Take a close look at some of the wildest bikes ever built. Close-up photos take you bike-side to check out the awesome details on 13 radical rides from Discovery Channel's American Chopper series. See how Paul Sr., Paulie, Mikey, and the other guys in the shop take an idea to the limit on their spectacular choppers, and find out what they really think about each other.

Choppers, originally the favored rides of outlaw bikers, represent the pinnacle of today's motorcycling chic. Choppers designed by top builders routinely command six-figure prices. Once relegated to the scrap heap of pop-culture history along with wide lapels, mutton-chop sideburns, and macram\233 vests, the chopper has returned to the cultural forefront. Today's choppers, rigid-framed, 125-horsepower steeds thrusting their extended forks down America's public highways, violate our sensibilities with their sheer outrageousness. Outlaw Choppers tells the story of these wild machines, where they came from, what's going on today, and where they're going in the future.

American Motorcyclist magazine, the official journal of the American Motorcyclist Associaton, tells the stories of the people who make motorcycling the sport that it is. It's available monthly to AMA members. Become a part of the largest, most diverse and most enthusiastic group of riders in the country by visiting our website or calling 800-AMA-JOIN.

The story, outrageous but true, of John Hall, a Harley-riding hell raiser who founded the Pagans, a club the FBI called "the most violent criminal organization in America."

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. The chopper is a quintessentially American invention, rivaling jazz and abstract exp

Chopper owners take pride in turning their motorcycles into one-of-a-kind machines. To personalize their rides, they remove unnecessary parts from the motorcycles and add everything from sissy-bars and ape-hanger handlebars to chrome parts and crazy paint jobs. In the end chopper owners create some of the coolest bikes on the planet. In this book you will discover where the term chopper comes from, what kinds of motorcycles make the best choppers, the difference between a chopper and a bobber, and where you can go to see classic and modern choppers.

When Jet McDonald cycled four thousand miles to India and back, he didn’t want to write a straightforward account. He wanted to go on an imaginative journey. The age of the travelogue is over: today we need to travel inwardly to see the world with fresh eyes. Mind is the Ride is that journey, a pedal-powered antidote to the petrol-driven philosophies of the past. The book takes the reader on a physical and intellectual adventure from West to East using the components of the bike as a metaphor for philosophy, which is woven into the cyclist's experience. Each chapter is based around a single component, and as Jet travels he adds new parts and new philosophies until the bike is 'built'; the ride to India is completed; and the relationship between mind, body and bicycle made apparent.

"The motorcycle is back! Similar to the fresh contemporary scene that has established itself around bicycles in the last few years, the motorcycle is currently undergoing an aesthetic rebirth. A young subculture worldwide is discovering the motorcycle as an expression of its personality and creativity. The Ride explores motorcycle riding as it is meant to be: as a means of getting around with attitude, as an extension of one's own body, as an expression of personal freedom, but also as a significant challenge to technical expertise, craftsmanship, physics, discipline, and driving skill" -- Publisher description.

Donny Petersen, who studied privately with Harley-Davidson engineers, shares practical knowledge and street-wise tips in the fifth volume of his unauthorized guide on the best motorcycle maker in the world. Written in straightforward language, this guide can help even a motorcycle novice to become an expert mechanic by following Donny's step-by-step instructions. Whether you're looking for detailed service procedures such as fitting engine bearings or simple tips on maintenance, Donny is eager to share the expertise he's stockpiled on the Shovelhead over the last forty years. Donny shares real stories so you can find solutions to whatever is ailing your Shovelhead. Resolve teething problems, troubleshoot problematic aspects of the engine, and fix whatever comes up with various models. Gear ratios, torque multiplication, and H-D and aftermarket tools of the day are prominent in the guide, which even includes information on tools Donny invented himself to make your life easier. Get the specifications for tightening all the Shovelhead fasteners and adjustments to mechanisms on various bikes. In his usual forthright manner, Donny makes technical issues understandable, interspersing explanations with entertaining stories about the hard core lifestyle that comes with being a Harley rider.

Take an exhilarating ride through the history of the American bike, biker, and the biker nation in this fascinating and comprehensive chronicle of the biker era and today's ever-expanding legion of motorcycle enthusiasts. Impassioned, idiosyncratic, and razor sharp, Born to Be Wild traces a century's worth of the culture, the bikers, and the bikes themselves. Who are these bikers? Are they those hard-living, leather-clad, tattooed guys often associated with images of the Hells Angels and Satan's Sinners? Or are they those clean-cut, suit-and-tie wearing riders with the sporty helmets you pass on your daily commute? In fact, they are both, for what began as a subculture of misfits and outlaws has grown into a flourishing society of men and women who celebrate the freedom of the open road and the brotherhood they find among bike enthusiasts of all stripes. Today's biker has evolved from the rough-and-tumble antihero to a vast and vibrant biker culture populated by a new breed of rider including the RUBs, or Rich Urban Bikers, and championed by everyone from titans of industry like the late Malcolm Forbes to media celebrities like Jay Leno. And while elements of rebellion still remain intrinsic to the biker mystique, the culture has in fact expanded to include a plethora of riders from the American mainstream -- doctors, lawyers, and executives -- who love the freedom they find on their bikes and the camaraderie they find with their fellow devotees. It is also a multibillion-dollar industry that draws hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators to its annual events. Born to Be Wild, written by motorcycle journalist Paul Garson and the editors of Easyriders magazine, captures as never before the spirit and evolution of the biker era. Beginning in 1895, Born to Be Wild traces the development of the modern bike, with special attention to Harley-Davidson's supreme contributions to the quality of the machines as well as the aesthetics of biker society. Featuring numerous fascinating sidebars that highlight the particular characteristics of the culture, the book also explores the socio-political events that have culminated in the great biker nation that we know today. With more than two hundred photographs of bikes and bikers across the decades, Born to Be Wild is a definitive work that will open readers' eyes to a thriving society, one whose celebration of freedom and the open road precisely reflects what is best about our country as a whole.