From Behind the Lens
By Colleen Swartz
December, 2008
The Devil is in the Details
So here we are looking at Bobbers in this issue of Cycle Source. It got me thinking about all of the labels in the motorcycle world and what they all mean. Have you ever met someone and when you discover that they have a similar interest in motorcycles you ask them, “What do you ride?”? You may find that the answer you get may tell you more about the person answering than it does the bike.
Saying, “I have a 2000 Fat Boy.” is solid answer. It answers the question very specifically as it provides a make and model of a bike that at it’s core varies little from any other 2000 Fat Boy out there. Most people are fairly familiar with most stock production bikes and such a response isn’t likely to evoke any assumptions about your character one way or the other.
If you answer, “I ride a Chopper.” I immediately have a new set of questions leap to mind. I am wondering, are you late for a date; need to take a leak; what? You sure haven’t taken the time to answer my question.
In the instant I hear your response I am going to start with the assumption that we both are aware that the word “chopper” originates from the post-World War II era when former GIs were looking for performance modifications. There was no aftermarket back then and once all engine mods were out of the way, the bikes’ weight needed to be reduced. Owners began to remove unnecessary components and eventually began to cut away (or “chop”) sections of the bike and frame. “Chopping” and “Bobbing” used to be interchangeable, but in more recent years the definition of “Chopper” has morphed into a distinct style of bike. Usually described as a radical customized bike with extended and raked front end, from which all unnecessary parts have been stripped. The early choppers weren’t raked, so the front end was high, making it necessary to reduce the size of the front wheel.
Further I am going to assume, at least for another instant, that we both realize the scope and complexity of motorcycle customizing and culture has grown so much in the last few decades that the simple term chopper has become inadequate to meaningfully describe any given bike.
Now, if in the next few moments of our conversation your simple response expands into a description: “I ride a custom motorcycle built by XYZ Customs that is board-track inspired but sports a 240 rear tire and runs a 96” S&S.”, or right after you tell me you ride a chopper you tack on, “yeah, I have a rigid 650 Bonneville that I built with my brother”, then you have just told me a couple of real important things. First, that you respect me and my knowledge of motorcycles, and that you believe I am genuinely interested in your ride.
In the case of the XYZ custom response you have told me that it is an original design and not literally “chopped” from a stock bike, but that you recognize it falls into that broad category that popular culture has come to describe as choppers. By giving me the name of the shop or the builder (as important a detail as the color as far as I am concerned) you have likely given me a mental picture of the style of bike.
In the case of the response where you gave me a bit of information about your Triumph you let me know that you own a traditional chopper. In either case, I care, because a I can tell you care. It is likely we will talk more about our common interest in motorcycles.
If you stop your response with that single word, chopper, you’ve just told me your interest in your bike is probably about as genuine as any feigned interest I may continue to display in you.
To me, someone who responds to the question, “What do you ride?” with “Chopper” and nothing else is displaying their general lack of sophistication and education in motorcycle history and culture. Either that, or they are assuming that the person asking the question is such a dumb ass that they won’t know the difference when the term “Chopper” is offered as a description of their bike. This happens to me all the time (being a chick and all) and I usually respond with the statement, “Telling me that your bike is a chopper is a bit like you asking me what state I come from and me answering, The United States.”
As I recall, I am supposed to be discussing something about “Bobber’s” here. Well, replying to the question with, “I ride a Bobber” is a bit of the same thing.
Once again, I am working on the premise that everyone in the conversation is generally aware that the origins of the term “Bobber” came from motorcycle enthusiasts back in the 40’s and 50’s that practiced the art of shortening a bike’s appearance by cutting down the size of its fenders. These bikes also were known as “Strippers” back in those days (I wonder why that term didn’t stick better). They appeared before choppers and besides shortened fenders the rest of the bikes were also stripped of unnecessary parts. This was all part of the early customizing done by the returning World War II flyers.
So here we have gotten a little more specific in era, however you can “bob” just about any bike you want to, and today’s custom bike scene demonstrate numerous variations on the theme. Simply answering “Bobber” really doesn’t tell us much about the bike and maybe a bit too much about you.
So there you go, we are living in the twenty first century now and lives and motorcycles have gotten too complicated to sum up in single word description, at least if we genuinely care about them.
I won’t ask you what you ride if I don’t care. So if I do, and you decide to answer, let me know that you appreciate the bike and that you are trying to answer my question rather than just throwing out a term you think may impress me. Because if I get a thoughtful and detailed answer to my question, I will continue to ask questions and we will have a dialogue about our bikes, our tastes and our experience and whether I am a fan of the style of your bike or not, I will already be impressed by your knowledge and I will respect you taste, whatever it may be.
If I went into a restaurant, sat down, was presented a menu and when I was asked what I would like to order I respond, “Food” it would be a pretty strange and meaningless answer. If you truly love your bike and want to discuss it with someone, then you know who made it, what it was like when it was made, what you changed on it and why and when someone asks you “what you are riding?”, for God’s sake, please don’t say “A motorcycle.”
And that is how I see it, from behind the lens.
Your comments are always welcome at colleen@digitalmagicbigshots.com.