Motorcycle chopper kits are a growth industry. But what does that mean to
you and me? Well one thing that we know is that we will have more choppers to
ogle at. There is not a single day that goes by without more and more pictures
of chopper bikes that have just been finished showing up in all the motorcycle
magazines. Then at the weekends, when we are on our “hot” rides, we will see
four or five show finish level bikes. There are more choppers around now than
there have been in the last twenty five years.
Most of these choppers have been built from motorcycle chopper kits, the
“bike in a box” approach. But hey, don’t knock it! Building your own chopper
has never been easier. There are rolling chassis kits, complete bike kits, and
frame manufacturers give you a multitude of choice when it comes to take the
plunge and buy a motorcycle chopper kit.
Thirty years ago, the old school chopper builders had to start with a stock
bike off-the-shelf and literally chop it to pieces. With the modern chopper
kits, there is a viable alternative to taking the cutting torch to your
favorite soft tail!
Nowadays, you have a cheap and easier way to build the bike from the ground
up. When you take the cost of buying a new bike and the expense of chopping it,
it works out much cheaper to start from step one, and your chopper kit. Instead
of tossing away the parts that you'll never use again, you can start building
your own bike with the parts that you really need. All the parts are included
in the motorcycle chopper kit, along with comprehensive instructions.
One of the first questions that people ask when considering buying a kit is
how will my bike stand outs from all the other chopper kits? Well think of it
this way, you are going to buy a chopper kit. A pile of unassembled raw metal.
No paint, no real finish, just a blank canvas. Is your taste in paint jobs
likely to be the same as the next guy, who buys the very same kit? I don't
think so. What about your taste in bolt-ons, seats, exhausts? Just because you
buy the kit doesn’t mean every little thing has to be just so. That is the
whole point isn’t it? It's very easy in this way to build your own custom
chopper from a chopper kit.
Another big question is, “How long”? The answer to that is as long as it
takes. Even on the kit bikes, which are supposed to be designed to fit together
like a glove, you are going to run into some snags. It can’t be avoided!
If you want a more concrete guide, try this. An experienced kit builder
(though not a professional) I spoke to reckons it took 10 full days to build
his last chopper from a kit. For someone less experienced it could take a
couple of days longer. Twelve 9 hour days works out at 108 hours. Over evenings
and weekends, this could drag out to three or four weeks of living in a pile of
motorcycle parts! So be prepared to literally live the experience if you are
going to take the plunge.
What about the practical side? Well, there is no substitute for experience.
The place to start building up your experience with the mechanical side of
building to kit bike is with your current ride. Make sure all you can do the
basic maintenance on your motorcycle, and then start to do some simple
disassembling. Take off the tires, take off the exhaust, real basic stuff; all
of this will help to build a new confidence in the shop side of things. You can
also get some great videos on maintenance, and even on building the custom bike
of your dreams. Read the books, watch the videos, and buy the t-shirt! Believe
me, all the preparation you make will stand you in good stead.
If you really are hopeless at the mechanical side of things, why not pay
someone else to help you build it, or even get them to build the whole thing
for you? The cost of the kit plus labor could well work out cheaper than buying
a chopper “off the shelf”.
And of course, when that beautiful chopper is standing on your driveway, and
your friends are asking you “Was it worth it?” you can turn to the chopper,
drag your hand across the flames on the tank and the polished chrome, turn back
to them and say, “What do you think?”
I want to build my own chopper,please send me pics,and a price list,i do have a 1000z kawasaki bike that i want to rebuild in to a chopper.
regards
hugo
My email is hugostr@telkomsa.net
Lucas Potgieter on 04.12.2008. 12:00
After I read the article I felt that I could build my own Chopper.
Where can I get more info on this product?
email: anluent@vodamail.co.za
Regards
Ashraf on 06.02.2009. 23:43
Are there project kits for sale.
ashraf@avnetwork.co.za
Peter Welgemoed on 24.02.2009. 12:44
I would love to get more info on building a chopper from a kit
webmaster says: We only publish the article but try visiting these sites for more info. perhaps the authors can help.
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