Dong Chopper is amazed us at the beginning of this month with a SR400 bobber, built from scratch and packed with delicious handcrafted pieces. This is Alexey and Igor’s first open-air project since taking their shop from a side business to a full-time business. Before that, they simply built a bike to their liking, sold it, and moved on to the next one.
That’s how this Harley spins iron head bobber was born. Copper Chopper started with a sponsor-beaten bike, transformed it with a bunch of salvaged and custom parts, and put it up for sale. And, not surprisingly, it has found its new home.
The shiny machine you’re looking at here is actually a far cry from the original 1976 Harley-Davidson XLCH1000 Sportster that Alexey sourced for the project.
“When I bought it in very bad condition,” he told us. “Most of the parts are rusted, the front end is leaking oil and the front end is damaged.”
These guys started by hijacking Alexey’s 2013 Model Sportster for parts — namely the fork and rear shock. They shaved the brake calipers off the fork shock absorbers, polished them, and fitted the 21-inch front wheels with a small drum brake, purchased from Lowbrow Customs.
There’s an all-new recreation of the 16″ wheels out the rear, also fitted with drum brakes. The tires are classic style Firestones.
The old iron head mill looked clean enough to eat – but it didn’t start out that way. It has undergone a complete rebuild inside and out, and has been polished and repainted. It also sports an S&S Cycle carb, a choke from Lowbrow Customs and an electronic ignition.
All nuts and bolts were eventually replaced with new parts, as well as parts such as the starter pedal, shift lever and footpeg. Exterior decoration of the engine is newly polished shell, Copper Chopper ignition cap and a pair of custom exhaust pipes.
Sitting on top is the fuel tank, seat and custom-built rear bumper. Everything is very well proportioned – in the same way that the curve of the tail subtly mimics the curve of a tank. A coat of blue and white paint adds even more luxury to this fragile vehicle bobberwithout going over the top.
“I didn’t want this motorcycle to look too customised,” explained Alexey, “but as if it was Harley-Davidson who made it back in the day. That’s why I made the tank, fender and exhaust design more traditional and classy.”
That feeling is echoed in the Sportster’s cockpit. Alexey built a set of narrow, direct-mount stainless steel handlebars, equipping them with new grips and custom levers. With an internal throttle and a well hidden kill switch, the whole setup is as minimalist as it gets.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Alexey really loves the polished stainless steel look. “There wasn’t enough stainless porn in front of my eyes,” he admitted, “so I made a polished mirror entirely in stainless, because I had this idea in mind for a long time. I could only see shadows behind me, but that was enough.”
The front end is also equipped with classic chrome headlights, with the rear taillights attached to the rear-mounted license plate brackets. The full package is perfect; a timeless trip that will look just as good outside the cafe as it does in the living room.
But the Copper Chopper didn’t create it just for review. Thanks to the suspension and engine upgrades, Alexey reports that this classic ironhead is a joy to drive. We’re a bit jealous of its new owner.
