The chopper is quintessentially American and, since Easy Rider, has embodied the American dream. This book tells the true story of the most rebellious of all motorcycles.

Whether you collect custom motorcycles or want to throw rocks at those biker freaks who leave you deaf as they zoom by, you need to know the story of the chopper. Because the story of the chopper is the story of popular culture.

The Great Depression, 1960s youth culture, folk art, the conservative press, old-school revivals—the chopper plays a part in all of these.

In this book, leading motorcycle journalist and vintage motorcycle expert Paul d’Orléans tells the chopper’s true story, from its origins to its renaissance today. With its well-informed texts and showcase of historical and contemporary photographs, it finally gives the chopper the respectful attention it deserves.

“Where did you get this motorcycle?” “It’s not a motorcycle, baby, it’s a chopper.”— Butch (Bruce Willis), Pulp Fiction