Learning about L & L Choppers and their origins instantly conjured up something I hadn’t thought of in a while – my favorite cartoon series of all times, Biker Mice from Mars. With “a true old school freak, a U.S. style addict, a Swedish style lover and even a High-Tech fan”, all thriving together under its roof, the Dutch shop embodies an idea so romantic, it’s usually truly possible on in the fictional realm: the synergy between riders’ different styles and characters, united by something bigger – in this case their love for good, old-fashioned craftsmanship.
L & L Choppers started off selling Swedish chopper parts throughout the Netherlands and Belgium, and as a reflection of its Scandinavian business roots and the builders’ attention to detail, the shop is designed like a Viking temple. Owner Sjaak Laan and his squad: Paul, Richard, and Jeroen, wanted to help those who share their passion for craftsmanship but don’t possess the space, tools, or expertise to fully express it. After a few materialized two-wheeled dreams, people started asking the builders if they “could for instance mount a sprocket brake system, or line up a motor and tranny and things like that. We started to helping these people out and that resulted into building complete bikes. Now that, in fact, this is our major business, building bikes!”
This demand spurred the builders to develop their signature attacKIT, “a frame with oil bag with which people can turn their stock Sportster into a bad ass chopper or bobber.” It’s like the expertise of the L & L crew, channeled into a tool which fills in the riders’ gaps of knowledge. With the attacKIT, all they have to do is choose between a round, oval, or horseshoe oil tank, put in the work and bring their particular vision to life.
But with the builders’ variety of styles pulsing throughout the shop, bobbers and choppers are only two of the many types of motorcycles that ride off L & L. “When we had all these people working here with different tastes, we learned to look wider. We broadened our horizons,” Sjaak tell us. This diversity drove L & L to explore and borrow from different parts of the world-wide motorcycle custom scene. The shop hence became the exclusive provider of Japanese company Tokyo Thug’s parts for the Frisco style lovers.
Even though Richard and Jeroen are no longer part of the team, their influence and vision remain palpable in young Paul’s work. Dragstyle, customs, old school, west coast choppers, boardtrackers – he has developed a taste for them all, especially “everything custom… the more unique, the better, but … always in good taste.”
L & L are as custom as they come: making custom bikes, made with custom parts, made with custom tools.
“At the moment, we are doing a lot, and I mean A LOT of boardtrackers. The motors we use for this particular style range from HD Evo Bigtwins and Sporties to Panheads and Ironheads. The words “period perfect” do not exist in our dictionary,” Sjaak explains.
