Choppers: Heavy Metal Art - Hardcover

Seate, Mike; Lichter, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760320535 ISBN 13: 9780760320532

Publisher: Motorbooks Intl, 2004

Synopsis

In MemoriamWe all were saddened to learn of the recent death of master chopper artist, Larry Desmedt, or "Indian Larry" to all knew him. As fate would have it, we at Motorbooks had decided months ago to feature one of his beautiful creations on the cover of this new book. We are honored to be publishing a book that celebrates his life and work, both so sadly cut short. Our condolences go to his family, friends, and to anyone in the chopper community lucky enough to have known and worked with Indian Larry. When a motorcycle has been built from the ground up, stripped of anything not needed for speed, power, and striking looks, and draped in rich colors and chrome, it has been transformed into a chopper. What was once considered an outlaw ride has now become a luxury item and a mainstream obsession. In Choppers: Heavy Metal Art, author and biker Mike Seate explores the many styles of choppers and bobbers and the builders behind them. The book is divided into several sections based on style or type of chopper, with each section devoted to the builders who follow a similar style and philosophy. Some builders are established names in their field, while others are up-and-comers rocking the chopper world with their far-out ideas and new spins on a classic style. Photographer Michael Lichter, who has photographed choppers for Easyriders and several other magazines for nearly three decades, provides stunning studio images of the featured machines as well as portraits of their creators.Featured Builders Include:- Matt Burris- Larry Currick- Arlin Fatland- Al Gaither- Roger Goldammer- Don Hotop- Jesse James- Kendall Johnson- Kai- Brian Klock- Billy Lane- Indian Larry- Donny Loos- Rick Sairless- Russell Marloe- Pat Matter- Arlen Ness- Corey Ness- Mike Pugliese- Kim Suter- Mark Warrick- Paul Yaffe- Hank YoungAbout the AuthorMike Seate is a journalist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began riding motorcycles at the age of 16, and 24 years later has still not bothered to learn how to drive a car. His columns on city living appear three times each week in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and he has written hundreds of feature stories and opinion columns for various motorcycle enthusiast publications. Mike has written a number of books for MBI, including How to Build a West Coast Chopper, Outlaw Choppers, and Jesse James: The Man and His Machines.About the PhotographerMany factors make Michael Lichter's photography distinct, such as his technical mastery, his attention to detail, and his drive for perfection. Few other people see the world as Michael does, and no one else captures that vision on film the way he does. Michael began taking pictures and working in the darkroom at the age of 13. In 1978, Michael started doing commercial photography in Boulder, Colorado. By 1980, Michael had worked his passion for motorcycling into his photography career. His work began to appear in Easyriders magazine. Soon Michael found himself in the beds of pickup trucks during rainstorms, photographing packs of bikers on the roads around Sturgis, South Dakota. Michael is the author and photographer of the best-selling book Sturgis, and is the photographer of Billy Lane: It's Not a Motorcycle Baby, It's a Chopper!

About this title

About the Author:

Since the early 1980s, Michael Lichter has been photographing custom motorcycles, often hanging from the beds of pickup trucks during rainstorms, photographing packs of bikers in places like Daytona Beach and Sturgis, South Dakota for the pages of Easyriders magazine. He has written and photographed a number of books. He lives and works in Boulder, Colorado.

Review:

Booklist, April 1, 2007

“In their debut series for young people, the go-to publishers for automotive enthusiasts gets it right. These lavishly illustrated single-subject books, which include ‘Corvette’ and ‘Chopper,’ will be hot commodities with younger kids as well as car-obsessed teens.”

Note:  The series is one of ten selected by the American Library Association as the year’s top non-fiction picks launched in the last 12 months.

American Authors Association Web site, May 2006Reviewed by the Associate President“I personally recommend this book for all young male readers and those who are still young at heart! Choppers is given the American Authors Association’s highest rating for young readers – FIVE STARS!”

MPN, August 2006

“Targeted at readers ages 10 and older, Choppers and Harley-Davidson dish up all the details on the coolest bikes on the planet in a colorful, informative, easy-to-read format that’s exciting and engaging for young readers (dad might even pick it up, too!).

 

“In Choppers, bike builder and author Mike Seate immerses kid in the history of choppers and bobber with this book full of fun facts and wonderful full color photos."

 

Booklist, Aug. 1, 2006

“Photos on slick, heavy paper in gorgeous full color, typical of Motorbooks publications, will provide more than enough incentive to lure automotive junkies to the new Drive.Ride.Fly series. But there’s more to the books than pictures, there’s also enough intriguing, concisely present product/company history to appeal to sports car and motorcycle fans well beyond the book’s target audience ... There’s little question that this will whet the appetite for more, more, more.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Motorbooks Intl
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0760320535
• ISBN 13: 9780760320532
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 239