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Tecelot's blog: "My venting"

created on 03/02/2008  |  http://fubar.com/my-venting/b193979

Ride That Chopper!!!

The following rant is posted courtesy of Biker® magazine, written by Matt Hansen of M&M Choppers, Inc.

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Many people out there these days believe that choppers are built just for looks and not really to ride. Totally Wrong!! My wife & I have proven, with over tens of thousands of miles on our choppers (both are hardtail, both are kicker only), that this is total B.S.  I once rode a thousand miles in one day without any issues. This kind of hard riding isn't much fun, bit it certainly can be done.

The world of so-called "choppers" has turned into a circus sideshow. I've read enough mags, been to enough bike shows and seen enough television build off programs to determine that very few of the hotshot "Master Builders" are building motorcycles anymore. They are building statues - works of art disguised as motorcycles. Some of these bikes show excellent workmanship and incredible ideas, but if the end result isn an unrideable trailer queen it is a wasted effort.  After all, this is supposed to be about motorcycles, not a contest to see who's the best machinist or body shop man.

Do any of these people remember what bikes are for? Let me refresh their memories: RIDING! They are for riding! Thanks to these geniuses, we are living in the trailer queen era. This puzzles me. What happened to the idea of packing your gear on your custom-built chopper and hitting the highway for a week or two? There was a time, not all that long ago, when the road to Sturgis was filled with hundreds of custom bikes packed down and rolling toward the campgrounds. Today, you almost never see a chopper, packed with gear, running down the hhighway. You will, however, see hundreds of them once you arrive at the rally, displayed in shows or profiling down the main drag. Why? Because they all arrived in a trailer and were unloaded at, or close to, the event in order to show off their radical choppers. What a load of crap!

If you choose to build a bike with a "monkey screwing the football" seating position, a ridiculously big radical engine, the fattest rear tire you can find and all the other wild gizmos out there, then be my guest. This is America. You are entitled to your opinion on what a custom chopper should be. Different opinions are all part of the fun. But, if I call to invite you on a 1,000-or-so-mile ride for a couple of days, I don't want to hear any sniveling about the comfort factor or dependability of your chopper. I sure as hell don't want to hear about leaving the chopper home and riding your bagger instead. If the chopper is not good for riding, then what good is it? By the way, I'm not down on baggers or any other kind of bike. Iam down on builders building unrideable works of art instead of functional motorcycles.  A chopper should be built to ride. If you must trailer it around, you simply didn't build it right.

If choppers are set up properly they can be very nice to ride, not to mention beautiful to look at. If they are not set up properly they can be hell on earth.

One group of riders, the full-dressers, may say choppers are not for riding. They like their bikes with lots of built-in comforts. I can understand why these people feel this way. Their touring machines are incredibly smooth and comfy. A comparison to this scenario would be the luxury of a new Lincoln Town Car versus the cool factor of a T-bucket roadster.  It's all about where your heart is. The dresser riders are, however, qualified to speak. Their heart is on the highway, NOT on a trailer.

There are the guys who say "We ride our choppers all the time." My question is how far are you riding it - to the local pub for the nightly bike show? (Doesn't count! Any moped can do that.)

There is, however, a road to salvation for you target people. That road would be called "A highway." Use it to prove me wrong. Leave the trailers and chase vehicles at home, strap your gear onto your custom bike, and RIDE IT! My opinion on the looks of your spaceship bike will remain the same, but you will have earned my respect as a fellow rider.

Living in the trailer queen era isn't all bad. It gives guys like me plenty to bitch about and poke fun at, and I'm taking full advantage of the situation and enjoying it immensely.

Hats off to all the people out there who are riding their motorcycles to whereever their destination is, regardless of what their brand or style of bike is. THEY'RE RIDING! What a concept. I look forward to sharing this concept, and the road, with them in the future.

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