How to Build a Cheap Chopper

Choppers don’t have to cost $30,000. In fact, a chopper built from the right parts can be assembled for as little as $5,000. How to Build a Cheap Chopper documents the construction of 4 inexpensive choppers with complete start-to-finish sequences photographed in the shops of Donnie Smith, Brian Klock and Dave Perewitz.


Least expensive is the metric chopper, based on a Japanese 4-cylinder engine and transmission installed in a hardtail frame. Next up, price wise, are 2 bikes built using Buell/Sportster drivetrains. The recipe here is simple; combine one used Buell or Sportster with a hardtail frame for an almost instant chopper. The big twin chopper is the least cheap of the 4, yet it’s still far less expensive than most bikes built today. Cheap Chopper uses 144 pages and over 400 color images to completely explain each assembly.