize every details of the bike. And it works. It’s a Hollywood-worthy chopper and pop culture loves these vehicles. They are featured in movies such as 21 Days Under The Sky and in TV shows. Not to mention the dedicated reality show American Chopper which counts 8 seasons and thousands of passionate viewers.
6 Envy Green
Green is a break it or make it color for choppers. This one makes it. The emerald shade of this custom bike fits right in with the feel of choppers: sexy, rebellious, and fast. Perfect for a motorcycle crew.
Because these clubs love riding choppers, since they are always a unique piece, bound to attract attention.
5 The Highlighter
For lovers of rainbows and bright colors, this version of a highlighter chopper looks pretty cool. This custom job could have easily gone wrong, but it didn’t. It looks stylish and it is reliable, just like every chopper. Since these vehicle are custom made, the designers and creators pay attention to every detail, from the technical specifications to the mechanical details, to the glamour. This highlighter chopper is spot on.
4 The Lady
Whoever said that women riding bikes should wear and choose pink, was wrong. And this chopper proves it. Pink is more a color for dresses and high heels shoes than a color for two-wheels fans. Purple is the way to go. It doesn’t look girlish, so any woman hopping on this custom chopper will be taken seriously. While pink reminds of bows and Barbies, purple reminds of speed. Any rider of this chopper has a fast story to tell.
3 Yellow Is The New Chopper
Choppers might not look simple, but they are. A custom chopper only has the bare minimum and no extra, superfluous, bulky parts. Which is why custom paints and pattern are key. These two characteristics make the chopper unique. Like this yellow bike, with black stripes that almost make it look like a dragon.
This yellow and black chopper is stylish and colorful, yet simple.
2 The One That Looks Like A Toy
It might look like a tricycle or a wooden, tiny, kid’s toy, but this is a real chopper, ready to hit the road -and to hit it fast. It’s also the perfect example of how much chopper are customized to the owner’s liking. In fact, this orange chopper is not for everyone’s taste, although it looks glamorous. It looks like a toy, yet it’s as fast as any other chopper. In fact, these bikes might look way too simple to be fast, but they aren’t. While they won’t match a Ducati, they will look and feel like a bolt.
1 Hideous: Green Is Not The New Black
If green in a chopper is break it or make it, this custom vehicle breaks it. The green is too bright and this chopper doesn’t just look wrong -it looks uncomfortable too. This green version is too low to be easy and it just perpetrates the reputation that choppers aren’t comfortable to ride. Despite appearance, they are. Especially the ones with higher forks.
Choppers were born to be personal and every model is unique. These bikes reflect the owner’s taste and personality. Choppers were born to be customizable, in fact they were born as “bobbers”, which were actively stripped of anything that made the motorcycle heavier and was not essential.What is essential in these vehicles is style and color.