Many will argue over the true definition of a biker, but when it comes to Andy Griffiths it would seem he was born to be a biker!
At the tender age of 13, head deep under the bonnet of his dad’s car, ratchet in hand, Andy was interrupted by an almighty roar tearing up the road. That sound, was 20 choppers. That vision, was the beginning. Mesmerized, the only words to pass his lips were, “I WANT ONE! “
Eyeing up his Honda 400/4 & a trails bike in the back garden he wondered, “How do I bloody do that then?!” His dad was busy working, so his only option was to get stuck in & learn. With no idea where to start, he turned to what was to become his mentor, the pages of Back Street Heroes Magazine.
A year later, he’d gained a lot of knowledge, but his chop dream remained just that. 14, Frustrated, & his patience wearing thin; Lady Luck finally played her hand when a Suzuki GT550 came his way. With all the makings of a chop, Andy set to work on his first big bike! It took him just under 12 months to complete, but he’d done it. It wasn’t a show winner by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a chop. Matt black with a welded hard tail. His very first Backyard Chopper, Rock On!
From that moment on Andy never looked back, he progressed to taking a course in mechanics at 16 and his experience to date has grown through the trials & tribulations of carrying out everything from motorcycle repairs, to designing & doing full blown builds for himself, friends, and friends of friends. To every ones advantage, living the biker lifestyle has benefitted his work greatly, by giving him clear insight into what people want when it comes to their custom bikes.
Naturally the next big step was to turn his passion into a business & open up a custom shop. But as time came & went over the years, like many others before him, life’s ups & downs always put a spanner in the works. . . . Until now, when finally after many journeys travelled, everything’s started to gel and the only thing that’s missing, has been the biggest thing of all. So tools at the ready. It’s time to live the dream.
Andy or " Wurz " as he's known to his mates, named his business Backyard Choppers with one goal in mind. To put the shine back into custom bike building . . . we’re not talking spit & polish either, more like twisted steel & sex appeal, as his strap line quotes. Why? Because Andy, like many bikers, feels the world of the custom bike has lost itself to the world of the cheque book choppers & it’s time to show that it doesn’t take a 2nd mortgage to get the bike you’ve always wanted!!
Let the great bikes roll !!!
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