Updated 2/4/10

Biker Vids

What's a Bobber?

Words from Sugarbear

To The PIX!

 

     I've always been a sucker for bobbers and until just recently if you saw a bobber, nine chances out of ten it was a Harley... I don't have anything against Harleys, in fact I have some Harley parts on MY bobber  (they make great "donor" bikes! (wink)... I focus on "alternative" (Japanese) bobbers because while the Harley market has exploded with anything and everything chrome plated or made of billet aluminum, building a Japanese bobber still requires some thought and ingenuity to plan and build. The metric cruiser market is definitely taking off, but in my opinion a bobber (and even a chopper) should be less about bolting on shiny bits and pieces and more about making things "work".

(As told to me by old bikers now gone)... In the old days, back when the air was still fresh and gas was less then thirty cents per gallon, any bike sporting all of the factory goodies such as fenders, spotlights, saddlebags and all of the associated yee yaa was considered a "Garbage Wagon" by those who participated in flat-track, enduro, or street racing. To increase speed and performance, riders would remove, or "bob" parts from their bikes which weren't absolutely necessary for its operation. Fenders, saddlebags, spotlights and the assorted chrome goodies were removed leaving essentially an engine, two wheels and a frame... THIS is a "Bobber". Contrasting the bobber is the "chopper", a movement which began as a bobber (with bits and pieces "chopped" off) but over time experienced a metamorphosis from a more practical racing machine to a less practical (and poorer performing) embodiment of a motorcycle more bent on making a statement than winning a race (Apes and extended forks make diving into a corner at speed just a little bit more hairy) = ). Both choppers and bobbers owe their history to those first riders who knew that big engines and less weight equaled BIG smiles.

Updated: I just read a very informative article from one of the "Grandfathers" of custom motorcycle building, "Sugarbear", in which he defines what a bobber should and shouldn't be about. If YOUR version of a bobber is different from mine, I suggest reading his article (at bottom) and see how it lines up with his idea of a bobber.

 
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Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

Back To Top ~~~ Home


 

 

Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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If you recognize an unknown bike, please zap me and I'll reclassify it. Thanks!

Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

Back To Top ~~~ Home


 

 

 

 

 

 

   Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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If it's a wing, then its goes here! =)

 

 

 

Click on the pic to supersize it... Each image will open into a new window. Feel free to zap me YOUR bobber pix for inclusion or leave yer mark and pee on the wall. =) Squirts

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 Sugar Bear Choppers - Chops And Bobbers - Busted Knuckles

By Sugar Bear

Installed 10/25/09

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