Now I have been riding sport bikes for most of my 34 years of biking. I do not know whether Katanas, tripples and Big Zeds qualify but I am sure they were regarded as sport bikes back then.

As I have owned many bikes, the screaming fours and V fours and countless BMW's I have owned started to bore me so I got into this big V-Twin thing and as I always wanted a 45 degree V, I bought a Buell Ulysses. Great bike and great fun!  Every time I ride it I love it more!

Then this big V thing started  getting under my skin and I thought back to the seventies when I was in high school and the big thing then was that you were either a chopper fan or a Kawasaki tripples fan. Everyone had long hair, an earring and bell bottom jeans.  The chopper builders in the USA built such cool bikes. I had stacks of A4 size magazine center pages on my walls.

...something that made a statement. Now I do not know whether that era was the beginning of the chopper era or not as many bikers say that it started with the "chopped" down ex army stock Harleys that floated around after WW-II. The guys apparently raced the bikes as "outlaw" racers as they were not allowed to race on track and from there the words "chopped" and "outlaw" evolved.

As far as I am concerned, as a child of the seventies  (a real cool era and proud about it) we invented bell bottoms, hippie fashion and made Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull, famous.  We also invented the real seventies chopper motorcycles.

The seventies style choppers are often copied today and I must say, I do not like the new millennium cruisers. The ultra long, ultra low look with some weird frames and sometimes totally overdone wheels (mag wheels) just does not represent a chopper to me. A custom built bike, maybe yes but not a chopper. Choppers are unique and distinguishable.

I think the current Harley Davidson line up has a lot in common with the choppers of the seventies. If one looks at the Dyna range and the

Just what is a Chopper? The Chopper is created by removing or "chopping" off unnecessary parts from the bike. Who needs a windshield, front fenders, big headlights, clumsy blinkers, crash bars, big seats, etc? Chop them off and make the bike sleeker and lighter. Bikers started raking the front end so the tire was further from the bike, it gave the bike a cool look, which goes a long way with a biker. Handlebars were raised high and called ape hangers. The front tire was made thinner and the rear tire was made fatter. Some bikers even removed the battery and used a magneto to reduce weight. The gas tank, headlight, and blinkers were all made smaller. Anything deemed to be unnecessary was removed. This made for a bike style that was unique and tailored to each rider since each rider decided just what needed to be done to his bike to create the Chopper he desired.

One of the most famous chopper's of all times, that of Captain America from the movie "Easy Rider"

As individual backyard mechanics started to get noticed, more talented designers started building Choppers and their work became highly sought after. An individual now no longer needed to actually do the Chopper work, just express what he wanted to a Chopper designer and the designer would do the rest. Arlen Ness was one of the first and most recognized such designers.

In the 1990's, the Chopper movement was revitalized. Although Harley Davidson is best known in the biker world, there are many other brands that people use to build Choppers. To many chopper riders, it's the end product that matters, not the name brand, but there will always be a segment of bikers that only want Harley.

Choppers started because riders were dissatisfied with what Harley-Davidson was producing. Rather than abandon H-D, riders streamlined the H-D bikes by removing excess equipment and then modifying the engines, rake, and suspension. The result was a personalized bike much like the bike in Easy Rider.

The steady evolution of the motorcycle continues. New factory bikes are more and more technically sophisticated with plenty of accessories, yet the Chopper continues to thrive as riders seek that minimalist simplicity that only the Chopper can supply. Are Choppers here to stay? Absolutely!  There might be machine that  are more fun to ride but none looks as good and draws as much attention as a well made CHOPPER.

Sportster 883

The influence of the seventies on my earlier biking interests and outlook towards fashion and style is still with me today, even as a middle aged father of two. I still dig the feel, look and style of the seventies. The vibrant colors are still groovy and there is nothing like denim and a t-shirt that makes a statement with a saying printed on it.

Growing up in a conservative Afrikaans household, we were told that a peace sign was from the Devil, all Rock-an-Roll was just as Satanic and bikes were just for "gomgatte" (rogues) with little education. Everything foreign to the Afrikaans speaking community with their strict rules taboo and a threat. If one is born with a sort of free spirit and a kind of individuality that cannot be conformed or brain washed by narrow minded communities, one becomes a rebel and one identifies with what depicts what one feels.

In those days, hippies, rock and roll and choppers created that dream of freedom and the image of being able to explore the world one a groovy sounding big V-Twin.

Biking is not all about speed and road racing as sport bike manufacturers wants us to believe. The charm and relaxing drone from a V-twin has its own charm and character. It brings to biking what no sport bike can, not even the sports V-twins. 

It was only when I entered the tourism and hospitality trade that I realised what I was missing. When a dealer visited our lodge in 1999 with a brand new HD twin cam "88" soft tail and gave me the keys to go for a spin I realised that most opinions that I have heard from sport bike riders about Harleys were without perspective and wrong. The bike looked like a chopper, the sound was awesome and the torque was great. It was fun to ride and immediately  took me back to the seventies. I was actually riding a groovy looking chopper.

Only in the seventies you had to build your own and the HD engines at that time were crap compared to the evolution engines of the modern Harleys. Best thing is that one could buy the bike in a shop and there is a whole catalogue full of goodies so one can customise the bike to one's own taste.

It took another seven years before I decided to buy a Harley cruiser. As I am still primarily a sports bike rider (mainly because I live in the mountains of bikers' heaven; Mpumalanga) I decided to buy a small Harley. Mainly because you get to ride a chopper styled bike at way under a R100 000 (under $15,000US).

I recently bought a 2002 Harley Sportster 883 in very near standard trim with only 4,000km on the clock. Its not often that one gets such an opportunity  to own a nice "chopper" at an affordable price. The little bike is such a people magnet. Everywhere I go, people stare and look and talk about the bike. Why? Because its a Harley! People that are non-biker identifies bikers and "angels" as guys that ride Harleys. A Harley represents that spirit of freedom (and nowadays financial achievement) to the masses. You can stop at the local mall on the fastest Blade or GSXR K7 but the guy pulling in on the HD, he gets the attention. Strange but true!

Latest addition to my stable. A sweet little 883cc Sporty. Nicely customised so far. For a 70's look I will need to fit longer upswept pipes, a longer sissy bar and forward controls.

My Sportster will need some work and later a 1200cc upgrade (Screamin Eagle kit) and K&N filter and jet kit will follow to give her 90bhp and 30% more torque. Maybe I will also do a carb job and a funky looking air cleaner or just a typical seventies looking velocity stack with a small round air cleaner. The forward controls will be fitted first.

 I feel truly privileged  to be in a position to own a very capable FUN sportbike and this little Harley Davidson. At this time of my life I am having so much fun cleaning the bike, riding it to the news cafe and coffee shops, the mall or just will over town.

The bike's sound is addictive and the ride is truly chopped and laid back. The riding position (seat & peanut tank) makes one sit inside the bike and sort of behind the controls. Different from a standard bike of the 70's and different from a sport bike. Just distinctive.

The SPORTSTER range by HD is celebrating its 50th year of production during 2007. Its nice to own one during this year of celebration.

Harley Davidson Sportser - 50th Edition!