ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Join me as I unpack and get up close to my brand-new Raleigh Chopper MK4. We take a good look at the bike and see what this new 2023 Raleigh Chopper release is all about.
I had an original Brilliant Orange Raleigh Chopper MK1 in 1971. I lived on my bike, it was my pride and joy. I have been a Chopper bike enthusiast ever since. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get another brand new one some 50 years later.
In my view, Raleigh has done an excellent job in bringing back the Raleigh Chopper for 2023. What do you think? Please comment below.
Thank you for watching!
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
Yooo thanks for pulling the lever im just curious and no one has pull that lever in such a good quality videos nice 👍🙂😂
Hello. Thank you for watching and commenting. Yes, the big thing about the old Chopper was the gear lever and the little window indicating which gear you were in. So pleased they fitted it to the MK4.
Mine had the low sissy bar back in '73. I preferred it; meant I could mount the bike by throwing my leg over the saddle, instead of leaning the bike and stepping through.
Great bike! Amazing that the company have worked so hard to make it authentic. I wonder how many of these go to actual kids, and how many are just for us old duffers to reminisce over.
I wasn't aware that they did a short sissy bar on the original 1970s bikes except for the Chopper Sprint. Back in the day I only came across the standard MK1 and MK2 bikes. What colour did you have?
Yes, I agree, quite a thing for Raleigh to recreate the original bike to this level of authenticity. I believe they had been working on it since 2019. I would think most sales would go to the old original 1970s kids, but there is a big following in the next generation due to the 'Supergrass - Alright' video and them seeing old photos of their mum or dad on one. But for kids of today, I rarely see them on bikes. Then there is the price tag, although they were not cheap back in the 70s. Mine came from Kays's catalogue at about 32 pence a week. Happy days!
The suspens killed me. I am ded now.
Takes me back to the 70s and seeing my brand new Chopper in my Parents bedroom 🤩🤩🤩 mine was purple as well tbh ☺️ . Don't think I've ever felt as excited as I did that day , was buzzing 🤩 wish I cud turn the clock back 🥴
Hi, same here. Amazing, to think that they are just a bike, but they hold so many treasured memories. I can imagine your excitement of seeing a brand new purple Chopper as a kid in your parent's bedroom🤩. I too was lucky enough to have one. Mine was an orange MK1, and it was delivered in my summer holidays in 1971. I had to wait for my dad to come home and unbox it. Happy memories of the 70s🤩
I had a orange Mk2 chopper in holland many years (nearby gouda) the only one around me and one sachs made chopper1mile away , my brothers fault did damaged it compleetly, behind my dads car parking it in reverse into the garage.other wise i would have it still ,who got 1e the blame dads car damaged .I was to old for that bike anyway ..WHATT
Hello. Thank you for sharing your interesting story. It must have been lovely riding your Chopper bike around Gouda in Holland. So sorry to hear it came to a sad end, and you got the blame for damaging your dad's car. My Mk1 was orange and my brother wrecked it and broke the frame. We didn't have orange MK2s in the UK. Raleigh sold the MK4 in 2023 for £950, quite a large sum for a kids bike. They seem to be selling on eBay for around £1,000 plus now. Great times Chopper bikes and the 1970s. 👍
Brilliant to hear someone taking such enjoyment from a spanking new Chopper. I picked up one exactly the same in Ultra Violet yesterday and will build tomorrow. They really are a work of art and cant think on any bike built that evokes such emotion. I had the smaller red Raleigh Tomahawk because I wasnt big enough for the bike I really wanted a Chopper. Almost 50 years later I have the bike I actually wanted.
Hi, Brilliant you have one. Mine makes me smile every day. They are so iconic. Enjoy taking it out of the box and savour the moment as you put it all together. 🚲😃
@@radiowyn1703 Ive got an original MK1 from 71, took some time to restore but shes on the road, running sweet.
My first bike was a Mark 1 in yellow, I actually learned to ride on that bike. Brings back such great memories from a much simpler time.
Love the colour and a nice touch with the extended sissy bar, all the best....
Hello, thank you for watching and commenting. Good to know it brought back some happy memories of your own MK1 Chopper bike. There was definitely something special about these Chopper bikes and those times, never to be repeated. I just look at my bike and think about the freedom my original MK1 gave me and those sunny days back in the early 1970s. Great carefree times! Cheers.
Lucky man. I can't believe they did such a limited production run.
Hello and thank you! Yes, it is strange why they were limited to such low production numbers. You can still pick them up on eBay boxed for a similar price to the £950 Raleigh charged. I would think that Raleigh will make more at some time, as it must have cost a fortune to design and tool up from scratch. Maybe they are waiting for the summer to arrive to release more limited runs, I would think in different colours.
Thanx for reaction ,yes had goodtimes with mk2 chopper ,it came from van dijk Zoetermeer a raleich bicycle dealer ,good relation of my grandparents ,the bike was unsold for 3years or do and i had the Wright age ,so it was givven low priced 😊i understood later .
Amazing it spent 3 years in a shop before it sold. They couldn't make them fast enough for UK sales demand. I guess they were not the fashion in Holland. You would have been very individual on your MK2 Chopper. Happy days for sure!
🚲👍😃
How much was it I never new they where for sail again was it a secret 😤
Hello, they cost £950 direct from Raleigh. It did make the news on BBC Breakfast. They sold out very quickly, but quite a few for sale on eBay now. Search MK4 Raleigh Chopper. Not cheap, but I like mine. 🎉
@@radiowyn1703 Thanks at least I’ve got a starting price thanks
fabulous - they don't make em like that anymore - my brother had a yellow one in the 70's
Thank you! The yellow Choppers look great, my original bike was in orange, great 1970s colours. The actual bike in this video is brand new and made in 2023. Raleigh has reproduced the original 1970s Chopper bike, selling in limited runs.
How can qe buy one? 😢
Lovely bike
Thank you👍
Only differences I can see is the cranks don't have cotters, and the pedals look like ones from the early 80s. Early 70s raleigh were doing these horrible thin losinge shaped pedals that didn't have bearings, instead the axle floated on a sea of grease. Alloy diacompe brakes are an upgrade from original steel ones but would've been available back then.
Although I'll admit I never had a chopper, always preferred the big adult bikes like Superbe instead. The effort they've put in to recreating the look of parts made in the 70s is amazing, if I didn't know this was newly made I'd assume it was original.
Hi, yes on first look the bike looks like a genuine 1970s Chopper. You are right, the biggest clue to this being a new bike and not a 1970s one is the pedal cranks. I remember the pedals you describe with the chrome sides. Raleigh has done an amazing job and deserves a pat on the back for recreating such a close copy. Many of the parts used fit the old 1970s bike. A clever move from Raleigh. I can imagine the accountants at Raleigh saying this idea is ridiculous. It would have cost a fortune to tool up and make. Most manufacturers would have not gone to the current parts bin to save costs.
I have an old 1953 Raleigh Dawn Tourist in my collection. A great bike.
How front wheel on this one my friends got bad split so his son waiting on new wheels to arrive has both bad
I don't have any splits, but you can see file marks at the joints on both wheels. The only letdown for me. Not good to have splits, good to know he is getting replacements.
It’s a lovely Raleigh Chopper. I’m 51 now but like you I grew up on my housing estate where most of us had Raleigh Choppers, Grifters and Strikers until the BMX exploding onto the U.K. scene. I had a Raleigh Chopper lookalike and always wanted a Raleigh Chopper at the time, until I had a BMX. But I think it’s great to see Raleigh remaking them again. I just wished Raleigh manufactured them in Nottingham, England again and didn’t just assemble them there after importing them from Taiwan. 🇬🇧
Thank you for watching and sharing your Raleigh bike story. A great time to be a kid! I'm a decade older than you and remember the first Choppers as they hit the streets. A friend on my estate turned up with a blue MK1. I just had to have one, it was so different from a conventional bike, and so I turned on my pester power. Around 12 months later in my summer holidays 1971, a van turned up with a brand new Brilliant Orange Mk1 Chopper. It came from Kays catalogue at around 70p a week in repayments, I think the new price was £32. I agree, sad that we don't make the bikes here. Raleigh was an amazing company, so well respected around the world. We should bring back manufacturing to the UK.
Loved that video mine was £38 in 1973 beautiful finish and detailing and paint job, wow what would we give to be that age now the innocence of childhood.
Hi, thanks for your comment glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, I'm impressed with the finish, especially the paintwork, don't think it was that good back in the 70s. I would love a time machine and be a young carefree kid again. Couldn't better those summer holidays with a Chopper bike, a 6p cone of chips, and a can of Shandy Bass. Happy days! We were lucky to have lived through the 1970s and have those happy memories of our Raleigh Chopper bikes.
Looks amazing and just like my ultra violet mk2 bought in 73 for £34 brand new😊
Thank you! I can imagine how proud you were of your shiny new bike back in 1973, with all that chrome and purple paint glistening in the sunshine. Happy days😁👍
I had a gold one in the 1960's.
I didn't know they did them in gold. Was it painted or original? They are a great fun bike, and I'm sure many of a certain age have fond memories of happy summers cycling on their Chopper bikes.
Resembles the MK2 brought as a joint
Christmas/10th Birthday present in 1978
Hello, thank you for your comment. Yes, they are extremely close to the original MK2. You have to be an expert enthusiast to spot the differences. The pedal cranks are the most obvious, along with the lower sissy bar height, due to modern regs. Raleigh worked with enthusiasts to get it close to the original 70s bikes. Raleigh are releasing two more colours on the 9th of July, Fizzy Lemon, and Space Blue. Happy memories, what colour was yours? Cheers.
@@radiowyn1703
On receiving your reply I immediately googled 'Space Blue Chopper' but rather than previews of the new bike I instead got pictures of 'my bike' therefore I can confirm mine was a 'Space Blue' 🙂
@@stephenchappell7512 Great! If you look on the Raleigh GB website, you will see the new Chopper bike in your old Chopper colour. Looks to be a good colour in metalic blue. www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/
@@radiowyn1703
certainly an icon although perhaps not
the easiest of bike's to ride although of
course looks are everything 👍
@@stephenchappell7512 It was all about looks back then, my glasses might be rose tinted, but everything seemed to have style. Have you seen the photo of Ann Aston off the Golden Shot show sitting on an MK2?
I live in South Africa and got one exactly like this when they came out, but it never had the rack on the back and it was a matt white, i rode that bike throughout my schooling yrs to school and everywhere els until the military called me up, and somehow my brother made it vanish while i was doing my service 👎, im 63 now and when i look at ur beutifull new chopper it makes my heart bleed for my one, i know i would have still had it if not for my bro because i was so proud of it and kept it in perfect condition, and now that im on pension i could never afford to buy one at the crazy price they want for them now 👀, but hey i hope you enjoying your one bro, its truly beutifull 👌, the one i had I've never seen anywhere els in the white coulour and apparantly they wer only that coulour here in South Africa, but even here ive seen many other choppers as a kid but never one like mine, and not even on youtube iether, ive been keeping an eye out but nothing so far, peace bro ✌
What a great story and thank you for sharing! It sounds like your Chopper was based on the MK 1, the first model without the rack on the back and a longer seat. I have never seen a white Chopper myself. I have looked on Google and it seems Raleigh had a factory at Nuffield Springs, South Africa. I would imagine they would have had variations on the UK design, which would make your bike unique and rare today. Like you, my brother put an end to my original orange MK1 Chopper bike. It was passed onto him and he broke the frame. I was gutted to find it in the shed covered in mud and broken. I am the same age as you, and can fully understand the passion these bikes created in our childhoods, besides being super cool, they were our freedom to travel and get around. They were so different from anything else with two wheels and pedals. Such an iconic design. I hope you manage to pick one up sometime. I do have an original orange MK1, it is rusty, but to take a brand new one out of the box such as the one in my video, was quite special. Brought back many memories of 1971. Happy days! All the best to you, and I hope you get a bargain Chopper bike soon. 🚲👍
@@radiowyn1703 thank you so much bro ✌,yes there wer British versions all over the place here, but not one like my one, it's bars wer also narrow like the one you got and all the rest around here wer the wider handle bar versions, mine also had the low sissy bar btw, I found at speeds the wider handlebar versions used to get a speed wobble but never once mine, and I got speeds so fast on it down a hill called tigers cliff here that I used to pass cars as I leaned in behind the bars 😂👍, anyways you have fun with yours bro, its a wonderfull bike to own 👌, after my military service I bought a Raleigh Bomber and that too was iconic and I rode that bike to work and back for most of my working career, then my son wrote that off completely in a car collision , now I own a verry cool fat bike but my heart is still so set on the chopper and Bomber 🤩👌, much peace from South Africa ✌
@@frednel4326 The early MK1 Choppers here in the UK also had the wider handlebars you mentioned, then the later Mk1 (now known as the crossover model) had narrow handlebars like yours without rake adjustment, a safety upgrade. Also, the sissy bar was wounded at the top, and the crossover Mk1 had a squared sissy bar top. I think Raleigh just used up old MK1 frames mixed with MK2 components until the MK2 bike came out with the new frame, shorter saddle, and rack at the back. Raleigh made some very iconic bikes back in the day, including your Bomber. Best wishes to you in South Africa, wonderful to share these happy memories with you🤩👍.
What’s the price ?
The Raleigh price was £950. Still for sale on eBay around this price.
Made in China ?
The frames were made in Taiwan.
awesome
Thank you for watching! They are the business. So close to the original 1970s Mk2.
Ive still a Mk1 Nov 1971, love taking mine out for a spin, popping into the pub and down to the seaside. Brings so much joy to people to see an original still riding proud.
Hi, great that you use and enjoy your MK 1. Was it your bike from new? I had a 1971 MK1 in Brilliant Orange in the summer of 1971. I wish I still had it. 😄
@@radiowyn1703 no mate, my mate was scrapping it 14 years ago. I rescued it and restored.
@@explosivegardenreboot Great! Another one rescued. Especially a MK1, good job you stopped it from being scrapped. The MK1 is the best Chopper in my view. Even better when used! Cheers.