Big Bear Choppers Athena 100 Carb - Specifications & Review

Company History

Big Bear Choppers rose to prominence during the 2000s with long, low production customs and comprehensive kit bikes that delivered show-bike drama with roadworthy manners. From Big Bear Lake, California, Kevin and Mona Alsop built a brand around clean fabrication, deep paint, and geometry that rode better than the silhouette suggested—proper trail figures, stout brakes, and attention to wiring and heat management. Customers could commission complete builds or assemble kits with documented parts, democratizing the custom dream without sacrificing quality. The financial crisis hammered the chopper segment, and the company faced restructuring, but its designs remain influential: flowing tanks, cohesive stance, and billet details that read intentional rather than excessive. Historically, Big Bear captured a California chapter of custom culture—confidence, craftsmanship, and a willingness to blend art with function. Surviving bikes continue to turn heads at meets, while the kit legacy lives on in garages where builders learned to measure twice, mock up carefully, and respect alignment as much as paint.