Chopper Magazine, 1971-1973

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Mon Sep 18 23:25:57 UTC 2000


    CHOPPER MAGAZINE (based in California) is a good source fo motorcycle slang from the 1960s-1970s.  The Hondas really hit the scene beginning 1969.  I read through 1971-1973.
   This is from the Cecil Adams "The Straight Dope" column (www.straightdope.com):

Harley Lawyer:  "Your honor, our competitior's ripoff of our product purposely goes potato-potato-potato."
Rice burner lawyer:  "Nonsense, it goes poTAHto-poTAHto-poTAHto.  Let's call the whole thing off."

  From CHOPPERS:

February 1971, pg. 28, col. 1--Straightening the pre-1948 bars out and bringing them back makes nice monkey-hangers.  (OED "monkey-hangers"?--ed.)
(...)  When the springers came out in the 40's, there were "dogbones" available that you attached to the triple clamp (after cutting off the stock bars).

February 1971, pg. 64, col. 2--...Japanese ringdings.  (No "riceburner"--ed.)

March 1971, pg. 8, col. 1--The meaning of "chopper" has taken a radical change over the past few years.  The original idea was to eliminate the extra weight, bulk and cluttered appearance of the stock Harley.

March 1971, pg. 31 headline--MOD-STYLED GO-JUICE CANS.

May 1971, pg. 19 headline--Killer Frog with Sacred Cow Body.

June 1971, pg. 18 headline--HONEST CHARLIE'S MUSCLE MACHINE.

September 1971, pg. 48 headline--MORE MILES FROM YOUR PEANUT TANK.

October 1971, pg. 45, col. 2--The new riding style out of Frisco is "knees up Mother Brown"...

December 1971, pg. 27, "Freak Brothers" cartoon--FIFTY EIGHT KA-CHUMFs LATER.

January 1972, pg. 23, col. 1--In order to get the straight poop on speeding up the Sportster, we consulted two eminent PHDs (Professor of Harley-Davidsons)...

February 1972, pg. 4, col. 2--...Smog City.  (Los Angeles--ed.)

February 1972, pg. 27 headline--IT HAPPENED IN FOG CITY.  (San Francisco--ed.)

February 1972, pg. 36 headline--HOW DID THEIR CHOP SHOP GROW?

March 1972, pg. 15, col. 2--All you got was a few quick glances, possibly sufficient to qualify your "bomb" as a "real hot scoot."

April 1972, pg. 55--A NEW LOOK IN SISSY BARS. (...)  Sissy bars began to get popular about 10 years ago.

June 1972, pg, 42 headline--What's your sign, man?

August 1972, pg. 8, col. 1--Since a truly appropriate name escapes me at the moment, I'm just gonna call 'em "Weekend Warriors."

September 1972, pg. 4, col. 1--It's just that I'm getting awful tired of the Hoo-Ha Phenomenon.

October 1972, pg. 39, col. 2--That's known as Harley Hoo-Ha.

October 1972, pg. 54, col. 2--...the old banzaimobile.  (The Honda 750 is not called a riceburner--ed.)

November 1972, pg. 46 headlines--GONE WITH THE HOG!  Bayou baconmobile goes like the wind.

December 1972, pg. 18, col. 2--"Cheap Jap junk!" ("Riceburner" is not used--ed.)

January 1973, pg. 4, col. 1--Damned straight.  Gotta be Stone Age.

January 1973, pg. 42 headline--BEAR KNUCKLE.  "Eat Hog, Smokey."

January 1973, pg. 60, col. 2--You can't fight the man, City Hall, and Johnny Joe Citizen.

February 1973, pg. 27, col. 1--...doing _el cheapo_ jobs all week long by doing wild and thorough numbers on his own car.

March 1973, pg. 33, col. 2--...pepperoni-powered...

May 1973, pg. 26, col. 1--Needless to say, the result was a very strong running motorcycle, and the old adage "if it doesn't run, chrome it" doesn't apply here.

May 1973, pg. 40, col. 1--Trick phrase: "Vhen you say dot, you petter smile, auslander."

June 1973, pg. 46, col. 2--The sissy bar--or goody bar as it's called in Berdoo--...

June 1973, pg. 66, col. 1--Thinking of getting something that goes "ka-chumfa, ka-chumfa" instead of "putt-putt-putt"?  (What about "potato-potato-potato"?--ed.)

July 1973, pg. 10, col. 3--Joe Goodguy, sound citizen, that was me.

July 1973, pg. 18, col. 2--Maybe my right hand got a little eager, and I might have been doing just a skosh more than what I was supposed to.  (I can't pass up a "skosh" cite--ed.)

July 1973, pg. 36, col. 1--Not the normal "they're coming to rape our daughters and steal our chickens!" syndrome that a lot of citizens have, but...

July 1973, pg. 37, col. 1--By now, of course, I was hooked on Harleys and decided that the "riceburners" were for beginners and chicks.

September 1973, pg. 29 headlines--GOD CREATED KNUCKLEHEADS.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was ka-chumpfa.

Spetember 1973, pg. 45, col. 1--The KISS principle:  Keep It Simple, Seymore.

September 1973, pg. 51, col. 1--When we first saw pictures of the style, it got labeled the "Knees Up, Mother Brown" position.

October 1973, pg. 44, col. 1--His frame is a good example of the so-called "gooseneck," a style that is as striking as it is unsafe.



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