RIP Mr Chopper Designer

[Big Dave]

Dig it - I was too tall for a Chopper so I had a Dragster in red:



plain chain guard.

When I outgrew that my Granddad bought me a GTS


I had all that same shizzle on it too.

But then I got a mini-bike and you know...

Now I'm right back into cool pushbikes. This has got 1K km up now.

[Maha]

'Initially inspired to replicate the design of Peter Fonda's motorbike in the classic movie Easy Rider'
You could hardly tell the difference....

I never owned one, I had the Raleigh 20...gold with white tyres...

[Berries]

...there was only one in the whole town when i was a lad...the t-shift was cool..the seat was cool...the bars were cool...couldn't come to the party in the off road shit we used to play at...was totally useless at going up hill, as any power to pedal had the silly little front wheel off the ground...was totally cool, but there was not a lot of angst about not having one...just having the freedom of a 24 or 26 inch boneshaker that was yours, was more important...specially if you could come up with the funds for a banana seat...banana seats didn't look all that cool with ordinary old handlebars though...one of our friends had the ultimate in cool...26" rear wheel, 24" front with a tiny cut down guard and full western bars with Triumph handgrips... super cool...they were cool days as kids...out on the bikes at 8am til tea time in the weekends and holidays...blood, guts and simple joyousness...and no girls allowed...

Perhaps the fact I used to take old bikes, paint them in hideous colours and stick cowhorn handlebars on them is why I have always drifted towards the look of road legal MX bikes, or supermoto style bikes as they are now. Had one of those Panini sticker albums full of old Bultacos and Huskies. And now the Nuda 900 is an option for my next bike. Or a Street Triple. Or a couple of others but they all hark back to an upright seating position and wide bars. Must be a second childhood.

[ellipsis]

Must be a second childhood.

...im not quite through my first one yet...

[rainman]

I had one of those, with the gear lever handle like in the photos. Belted it out the yard one day and up the hill, chain slipped and I planted my nuts square on the gear lever. Just went cross-eyed, rolled over and fell into the gutter. And lay there for quite a while...

Actually, also had a dual chopper accident. A mate was hanging on to the back of mine (riding his) while we belted it down the hill. One semi harmonic wobble later and I landed on my two fronts. Fucking horrendous dental bills.

Good times....

[F5 Dave]

Yeah me too, until I got my HMX500 then I was all go... but then someone would get an HMX600(the one with mags!) ... meh Good times

I had a crappy pass me down Loline (which I stripped off the guards to look more like a BMX), but even I used to laugh at the Choppers & ask about their Chopper Guards. But the Grifter got close. Then I got an HMX500. Broke the frame on that, but the chap up the road welded it. There's an HMX500 in TePapa.

HMX600 had ally rims, not mags, you're probably thinking of Tuf Mag2s. Mate had some after he broke his cast mags on his Panther. Heavens we are stepping back through time.

[nudemetalz]

HMX 500's rocked !!
You had to have a Trax skateboard to go with it though.


Anyone here ever have a Yamaha full suspension bicycle?

[F5 Dave]

um, yes, yes I did. Well almost. It was a heavy old thing that one of the cool kids had & I ended up with it some while later, didn't have a brand name on it. Kinda looked a bit like that, but the seat was lower.

Was badly made & the swing arm was unevenly welded so it came up at an angle. Apparently they had a fake plastic engine in them from new but never saw that.

I cut the SW arm mount off & was going to get it rewelded straight + move the shocks lay down & forward like a KLX250 or early KX. That would have got the steering angle more sporty as it was a bit chopperish & increased the travel. Of course it would have made the shocks too soft, but I didn't know that.

I have no idea what happened to it, but interest in Motorcycles relegated it to non finish. Was great to ride down steps before I cut it up.

[ellipsis]

...this stuff of newer bikes you talk of is all too modern for me to recall...and our skateboards were either 4x1 or 6x1 timbers with variously concocted methods of fixing the 1/2 inch galv pipes to with old wheel bearings bashed on the ends...ripped up the tarmac and the council made the cops chase us...usually on foot...and take them from us...they generally couldn't catch us on the spot, but being a small town we generally ended up with a big boot up our arse when they did and then they took our boards...then we made new ones...

[F5 Dave]

HMX 500's rocked !!
You had to have a Trax skateboard to go with it though.
. . .

Gee I wanted one of those, but they were $25 in 1980 & I just couldn't stretch to it. However there was a wooden board that was only $19.99 & could just reach that. I glued sandpaper to it. Problem was instead of the neat plastic Trucks/wide wheels it had normal roller skate wheels & a rubber damped hinge. Made the thing friggin unridable. Should have asked for my money back, but had glued sandpaper & I was just a kid so would have been told to sod off.

[Berries]

Walked past a new skateboard shop today. Wanted to go in and ask if they had gull-wing trucks and some orange kryp's but thought it might show my age.

[Big Dave]

...this stuff of newer bikes you talk of is all too modern for me to recall...and our skateboards were either 4x1 or 6x1 timbers with variously concocted methods of fixing the 1/2 inch galv pipes to with old wheel bearings bashed on the ends..

Chased. Well of course we had it tough. Best we could do was t'bit of cardboard and t' slope behind 'ill at Jubilee Oval. While St George were playing t'football. Chased.