Honda CB 750 ‘Chopper'

The 1969 American road movie, Easy Rider, was a landmark counter culture film that explored social issues and tensions in the USA during the 1960s.  It featured two bikers (Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper) and their customised machines or choppers. 

Choppers or ‘chopped’ motorcycles were radically customised by usually transferring a road machine into a special ‘hard tail’ frame with increased head stock rake and extended forks.  The first were based on Harley Davidsons but soon Triumph engines found favour.

In the 1970s the new Japanese superbike engines were widely used like this Honda CB 750 engine dating from 1978.  The chopper has now largely disappeared from popular culture but they caused a sensation in their heyday!