In recent times, custom made bikes have seen a huge resurgence. These are bikes that have been constructed from scratch, uniquely designed and having an appeal that is hard to resist by anyone. The history of these bikes goes all the way back to the US and the early to mid part of the twentieth century. Bike riders then were looking for lighter and faster bikes and custom made motorcycles was the only way to go. Enthusiasts would often take their bikes apart and make some lighter which in turn would make them much faster. Choppers are another form of bike that has become very popular since the Second World War. With the advent of many soldiers returning after years of fighting the Germans, they were looking for some excitement and the easiest thing to do I was to use their skills as mechanics and tank drivers and hence the chopper was born through a need to utilise skills learnt through war.

The word chopper comes from chopping up bikes. The market for custom made choppers has grown exponentially over the past 60 years and one can even find custom chopper designers in India. Nowadays one finds many designs that are eye catching, and unique. It is these designs that make the custom motorbikes so attractive, plus the fact that they are generally very high horse power bikes that go very fast, look cool and signify youth. Custom made bikes are really the coolest things around… especially when one takes a look at Orange County Choppers and Indian Larry’s Bikes. These are extremely high end products that take ours of painstaking work on the smallest parts of the bike. Some of the attention to detail is bordering on the ridiculous, and the colours and finishes can sometimes be garish, for example one bike recently produced by Indian Larry (a native Indian from America, not to be confused with some fantastic Indian sub-continental manufacturers and assemblers), painted in platinum and gold leaf pain and even the screws on the bike are customised.

Custom made bikes are generally faster in a straight line than factory manufactured bikes as the angle of the front suspension has been raked or made larger and the engine output customised to the buyers requirements. This increased rake gives them their distinctive look and feel when riding them, though beginners have to be careful as they are not as easy to handle and especially difficult when cornering at high speeds. The sub-continent is producing some fantastic examples of choppers with modified bullets in India gaining popularity as the level of customisation increases and expertise in manufacturing these bikes grows. Moreover, coupled with an increase in disposable income, this means that custom made bikes in India are growing in appeal. Customisation also allows the owners individuality to come through as the design process is interactive and the option that one can choose from endless. Indians are seeing that custom motorbikes are not only produced in America, but on their own doorstep and advantage should be taken of local skills and creativity.