My Little Obsession with Chopper...

Ever since the last last time when the oak tree is still short and green, i mistakenly bought a Honda Steed, thought my wife and I could enjoy some chopper style glamour riding we saw from Harley ads.

Well turn out that the chopper was a mistake, cus it didnt create much pleasure for riding, it is heavy, hot engine cooking my inner thighs, and my favourite shoes getting wet despite not raining, just merely the road is wet... and ultimatum event that makes wifey shouted to me "Please sell this bike!"...the hot exhaust scarred our small thighs, yes, each and every one...

Ended up the steed was a really brief affair. So brief that I couldnt even remember the time frame I have own it and what happened to it, did I sell it personally? or trade it in? It remains a mystery...but i do have a photo to proof that i did rode it before...

Cool Right!? Thats like 10 years ago...ah looking at the picture, i missed my tight jean, my tight shirt and my small waist line...

Well moving on, as I said, i do not really remember the time line when this bike existed beside me, thus not really remembering well, what bike i had next, but i know, its definately not a chopper...cus wifey has already deleted this category in my list of wanna-gets.

As much as I know very well, that i will not get a chopper, probably, again. But deep down, i always hold a little sensation that is really to tinkle whenever i sit that clamshell posture, with my arms spread wide to hold the ape bars and don that half cap helmet. Since young when we boys came to know motorcycles, choppers (read Harley Davidson) are probably the 1st kind of bike we know and it was drilled to our mind that if we ride these kind of bikes, we will be cool.

Fast forward a few years...Wifey and I got a car, then i get to spend more time alone on a motorcycle. That dormant thought of owning a chopper came alive again...

At my job and housework, there are full of procastination...but when it comes to bike....a few words is just enough to pull together the long process of the thought of getting the bike and gotten the bike.

Chance upon a working partner who owns a spraypainting workshop, he has done up this small (i said small at this point of time becus I have acquired my unlimited license and handle a few big bikes already) chopper to a beautiful state and topped it up with a beauitful number. this partner of mine was a really nice old chap, thinking of retiring and told me he wanted to let go of almost all his "properties" soon. I could not afford his workshop but i sure like his suzuki intruder 400!

He let me have the bike for $2000. Before he finished the next sentence, i went and came back with the money and took the keys.

At that time when I bought this Intruder, i would have known more about bikes then the last time i was riding the Steed. Intruder was a much nicer bike then the Steed (in my humble opinion)...it was shaft driven, so there are no chain sound to chip into the melody of your rumbling exhaust, the design of the Intruder was spot-on old-school drag style, which match the retro fever at that time...

Stay tuned for my chopper experience...cus it dun stop at the Intruder!

at 11 May 2012 1030am

and here I am again, finally get my butt moving to continue the story about my chopper stories.

After the Intruder was sold, i was back playing around with fast naked bikes and tourer. Until i had the chance to come across another chopper when i was visiting a dealer friend in Changi. It was a 800cc mid size custom from Kawasaki...It is the 1st chopper that is more then 400cc for me, it is the newest chopper I have own (like 3 years old) and its probably the best looking chopper i have yet to set my hands on...

The Kawasaki Vulcan 800 custom

With its nice chromes and the forge custom front rim, it was about close to love at first sight. (I bought it at the 2nd visit to the shop). The boss gave me a good price cus in local context it was hard to sell a mid size metric chopper. It was my biggest purchase on a chopper to date though.

As soon as I am back to my pc, i wasted no time to go onto the internet to see what I could get for the chopper. Cut all the waiting time, the bling bling came in one by one, I wasted no time, bought some coffee for my mechanic friend and ask them to help me fix them up.

Although this is not a Harley but I am equally proud to roll out this baby that weekend to impress my gang.
I was always contradicting myself. The Vulcan was cool and vibby along the 100kmh range but anything above that was quite out of the comfort range. I began to realise that once my gang starts to pull away from me on the highway, i was probably quite helpless...

Only then, i started to understand fully, why the choppers only ride with their own breed and would not allow other bikes to join...haha. It was easy to know why, but this real experience really carve out the answer and it is not fun at all...

Since my gang arent really ready to convert to choppers, this Vulcan didnt last long with me though...realising that most of my passion are still with tourer. I soon eye another BMW which i have to divert the opportunity cost from this Vulcan. But I knew...i will probably own a chopper again.