Thai Choppers

[barrybike]

now this is what you call a collection of thai proper choppers......many of them owned by dinosaurs mc ..springer club thailand.....

[mrt273nva]

Can someone explain to me the purpose of extended forks? Is it only style or does it serve a function?

[barrybike]

Can someone explain to me the purpose of extended forks? Is it only style or does it serve a function?

style man..function dosent come in to it with choppers....hard tail etc.........its called being different from the norm..if everyone rode the same bike ,things would be very boring and there would be no such things as motorcycle shows,bike weeks rallies etc....in europe these are called sweedish style chops but in reality thailand was way ahead of any other country regarding choppers...well after america........

[JSixpack]

Can someone explain to me the purpose of extended forks? Is it only style or does it serve a function?

Extreme art to impress the naive and ignorant. Same w/ ape hangers. I recall that Peter Fonda had no feeling left in his arms after a day of filming Easy Rider.

What a waste.

[12DrinkMore]

Anybody ridden one of these extended fork bikes?

I never have, but would like to try it to see how awful the handling is. Possibly there is an inversely proportionate law, "never mind the size of my tool, just look at the length of my fork!"

And then there are the ones with handlebars extended way way upwards. Wonder if they can be ridden for more than 500 yards?

[mrt273nva]

its called being different from the norm..if everyone rode the same bike ,things would be very boring and there would be no such things as motorcycle shows,bike weeks rallies etc

I understand what you are trying to say however in the OP's picture all the motorcycles have extended forks and all look the same. So not only is it boring but it also serves no function and actually inhibits the rider while on the road.

[dotcom]

Monkey see monkey do.

My front end is rakied out longer than yours.

Knowing the way shorty welds you'd be taking your life in your hands.

Nothing unique or unusual about any of those "motorcycles".

[tattoodrob]

Monkey see monkey do.

My front end is rakied out longer than yours.

Knowing the way shorty welds you'd be taking your life in your hands.

Nothing unique or unusual about any of those "motorcycles".

thats a little bit unfair really........you dont see bikes like this everyday on the road. i would call a phantom or platinum chopper as "Nothing unique or unusual about any of those "motorcycles""

[tattoodrob]

its called being different from the norm..if everyone rode the same bike ,things would be very boring and there would be no such things as motorcycle shows,bike weeks rallies etc

I understand what you are trying to say however in the OP's picture all the motorcycles have extended forks and all look the same. So not only is it boring but it also serves no function and actually inhibits the rider while on the road.

im sure they dont look boring when you see them all ridden together passing you on the road(and certainly not boring to ride as you can hardly turn left or right without coming off!),if the pic was bigger then could probably see a lot more detail and see they arent infact all the same exactly but obviously this group are all into extended forks hence why they are photod together. so whilst i agree with you about it serves no function and inhibits the rider but thats why other chopper riders appreciate what they have done as makes it so much harder to ride just to look different/good. i get it but couldnt ride one like that myself daily.

[MJo]

Choppers and customs - not cool

150CBR's with custom paint and sticker kit - super cool

Is that right or did i just lose it somewhere ?

[Kerryd]

Not all choppers are the same. Some of these guys put a lot of love, attention and money into their rides.

(can post more later. My 'net connection is sucking big time right now and I can't get any more u/l'd to photobucket)

[BigBikeBKK]

Monkey see monkey do.

Knowing the way shorty welds you'd be taking your life in your hands.

Your racism and negativity really gets old. I'm surprised the TV moderators let you get away with it...

[prestburypark]

Live and let live. Isnt biking about being a bit away from the norm? When I was younger I thought choppers were cool, and wanted one really bad..I can still appreciate a customised ride and the ethos it represents.

Now I can have a bike for pleasure, I would prefer a KTM, or BMW or even a Ducati to a Harley or a chopper, but only have a baby Honda at the moment. Who cares, these guys are showing that they have an attitude and thats fine by me. May their forks be forever extended and their apes well hung.

[BigBikeBKK]

I love looking at custom choppers and am quite impressed by many of the beautiful bikes I've seen here in Thailand. It's apparent how much love and skill these guys put into their rides and I can't knock 'em for it.

On the flip side, I've ridden a couple of choppers and sorry, but the geometry of them really freaks me out. Having a raked out fork and almost no weight on the front tire and is just asking for trouble.

I actually think it'd be fun to build a custom chopper, but I think I'd rather admire it in my driveway than actually ride it!

[CroBiker]

Even though my preference goes to sport bikes I sure do admire work these guys put into it. Whoever says they aren't headturners is wrong.

Ride comfort and safety is another matter though.

[barrybike]

Monkey see monkey do.

My front end is rakied out longer than yours.

Knowing the way shorty welds you'd be taking your life in your hands.

Nothing unique or unusual about any of those "motorcycles".

nothing unique or unusual about any of those motorcycles are you f*****g joking ,who ever you are dotcom you dont know s**T about custom bikes

[Kerryd]

A couple more examples of Thai Choppers:

(A Pattaya chopper, on the road between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai - Dec 07)

[barrybike]

heres a few more professionally built ones ,mostly by thor ,his shop is in bkk ,it was previously known as heavens customs...the gold/yellow on is owned and built by hot rod in pattaya.......

Edited January 5, 2009 by barrybike

[CroBiker]

Now, that is true piece of art! Some others we see during bike events are kinda ridiculous gypsy style but this sure gets my admiration.

Keep 'em coming Barry!

[CroBiker]

I like that orange one, third from left. Barry, just out of curiosity....how much these sell for?

[Bard]

To be honest this is show bikes, and if anyone is honest you would not be able to pass the cone test with any of them. However due to lack of laws regarding bikes they're legal in most countries. It amazes me a lot, how can a bike be legal if you can't pass a license test with it.

Also the word chopper came from the soldiers from 2nd WW who went home to US and bought out cheap from the army the (at that time fastest bike around in US) Harley's from war duty, these were heavy bikes and the guys chopped of unnecessary parts to lighten term and make them faster, hence the word chopper was born.

What is called a chopper today has nothing to do with it, it is heavily customized bikes which is dangerous to ride on the road. They should be called Show Bikes. Also the original bunch who rode these bikes were ex-soldiers who was tough guys and they started Hells Angels who became known in the movie Easy Rider. For many years youngsters who looked at that movie believed that the bike made these guys though, and when they managed to get enough money from a decent job and hit middle age they put on glue on tattoos and false beard in the weekends riding Harley's believing they were tough guys riding around trying to show of as dangerous guys.

I believe if the guys from WW2 could choose today they would be on a Jap supersport bike, because what they were after was a fast bike, the fastest around bike actually hence the chopping and modding, and where do we see this today? In Jap bikes, they are the ones getting modded and chopped more and more for speed not a (living legend) who lives of yesteryears and people make unrideable...

I do not mind Harley, I had one myself but the reliability of the US made engine was so crappy I was happy to get rid of it. Also my mate was the transporter for OCC at the Europe Tour and he was not amused from the Lincoln bike frame collapse and so on. I also do not mind show bikes, they are fun to look at but let us call a spade a spade and call these bikes showbikes and not choppers because that is really an insult to the guys who invented the term.

Cheers Bard

[barrybike]

To be honest this is show bikes, and if anyone is honest you would not be able to pass the cone test with any of them. However due to lack of laws regarding bikes they're legal in most countries. It amazes me a lot, how can a bike be legal if you can't pass a license test with it.

Also the word chopper came from the soldiers from 2nd WW who went home to US and bought out cheap from the army the (at that time fastest bike around in US) Harley's from war duty, these were heavy bikes and the guys chopped of unnecessary parts to lighten term and make them faster, hence the word chopper was born.

What is called a chopper today has nothing to do with it, it is heavily customized bikes which is dangerous to ride on the road. They should be called Show Bikes. Also the original bunch who rode these bikes were ex-soldiers who was tough guys and they started Hells Angels who became known in the movie Easy Rider. For many years youngsters who looked at that movie believed that the bike made these guys though, and when they managed to get enough money from a decent job and hit middle age they put on glue on tattoos and false beard in the weekends riding Harley's believing they were tough guys riding around trying to show of as dangerous guys.

I believe if the guys from WW2 could choose today they would be on a Jap supersport bike, because what they were after was a fast bike, the fastest around bike actually hence the chopping and modding, and where do we see this today? In Jap bikes, they are the ones getting modded and chopped more and more for speed not a (living legend) who lives of yesteryears and people make unrideable...

I do not mind Harley, I had one myself but the reliability of the US made engine was so crappy I was happy to get rid of it. Also my mate was the transporter for OCC at the Europe Tour and he was not amused from the Lincoln bike frame collapse and so on. I also do not mind show bikes, they are fun to look at but let us call a spade a spade and call these bikes showbikes and not choppers because that is really an insult to the guys who invented the term.

Cheers Bard

bard those line up of bikes at the start of the topic are actually jap chops.they are no show bikes ..if you go to any bike week in thailand you will see that these guys ride them,they are not trailored to a show..i know guys who have rode these non stop from pattaya to phuket bike week ,no one is saying these are the best bikes out there or anything,im sure if these guys wanted to ride sports bikes they would ,its their style for what they ride..the newer efi harley engines never give trouble,i ride mine flat out everywhere and never got any trouble...if your talking about show bikes look at occ or something ,they are what they say showbikes never ridden but in thailand choppers are ridden everywhere,believe me..go to ride for the king party in bkk ,pattaya bike week,phuket chiang mai any where you will see what i mean....i dont know what easy rider movie you looked at...but the one ive seen with dennis hopper and peter fonda in it had no hells angels or mention of hells angels in it....and the thoughts of someone puttin on false beards and tattoos to look tough ..come on man ive never seen any one do this..if they did they are stupid ass holes...a chopper is what you make of it to make your own.......its individuality no harm in that is there........these guys dont build bikes to ride around cones in some car park..theyre built for the open road...some day when you meet 10-20 on the road i bet you will stop and look in awe....then you will understand what im saying......hey kerryd any more good photos keep them coming theyre good

Edited January 5, 2009 by barrybike

[barrybike]

I like that orange one, third from left. Barry, just out of curiosity....how much these sell for?

hot rod are trying to sell that bike for about 2 years now ,they were looking around 2 million baht for it............theyre is some serious hand engraving on this bike if you look closely...i was there in pattaya when he (ed hotrod) was loading it into his pick up to bring down to phuket bike week in april last year.

[Travelmate]

The idea of having a chopper is to build one yourself. Hence custom bike.

[barrybike]

The idea of having a chopper is to build one yourself. Hence custom bike.

sounds good travelmate but everyone hasent got the ability to do this....welding,fabrication,pipe bending etc......thats how guys like arlen ness,teutuls of occ,etc are all millionaires coz people pay them to do it ,,,but i agree with you that is not the same as a custom bike coz its bought out of the shop off the shelf more or less.....thats why i have admiration for these thai guys because they hand make most of the bike their selves.

[Travelmate]

Ok you could design and have a builder build the bike for you. Which I am sure is just as much fun.

Does Kustom Thor build one offs? Probably.

Arlen Ness, Big Bears Chopper, Exile Cycles, OCC etc all build production choppers for the masses. Most are around the US$50,000 mark (Stateside)

[Kerryd]

If one were to look close at a lot of the choppers pictured, one would notice that many have 4 cyclinders.

[Travelmate]

Does not matter what engine is used. As long as the concept of custom is achieved.

[barrybike]

Ok you could design and have a builder build the bike for you. Which I am sure is just as much fun.

Does Kustom Thor build one offs? Probably.

Arlen Ness, Big Bears Chopper, Exile Cycles, OCC etc all build production choppers for the masses. Most are around the US$50,000 mark (Stateside)

yes thor will build you any style you want www.thorchops-kustoms.com

[barrybike]

Ok you could design and have a builder build the bike for you. Which I am sure is just as much fun.

Does Kustom Thor build one offs? Probably.

Arlen Ness, Big Bears Chopper, Exile Cycles, OCC etc all build production choppers for the masses. Most are around the US$50,000 mark (Stateside)

yes thor will build you any style you want www.thorchops-kustoms.com

however due to the credit crunch world wide i dont think there will be many buying this type of bike this year .people will be keeping their money for more important things.........