Remember Me
forgot your password?

Building a Custom Chopper, Where Do you Start?

by, Ian Parish

So you want to build a custom chopper? I do too, so the first question I asked myself, is where do I start. Should I make a business plan, a schedule, a financial statement, or should I just buy my wife some flowers and blindly proceed? I guess I should do all of the above but not necessarily in that order.

I will start by trying to justify this purchase and or endeavor, to do this I will make a list of my reasons? 1) I want to ride a custom chopper, a totally cool stretched out, fire breathing, gas eating, pavement pounding, old lady scaring, 2 wheel monster. 2) I want to be able to say "I built that" when someone asks me where I got that totally sick bike. 3) I want to be able to customize the bike beyond the standard add on parts I can get for my current bike a Harley Davidson Fatboy. 4) I want to be able to make this dream come true, meaning I need to be able to pay for it. A $35,000 chopper is out of my current budget. 5) I have been talking about this for 5 years so why don't I get to it and stop doing all the talking and start doing some building.

Now I have a few reasons on paper a will look at my options, then make a plan, a schedule, and find some extra money.

Let's start with a my build options, and plan on a slow and steady approach. I realize I will need to do a lot of research before I start. I have 4 basic options, a kit bike, a rolling chassis, a start from zero build, or an extreme makeover of a current motorcycle.

Option 1) If I start with a motorcycle kit I maybe the farthest ahead from a mechanical perspective, and farthest behind from a financial point of view. What do I mean by this, well a kit bike has all the parts it just needs paint, labor, gas, oil and some love. The problem a complete kit bike will cost me $12,000 dollars right up front. This is a bit out of my spend a ton of money now then not be able to ride a bike for a year or two thinking. If I get a kit, I maybe able to get it together faster, as I will be motivated and have all the parts ready to go. As a first bike I think this is a very good option, when you consider all the expensive mistakes I may make along that way. One drawback to this option is the amount of customization I can do to the bike as it is put together. Because all the parts are in the kit, I may resist the urge to get new bars or different sheet metal, or other parts.

Option 2) Start with a Rolling chassis, this is the middle of the road option, spend a lump sum of money, about 1/2 of what the overall bike will cost and get a basic setup that all works together.

A Rolling chassis kit consists of a Frame, 2 wheels, the forks, and triple clamps and bars, all build and configured to work together. Add a motor and a transmission and all the major workings of the bike are in place. This setup helps avoid some of the major work needed to mix match and fit these items together. This option also allows for a ton of customization in the parts that people see and the parts that give a bike it's personality. For me this is a very serious option to consider. I would only have 1/2 the cost and 1/2 the parts sitting around and gathering dust until I get time to get it together.

Option 3) Find each and every part one at a time and build a completely custom motorcycle. I know I could do this, but I also know I will encounter more unexpected and possibly expensive issues with this type of build. This option would give me a bike that no one would ever duplicate. This could be very good or this could be very bad. What if some possible combination of frame, motor, forks, or wheels didn't work together? It would not be discovered until the motorcycle was all together. I think this option is better left to the serious professional who build bike all night long, as the are working on other peoples bikes, and running businesses during the day. I may consider this for my second custom chopper.

Option 4) Take an existing bike and start cutting and changing it. This is maybe as involved as chopping and re-welding the frame to create a new rake and angles. Or it could mean just getting a new frame and using the engine, transmission, and various other part to build a new machine. I like this idea, and I think it would be a lower cost alternative to all new custom parts. With this option you are also able to keep the current registration and title if the frame is not replaced. This is also a lower cost option because a lot of the miscellaneous parts can be reused.

I know that in one page all the possible combinations of Custom Chopper build can't be completely explained, I just hope this information give you something to start with and build on. It has help steer me in the direction of a rolling chassis, so I better get shopping.

Ian Parish is an avid motorcyclists and Jeeper. He has been involved with both sports for the past 20 years. He has jumped into building a custom chopper full force and is assembling that parts and the plan, on his website MyChopperBlog.com. Check out the website as I need all the help I can get. He is aslo the owner of RedJeepClub.com

Ian Parish

Ian Parish is an avid motorcyclists and Jeeper. He has been involved with both sports for the past 20 years. He has jumped into building a custom chopper full force and is assembling that parts and the plan, on his website MyChopperBlog.com. Check out the website as I need all the help I can get.

Rate this Article: 1 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Motorcycles Articles
  • More from Ian Parish

Replace your old basketball shoes

By: aaryn | 14/11/2009
Recently there has been some spamming between competitor wholesale shoe sales websites as there is so much competition, so do not always rely on a bad comment, do some checking for yourself to see if these comments themselves are real or fake.

Get a mini scooter today

By: Simon Lee | 13/11/2009
Mini scooters are a great form of entertainment! They can offer hours of fun for both children and adults. Mini scooters can be push powered, gas powered, or electric powered. The price will depend on the type and style you are looking for. The price ranges from forty dollars for a push powered mini scooter up to over a thousand dollars for a gas or electric powered one.

7 Moped Scooters Safety Tips

By: Stephan Bauer | 13/11/2009
Do not ride your moped scooter without reading these safety tips.

3 Ways Buying Used Cars Can Save You Money

By: Scott Mckeagan | 12/11/2009
If you are thinking about a used car, we have some ideas on how you can save money.

Frbiz.com reports Terry Gou said the Hon Hai employees pay rise next month

By: xt | 12/11/2009
Terry Gou said the Hon Hai employees pay rise next month

Putting the Perfect Detail on Your Motorcycle

By: Joe Kosoglow | 12/11/2009
The right accessories can enhance your riding and driving experience when on your motorcycle. And, without the right accessories, you may not be as safe as you could be – or as comfortable. What should you consider when it comes to Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts and accessories? Let’s take a look at some of the popular items:

Buying the Best Motorcycle and Keeping It Going Forever

By: Joe Kosoglow | 12/11/2009
What makes Harley-Davidson such an amazing ride? It’s partially because Harley-Davidson is a truly a great sum of its excellent parts. Each detail of a Harley-Davidson works in combination to make this machine an amazing ride.

Motorcycle Helmets: Choosing the Best One for You

By: Kasan Groupe | 11/11/2009
If you’ve recently purchased your first motorcycle, then you probably spent an inordinate amount time agonizing over every little detail. Unfortunately, in the process you probably neglected the importance of a high quality motorcycle helmet. Many people treat their helmets as afterthoughts and as a result they end up with uncomfortable helmets that aren’t even necessarily safe. Don’t let this happen to you, instead check out my tips and suggestions for finding the perfect helmet.

Touring Northern Utah on a Motorcycle

By: Ian Parish | 26/06/2007 | Motorcycles
I love to get on my motorcycle and ride. If I have a week or just a couple of hours I can't seem to get enough of the wind, the sun, the sound's, the smells, and the bugs. Utah offers many different opportunities from the steep windy mountain roads, to the flat open desert highways, to the scenic beauty of our many national parks. The terrain is vast and varied, and the highways plentiful.

Now is the Perfect Time to Buy a Jeep Wrangler

By: Ian Parish | 16/06/2007 | SUVs
It seems like everyone I know likes the Jeep Wrangler, the timing is right to consider buying a newer used Wrangler. They are fun in the sun, 4 Wheel drive in the winter, and very capable off pavement. There is a large after market of parts available, which makes it easy to modify and upgrade.

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.23, 1, w1)