# The oldest Lowrider



## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

A friend of mine built this bike in 1974. He used to show it at car shows and motorcycles shows. Anyone Have a pic of a older custom lowrider style bike. He still has it So that makes it 31 years old. Any one Beat that? I don't count the munsters bike. As that was made by George Barris Not a kid in his Garage.


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## chamuco61 (Nov 29, 2004)

that is fucken sick!!!!!!! certainly ahead of its time!


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## LOWRIDERTRIKE81 (Mar 10, 2005)

OLD SCHOOL! :0


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## CadillacRoyalty (Dec 26, 2003)

yea anybody body got pics of bikes that were built back then?.....


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

here's a pic of the bike in 1976. Stretched springer and Moto Mags.
My freind is going to rebiuld it as it is now and I'll post more pics then.

The guy has so much cool old stuff it's crazy.

stay tuned for more pics


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

I dont think you clould get iron cross mirrors in 1976

maybe im wrong.


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

> _Originally posted by CadillacRoyalty_@Jul 5 2005, 01:14 AM
> *yea anybody body got pics of bikes that were built back then?.....
> [snapback]3363850[/snapback]​*


My freind has many pic's of bikes built in the early 70's. Most of them are more chopper style bikes than the lowrider style. If anyone would like to check them out go to Kustom Cruisers( link is my Sig). Go to Page 13 in Picture and check out the ancient history albums.


Kustombike


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by gangstersparadise1_@Jul 5 2005, 10:41 AM
> *I dont think you clould get iron cross mirrors in 1976
> 
> maybe im wrong.
> [snapback]3364416[/snapback]​*


probably got it from a motorcycle shop


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by I-beam_@Jul 5 2005, 09:24 AM
> *probably got it from a motorcycle shop
> [snapback]3364542[/snapback]​*


could be. That pic doesnt look like its from 76 though. Im a nonbeliever. Maybe if i see it in other surroundings. But the bike in the background, the handlebars, the horn, the mirror look too modern for me. Why didnt this stuff catch on untill 20 years after this bike was done. It doesnt make sense to me. But anythings possible I guess.


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## Ryan K (Apr 19, 2005)

Lowridertrike81 posted this picture, I absolutely love it. Dont you have a bunch of other old lowrider bike pictures i remember you posting them in another thred?


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by gangstersparadise1_@Jul 5 2005, 08:28 AM
> *could be. That pic doesnt look like its from 76 though. Im a nonbeliever. Maybe if i see it in other surroundings. But the bike in the background, the handlebars, the horn, the mirror look too modern for me. Why didnt this stuff catch on untill 20 years after this bike was done. It doesnt make sense to me. But anythings possible I guess.
> [snapback]3364548[/snapback]​*


just look at the paintjob :ugh:


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

hey kustombike,

i was going through your album a little and I know that guy doc in there. He lives about 5 minutes from my house. We are the only 2 in south florida with northwest choppers. His bike is badass with the skull and the backbones. He's a chiropractor down here and builds choppers for fun, thats why he got the bike.


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by just lowriding_@Jul 5 2005, 09:31 AM
> *just look at the paintjob :ugh:
> [snapback]3364553[/snapback]​*


what about it.


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by gangstersparadise1_@Jul 5 2005, 08:34 AM
> *what about it.
> [snapback]3364564[/snapback]​*


very 80's


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by just lowriding_@Jul 5 2005, 09:35 AM
> *very 80's
> [snapback]3364572[/snapback]​*


ya but if it was built in 74 that still makes a little too advanced to believe. I could understand it being built in like 87 or 88, but 74 seems a little out there.


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gangstersparadise1_@Jul 5 2005, 09:33 AM
> *hey kustombike,
> 
> i was going through your album a little and I know that guy doc in there. He lives about 5 minutes from my house. We are the only 2 in south florida with northwest choppers. His bike is badass with the skull and the backbones. He's a chiropractor down here and builds choppers for fun, thats why he got the bike.
> [snapback]3364557[/snapback]​*


Yes the Doc is a member of KC the bones chopper was built by NWCB also a member. We have Bike Industry people that are members of KC. A few members here are also part of KC.

Also the bike was built in 74 not the 80's


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

clean old skool that is way ahead of its time :biggrin: :biggrin:


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Kustombike_@Jul 5 2005, 12:49 PM
> *Yes the Doc is a member of KC the bones chopper was built by NWCB also a member. We have Bike Industry people that are members of KC. A few members here are also part of KC.
> 
> Also the bike was built in 74 not the 80's
> [snapback]3365512[/snapback]​*


next time i see doc I'll bring my NWCB and take some pics of both of ours. Heres mine...


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

that dont look old


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by eric ramos_@Jul 5 2005, 01:13 PM
> *that dont look old
> [snapback]3365679[/snapback]​*


Are you talking about mine? If so thats because it's not. It was built 2 years ago.


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

:0 sorry gangstersparidise1


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

> _Originally posted by eric ramos_@Jul 5 2005, 01:22 PM
> *:0 sorry gangstersparidise1
> [snapback]3365721[/snapback]​*


no problem


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

:thumbsup: cool


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

[attachmentid=206455][attachmentid=206456]Hi, I'm Brainchopper. I built the bike that "Kustombike" posted above. I am 45 years old now, the bike was first made in 1974 and was first shown in early 1975.
Virtually all of the show bikes made at that time were "choppers" with long front ends, and this bike was eventually made into a chopper about 2 years later. I originally wanted the bike to be in the style of the early kustom bikes of the late 1960's, with a stock Krate fork and a big set of ape hangers. I couldn't find a set of giant apehangers at the time so I bought a set of 12 inch z bars at a kustom motorcycle shop along with a maltese cross mirror. 

The frame was from a 1966 Stingray, the Krate forks could still be bought new in 1974 along with the full floating seat post and sissy bar. The frame was molded by me in the style that was common then (on showbikes), with the molded tank area and rear scallops, similar to what many chopper motorcycles had at the time. I then had the frame painted and striped at a kustom motorcycle shop. The front drum brake wheel is off of a 1968 Lemon Krate, the triple horn was bought at a Michigan Schwinn dealership. The seat was (and is) a Schwinn "MantaRay" seat that I bought brand new and reupholstered with red crushed velvet and brass buttons. 

The bike was shown between 1975 and 1980. I have included a photo of me at 15 years old in 1975 at a motorcycle show, the bike still having it's stock Krate fork on it. The other photo shows the bike in 1978 at a kustom car show, with its extended forks.

I never heard the term "Lowrider bicycle" till the late 1980's. When I first put the bike together in the summer of 1974 I refered to it as a "kustom" bicycle. George Barris coined the term "Kustom" in the 1950's I think. The bike was really out of step with the times in 1974 and 1975, nobody was making kustom bikes with short front ends then, and some people gave me a hard time about it!

I still have the bike in storage covered with a sheet, it was put back to it's early short front end look (with all it's original parts) after a photo session in the mid 1980's. The 31 year old kustom paint job is flaking off now, and the show chrome is all worn out! The tires are flat and full of cracks too. A young guy who saw the bike in the mid 1990's went crazy over it and said that it was the most awesome lowrider bicycle he had ever seen! I told him that when I first made the bike I called it a "kustom bike" He said " you cant fool me! that bike is a Lowrider!" 

I'll get some photo's of it the way it is now and post them for you to see. What do you think, is the bike one of the first lowriders? I don't know....

Brainchopper


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

Brainchopper you had a kick ass vison of a bike way ahead of its time :biggrin:


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

there we go, proved me wrong. Killer bike brianchopper. It looked and still looks great. Youre truely a pioneer of the sport.


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## Ridinlow4life (Dec 23, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 5 2005, 01:34 PM
> *[attachmentid=206455][attachmentid=206456]Hi, I'm Brainchopper. I built the bike that "Kustombike" posted above. I am 45 years old now, the bike was first made in 1974 and was first shown in early 1975.
> Virtually all of the show bikes made at  that time were "choppers" with long front ends, and this bike was eventually made into a chopper about 2 years later. I originally wanted the bike to be in the style of the early kustom bikes of the late 1960's, with a stock Krate fork and a big set of ape hangers. I couldn't find a set of giant apehangers at the time so I bought a set of 12 inch z bars at a kustom motorcycle shop along with a maltese cross mirror.
> 
> ...


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## 66wita6 (Sep 18, 2003)

:thumbsup: MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS ,ILL GAT THE CLUB PRES TO BRING DOWN HIS BIKE THAT HE HAD WHEN THEY STARTED SANTANA BIKE CLUB BACK IN THE '70S......HERES SUM HANGING UP SIDE DOWN IN HIS GARAGE.....(SUM OF THEM I FLIPPED OVER)


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## gangstersparadise1 (Jul 1, 2004)

i have the same headlight as that last one.


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## 66wita6 (Sep 18, 2003)

THE LAST ONE IS QUESTIONABLE, BUT THE RED ONE(1ST ONE)THAT ONES LEGIT,HE'S GOT A COUPLE OF BIKES IN HIS GARAGE, AND NOW ITS HIS SONS TURN, LIL BULLET AND THE RAMS BIKE....


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Thanks for the cool comments on my old bike. The national Lowrider breakout in the mid 90's showed that a new kustom bicycle movement was possible again. The 1980's were the dark ages for kustom bikes. The 90's Lowriders paved the way for the present kustom bike scene we see emerging today.

I really enjoyed seeing those early photo's of the lowriders, thanks!

Brainchopper


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

matt damon


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## LuckyLooney (Jun 29, 2005)

WOW :worship: 
u truly have to see it or read it lol 
to belive it ....brainchopper u were ahead of time 
its just to sick :worship: :worship: :worship:


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

:thumbsup: another old skool bike


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

[attachmentid=206800]

For those of you who like choppers, heres a photo of a chopper that I made back in 1989. I wish it looked this good now! It has a homemade springer and a Sturmy Archer 3 speed rear wheel. The shifter is a vintage Sun Tour. The bike got stolen once, but I got it back.......

Brainchopper


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## Ryan K (Apr 19, 2005)

Wicked stuff as always John!


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## lolow (Jan 25, 2003)




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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

Brain. Post up the pic of the Bike with the 12 ft forks. Veery cool stuff.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by just lowriding_@Jul 5 2005, 08:51 PM
> *matt damon
> [snapback]3367651[/snapback]​*



:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

From the mid 1980's. One of the kids in the old neighborhood, riding my chopper with the 11 foot forks! Not good in rush hour traffic! 
[attachmentid=208147]

Brainchopper


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## Judas Is Rising (Jan 29, 2005)

dammmmmmmnnnnn!!! the fork is fucking loooooong!!!!!!  :biggrin:


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

bump! Lets see your older than 1974 lowriders.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Kustombike_@Jul 8 2005, 02:38 PM
> *bump! Lets see your older than 1974 lowriders.
> [snapback]3382287[/snapback]​*


technically thats not lowrider  but it still looks good, especially for 74


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## BigPoppa (Jun 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 7 2005, 07:55 PM
> *From the mid 1980's. One of the kids in the old neighborhood, riding my chopper with the 11 foot forks! Not good in rush hour traffic!
> [attachmentid=208147]
> 
> ...


whoa!


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Hey I-beam it's interesting that you see my old bike as something other than a lowrider. One time an old lowrider bicycle guy told me that my bike should be called a lowrider bike, because the "Eddie Munster chain bike" was a lowrider, and it didn't have a bent fork. He said the early early bikes were just as much about the other parts of the bike and didn't solely rely on a bent fork to make it "lowrider style". I know that "Lowrider Bicycle magazine" has said that the "Eddie Munster Chain Bike' " was the first "lowrider bicycle" (even though it wouldn't have been called a "lowrider" when it was first made, but a kustom bike). I'm going to include a photo of the "Eddie Munster Chain Bike" for everyone to check out. It was made in about 1964 or 1965. What do people say, is the "Chain Bike" a lowrider, even though it doesn't have a bent fork? Or should the "Chain bike" and my old bike "Grape Shot" just be called "kustom bicycles". I would be curious to see what people think about this question. If the "Chain Bike" is a lowrider then I should call my bike one too :biggrin: 

Brainchopper 

Photo: "Eddie Munster Chain bike" made in 1964.
[attachmentid=209761]

My bike in early 1975
[attachmentid=209771]


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

I bet some OG Lowrdider guy saw Johns bike at a car/bike show back in the day and went back to California and did the same body work to his Kids Schwinn Super Deluxe Stingray and called it a lowrider bicycle.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

easy girls, I'm just saying that it's not REALLY a lowrider, it's more of a muscle bike/ chopper, still looks great, especailly considering it was made in 1974, but it's not a lowrider


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## HaTeRz-NiGhTmArE (Jul 10, 2005)

thats a bad ass chopper/lolo


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Kustom bike your a gas! How about the "Eddie Munster chain bike" is it a kustomized muscle bike, or a lowrider? I was looking through my early issues of Lowrider Bicycle Magazine and I do find examples of bikes that have stock Krate forks, mag wheels, and the 16inch front wheel. Why would LBM identify the Chain Bike as the first lowrider? I agree that when George Barris made the chain bike he would have said that it was a kustomized bike, not a lowrider (a term not used at that time for bicycles). If a lowrider has to have bent forks then the Chain Bike is obviously not a lowrider and neither is my old bike. I just took some photo's of my bike a couple of days ago, looking just as it did in mid 1975, I'll post them as soon as I get them. Those vintage pics of it are just too hard to see. 

Is the Chain Bike a lowrider with it's stock forks? Or should we call it something else?

Peace hombre  

Brainchopper


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## lowrider2NV (Dec 21, 2003)

i say urs is an old school lowrider....it wasnt all about bent springers and both 20" rims

thats how they were back then till the started bending their forks 2 more of a curve


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Come to think of it that is what the old lowrider builder called my bike, an "Old School Lowrider"; he said for about a 10 or 12 year period starting with the Barris made "Chain Bike" a few rare kustom bicycles were made that were not choppers (with long front forks), but had stock front ends, show chrome,molded frames, kustom paint jobs and reupholstered seats etc. Much more sophisticated than just simple muscle bikes with a few accesories thrown on, they were unique artistic statements in the same way that the later bent fork lowrider bikes were. I seem to remember that he thought of them as part of the very early evolution of kustom bikes that later became what we know today as the lowrider style. What he said seemed to make sense, Thanks Manuel you really knew your stuff! He also said my bike was one of only a handful that he had ever seen dating from that early time.

I hope to have more photo's to show you in in a few days.  

Brainchopper


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## OXijen (May 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by I-beam_@Jul 11 2005, 08:36 AM
> *easy girls, I'm just saying that it's not REALLY a lowrider, it's more of a muscle bike/ chopper, still looks great, especailly considering it was made in 1974, but it's not a lowrider
> [snapback]3391228[/snapback]​*


i  agree. theres just something about it.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

Lowrider bikes and Custom bikes are two different things, custom bikes might have lowrider style or a lowrider feel but the fact is, your's is not a lowrider, it's chopper or a custom. In my opinion what makes it not a lowrider, is that fact THAT YOU DIDN'T LOWER IT IN ANY WAY, and in most cases from the longer forks you raised therefore not a lowrider, and definately not the oldest lowrider


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by I-beam_@Jul 11 2005, 06:13 AM
> * In my opinion what makes it not a lowrider, is that fact THAT YOU DIDN'T LOWER IT IN ANY WAY
> [snapback]3394075[/snapback]​*


:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

I see what your saying I-Beam. Therefore using that criteria the "Eddie Munster Chain Bike" is not a Lowrider either, but an early Kustom bicycle that later lowriders took their styling cues from. I wonder why "Lowrider Bicycle Magazine" said that the Chain Bike was the first lowrider though? It obviously isn't lowered by bending the forks, and the seat isn't as low as it can go either. I wonder if LBM would call my old bike a lowrider as they have with the chain bike? I have seen other bikes in old LBM issues that were called lowriders, and they didnt have bent forks? I think it's all very confusing, "Lowrider Bicycle Magazine" says one thing, others say something else, and Manuel said it was an old school lowrider? Is there an answer to this question that everyone can agree upon? Maybe the oldest lowriders were more about attitude and certain styling elements, not just whether a bike had the forks bent? 

If "Lowrider Bicycle Magazine" says that one bike with an unbent fork can be a lowrider (Chain Bike) then we must also assume that other bikes with unbent forks could also be called "Lowriders" under the right circumstances. Was LBM wrong to call the " Eddie Munster Chain bike" a lowrider, and if so why? 




Brainchopper


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

All Hail I-beam! Leading authority on Lowriders. LMAO!!


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

ok you fucks, both your bike and the Munsters bike, are not lowriders, now they both have lowrider styling, and are both good looking bikes which a lot of work went into, and yes you could consider it an old school lowrider because back then the idea of a bent fork was not around, but weather you like it or not BrainCHOPPER your bicycle is not a lowrider it's a chopper/custom.


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

true that is a chopper but with the stlye of a lowrider


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

it's a fucking custom.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by OXijen+Jul 11 2005, 07:55 AM-->
> 
> 
> 
> ...


THANK YOU!


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by I-beam_@Jul 11 2005, 12:08 PM
> *THANK YOU!
> [snapback]3395617[/snapback]​*


you can shut the fuck up


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by just lowriding_@Jul 11 2005, 03:09 PM
> *you can shut the fuck up
> [snapback]3395623[/snapback]​*


ay yi captain


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

This is an important discussion, I love it! How did Lowrider Bicycle magazine get it all wrong then? Why would they call the Chain Bike a lowrider, and why have they refered to other bikes with unbent Krate forks as lowriders? This is what I don't understand. If we can't look to LBM for the answer then who can we turn to? Is Lowrider Bicycle Magazine all wrong? This seems to be the implication?

Peace  

Brainchopper


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

magazines are fucking stupid...


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 11 2005, 03:11 PM
> *This is an important discussion, I love it! How did Lowrider Bicycle magazine get it all wrong then? Why would they call the Chain Bike a lowrider, and why have they refered to other bikes with unbent Krate forks as lowriders? This is what I don't understand. If we can't look to LBM for the answer then who can we turn to? Is Lowrider Bicycle Magazine all wrong? This seems to be the implication?
> 
> Peace
> ...


why do they have anything to do with this? are they here no, and from what understand from tons of posts on this is that the guys at LRB are fuck offs anyway


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

I agree, most magazines are fucking stupid!


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

fuck.


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Heres a bike I like the classic looks of, it's the "Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser" I like the Aztlan line of lowrider bikes. 
[attachmentid=211603]

I like this bike from "FantasyLowider" too, I think its called the "20 inch Classic Lowrider" Love those old school lowrider looks!
[attachmentid=211611]

Brainchopper


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

://www.cartelboardco.com/


has classic looking bikes too 

godfather of lowrider bikes


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## OXijen (May 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 12 2005, 03:38 PM
> *Heres a bike I like the classic looks of, it's the "Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser" I like the Aztlan line of lowrider bikes.
> 
> 
> ...


well i like this style of lowrider :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Those are great Lowriders I agree! I like all the different kinds usually (except the one I saw years ago that was pulling a trailer with a built in Barbi doll hot tub! :uh: ). 

Brainchopper


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 12 2005, 01:38 AM
> *Heres a bike I like the classic looks of, it's the "Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser" I like the Aztlan line of lowrider bikes.
> [attachmentid=211603]
> 
> ...


old school & classic, mean the same do they not, 1 just sounds more gangster


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

HMMMMMM!! 
I'd Say that Brainchoppers Bike looks very similiar to the "Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser" AND THEY CALL IT A LOWRIDER!! HMMMMMM!?!?!?!?!
SO I would have to say that Brain's is also a lowrider.


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

And the Classic lowrider is just a copy Of the Schwimm Super Deluxe. So technically I guesss Schwinn built the first lowrider in 1964 when they released the Super Deluxe Model.


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

i'm trying to keep my lowrider looking ''OG'' as it were


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Kustombike_@Jul 12 2005, 09:37 AM
> *HMMMMMM!!
> I'd Say that Brainchoppers Bike looks very similiar to the  "Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser" AND THEY CALL IT A LOWRIDER!! HMMMMMM!?!?!?!?!
> SO I would have to say that Brain's is also a lowrider.
> [snapback]3399495[/snapback]​*


they call it an O.G. Cruiser


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

20" Custom Aztlan Lowrider O.G. Cruiser

Series 625 - 20" Aztlan O.G. . Cruiser comes complete with the following parts: O.G. . Spring Shocker Sissy Bar, 26" Classic Straight Spring Fork, a 16" Baby Dayton Front Wheel and a 20" Baby Dayton Wheel in the rear.

Price $195.95

Available Colors Black Blue Burgundy Chrome

I see lowrider in the name of the Bike.


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

Aztlan Lowrider is the company :uh:


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

I know that. They call the bike a lowrider in the name of the Bike.


http://www.aztlanbicycle.com/lowrider-bike...ider-bikes.html 

Look at the bike above it doesn't say lowrider in the Bike Name so i guess it isn't a lowrider. just a crusier


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Here is a photo I took of my bike a few days ago. This is exactly the way it looked in mid 1975. All the parts you see are the original ones that were on the bike when I showed it in mid 75. I do agree it does have the same basic lines as the "Aztlan 20inch Lowrider O.G. cruiser." 
[attachmentid=211857]

BRAINCHOPPER


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Even I find it amazing that the bike has survived in this condition for 30 years! What you can't see in the photo too well is that the paint is cracking and the show chrome is all worn out. It was a helluva show bike when it was new. All the other bikes I competed against at the time were long forked "choppers". This bike was a real oddball in 1975 with its stock length forks, stock molded Stingray frame, and the crushed velvet seat! It didn't look anything like the other bikes it competed against . People asked me at the time why I didn't make a chopper! This was not the common style of the day in 1975, long choppers were.
It must be one of only a handful that have managed to survive from that time . 

Brainchopper


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Here are some more shots of the bike as it is today.
[attachmentid=211879]
[attachmentid=211880]
[attachmentid=211882]


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

krate


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## Ryan K (Apr 19, 2005)

Thats pretty cool that your bike has survived all those years man, if you get finished with your current projects you should work on restoring this bike to look how it did in 75, and compete in shows again!


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## 2low (Feb 26, 2004)

that seat looks real comfortable to ride too


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## Flash_LuxuriouS (Sep 24, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Brainchopper_@Jul 12 2005, 09:01 AM
> *Here are some more shots of the bike as it is today.
> [attachmentid=211879]
> [attachmentid=211880]
> ...



Much respect and props. :thumbsup: 

I would really like to see that bike restored back to the 74-75 look. Hell i was born in 74. Love your bike bro. I remember back in the early to mid 80's when i had my chopper, tryin to look like my Dad's Harley, lol.


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

Sweet! Looks great for the age.


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## Ryan K (Apr 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Ryan K_@Jul 12 2005, 09:39 AM
> *Thats pretty cool that your bike has survived all those years man, if you get finished with your current projects you should work on restoring this bike to look how it did in 75, and compete in shows again!
> [snapback]3400353[/snapback]​*


Oh and i was just noticing that i noticed a few things on your bike that the lowrider bikes of TODAY are similar to, such as cutting the chain guard and mounting the coaster brake clamp to the sissy bar. I dont think that your bike is a lowrider, since you built it to look like the chopper style was durring the time period, and that you had no idea what a "lowrider bike" was then, which brings me to my next point; i think that a lowrider bike is classified as a bike that somebody is trying to recreat the styling of a lowrider car, which is what the young brothers and sisters of the men and woman building lowirder cars were trying to do. but maybe it was choppers and "kustom bikes" that paved the way for the first lowriders. I never thought of the muster bike as the first lowrider, i thought that the first lowriders were built by latin americans durring the BMX craze when every body was selling their krates and stingrays real cheap at garage sales and such. In my opinion, i would call something as simple as a stock krate bike with the spring removed from the fork and possibly the seat lowered a lowrider bike.


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Ryan, what you've said has a lot of merit . Maybe we should call it the "pre lowrider style" along with the "Chain bike". My bike and the chain bike would never have been called lowriders when they were first made. And at the time it was originally made I never would have thought about removing the fork spring on my bike to lower the front end.

There are too many similarities to later lowrider stylings to be discounted though. I find it interesting that the frame is molded in the exact same fashion as many lowriders today. Except for the bike not having a bent fork it does look just like a lowrider.

I never heard the term "Lowrider bicycle" till the late 80's. As a movement It seemed to be confined to a very small group of builders in California starting in the mid to late 70's ( but still very obscure and nothing like we know it today) I saw many photos of customized bicycles from California back in the early to mid 70's but I never saw a bike you would call a lowrider ( some may have existed but I never saw photos of them. All the bikes I saw at that time were choppers.

A few of the choppers I saw during the early 70's had similar frame molding to my bike. I also saw photos of California chopper bicycles in the mid 70's that were similar to my bike when I put the extended chopper forks on it.

It seems like the oldest of kustom bike styles (1964 -1974) were the ones that had the stock length forks like the "Munster Chain Bike (1964/65)" and my bike (1974). In about 1969 (till 1980 or so) Chopper style with extended forks developed into the dominant style, gradually edging out the older stock forked bikes. 
In the 1980's BMX had completely taken over all interest from the kustom styles. Kustom bicycles were rarely seen even at car shows during the 80's.

Starting in the late 80's the lowrider bicycle style started to slowly make headway beyond its roots in the Latino neighborhoods of California! What had been a fairly obscure movement for a number of years was now becoming more noticable and recognized. In the early 90's things had progressed enough that a publishing company introduced a magazine dedicated to the growing Lowider bicycle scene. 

I think the magazine was looking for some historical roots when it Called the "Eddie Munster Chain Bike" the first lowrider, and I think many people will still call bikes built in the "old style" (like the "Chain bike", and my bike) "Old School Lowriders"! I think some of it has to do with how old you are, Manuel the old lowrider guy is in his early 50's and has gotten around quite a bit, he calls my bike an "Old School Lowrider", some of the other guys who haven't had the same life experiences as Manuel see things in a different way. Who's really right is anybody's guess, and probably doesn't matter anyways! Just enjoy building your bikes today cause the past is just a picture on a page now. 

I want to keep my old bike as original as I can, for as long as I can. 

Brainchopper


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## I-beam (Jan 2, 2005)

waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long to read


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## OXijen (May 5, 2005)

good point tho :uh:


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## Kustombike (Aug 25, 2003)

John! Leave the bike the way it is now. just clean it up the best you can. to historic to restore with a new paint job. It would never be the same as it was. Hang it on the wall.

Kustombike


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Ok Dev, I won't touch the bike. Except for the chain bike (which is older) I don't know of any other old show bikes from the first decade of kustom bicycles that have survived! If anyone knows of any I would love to see them. (Must be at least 30 years old!).

Brainchopper


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## Mastodon (Mar 13, 2005)

handlebars looked pretty shit back then eh


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Z bars bought at chopper motorcycle shops were very popular on kustom bicycles back in the early 70's. Back then you could also buy big chrome steering wheel handlebars, and bull horn handlebars, but show bikes usually had 7/8's handlebars made for use on chopper motorcycles. Stock Schwinn apes were a dime a dozen then, stock handlebars were the first thing to get dumped! 

Brainchopper


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

This is a photo of my old Super/Deluxe 2 speed Stingray as it looked in 1970. This is how bikes looked then, with the stock ape hangers. The 5 foot sissy bar was a common accesory. I wish I still had this bike! I gave it to a kid down the street who needed a bike (back in the early 1980's :uh: ). 
[attachmentid=213320]

Brainchopper


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## eric ramos (Jun 26, 2005)

you should restore the bike to be an other 70 s style bike


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

I'm not going to restore my old 1975 showbike, I'm going to leave it as it is so people can see exactly what a kustom bike from that time looked like in the flesh.

I don't have the Super/Deluxe Stingray anymore, it's lost forever!

I do have an original 1968 Lemon Krate frame, that I would like to make into a late 60's style kustom someday, with a giant set of apes, a huge high back banana seat and a vintage 5 foot sissy bar. Something similar to this look here:
[attachmentid=213546]


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## Lurker (Aug 20, 2006)

Love your work Brain (know your stuff from chopperbicycle.net ) but this is from  locojoe's bikeblog. If the plaque is correct, it outdates yours by 11 years!

P.S. Not trying to restart the lowrider vs. kustom debate, I doubt it was called a lowrider in '64, but it is still an old, old kustom!


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## sergio187 (Mar 25, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Lurker_@Oct 11 2006, 09:13 AM~6345683
> *
> 
> 
> ...


i think it means the year of the frame 64 the picture looks too clear also


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## tonofspokes (Aug 21, 2005)

man you should get in contact with lowrider magazine send them your story set the record straight some say the eddie munster bike is what started it but your frame is the most popular style frame people build no one builds frames out of chain heres my bike

:biggrin: :biggrin: you can see the stlye of my frame is just like yours


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## Lownslow302 (Nov 22, 2002)

keep telling yourself that on the people building frames out of chain


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## fashizzle manizzle (May 27, 2006)

i seen a chain frame bike in 92 or 93


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## Lurker (Aug 20, 2006)

> _Originally posted by sergio187_@Oct 13 2006, 07:45 AM~6356735
> *i think it means the year of the frame 64 the picture looks too clear also
> *


Yeah. The pic looks clear becuase it was taken 2 weeks ago on a digital camera. At a bicycle museum. I'll see if I can get a bigger copy so I can read the entire plaque, and I'll get back to you. Mind you, a million people said this shit about Brain's bike when they first saw it too. Why don't folks on LiL take anything at face value?


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## adib_repteis (Mar 29, 2006)

damn

that soo good man!!!!

god job man very cool


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## rd62rdstr (Jan 12, 2005)

It's funny because on other forums these are called muscle bikes or customs. I have a few around still as well. I definitely would not call it a lowrider, due to the facts already pointed out by IBeam. Factory bikes came with the springer forks and smaller tires back then. I must give props on the bodywork though. It's a great bike. Here are some pictures of some of my bikes. The orange krate (smaller front tire) is the only fully restored one in here. The others have original paint.


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## sergio187 (Mar 25, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Lurker_@Oct 12 2006, 10:03 PM~6358786
> *Yeah. The pic looks clear becuase it was taken 2 weeks ago on a digital camera. At a bicycle museum. I'll see if I can get a bigger copy so I can read the entire plaque, and I'll  get back to you. Mind you, a million people said this shit about Brain's bike when they first saw it too. Why don't folks on LiL take anything at face value?
> *


i belive brainchopper but that one i dont really belive i think 64 means the year of the frame and if u somehow get the vin number look it up and if it says 1964 than it most likely means they year the frame was made


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## Lurker (Aug 20, 2006)

Stupid me. You don't beleive it. OK, I'll just defer everything to you, you obviously know far more than the CURATOR OF A MUSEUM!


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## sergio187 (Mar 25, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Lurker_@Oct 13 2006, 11:58 AM~6361995
> *Stupid me. You don't beleive it. OK, I'll just defer everything to you, you obviously know far more than the CURATOR OF A MUSEUM!
> *


ok im not sure what said but im not saying that you or the curator or what ever is wrong im just saying that its like if u buy a 70 monte carlo now and fix it up the car was fixed up in 2006 but the base car was made in 1970 but on the subject i think the history is more word of mouth than any real proof

p.s. where is the museum located


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## 66wita6 (Sep 18, 2003)

> _Originally posted by 66wita6_@Jul 5 2005, 02:11 PM~3366746
> *:thumbsup: MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS ,ILL GAT THE CLUB PRES TO BRING DOWN HIS BIKE THAT HE HAD WHEN THEY STARTED SANTANA BIKE CLUB BACK IN THE '70S......HERES SUM HANGING UP SIDE DOWN IN HIS GARAGE.....(SUM OF THEM I FLIPPED OVER)
> *


THESE PICS WERE FROM LRM,1981.....
















ITS KINDA HAR TO SAY IF THEY WERE THE SAME BIKE ,BUT WITH SUM PARTS SWAPPED,THATS WHY THE PREZ WON'T BRING THEM DOWN.... :uh: :biggrin:


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## socios b.c. prez (Sep 18, 2003)

> _Originally posted by 66wita6_@Oct 13 2006, 07:32 PM~6365524
> *THESE PICS WERE FROM LRM,1981.....
> 
> 
> ...


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## BumpCity (Jun 12, 2006)

Is Brainchopper still active on LIL?


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## GrimReaper (Jun 19, 2005)

User's local time Nov 10 2006, 11:14 PM 
Total Cumulative Posts 26 
( 0.1 posts per day / 0.00% of total forum posts ) 
Most active in Lowrider Bikes
( 26 posts / 100% of this member's active posts ) 
Last Active Aug 03, 2006 - 08:53 AM 
Status (Offline)


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## 86' Chevy (Aug 1, 2006)

that is sic.


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## lowridersfinest (Jan 13, 2004)

in a few years all of our bikes will be ol school


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## chris2low (Dec 7, 2005)

my little blue one is a 1967 schwinn stingray


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by BumpCity_@Nov 10 2006, 11:12 PM~6545138
> *Is Brainchopper still active on LIL?
> *


Yes, I still check things out occasionally, I'm around.

Brain


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Lurker_@Oct 11 2006, 09:13 AM~6345683
> *
> 
> 
> ...


That is a recent photo of the bike, and after having a look at the bike more closely I have to draw some conclusions. I believe the bike could very well have a frame from a 1964 bike, however if you look closely at the forks (and the handlebars) you can see that they do not date from this time. The forks look like a Schwinns but if you look at the bottom part of the steer tube you can see that it is a modern reproduction fork. Also the pretzel handlebars were not available in 1964 (I have old Wald parts catalogs from that time), the steering wheel may be off a car but the style is all later lowrider style. The chain also has colored links, something I never saw until at least the late 70's after the introduction of the bmx style. 

This bike (in the form that we see it in the photo) could not have existed before the late 1970's (or even later), the reproduction forks are the giveaway.

My bike was made with a 1966 Schwinn Stingray frame, I customized it during 1974/75, and showed it at a motorcycle show in 1975. My frame is a 1966, but it is not a custom bike made in 1966. I think the same thing must be said about this bike, that it may well be made from a 1964 frame, but the question is what year or even decade was it modified in. 

I took very good care of my bike but still the paint flakes off and the chrome is worn out. I very much doubt that the 64 bike was customized before 1980, and probably could have been made in the 1990's (or even later). 

You will see many lowrider bikes at shows listed as a 1968 or 1966 etc., but this only indicates the year that the frame was made at the factory, not the year that the bike was customized into a lowrider.

The modern parts are the giveaway this time. I have vintage photos too, I have a horrible photo of me from 1975 (when I was 15) showing me and the bike at the motorcycle show. 

The Munster chain bike is not even close to being the oldest kustom bike, I recently found photo's in some old 1962 hotrod magazines that show custom bicycles competing in California car shows. One has similarities to modern lowriders in certain ways! Look in the next "Bike Rod and Kustom" on the web to see it!

Brainchopper

Sorry for the length of this response.


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## Lownslow302 (Nov 22, 2002)

brian youre a god among builders you need to post pics of that work of art youre building


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

I'm just a guy who has built kustom bikes for a long, long time, here is an early mockup of a show bike I'm trying to get together. This photo is over a year old. I've always been partial to the chopper style because experimentation is encouraged. This is only a very rough idea of what it's going to look like. It Will get full molding and custom paint, along with show chrome and custom billet wheels etc.. 










Here is a photo of the crank arms I'm working on, made from 1/2 inch plate steel, still need to get the mounting set up on them. 










This is a little bike I made last summer, it has a homemade springer, chopper motorcycle handlebars, highback chopper motorcycle seat, horizontal seat post, 18 speeds, powder coated frame and forks, re-chromed springs. The seat post can be adjusted so an adult can ride it, but it's really sized for kids around the age of 9-12.










Enjoy what you do, try to innovate and keep your interest fresh. Thanks for the kind words.

Brainchopper


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## 817Lowrider (Jul 15, 2006)

I LIKE THE FIRST ONE BUT NOT THE SECOND 
NOT REALY A FAN OF CHOPPERS JUST LOWLOWS
BUT THERE ARE ALOT OF COOL LOOKING CHOPPERS OUT THERE


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## bad news (Aug 1, 2004)

can you tell me how you do that! on the double sprocket thing ? and how did you bend the tubing? or did you just use a tube bender?


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Yes, the jackshaft (the thing with the two small sprockets in the middle of the bike just in front of the rear tire) is made from a bmx size bottom bracket and a 3 piece crank conversion kit. I used modified rear coaster brake hub parts, and modified 3 piece crank arm parts to mount the sprockets, the set up allows you to change sprockets if you want to. 

I am making custom crank arms (the flamed ones I posted) and will have new pedal mount threads done. This way the pedals won't unscrew themselves while I pedal, which would happen if you used a regular 1 piece crank and reversed it. I will not be using the 1 piece crank that is on the bike in this photo. You can run wider tires with this set up, like the new 24x4 and 26x4 rear tires.

The frame itself was my design, I had Sam McKay at "Firebikes" fabricate it for me from the full size template I sent him. Sam is one of the best custom frame builders there are. I trusted him to get the job done right and he did. Yes it was done with a tube roller.

The forks you see on the bike are off another bicycle I made in 1989, I will be making a new set of forks to put on the bike, they will be of a "girder" design, with water jet cut fork legs, similar in look to the ones some chopper motorcycles had in the 1970's. 

With choppers you can get a really different look, and, if you make it right they can be really nice to ride long distances.

I think that answers it

Brainchopper


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

I had some people request that I show this photo, after I mentioned that I had it in my collection.

What you are looking at is a custom bicycle that was shown in California car shows way back in 1962! It features apehanger handlebars, solo seat, raked frame and a Schwinn spring fork. This bike was made by a boy to look like a small version of his fathers custom motorcycle, both the sons bicycle and the fathers custom motorcycle were shown together at exhibits. 

This bicycle predates the Munster chain bike by at least 2-3 years, and shows that custom bicycles were established enough by 1962 to be seen at car shows of the time. 

This bicycle was obviously influenced and styled by the trends in custom motorcycling at the time. 

Interesting how the raked neck on the frame effectively lowers the front of the bike! Gives it a dragster look! fat tire in the back and smaller skinny tire up front. Like the later muscle bikes that were dragster influenced.

I thought you history buffs would enjoy seeing this.

Custom bicycle 1962.California










Brainchopper


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## Lurker (Aug 20, 2006)

From Ed Roth's Chopper magazine, March '68 and December '68.


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## MONSTER831 (Nov 3, 2005)

Now that's what im talking about. Old School Bikes! are the shit still today, :biggrin:


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Lurker, I want to thank you for posting those photo's from Roth's old "Choppers" magazine. I knew about the Dec. '68 issue that advertised a chopper bicycle feature , but did not know about the March 68 issue. That is very, very cool! 

The kustom bikes in 1968 really went after the chopper motorcycle look didn't they? Big sissy bars, rake frames, chopper motorcycle style king and queen seats! The one bike took the shock spring out to get a raked look! I like how the "Chopstix" chopper trike with the Monarch fork has a molded in tank area! The 10 speed chopper with the custom frame and forward crank is really cool too!

Thanks again for posting those man!

Brainchopper 

I'll work on posting some other old photo's that I have


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## Brainchopper (Jul 5, 2005)

Here are some photo's that I took back in the early 1970's, at some car shows!


This chopper bicycle was called "The Daydreamer" 1974










This bike was called "The Runt" 1973. It was made at the same chopper motorcycle shop my first show bike was painted at.










Chopper style was in full swing in the early 70's!

Brainchopper


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## steamboat (Sep 30, 2002)

Damn Brainchopper, you got an ill collection going on here. I'm building a chopper bike out here in the sand that is slowly turning into a lowrider bike. Thanks for the old photos and keep us updated on that beast your concocting!!!


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