A Chopper is called a “chopper” because it is chopped up. I would say it always included “chopping” the neck off the frame and welding it on at a more radical angle. This necessities installing longer forks or your front end will be dipped down in the front. As you have already seen many times, the length can be extreme to the point of not be drivable.
In the late 1960s, I had a '58 Triumph Trophy-6, a bike older than the one Marlon Brando rode in the movie “The Wild One,” a movie which pretty much created a nation-wide scare that all motorcycle riders were beer guzzling, womanizing, town terrorizing, gang warriors, unfit for civilized society…
But I digress, the first thing I did was install a 750cc hop-up kit (new cylinders and oversized pistons), a new Jawa 4 valves per cylinder head, a Crane Cam (3/4 race???), the spark was provided by the factory magneto. It was one “fire breathing” machine.
But this was the era of “Easy Rider” and I decided to “chopper” it out… The motorcycle shop I patronized was really into race machines and had scratch-built several race bikes, so I knew they knew how to weld frames. But, with no experience building choppers, we put a “rake angle” in the neck that necessitated a 24" extended fork just to keep the bike level, way more than I wanted, but I was not going to have them rework it (once was enough…).
I installed 24-inch over-size forks and it was something to marvel… I also installed a tiny teardrop gas tank, a King/queen seat, with a trident sissy-bar, the exhaust pipes flowed back and up the trident sissy bar, It was one radical machine.
But it was not a “so-nice” bike to ride. The 24" over size forks had a bit tooooo much play and it was a bear to steer in a parking lot. As was mentioned previously, there were no figure-8s ridden on this bike, but at speed (over 30mph) it tracked like a dream. When out cruising with friends, I often screwed the throttle adjustment down to hold the setting and I slipped up onto the queen’s seat, leaning against the sissy bar as if riding with a ghost driver… Yeah, I know it was stupid, but I was a teen ager whose brain had not developed any judgement yet…
One last thought on this chopper, the tiny teardrop gas tank may have looked great but it had no reserve, each side of the tank fed only one carburetor and I had to hit a gas station every half hour when out on the road. I ultimately installed a “beer pony keg” (7 gallons) on the backside of the sissy bar, running a fuel hose under the seat to also feed the carbs. But It also looked really coooool (not enough "o"s in cool to describe this…). I am sorry to say I have no pictures that have survived over the years, However, if you find an October '69 copy of “Brit Bike Choppers,” it’s in there…
Decades later, I rebuilt my 1984 XLCH Ironhead Harley Sportster, I remembered my mistakes and wanted a ridable bike… I kept it basically the same. I did do some engine mods but nothing radical. “P” cams to give it more low-end torque (I like to “short-shift”…). An S&S Super “Shorty” for carburation, and a dual fire ignition system, was it on the engine.
I like a long front end, but I was not against what I had. So I installed 2" slugs over the internal fork springs to stiffen up the front end and hold it high… As for the rear shocks, the stock ones were so long and had so much travel that I could slip my arm between the top of my rear tire and the rear fender. I installed much sorter shocks so that the rear tire actually sits in the rear finder.
I had Corbin build me a custom seat that sat nice and low, but retain some comfort. The “drag bars” (handle bars…) are also my design, until 1995 or so Custom Chrome sold drag bars that were only about 22" wide and I wanted the look but I wanted them higher and wider and they filled the bill and 'lo 'n behold, they were listed in next year’s catalog…
Next, was the paint, I did it in Candy Apply Red with a silver micro dust base coat. All the artwork is mine. The tank motif is a Dream Catcher with an Eagle, the dream catcher base is done in silver leaf.
What I’ve never understood is why Harley insists on Painting the oil tank, chain guard, and electronics cover black.
Note, I’ve also painted all those also in Candy Apple Red. Also note how nicely the rear tire sits in the rear finder.
So, in the end, this bike is not chopped, it sits high in the front and low in the back and I say, “She’s sitting Proud…” She now has over 90k miles on it and the engine is still tight and a dream to ride.