Victor Cabanas had something of an epiphany three years ago.
The Miami Lakes resident was driving on Interstate 75 with his wife, Ivette, and talking about starting a business that could give the average person access to something he or she desired but could not afford.
Just then, a big chopper zipped past.
“That’s it!” Cabanas told his wife.  “I’m going to open a motorcycle shop”.
And, just like that Cabanas who then owned an import/export company named Scooter Nation that shipped scooters throughout the United States and internationally, embarked on a mission to design and build affordable choppers.  The custom category of motorcycles typically features a high handle bar, low seats, forward foot rests and polished chrome trimmings.
Cabanas opened Chopper Nation, 681 NW 108 Street, a year ago and already had made a name for himself in the motorcycle world.  In March, Cabanas’ Medieval-inspired chopper won Best in Show at the Boardwalk Show during Bike Week at Daytona Bach, beating out more than 150 other enries.
It took Cabanas and his crew of 10 which includes four artists, four consecutive months to create the unique bike, mixing new technology such as automatic clutch with a jagged design that resembles the shape of Old World weapons.

“We wanted to go old school, “: Cabanas said, so I said “Let’s go real old school, to medieval times.”
Cabanas, 41, discovered his passion for motorcycles at age 8, when he began riding his first all-terrain vehicle.  By 10, he began talking the dirt bikes apart. After graduating from Hialeah High School, he went to Miami Dade College to study computers, but he quit after earning 57 credits, because, he said, school was not for him.
                “I’ve always been the black sheep in my family, “My brother is an architect and my sister an optometrist”.
Cabanas became a self employed car wholesaler, supplying dealers with cars. After 16 years, he lost interest in that.
In 2003, Cabanas started Scooter Nation and the business, which included for stores in Cutler Bay, Doral, North Miami Beach and Sunrise and 110 dealers made a $2.4 million profit the first year he said. But Cabanas still felt unsatisfied and he sold Scooter Nation in 2005.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s not about the money, “he said. “You have to love what you do be happy.”
Happiness began with the inspiration on I-75 and, over the next three years, Cabanas studied a chopper parked at his home and pored over sketches trying to come up with a unique design. Then, one day the uni0body concept was born – and, with it, Chopper Nation.

The way motorcycles are made, each piece is fabricated separately and then molded to fit as one. Cabanas designed one solid rear fender mold that can be stamped out and assembled much faster. The part is manufactured by DNA Specialty in California.

Chopper Nation manufactures and designs its own parts and has made them in large quantities. It is, Cabanas said, a cost effective approach that means savings for customers.
None of it is cheap though. The average starting chopper is about $60,000 and the price could exceed $100,000. Cabanas sells his choppers for about $30,000. He also offers a $25,000 basic black model with standard features including ostrich skin seats.
“I give a lot of the money” he said His first model, the Twister, initiated Chopper Nation’s signature twisted down tube design and, next month, Cabanas will unveil his second brainchild, Xcessive. Next year, Chopper Trikes will join the family.
Cabanas, who is secretive about future designs, is also planning for next year’s Bike Week.
“It's going to be an invisible bike,” he said.
Cabanas innovative work with the specialized version of motorcycles has caught tine attention of others. Miami Vision Blogorama recently named him the “Henry Ford of Choppers.” While he considers being compared to the legendary automobile innovator flattering, Cabanas said his inspiration comes from “the boss man upstairs”.