http://www.customchopperphotos.com en-us Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:59:36 -0600 http://www.customchopperphotos.com/streetfighter/ A chopper is a fundamentally customized motorcycle that is extremely stylized or which treats aspects such as frame geometry or engine design in an uncommon way compared to standard manufacturing. Custom motorcycles are unique or individually produced in a very limited quantity, as opposed to "stock" bikes or "stockers," which are mass produced.

A streetfighter is a superbike that is customized by removing the fairing, and making other changes that result in an overall more aggressive look. Made popular by European riders, this type of custom motorcycle is gaining popularity all over the world. This particular term should not be confused with a street motorcycle or street-use motorcycle, which is a generic term used to urban street bikes.

Talking about its background and history, though it has its styling origins in the Café racer culture of the 1950s and 1960s, the streetfighter is very much inspired by the new Japanese bikes of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The term "streetfighter" appears to have been originally coined by Steven Myatt, to describe what the guys like Huggy, Irish Stewart and Huffy were building in the late 1980s. He applied the term to motorcycles which were modified to enhance their practicality, performance and handling, as opposed to the custom scene which preferred style over outright ability. Though it's unclear when and who built the first of the modern streetfighters, the first sighting of the design template was seen in Bike magazine in 1983 when the editor commissioned Andy Sparrow to draw a comic strip to replace Ogri. It was entitled 'Bloodrunners' and featured despatch riders, delivering blood and live human organs for transplant operations. They rode enormous japanese inline fours with turbos, with no extraneous parts. Fairings, mirrors, pillion seats & rear footpegs etc were all binned in favour of lightness and handling ability. Under-seat exhausts, dual headlights and the widest tyres were de-rigeur. Huggy Leaver was inspired to start customizing bikes in this style and there was a proliferation of 'ratted' streetfighters in London in the late eighties.

Besides, the term has since been diluted somewhat, and is now often applied to any bike with motocross style handlebars, no fairings or other typical customizations. In recent years, the term has also come to be applied to motorcycles manufactured without fairings in this style, usually based on the same engine/frame combination as an equivalent fully-faired motorcycle in the manufacturer's product line-up.

Nowadays, race replicas, like the Suzuki GSX-R Series and the Honda CBR series, that have been damaged in accidents or through hooliganism are generally the starting basis for a streetfighter. The GSX-R 750 was initially often favored, due to its light weight and flexible engine. A side effect of the use of the 1980s GSX-R was the retention of the dual headlights in the subsequent streetfighter. This feature is now a common trait in both custom bikes and factory streetfighters like the Triumph Speed Triple.

Remarkably, in 1993 Ducati introduced a new naked sportbike called the Monster. Since that time it has been a perennial favorite amongst streetfighter enthusiasts. In 1994 however, Triumph Motorcycles introduced the Speed Triple, based on its Daytona sportbike. This was an immediate success and rapidly eclipsed the Monster in sales. The Triumph is now the current favorite among factory streetfighters due to excellent performance, low ownership cost, and high reliability.

To conclude, in the intervening years both bikes have been considerably improved, and have been joined by a rapidly growing group of other manufactures producing naked sportbikes. Here they are: Benelli, Aprilia, Bimota, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, MV Agusta, and Buell, a subsidiary of Harley Davidson. Even the "big four" Japanese motorcycle manufactures, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, have tried to enter this market, but with limited success to date. ]]> Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:01:46 -0500 http://www.customchopperphotos.com/streetfighter/ http://www.customchopperphotos.com/49cc-2-stroke-mini-chopper/ 49cc 2 Stroke mini chopper is the coolest groovy Mini Bike you will ever see and the greatest sensation in the world of motor sports. Mini chopper bikes are a miniature versions of full-scale Harley bikes and are capable of breathtaking speeds ranging from 25-50 miles per hour. This choppers are given the same attention to design and detail as full-scale motorcycles, resulting in stylish, durable bikes that will provide high enthusiasm for riders of all skill levels. Being unique in size, chopper style bike offers you a new excitement to even the most experienced motorcyclists. They are easy to transport, conveniently fitting into small cars and trunks. Many European motorcycle champions started out riding pocket bikes and mini choppers and later dominated tracks at larger motorcycle competitions.

You must really check it out! The new 2 Stroke Custom Long Fork Chopper is at the cutting edge of custom mini choppers. With an extended front fork that gives this model an impressive presence, this is an exceptionally handsome vehicle. Innovation has hit its peak and shot beyond the stars with the new 2-Stroke Custom Long Fork Chopper when you take an excellent engine and add a automatic transmission and high performance dual exhaust you can finally stop your search because you have found everything you have ever dreamed about in a Custom Chopper. Forget about mixing 2-stroke oil with this chopper just fill with Unleaded gas and go! This hot new item is suitable for young teens and adults of all ages. The 2 Stroke Custom Long Fork Chopper is equipped with a superior 2 Stroke 49cc air cooled motor. Other features include a Hydraulic front shocks, Hydraulic front disk brakes, foot activated shifting, and an awesome sleek body of steel. Its motorcycle style quality steel construction is designed with a superior solid frame and fine welding, giving the Custom Chopper a stunning finish. This Custom Chopper style Mini Chopper has a driving range to about 40+ miles with a top speed of 40-50+ miles per hour.

Specification:
- Engine: 49cc, Single cylinder air-cooled 2 strokes
- Max speed: 40 MPH depending on riders weight
- Fuel capacity: 1.8L
- Distance: 50 miles
- Engine starting: Pull start /Electric Start
- Wheel: 16" Front / 13" Rear Tires
- Brakes: Front Hydraulic, Rear Drum, Front: Hand brake, Rear: Foot Brake
- Suspension System: Front Shocks
- Body Material: Steel & Plastic Injected
- Product Size(Inches): L 70 X W 20 X H 30
- G.W./N.W.(Lbs): 121/105.6
- Max Load(Lbs):286
- Fuel No Need To Mix Fuel&Oil, Use Gas Directly

Features:
Hydraulic Front Brakes; Engine: 49cc, single-cylinder, 2-stroke,wind cold ,CDI; Sturdy Steel Frame& Body; Centrifugal Clutch; Stainless Steel Muffler; Electric Start W/Key Ignition; Hand-Controlled Twist Grip Handling; Advanced Chain Drive System.

Brand New Features: This Chopper comes equipped with Hydraulic Front Brakes. This means you will need to fill the reservoir with brake fluid. The Rear brake is engaged with a foot pedal on the right hand side. ]]> Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:37:03 -0500 http://www.customchopperphotos.com/49cc-2-stroke-mini-chopper/ http://www.customchopperphotos.com/1975-ironhead-number-nine/ Nash Motorcycle Company was created in Vancouver, Washington by 3 siblings in 2003. The brothers Taber, Trent, and Teddy had all been building bikes for years and finally decided that the clan would get together under one roof and make a go of it. Half a decade later, with handcrafted bikes and parts steadily going out the door, it is easy to see why NMC's business has grown immensely in such a short period of time.

The No. 9 is yet another bike to roll out of their shop with the same level of attention to detail on that they are already famous for. Most of the bikes built inhouse don't stay around for long, thanks to customers all over the world, and Taber tries to build at least one bike for himself from time to time. This bike was put together between two customer projects in a span of just three months.

The Nash boys started off with a 1975 Ironhead basket case purchased for $1,200 that someone with much less skill started to chop. They sold off some parts to a customer in need and were left with enough goodies to start on the No. 9 project for the lowly out-of-pocket sum of $200. The Sporty frame, which was pretty much junk, was rebuilt and raked as well as stretched to Taber's desired look. It was coupled with a rebuilt narrow glide frontend from another basket case.

The No. 9 is powered by the same '75 1000cc Ironhead motor that it came from the Factory with, but it has been hot rodded a bit by being bored and ported. The motor was topped off with the tried and true S&S Super E carburetor and a set of wrapped custom Nash Motorcycle Co. pipes, making more than enough power and noise for any sane human.

Shifting is done with a one-off fabricated hand clutch setup, with the throttling business being done with a simple yet effective internal setup on a pair of their custom Midget Gimp handlebars. The bars are made in-house and have the distinctive Nash look to them. Another part that furthers the "technically simple" aesthetic is NMC's Swift Kick, which is a sliding telescopic kicker arm/pedal combo that folds neatly away after use, keeping the pedal from flopping out and gouging your calf while on the road. Another Nash exclusive is the Lefty oil tank, which resides on the left side of the single downtube on the front of the frame. It was fabricated out of two-inch tubing and is self-cooling due to its location on the bike.

To further set this bike apart from the masses, two blacked-out front '80s-era Harley-davidson Sportster mag wheels were used. both front and rear were shod in MEFCO rubber with a rear-only brake setup made from a late model H-d caliper mated to a Custom Chrome rotor.

The fuel tank on No. 9 was another swapmeet find in the form of an old Honda dirtbike that was sliced into pieces. After being sprayed to match the altered rear fender by Justin Simmons in chalkboard green paint with some striping and graphic handiwork by friend and artist Paul Cameau, the tank became one of the standout components on this bike.

In the current climate of chopper building there is an art to taking so many different parts from such a vast array of vehicles and making them look like they all belong on one bike. Many try and fail, but it seems that Nash Motorcycle Company indeed has a knack for making it happen. ]]> Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:43:26 -0600 http://www.customchopperphotos.com/1975-ironhead-number-nine/