Actually, there is a renewed interest in the Schwinn OCC Choppers. Jim Wilson over at pedalchopper.com has been working on aftermarket parts to motorize the OCCs. He is producing motor mounts that fit the oval shaped bottom tube on both the OCC Choppers and the Spoilers. Also on hand now are his Fat Forks which can also accept the 4 1/4" wheels. He can build you a Motorized Bike from the ground up if you want and anything in between. He is also the creator of the Pedalchopper 3 Speed Motorized System with his Transaxel gearing. He builds up Front Wheels with single and dual disc brakes as well as Rear Wheels with the 3 Speed Sturmey Archer Fat Hub. He also can build you a Kick Butt Gas Engine using a lot of his Custom Parts.
So if you have an OCC laying around or just pick one up off Craigs List for $40 - $50 and motorize it you can have a ton of fun. There is also a Facebook page for people swapping pictures, stories, facts and how tos with OCCs - OCC Schwinn Stingray Motorized Chopper Bicycles. There are also numerous you-tube videos of the same bikes.
I had 5 of the OCCs - not even sure why I originally bought them off Craigs List. I brought one from my storage over to the house one day and leaned it up against the side of the garage. Then came a knock on the door and one of the nearby kids wanted to know if he could ride it. I warned him it had no brakes (missing one brake shoe) but go ahead and help himself. I went outside awhile later and there were about 8 kids standing around taking turns riding it. Since then kids have asked me for a bike and I've given away 4 of them so far - 2 to boys and 2 to girls. There is actually an interest in these old choppers with these kids that have never seen one before. Sounds like the beginning of a Chopper Gang to me.
I have never thought the Schwinn Choppers were ugly. Mass producing any bike with a 4" rear wheel to me 10 years ago I consider foresight. Consider all the tires that are made for the bicycles we build today that have evolved from the 1.75" Middleweights that we were left with after the 2.125 ballooners were relegated to History. We like Fat Tires and the OCCs were also a very good likeness to a real chopper - what's not to like?
I have a Schwinn Spoiler and a Schwinn XL that are both adult sized so I can also join in on the fun without looking like a Circus Clown on a miniature bike. If you're not having fun with your's maybe you just aren't hanging around with the right people. Enjoy!
