I guess it's an age thing. In the 1970s the definitions were different than they seem to be today. Back then we stripped it down and called it a bobber. Only when modifications to the structure of the frame came into play did we call them choppers. Not every chopper was raked at the neck because the rake could also be achieved by the positioning of the hard tail.
And custom always meant that hand made one-off parts were employed.
Also, many choppers had swing arms with extended front ends and usually a bit of rake to get them low enough to ride again. My first bike was a new 1974 CB 550 Honda 4 with TT pipes, snuffer-nots, Weber Carbs, reground cam, impossible to use until warmed up Barnett racing clutches, hand made pods, one-off hand made sissy bar, 10" over stock tubes, rear lowering blocks and a hellacious rake. And for a time it had a spool front wheel until I became wiser. Looking back it was horrendous to ride but it was a chopper and remains the second fastest motorcycle I ever owned.
Whether a hard tail was welded on, bolted on or was a complete aftermarket frame made no difference-- in practice it was still a modified frame design and therefore still called a chopper.
Bobbers actually got their start in the old hill climbing events where full length rear fenders had to be cut off (bobbed or bob tail) to keep them from dragging the ground when climbing steep grades.
Convention is: before you can know what something is today, you must know what it was way back when. Think about it.
And custom always meant that hand made one-off parts were employed.
Also, many choppers had swing arms with extended front ends and usually a bit of rake to get them low enough to ride again. My first bike was a new 1974 CB 550 Honda 4 with TT pipes, snuffer-nots, Weber Carbs, reground cam, impossible to use until warmed up Barnett racing clutches, hand made pods, one-off hand made sissy bar, 10" over stock tubes, rear lowering blocks and a hellacious rake. And for a time it had a spool front wheel until I became wiser. Looking back it was horrendous to ride but it was a chopper and remains the second fastest motorcycle I ever owned.
Whether a hard tail was welded on, bolted on or was a complete aftermarket frame made no difference-- in practice it was still a modified frame design and therefore still called a chopper.
Bobbers actually got their start in the old hill climbing events where full length rear fenders had to be cut off (bobbed or bob tail) to keep them from dragging the ground when climbing steep grades.
Convention is: before you can know what something is today, you must know what it was way back when. Think about it.