The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

American Chopper TV Show Canceled

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American Chopper Canceled
American Chopper Canceled

The long running pseudo reality show American Chopper has been canceled. After Paul, Jr. left the show and Paul, Sr. sued his son, the show finally succumbed to the same fate as many custom build shops. The finale will run this Thursday, February 11th.

Now if TLC could start a show about real builders without all of the made for TV drama, they might have something.

Link: American Chopper

Comments

  3. Ya know, I hate to say it but it really was about time. That show with all it’s built in BS did little for motorcycling et al, though it did make Discovery a lot of money. In the end, the non-riding public has one more reason to think we’re all like those bozos.

  5. I used to watch the show regularly. Early on, the yelling just seemed like how they interacted. Some families are louder than others and it was kind of amusing. For me, it was less about the bikes, though the did turn out some interesting ones…not my style, but interesting nonetheless. However, the very few episodes I have seen over the past year or so revealed the yelling to be more frequent, the attacks to be more personal and the verbal barbs to be more hurtful. Then we see substance problems, a business breakup and less family interaction. Then we see the two brothers lcompletely losing perspective about their talent levels….and failing to realize that without the show, no one cares. The whole thing is just sad now. My hope for the Teutals is that with the cameras turned off, they can find normalcy and find a way to be a family.

  6. I can’t imagine why anybody would want those guys designing and building a bike for them.Especially if Mikey laid his inept hands on it.I don’t think that they were even enthusiastic about bikes, it was just a money thing.

  7. Maybe they can have a show about people building real bikes that are actually rideable, not those things they were building. I admire the skill it takes to build one of those choppers, but I wouldn’t want one.

  9. Meh, they’ve been circling the drain for a long time now. It started out fine, I liked seeing more of the build processes. That’s what Discovery Channel should be about, right? The show that really caught my imagination, though, was on SpeedVision (pre-NASCAR). It was called “Build or Bust” and the first season was amazing. Exile Cycles gave up a work bay for it. It was more of a game show, where the contestants get some allotted time to put a bike together. Some of them had the requisite skills, but enough failed to make it interesting. Lots of tears, and some really inspiring triumphs. The camera work and the sparing use of music really put an edge on it that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Second season was OK but didn’t have the same atmosphere. Then the show ended and SpeedTV ran a lot more cars chasing each other in circles.

  11. Chrome plated rebar handlebars and “accessories”, half galon gas tank with 1800cc motor, spagetti front suspension. Where did they go wrong?
    Do some of us buy motorcycles because of the paint job?

  12. It still amazes me that those animals, all of them, managed to make such a bundle of money from (technically anyway) a lot of rubbish.
    The old man may well have been a great “Iron Worker” but the building of those machines was dire!!
    In England there is a wonderful word – “Bodging” which basically describes just about every machine those clowns put their hands to.
    The “Biker Build Off” series wasn’t bad at least the acted family battles didn’t happen and everyone seemed to get on with each other even past some of the monster ego’s.

  13. so – how long before they stop building bikes? everyone knows that bikes were the smallest slice of the financial pie that was OCC. like harley, they should shut down all excess assets to focus on their core products: t-shirts, ball caps, and misinformation.

  14. I’d guess that this will be the death knell for OCC as a viable business-no more TLC income, without the TV exposure their corporate promo-bike business will drop to zero, and that coupled with over-saturation will kill the swag end of their business model. I assume that the economy, plus the end of the ugly, unrideable-chopper fad, has already put a huge dent in the retail sales of their bikes. That insane showroom/shop must be hugely leveraged, and Papa Teutel, at least, seemed to believe in the this-money-will-last-forever economic theory, if his estate and car collection are any indication. Sorry and all that, but these guys lost me when they destroyed a perfectly good, fairly late model 4×4 vehicle (Explorer?) for ‘fun’, while their shop guys looked on in stunned silence, most of whom were probably thinking that, ‘jesus, I could use a truck that nice’. At any rate, the smartest Teutel of the crew seems to be the unseen/unknown mysterious ‘third son’ who eschewed the tv crap and took over the original Iron Works. Maybe they’ll all be working for him soon.

  15. When they started that overblown new building a while ago…as the economy was tanking, I had a bad feeling. It;s one thing to go back to the old life after a lucrative run…it’s another thing to go back to the old life with millions of debt (new building, new houses, new everything). Again, they all got over their skis and thought it would never end. Saw an episode where Paulie’s great life advice to Mikey was to get an agent….an agent? I was thinking more along the lines of a decent vocational school, but an agent? Here’s a clue, a guy who existed as the comic relief…and who now hates that role…and has no other discernible talent does not need an agent. he needs some sort of marketable skill.

  18. “Now if TLC could start a show about real builders without all of the made for TV drama, they might have something.”

    Paul: TLC?? Why not you/Kneeslider?
    This site is already so close to those real builders, plus you’ve got all of us for the spice! Rolled into a webTV format, seems like a no-brainer (& a LOT of work!)

  19. just as everyone else mentioned! it was long over due! there was more bickering than building going on in the shows! I feel sorry for all the real talented guys who worked at OCC, I enjoyed watching them fabricate new things, i hope they are handsomely covered, when the OCC company tanks!! Maybe it is time for a travel channel sort of idea, except for bike builders, where every season they can visit differnt bike builders, get to know the “real” builders out there! Not some one who builds just for show and bling but becasue it is the way of life! I am sure they could use a slice of publicity in this poor economy and non bikers can get over the bad image that is portrayed by a few bikers! that they are normal people just like the next person! and also incredibly talented!!

  20. I have been telling my wife the show has been going downhill. It got to the point were I would Tivo the show so I could fast forward through all the fighting and Paul Jr. design crap. Let’s be honest, who gives a poo about a coleman grill painted red with a chrome handle.

    Paul Jr. made a major mistake when he left OCC, now they’ll just float off into oblivion like the chopper craze they helped create. It will interesting to see where the family will be in 10 or 15 years.

  21. I used to tell people to watch it for one reason as proof that only in America, with a little effort, even the most profoundly stupid can become millionaires. They are a perfect example of how little knowledge is actually needed to make a go of it.

  22. I couldn’t even make it through one episode of this stupid show. It didn’t matter that it was about motorcycles, I couldn’t stand any of them. It didn’t help that I didn’t like the bikes, either.

  23. I’d be lying if I said that they didn’t fuel my passion for custom motorcycles and drove me harder to start working in that industry, but really, after one seasone when the show was on Discovery, it was obviously nothing but downhill. I’m amazed it has lasted this long. I know a lot of shops went down over the recent years, but I’m wondering why Discovery hasn’t jumped back on the Build-Off series. It was nice seeing so many different styles of builders showcased on the show. Besides, Discovery is already recycling ideas like Monster Garage with that new show Motor City Motors w/ the Detroit Bros. BIKE BUILDERS!

  25. I think the only people that are gonna miss this abomination are the same people that spend WAY to much time watching soap operas. I hope the newly created time slot is spent on guys who represent what true craftsmanship is all about. Im willing to bet most of their fans don’t have a clue about real quality, so when they are told that OCC is the pinnacle of design they worship these over ego’d cake dacorators out of ignorance. One of the shows I did see, Pauly entered that spider man bike in the rats hole contest. (against the real best of the best) and they gave that thing SECOND place! I lost all respect for the promoters of that show, That bike was nowhere near the dead last finisher. Just callin it like I see it.

  26. This show did what it was designed to do, attract attention and make money. No one will say it was the pinnacle of custom building and the Teutals rode it as far as they could and made loads of cash in the process. I wonder how many folks, if given the opportunity, would have done the same thing. I hope those guys invested well, but, with lawsuits already under way, things may not go well from here.

  28. OMG – Say it isn’t so! Have they asked Obama for a bailout yet?

    Perhaps Discovery could incarnate some other Neanderthal fisfit series based on Outlaw builders (NASCAR is too high class for them).

    Nah, maybe not. It’s cheaper to dig up clips of crashes, fires and other disasters rather than produce anything meaningful.

    Maybe the Teutel Twits could take a lesson from Vince McMahon ….. “It’s all bullshit man, don’t get twisted about it.”

  29. I don’t have much time for TV and haven’t sprung for cable. I don’t care for choppers and silly looking “tough guy” WWF stereotypes or Jeraldo / Dr. Phil, Days of our Life type shows. Apparently (judging by how much everyone here knows about the show) a large portion of the USA felt it was worth watching and the OCC guys made a mint because of that.

    I guess I would be just as susceptible as anyone ending up in the same place if a TV channel decided to give me millions of dollars to make a fool out of myself and destroy my family. Hopefully, like Paul just said, the Teutals invested well and can retire now that the ride has come to an end.

    -todd

  30. There are so many benefits to not having a television. Not having ever seen this show being one of them. All the shows I do watch are commercial free and I like them. I don’t usually appreciate choppers as much as others do anyway.

  31. ummm could it be that they used a fire hydrant for a carb cover??? or maybe they where just flat out ridicules….. Hey RADDesign thanks for the new slang, “Bodging” ya think I will sound out of place saying it with a southwestern American accent? no matter I will use it anyway….

  32. aaron,that line about OCC and Harley’s core buisiness is t-shirts etc.,when it comes to Harley that is really a tired line from guys like you.Here on Maui I’d bet 80% of the bikes are Harleys and all you have to do is check out You-tube for all the HD riders all over the world,Japan,Tailand,Europe ,So.America,Cuba and all very enthusiastic about thier Harleys.Thier Harleys, not baseball caps.

  33. Mike Corder said it, “Find it somewhat ironic that this article follow the previous post on Kneeslider”
    No company is indispensible, especially when staffed by buffoons. These guys damaged the small shop image by projecting their pomposity and lack of professionalism.
    I like the idea floated about a traveling show, highlighting diverse talented builders throughout this great country. Now that is something that I would watch. A true reality show, heavy on reality and light on show.
    America is starved for substance. Are you listening, Hollywood? Give us substance, not buffoonery.
    I can watch reruns of the Three Stooges for that.
    Jim

  34. The only one of those shows I had any respect for was Monster Garage because Jesse James was, and is, cool.

    But those guys? No thanks, not interested.

  35. Maybe without the pressure and scrutiny, these people can start to un-tangle the complete screw-up that they made for themselves.

    Jr. suing Sr…. and all sorts of personal rifts… there is a thread of tragedy under a heaping pile of steaming fame-grabbing and over-dramatism.

    Maybe someday those people can figure out what reality is, and TV has nothing to do with it, and usually distorts it severely.

  36. On OCC. I tuned in for a few minutes during an early episode. I was disgusted when I saw a sissy-bar mounted to a hard-tail with sheet metal screws. I tuned in again (maybe 3 or 4 times over the years) and saw serious evolution in the skill, quality and equipment. The fat-ass chopper theme bike niche was dead a long time ago, but I hope that the actual craftsmen can migrate thier considerable skills to other timely markets because, frankly, America needs them.

    Jim, I would love to tune into a show that highlights real small shops running efficient operations while turning out competitive product or services…micro industry?

  37. Early on, sort of interesting in a new school way. Then came the constant bickering, dead lines and bolting together of Ted’s parts… No an avid watcher after the first season, didn’t get an action figure or model bike… Future collectables I suppose.. I’m also a Bodger.. So perhaps there is hope of my own TV show ???

  38. +1, Please bring us a show with real Bike Building. I cant remember the name, but a few Yrs ago I watched a show featuring guys in Oz Hammering out a bike from Aliminum, Not just assembling parts but making a Bike in their small shop… Ive built Choppers for people and believe me, aside from my paint work, its not much different from my old erector set I had as a Kid. I want to watch something special, with Talent beyond basic assembley. Maybe that builder Roland Sands is getting big enough to merit a show, At least his builds are Different styles and Brands.

  39. Been thinking about it some more. It really wasnt about the bikes was it? Especially after the first few episodes. The bikes were background, or props, and the show was really about those guys and their playing it up for the camera. A soap opera for people who wouldnt watch a soap.

    There are LEGIONS of talented builders: Roland Sands as mentioned (plus he can really ride), Jesse Rooke, Roger Goldammer, Matt Hotch, the list goes on. The less time they spend on the spanners, the less interesting a TV show they’re making.IMO

  40. Do I hear champagne corks popping all over the world? Ok, the guys were about as ridiculous as their overpriced choppers, but I respect that they managed to make it big in show business. And unlike another hillbilly who’s defied all odds and made it big time, they never had delusions about running the country one day.

  41. I’m glad they’re gone. I’m afraid the damage is done though. This has become the only “biker’ that many Americans know. We’re better than that,but nobody knows it.

  42. Um, kim? your reference is too oblique for this simple country boy to understand. Who?

    interesting looking at ebay to see what an OCC bike sells for second hand. Havent done the same exercise on other people’s bikes.

  43. I used to watch it , but it got boring. It was the same thing over and over. i liked the bikes , but it seemed to me that all they did was fight and then they make the deadline by a little to make it look like it took alot of work to build a bike.

  44. there may be things you didn’t like about it but we (as motorcycle lovers) all lose. Look around at the 10’s of thousands of people that wore the shirts but didn’t own a bike. They want to be part of us and we become more accepted because of coverage on TV. When it is gone we all lose like it or not.

  46. At the end of the day the show was all about entertaining the mass audiences. Having said that, it did open up the world of motorcycling to many people. It inspired a lot of builders, and showed what can be created from raw materials and imagination. In a world of mass production it was great to see the guy’s hand building a fuel tank from a sheet of steel and crafting anything and everything to finish each original design. The bikes where not my type of ride, but in a world of computer speak, political and technical gobbeldey gook, and computer created mock ups that never see the light of day, theTeutals did built real motorcycles. Like most other show’s it got stale and relied more and more on the personal vendettas between family members, to limp along. If nothing else, it’s legacy will be that it opened up the world to what can be created using imagination, manual skills, mig & tig welders, an English wheel, a lath and a spray gun. Good on ya Orange County !

  47. Watched the show a few times, AND!, believe it or not, it was the best show in that time slot That Day. That does not say anything about building choppers.
    Only my comment about the quality of TV programming in 21st century.
    Thank you Paul.

  48. Well here is 2 guys that stepped out from in front of the cameras and started building real bikes vforcecustoms.com/

  49. I have mixed feelings about the show being canceled. I think I’ve watched a total of about 4 episodes, one of which was the ‘build’ of the motorcycle that the company I work for commissioned. I absolutely loathed the antics and the drama. I fast forwarded past those parts as well.

    But, after thinking about it, I realize that the show did have a purpose. It was sort of the anchor for the rest of the GOOD builder shows like Biker Build Off, Build or Bust, the Jesse James specials, and even Monster Garage to some extent. I’ll make a wild guess here and say that most people that watched American Chopper probably didn’t realize those guys weren’t really building or fabricating a custom bike. They were assembling one. And the parts that they did actually create were at times ugly, weird, or even unsafe (at least in the beginning). The show allowed people that would never actually build or customize their own motorcycles to participate and it created a viewer base for that type of show.

    I’m afraid that with American Chopper gone, TV producers may not see a market for more builder shows. And that’s too bad.

  50. I’ve never seen the show. I guess I should have watched it once. Now I’ll just have to read the book and a good read it will be! And how!

  51. Just a thought, what with all the slams tossed at these guys. I wonder how much was scripted for them and how much was real “Reality” TV. If they got along that horribly in real life they all would have killed each other years ago, long before the show started!

  52. The real sad part of this whole thing is this…..a father and son turned on each other. For what? Fame seems to extract an awful price.

  53. I just watched a part of the show last week, after not having seeen it for a couple of years. I’m surprised it lasted this long. Paul Sr. sure looks old and burned out, and still can’t figure how to assemble a set of fork legs the right way. (Read the freakin’ instructions, dumbass!) Of all the stupid, overdone “theme bikes” they did, very few were worth a damn as riders, (the black bobber was OK), but I did respect the metal fabrication and mechanical skills of some of the people working at the shop besides the Family Feuders, even if the bikes were stupidly designed. Like Jesse said, cake decorators. Too bad there aren’t any shows featuring projects like the Alfa V-6 bike, or the CBX V-12. Sticking together a big-twin in a rigid frame ain’t exactly rocket surgery, is it? Speed channel has a few decent car-oriented shows, but without a bunch of over-the-top “personalities” like the Teutal clan. I wonder if they know how little respect they actually have among bikers, or if they even care.

  54. I don’t dispute they had some talent between them, even though I’m not a chop fanatic some of what they did was “awesome” as the yanks continually put everything. However the continuing need to repetitively use colloquial American BS expressions with unnecessary attitude seemed to have become more about the show than what the show was meant to be about. Shame but that’s it Dude…
    …HOWEVER if we British were to do a show about surprise customs, one off’s, or concepts etc. I believe in be different way it would and could be better. I design and redesign bikes all the time, so if there is anyone out there willing to give it a go or talk about it now would be a good time (please note: ME and ME CREW, or PIMP MY RIDE’s NEED NOT APPLY!) I’m sure Kneeslider would lend a spanner or two, and manufactures even in the credit crunch would like the exposure and free promo… Come on it’s this sort of thing what once put the GREAT into BRITAIN! or should we let everyone else in the world do it for us to watch? OK I’m getting off my soap box now for a cup of tea, but think about it, Britain has got bike building talent! …Have A Good Day…

  55. @Lee, I remember the first “reality” custom building show that I ever saw was JUNKYARD WARS…I think you Brits started the whole media phenomenon – not Survivor.

    p.s. I’m a solid fan of Connections and Industrial Revelations…and if I want “reality” news I tune into BBC World.

  56. At last what a bunch of fools ! But now we will be stuck with repeats on every channel for the next how ever many years !

  58. American Chopper was never really about motorcycles, in my opinion; it was a soap opera about a dysfunctional family. A few of the older visitors here might remember the PBS series about the Loud family, which was probably the first of what are now called “reality shows.” The OCC bunch was not really very different. When it came to actual bike building, they were not “builders” so much as “assemblers.” Take a frame from one manufacturer, draw a design for a wheel and have somebody else make it, pick up a few things from Paughco, etc. and then bolt the whole thing together, with a few tack welds from Paul, Jr. Not what I would call bike building. If you like choppers, (and having once ridden them when I was younger and didn’t know any better, I don’t) then Iron Horse magazine features bikes that real bikers put together, or modify, often in their own garages with limited resources and, sometimes, knowledge. But there is something admirable about that, something individual, with character. American Chopper was yet one more sad episode in the media’s ongoing exploitation of the motorcycle scene, which began with The Wild One and continues to this day, in various incarnations. If only someone had done a decent show about John Britten, or Eric Buell….

  59. What’s surprising is that with all the innovation, creativity and great construction of bikes going on in this country, OCC was the one that was secreted onto the television screen for the longest period of time. It’s a testiment to the state of our culture where entertainment on the tube (all 250 thousand channels worth) has been reduced to “Reality” TV.

    To me, a “Victory by Design” with Alain DeCadenet documentary format would be much more entertaining and educational! Plus I would buy all the DVD’s. Seeing a trio of cretins arguing over a wheel spacer design forced me to turn the channel and never again return.

  60. @Mule: “a “Victory by Design” with Alain DeCadenet documentary format would be much more entertaining and educational!”

    Victory by Design is a very cool show, the first one I saw was about Ferrari, loved it. Time well spent.

  61. I think OCC has a talented staff assembled including Jr., however the hard tail overweight choppers aren’t going to sell in any numbers, thus the must find their niche in a hurry. My favorite bike was the POW bike I liked it a lot! I also liked the some of Jr’s creations but in order to keep from going belly up they’d better make a well balanced lightweight touring bike followed by a sporty machine! Otherwise SR’s wife won’t get to beat the rest of the family out of any inheritance! Good luck Jr. you have talent and so do several employees! SR is basically lost in his own ego! Good luck to you anyhow!

  62. Discovery HD has a great series running called Twist the Throttle. unfortunately I have seen them all 3 times each. But they are definitely worth a watch. each episode is about a different mainstream manufacturer (BMW, Honda, Ducati, etc). Very nice.

  63. The show was never really about the bikes. It was really about the personalities involved. They just happened to be building custom choppers, which just so happened to be the fad of the moment when the show took off. In the beginning, I found it interesting and even somewhat amusing, but eventually it just became about the cult of personality which is fueling all reality TV these days.

    Hate to say it, but aside from the folks who read this site (and similar ones) there isn’t enough interest in a motorcycle build type show that actually builds interesting (not just chopper) and well thought out motorcycles. Not for a cable network to take on. Were there such a show, it would probably focus on all the bolt on this and that provided by the sponsors.

    I could see a web-based show that focuses on people who have built custom bikes, much like My Classic Car.

  64. I have the utmost respect for Paul Sr. overcoming his demons and creating not one but TWO extremely successful businesses.
    I’m certain as well that the show and his actions were scripted and designed to promote the show and his business.
    I can’t imagine him acting like that in a customers board room.
    Success again.
    Would he care if he knew we all thought he sold his soul?
    I rather doubt it.
    Excellent nose tweak there Paul!
    You played the game well!

  65. When this show came on in 2003, I was excited that there was finally a show about scoots. Sweet! Oh the horror!!! What an abysmal load of tripe. Their “creations” (in my opinion) were nothing more than catalog bought parts and assembled at their shop. Then as the show progressed they started to build “promo” bikes. Oh great. A 1 hour commercial about the people who commissioned those flights of unrealistic motorized mayhem and just for yuks, cavemen!!! Geico should have been the sponsor!
    This show was doomed from the beginning. Sure, there is some talent there but, it’s buried under the massive load of ego that is Paul senior. Mikey was the only one I could even remotely feel some empathy for as it was plain to see that “choppers” was not his love or desire. I heard he’s going to do stand up. I bet he has a load of material about senior.

  66. What a loada crap this show was. Too much money, big babies arguing, nice bikes, but at what price???
    The custom build reality equivalent of “Long Way Round” – big money, big production, badly staged UNreality TV for wannabe Easy Riders. Good Riddance to bad rubbish I say.

  67. It is a TV show, y’all. Take it easy! Breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth…..

  69. Good or Bad, those guys are responsible for putting custom choppers into the heads of millions of viewers around the world, and dispite what I thought of the on-screen fighting and yelling, thats what made them popular!

  70. Hey Norm I like that show it reminds me of Sharer Cycle Shop in Verona Wisc! Any more of those shows in the works? Dan

  71. No Idea. I don’t even know if that ones gonna fly. I just picked up the link on another site.

  72. I understand that Teutel Sr actually funded the show initially…pretty smart, I’d say. I agree that it became more of a soap opera than anything serious about motorcycles. On the other hand, how long can you drive a series with the same theme…”we’re gonna build a bike.” That it lasted as long as it did is amazing.

  73. Just like everyone else, I thought this show was amazing in the beginning. It was different and it had motorcycles. Even though it was ridiculous looking choppers that no one would ever want to ride. But I admired their skill and designing that went into building one. After a while, it got to be really stupid. The choppers started to look really cheesy and the arguing got to be really irritating. If they built different types of bikes once in a while, maybe the audience might have stuck around a little longer. Choppers were just a phase for much of America, and eventually everyone got tired of them. The Teutul family got their 15 minutes of fame, but they paid a heavy price for their fame.

  74. How about Kneeslider ???
    Each week do a 1hr show on builders n bikes.
    Look at past articles and bikes just this past month!!
    Bikes that get ridden,not just looked at.
    NO WALL HANGERS!!!

  75. The world is probably better off without reality television in my opinion. Maybe manufacturing motorcycles shouldn’t be confused with being a celebrity.

  78. Some here have forgotten that this was a TV show, made for entertainment, it was not an actual slice of life inside a business. Part of the business revolved around the antics and drama which kept viewers coming back and, unfortunately, it may have contributed to some viewers believing it was normal for bike builders to behave this way.

    The Teutals built custom bikes as well as some, maybe better than others and their TV fame brought them a pretty good living. That was the path they chose and it seemed to work for quite a few years, but the money eventually created real life off camera problems that led to things falling apart. I wish them the best and I hope they sort things out without any long term family feuds.

    The show was actually quite a success. Think about it, how do you run a show for years about a few guys building bikes? After a couple of shows most viewers would tune out, not return week after week. Just keep TV show and real life separate in your mind and you’ll view this a lot differently.

  79. This may be just of interest to RADDdesign but bodging originally meant working with green wood, there is a different skill set involved and you can get some very tight joints as the wood drys and contracts. Occasionally people will use bodge to positively describe an ingenious fix carried out with limited materials such as using an egg to stop a radiator leak or a bit of barbed wire to fix a broken chain. Anything described as bodged when new though is never a compliment nor is describing anyone but a green wood worker as a bodger.

  80. I used to love the show, then it got too “Look at us do this activity totally unrelated to motorcycle design” so I too lost interest a long time ago

  81. I honestly watched about 10 minutes once at a friends (I dont have cable). But I only watch about 10 minutes of TV a week. Guess I had my chance.

    I only have so much time on Gods green earth, I am not spending it watching TV!

  82. I’m actually surprised that more people writing in to Kneeslider don’t like that show. I quite often see the same complaining and whining here that would fit right in with the Teutils.

  83. Seeing the number of comments on this subject, it appears to be a really popular show, despite all the “yeah, I saw that only once” or “not good enough for me”.
    This show has no purpose to be educational, or informative, this is just entertainment, folks, nothing more.
    Now, you like choppers or not (I don’t), Junior is talented or a dumbo (I vote for dumbo), all that doesn’t matter, at least these guys have done something, and they have done it successfully, building and selling a good bunch of bikes, giving a job to a handful of workers in their shop, making it a successful TV show, that imposes a minimum of respect.

  84. Exactly Nicolas. This was just entertainment!
    If you think they screwed up there lives being failures at this, we could only be so lucky to fail as sucessfully as they did!

  85. Couldn’t watch it. I tuned in to a couple episodes. Those guys didn’t build anything. They ordered frames, tanks, bars, controls and all, early on and just added tacky bits to them. I realize later they produced their own frames, but that was after they hired some real talent. Really made me angry. These no talent people making that much money for something almost anyone I know could do. Glad its over. I know it was acting, so is wrestling, I hate that too.

  86. the smartest one of the bunch left while he could still be concidered a custom bike builder.You go Vinnie

  87. p.s. I also stood in line to meet them a few years back in Daytona.They are their greatest fans.

  88. Nicolas, Respect for OCC? Maybe like I respect Jerry Springer. I agree with Zippy above all else. TV is crap and should be reagrded as such. It’s causing the ruination of our culture! Although my parents said that to me when I was watching it in the early 50’s and all we got was 3 channels worth of cowboy shows. Those same cowboy shows are all I watch now, 50 years later if I watch TV at all.

  89. Hooray – I thought it was just me being English and not ‘getting it’ – I thought I was supposed to like it cos of the bikes – but I couldn’t even watch the free dvd I was given all the way through – horrible show – and so were the bikes. MORE Biker Build Off style Shows please – where did they go?
    I’m still watching American Hotrod (still on TV over here). Now that show works – you SEE the cars being built plus the pesonalities – even though half of them have left and Boyd is dead? but the format works – so lets see Motorcycle Builder – chops, customs, cafe racers etc Anyone going to make a series??…

  91. Who is going to take over building theme bike for rich clients to use for status? Personally they hurt motorcycling in general. While some may have looked cool its no substitution for years of engineering any company would take to develop a product. A local dealer bought one for himself and put it on the showroom floor with 2 weeks. Apparently it broke down twice within 20 miles of delivery.

  92. A real T.L.C. show about building real innovation would definately interest me, they built some of the most ridiculous bikes slow non turning junk thank god it’s over and oops….I missed the last episode oh well. And yes go Vinnie ya got out while ya could and good luck with your new shop!!

  93. When the show first aired, I found the design and building of a \theme\ bike interesting. I don’t care much for the stereotypical chopper in general, but I do appreciate the process of design and build journey that they undertook. However, when the show moved away from the process of design/build, and became a character based tabloid tv show, I lost interest – as did many others who are into all things moto [many of you reading this].

    OCC became a big Ed Hardy oversaturation bore….both of which I hope not to see anymore – the whole thing is so played out….

  94. “OK Guys , lets build something totally different this time – any Idears ? Hey I know , How about a reeeaaallly wide rear tire ? noted . Ok how about a …hmmm a Stretch tank ! ok. What about some 40 ft long forks ? awesome!1 And lets make the ground clearance really low this time … No more than a 1/4 ” this time . Coooooool Alright now that that’s out of the way , you’re a real A**hole Paulie , Ya well F*** you too Mikey !! Etc Etc ———— Who wouln’t get tired of this?

  95. Paul Junior ” Let’s see…. a Firemans bike?, I know, I’ll make the tank look like a fire truck, brilliant !”.
    Later on…” Hmmmm… a Space Shuttle bike?, I know, I’ll make the tank look like a space Shuttle, Genius !”
    A bit later… “Lance Armstrong bike?, this requires some real thought, I know, I’ll make the tank like a racing cyclist’s helmet, how do I do it?”
    A bit later, things go bad at OCC, “no problem, I’ll start my own design company, how can I fail?”

  96. Gentlemen, Now American chopper has fell to it’s knees – There should be more more shows from the UK for you guy’s to fully understand the correct way a bike should be built. I did watch the show but the bad manner’s and big egos spoilt it for me.

  97. Quess I’m living in a time warp – it’s 3-16 & I just figured out OCC is gone. Shows you how much attention I’ve paid them the last few years.
    I thought they were decent during the Vinnie years – he was the true bike genius.
    P Jr was a reasonable fabricator – but I don’t think he ever really came up with anything brilliant.
    The bickering was fun at first – than I realized that that is the way they were – very disfunctional and that took the fun out of it.
    Tuned back into them after a few years & was amazed at the new shop – Jr & Vinnie both gone – and Mickey STILL PRESENT – the sort of comic relief that was good for nothing else.
    They are left with a dude family, a hugely over financed business that’s going to go to bankruptcy and a very bad taste in every one’s mouth.
    Totally agree – bring back the Biker Build Offs – Give us the real talent – Maybe even watch Vinnie build a Super Bike!!!!

  100. Ya’ll should stop your naggin and whinning, you let me be fair 95% of you acting like old woman with your comments.

    I laughed my butt of for years simply cause they were and still are cool guys who create and appreciate nonceless fun in life like i do.

    Better be happy and dum, than you dum critics. Go Paul Sr. Jr.!!!! Hope you comming back one day.