ight from the get-go at Drag Specialties Chopper Guys frames have been in the FatBook. Gary Munoz and Mike Tomada, the Chopper Guys, and Drag Specialties go way back. This Vallejo, California, company has supplied its frames, swingarms and all manner of associated hardware to Drag Specialties and the custom-bike world for almost three decades now, and that partnership–the Chopper Guys making those frames and Drag Specialties getting them into the hands of builders–is as strong today as it was at the beginning. Flip open the latest FatBook or pop that CD into a computer and see for yourself. There are almost two-dozen different styles of Chopper Guys frames in there, everything from the purist and most authentic old-style rigids to modern 250 Pro-Comp Softails and everything in between. It’s all made right there in Vallejo using the finest materials, machining, jigging, assembling and Tig welding. Chopper Guys frames are and always have been all about quality. “With no surprises,” Mike Tomada points out. “Every frame we make is offered with everything else necessary to make it work. We’ll never let a customer discover on his own that he needs an extra plate or bracket or whatever. We’re up-front about everything, and we have everything.”
     Deep with history, the Chopper Guys are up-to-date as tomorrow, too. They’re designing, building and supplying the types and styles of frames today’s riders want. A pair of new ‘bagger frames are the perfect example. Both new to the FatBook, these two are really interesting. One’s a standard replacement frame and the other a wide-tire 200 frame. That standard replacement frame makes a lot of sense. It’ll be popular.
     The Chopper Guys replacement bagger frame is a direct bolt-for-bolt swap for the OE part, but don’t confuse this one with an OE frame. It’s way better. The design and construction eliminates much of the handling problem associated with that factory frame, and they’re legendary. “Those factory frames,” Mike explains, “are robotically welded and the connections aren’t always the greatest. They rely pretty heavily on gusseting for their strength and integrity, and sometimes, often times, it doesn’t work out.” It’s not unusual for a brand-new factory frame to be “tweaked” to one side or the other, either, Mike says, as much as 1/2-inch. The Chopper Guys frame, on the other hand, is completely handmade–in a jig. Every connection is a machined fit that’s then Tig welded. The frame holds its dimensions front to back. Chopper Guys kept the factory 26-degree neck angle here, too, and the frame can be assembled into a bagger of most any configuration. Road Glide, FLT, Road King–the frame works with all the OE parts and they all bolt right up. Here’s the perfect beginning to a real budget-build bagger, a bike completed with take-off parts from the customs, the engines and transmissions and fenders and front ends that end up in the swap meets. Put all that together with one of these Chopper Guys replacement frame and you’ll have a genuine bagger on a budget. And one that handles.
     That other new bagger frame takes all of this one step further. This one’s a wide-tire variation allowing for a 5.5-inch rim with a 200-series tire. “Plenty big enough to look cool,” Mike says, and still allow the bike to handle like a dream. After all’s been said and done with the big tire craze, a 200 seems to be the size the industry and the public has settled on. It’s a size that makes sense and this frame is built for it. Other changes from stock include a comfortable-steering 30-degree neck rake. “If you look at all those factory baggers pre-1970,” Mike explains, “the old FL models with the cast necks, the ones that handled and steered so well, they had a 30-degree rake. It lets the bike trail a little better, handle a little better.” So that’s here, too. Along with those ride and handling benefits that neck angle also allows a better fit for custom fenders, which tend to be bigger and longer.      This 200 frame has a slight stretch in the backbone and its custom billet swingarm is much stronger than any OE piece, not to mention better looking. It accepts the stock axle and all the related hardware, and the rest of the frame takes all the custom parts available in the FatBook. Something else interesting about this 200 frame is that there’s no offset. Everything bolts in stock without the need for an extended mainshaft in the transmission, a jackshaft or spaced out sprockets. It makes the bike easy to assemble and easy to service. This thing’s so user-friendly, Mike says, it can be factory-serviced.
     And there’s more. Another new Chopper Guys frame is a 240/Drop Seat/Twin Cam FXR. This one’s a tasty piece. A modern TC-style engine and transmission bolt right into this hot-rodded FXR, a frame design so popular it’s established a cult following. This one has that trademark Chopper Guys billet swingarm, too, and along with the 2-inch drop seat there’s a great-handling 31-degree neck in the mix. A rider slips into this frame like a hand into a glove. The suspension choices, obviously, are wide open. The frame accepts anything from a stock 39mm set up to any top-of-the-line equipment, with the same options at the tail. An FXR with modern power and suspension–who won’t like that? And Chopper Guys has a 200-tire Dyna frame that’ll be available early next year, stronger and far more stable than stock. This will be one sweet handler. Keep your ears open for more info, it’ll be coming in a few months time.
     In the meantime go ahead and check out what’s in the FatBook right now. There are even FXR electrical side panels, pieces discontinued by Harley and otherwise impossible to find anywhere else. Check out the new “Bone” style rigid fender struts, too. They look like a leg bone and add a cool look to a rigid. And of course if it’s a frame you’re searching out, well, Chopper Guys has that, and always has. Check with your rep for more details.


Mike’s other passion is his weekly radio show, which he has been doing for over 20 years now. The show gives Mike the opportunity to talk bikes and share some great music with his listeners, as well as contributing to the community by urging people to do something everyday to help out their fellow man. Chopper Guys is a strongly family-oriented business, which Mike hopes to one day turn over to his children and grandchildren. Most of the employees have been working at Chopper Guys for at least 10 years, showing an extreme loyalty to Mike, Gary and the Chopper Guys cause.