Bobbers are the new choppers

On the streets and parking lots of Bike Week, the machines drawing the most stares aren't the choppers--those are soooo 2005. No, it's the stripped down, old-school bobbers, a style of custom motorcycle that was popular in the 1950s but has now been updated for the new millenium, that wind up with knots of people around them.

Characterized by a look that is designed to look shorter that the super-stretched customs of recent years, bobbers take their name from the bobbed rear fender that originally defined the genre. Modern bobbers take the style in new directions, though defining exactly what a bobber really is can be tough

While there are no hard-and-fast rules, bobbers often sport old-school panhead and knucklehead engines, with a stripped-down look, a saddle seat, thin, tall wheels, muted colors, stock-ish handlebars, mid-mounted or stock-mounted controls and little or no front fork rake. They recall the carefree days when WWII had just ended, and everyone could get on with enjoying life.

At places like Destination Daytona, a new mega-mega-Harley-Davidson dealership just north of Daytona on Interstate 95, you couldn't swing a fringe leather jacket without hitting a bobber. It seemed as if every V-twin company showing their wares in the massive vender expo had either built a bobber, or put one on display to attract attention.

Driving the point home was the Destination Daytona Bike Show, which seemed to have more bobbers than choppers--including a tribute bike to builder Indian Larry, who was an early champion of re-energizing the genre. The show, just one of the attractions at Destination Daytona--a huge dealership/expo/hotel--is a Bike Week must-do. The quality of the bikes truly is stunning.