Chopper shops

[Tom Lovejoy]

We only have to look as far as the antiques for sale section in our news papers, nice 1978 Ford fairmont Time to face the facts friends, all of us are growing older by the day, some of us are ahead of some but... all on the same road. Would be nice to come here and read about these machines for many years to come but slowly but surely the old ones are becoming a rarity, and I don't just mean the bikes!!! "I would like to learn from everyone on this site, enough shredding each other. Please teach me, I may forget and ask a stupid question that's been asked before or that's obvious to someone else, happens I'm getting older and a bit forgetfull so please don't move the furniture around in the dark. I like this place, feels like home can we all agree to try and keep it that way? Hope so the machines need us".

I am with you Neil, well said.

[rickgeo]

My 2 cents. Was at a local HOG rally with a bike show,couple of months ago.Debated entering my 82 shovel,but decided to ride the poker run instead.When we got back to the dealer,they musta had 50 bikes entered for judging,maybe 5 were pre-1975 & not one got an award! Turned out to be who had the most chrome on the newest bike! Plus the price to ride was 20 bucks & all ya got for lunch was a cheeseburger period! Guess I'm gettin old,but the longer I live,the more the stupidity I see!

[panz4ever]

In bygone days your bike was your calling card...

Eric you have answered your own question. Unless you have a well established indie I think that mentality has long since disappeared. You also see it at car shows and bike shows. Mostly about the latest and greatest trinkets and bling.

Known my indie for almost 17 years now. He knows when I walk in it's about a build on a pan motor (only exception was a shovel a few years back). He helped me with my 49EL motor. When I finally have it together and running I will ride it down so he can see it. (Done that on the last three pan builds.). At any rate he seems to appreciate it.

Been down there a few times and watched as he has patiently tried to explain some procedure to some guy with a twin cam. It's as though the owner of the bike is too cheap to go and get a manual. (Gotta say a couple of conversations the questions were putty damn basic).

All I'm saying I guess is that maybe those folks behind the counter had just finished up with some dumb ass with a dumb ass question. And riding down on your Chief to buy a couple of 'small' parts from Tedd isn't exactly supporting your local indie shop. Think that customer-business relationships are earned slowly over time and not granted by one owning a particular shop or by the iron he or she might be riding at the time.

[Bills37]

We only have to look as far as the antiques for sale section in our news papers, nice 1978 Ford fairmont

lol The day I see a Taurus with a antique tag, I'm going to commit ritual Sepeku right there in the middle of the street.

[Paquette]

Bills37--The correct term is "Seppuku" or "hara-kiri" . you must also have an attender to cut your head off right after you disembowel yourself--M--6671

[Neil74]

Good point about the Taurus, I'll get a jump on the rest of you and start gathering the parts no body wants now! I hope to live long enough to see that one, could even make it in the old photo's one day Was just thinking some of us has heard this before, you're saving Knucklehead and Flatty parts for what??? They're everywhere.

[Bills37]

Bills37--The correct term is "Seppuku" or "hara-kiri" . you must also have an attender to cut your head off right after you disembowel yourself--M--6671

I'll plunge the knife in right before I get run over by a Hyundia. Will that work?

[Britluv]

The trouble with the "new" riders is many of them are all about "image" but have no knowledge.
When I had my shop (25 years ago) it amazed me how many who came for help could always afford a 12-pack before messing up their bikes, but never bought a shop manual.
As bike shows go, if the balloting is "public," the bike with the most chrome or wierdest paint job is going to "win." If the show has actual "judges," I ask what they own or ride, as most of them know only one brand, and usually nothing older than 1995.
When I enter a bike in one of these events I never plan on winning. I just show the bike, shake hands, give out AMCA literature and hope someone will inform me about another old bike I may be able to buy.
In other words, I enter for public relations purposes.
Car shows that allow bikes are rare because when bike guys begin telling stories, the spectators gravitate to our area to listen, and the car guys get jealous!

[rousseau]

Get your Taurus now while there still affordable. This is the very rare 9 passenger model. Sometimes refered to as a Station Wagon. Not to be confused with a SUV. This (soon to be) collectible has less than 200,000 miles and still has the very desirable ORIGINAL PAINT!!!!!

Call BR-549

[chibobber]

Junior Samples would have been a great indie dealer! Hee-Haw!

[parkerize]

All good points. I see it a little different. I'm up in CT and there are lots of chopper shops up this way. I never have real reason to go to them but I do see all kinds of the new style chopper bikes (and of course new harleys) at all the local meets (just like all of you). Hardly any of the guys riding these types of machines ever really look at any of my stuff at these type of events. I don't personally think ist an attitude problem they have, I just think they are clueless as to antique motorcycling and what are hobby is all about. Just different strokes for different folks. I mean you literally get a guy that is "sleeved" with tags and he asks you if your old knuck is a "1954". Again nothing against the new breed that formed over the last say 10 years but it is an entirely new crew who is used to going to his local chopper shop and paying $1500 for "custom" wheels with three day delivery (or the new harley guy who wants a quick release "detachable" windshield and bags). Thus I am not surprised when these guys dont even glance at my bikes; there is nothing in my bikes that they see appealing. The new crew never had to wait years to find that certain part like all of us antique nuts do. We speak two different languages and get enjoyment from completely different sources. Neither wrong but both entirely different where the motorcycle really isnt even a common denominator between us. When motorcycling was a much smaller group of people (say 10-30 years back), everyone kinda of related to each other no matter what you were riding (and hence, as Eric pointed out, people came out of their shops to look at your sled, albeit an old harley, beemer, triumph, whatever, it was a motorcycle). Today as antique motorcycle guys we still have the same mentality from 10-30 years ago; the new era biker never knew it so it is hard for us to expect it from them. But I miss those old days; and that's why I personally enjoy our club so much; this glove fits well!

[Paps]

Very few of todays new biker scene crowd own their machines. They either road out the door on credit or they leased it. Image is their target, not the machine. JMHO Paps