For those that don't already know (which seems to be quite a few above), Chopper Read is a clever Author with a fantastic imagination and a gift at story-telling.
Also good at stealing other peoples stories.
Although I have never personally met Chopper, I have personally known people who served time with him, and I got to know underworld characters as friends that knew Chopper very well, and they paint a very different picture of 'the kid full of **** and a big mouth'.
Motorcycle Clubs (which Chopper claims to be buddy buddy with) would love to run into him some time
Yes, he did some stupid things, and yes he has a mental problem, but he is no Ned Kelly-like character.
Ned Kelly was a bad person, but Chopper is just weird. But a shrewd business man too.
Take what he says with a grain of salt.
He certainly knows how to sell his books
EDIT: I just remembered a comment he made in a TV interview on Channel 9 about 5 years ago.
When asked if he really did all those things he claims in his books, he rolled his eyes and said "come on, I'm a writer. I want to sell books".