Why you SHOULD NOT buy an Orange County Chopper
Dipublikasikan tanggal 21 Jan 2021
So I bought the Bike from the TV show Orange county choppers but the big question is, will it live up to the hype, and if it doesn't what do we do with it?
If you want to sponsor a video contact us at sponsorthebeards@gmail.com
Watch another awesome video:
I Bought the Cheapest Side by Side on the Planet
• I Bought the Chea...
-SRK Cycles Inventory: www.srkcycles.com/
-M1 Moto Gloves, Tank Straps, and Bikes and Beards Apparel: bikesandbeardsgear.com/
-Want to rent a motorcycle? Check out Riders Share: www.riders-share.com/
Follow us on Instagram: goo.gl/WKsgVX
#BikesandBeards
If you want to sponsor a video contact us at sponsorthebeards@gmail.com
Watch another awesome video:
I Bought the Cheapest Side by Side on the Planet
• I Bought the Chea...
-SRK Cycles Inventory: www.srkcycles.com/
-M1 Moto Gloves, Tank Straps, and Bikes and Beards Apparel: bikesandbeardsgear.com/
-Want to rent a motorcycle? Check out Riders Share: www.riders-share.com/
Follow us on Instagram: goo.gl/WKsgVX
#BikesandBeards
32:48![SENAPAN KENTUT DAN ARMOR THE END !! Minecraft Survival Bucin [#44]](/img/null.gif)
SENAPAN KENTUT DAN ARMOR THE END !! Minecraft Survival Bucin [#44]Teguh Sugianto
Ditonton 387 rb29:19
JUAL PASTEL ISI DAGING & SAYUR DI CHINA, MEREKA BELI SEKALI GAK CUKUP, BELI BERKALI-KALI MASYAALLAHSHANTY DI CHINA
Ditonton 993 rb9:04
The Real Reason Why American Chopper Ended: Family Problems & Legal BattlesQuick Shift
Ditonton 793 rb16:08
PRANK TAXI ONLINE!! BAPERIN SANG PUTRI, MAU DIAJARIN NYANYI APA DIAJARIN SAYANG ?Angga Candra
Ditonton 167 rb2:11
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | Official TrailerMarvel Entertainment
Ditonton 24 jt0:58
BOCIL KUCING DICARI SAMA AYAH KUCING OREN | Kaleb Andri #shorts #alurfilm #storytellingKaleb Andri
Ditonton 3,9 jt
Komentar: 10 363
I’ll never forget my dad coming home after losing his job in 2008 and yelling at me for always watching American Chopper. Looking back, that show was like the Kardashians for men. Good call dad
I never liked any fake so-called reality shows.
It produced an awesome meme!
The kardashians are bikes everyone has ridden them
@JakeTwoWheels 😂😂🤣
If they just would have stuck to the tech and talent it takes to work metal into art, they would have had a winner. 5 minutes watching an English wheel and shotbag turn flat sheet to a tank would have been more entertaining than the scripted drama and domestic violence. Always the same script, Paulie brainstorms the concept, turns a wrench for an hour or two, then takes off the gym or for some mid day nookie, while Rick, Vince and Cody did the actual work. Paul Sr walks in, throws wrenches and/or parts across the shop demanding to know where Paulie Jr is, 'cause, you know, Rick, Vince and Cody were supposed to babysit Paulie Jr at the same time they were wrenching the bike. Client calls, moves the deadline up for contrived reason, parts come back from paint and/or plate with scratches, Paulie Jr is nowhere to be found, Vince and Cody stay at work 36hrs to get the bike done, Paulie Jr shows up as soon as they start pouring gas in the tank, Vrooom! Takes the barely finished skooter for a test drive.
The bit about the “person who gets chosen” to go on a show is absolutely correct. I personally know someone who auditioned for one of those rising music star TV shows. This guy was an amazing amateur singer, and had the choice of an angel. Audition time? Nope, didn’t get very far. He didn’t have a “tragic” or “interesting” backstory. He had too normal a life, not dramatic enough with no “story”.
I remember watching OCC with my dad. He would always laugh and say that these guys aren’t building a bike. They were tack welding bits and pieces of metal to the pre fabricated frame and tank then assembling them. As much as he hated Jesse James, he respected that he actually built things from the ground up. If I was gonna pay 80K for a chopper, I’m buying something Indian Larry built, he was the best in my opinion.
Idk that Rick guy was a good fabricater
@Kyle I forgot about Rick. He was a good dude and a talented fabricator.
@T Martin Then he went away in the name of drama
Your dad was totally right. I don't want to know how a OCC Chopper behaves in a curve. I allways had to lough, when the old man was sitting on the bike during the test ride and taking about comfort, while jumping up and down on the seat. These bikes are show bikes, nothing else. Good looking, nice ideas, but nothing to ride with.
Indian Larry was cool but I just watched a Biker Build Off he was in on and I didn’t see him doing any kind of fabricating that was blowing my mind. He mostly bought parts out of a catalog and put a cool paint job on it.
I remember most of the bikes they made on the show being revealed at big show rooms and conventions. I always thought they were more display pieces than rideable bikes.
they totally were
I worked for Caterpillar when they had an OCC bike built for them. I watched the show regularly and I was excited to be able to see one of their bikes up close. I was so utterly disappointed when I got close and was able to examine it up close. It looked like hot garbage. It was only remotely impressive if you stayed about 20 feet away. I remember the paint looked sub-par, some of the welds looked messy, there were some other details I found disappointing but I can't remember them all right now. I wish I'd just stayed back and didn't have my image shattered.
Fantasy can beatrap. Orange county had to be more outrageous and quick for the cameras.
Same! I think it was back in 2005 (I think 🤔), working for Ziegler Caterpillar out of Bloomington Minnesota, the chopper visited our location on its promotional tour or whatever it was, and seeing it up close and in person,.. I 100% felt exactly the way you described! Utterly disappointing, completely lackluster excuse for a motorcycle (not to sound harsh)
It happens when drama is prioritized over construction quality._
@Primech that's a fact
@Harlan Dorman that was about the time frame if I remember correctly too. I worked for Caterpillar in Sanford, N. Carolina
I had a neighbor that had an OCC bike, it was a nightmare. The only thing the bike was good at was sitting in a man cave with lights on it to look cool and have everyone talk about it. It was also good for a photo session with pretty girls around it. He paid big money for it, and in the end he had to almost give it away, I think he got around 7K for it. His wife was ready to divorce him over the whole thing.
Terrible bike, terrible wife.
@Doug Beard ride wife, life good
@Melinda Keszthelyi auditioning?
I'm really amazed anyone could ever think OCC bikes were of any value on the road. It was pretty clear from the show that most of their builds were not designed to be functional. They were display toys. It was even more obvious in late seasons when most customers were companies that commissioned some eye-catching bike with their logo for a charity auction event.
- I want a CLEAN bike. - OK, lets remove everything that make it usable and add some spikes.
Made for a Parade.
Jesse James, for as demonized as he became, was the first to say it. When they did the "biker buildoff" with OCC (Father vs. Jr. Vs. Jesse James), Jesse said at the end that at least his bikes could be ridden.
@Maxxx Modelz Thanks. I knew some other bike builder had said that in another show but I couldn't recall which one. And if I remember well he participated twice and on his second run he said that this time he was not facing clowns.
@Christian Barnay Yeah, he literally disliked OCC it seemed. I remember how he was making fun of Jr. for making a "rivet" bike. Jesse said, "I remember my first time making a rivet bike". LOL. Which was true, Jesse did make a bike like that, except he did all the rivets by hand, not a machine.
I was caught up in that era, I watched all the chopper build shows. Even then I thought the vast majority of those things were ridiculously impractical, it was interesting. I rode Yamaha cruisers at the time as I was unwilling and unable to drop the type of coin it took to buy a Harley. The last bike I bought was a 97 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. I took it down to the frame and built a single seat low rider bagger, took me two years. i was super proud of the end results but kept it only for a couple of years then sold it. My wife thought I was crazy that I sold it after putting so much work into it. What she didn't understand was that all the fun and satisfaction was in the work.
That's exactly it, everybody knew it was impractical but they were still an inspiration. In some way it was similar to a bob Ross painting, they just had better marketing. Don't get me wrong because I love Bob Ross but his paintings were also not museum quality but still amazing because of the story. Same goes for these bikes, I still have a soft spot for them, but they're not worth the price but I always knew that
How much did you make off the Yamaha when you sold it? Did you ever make a video on it?
did u make a profit? how much of a profit did u make if u did? u dont have to say the actual amount u can say something like 50%.
Yes , all the fun is in making the baby , not maintaining the baby.
@Park Justin You knew how to spell all that but you did not know how to spell "you", all those times that you attempted to?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Imagine having paid full price for one of their bikes. That would be so embarrassing. They saved a lot of money cutting corners and then charged rediculous prices.
Just the loose cables are a no go. And even my bicycle has hydraulic brakes, i would not ride this peace of junk.
They're charging that price for the design and work put into a custom bike. This isn't meant to be compared to a retail bike. It's a one-off. $80,000 isn't bad, in my opinion.
And on top of that scenario, when they were hot on the market, a close friend of mine had bought into the OCC energy drink. Yes it's a real thing. Let's just say it's a equal purchase to the bikes, rolling dumpster fire...
Well yeah if you ever seen the show the majority of their business came from creating theme bikes for companies. They most likely made more money creating them bikes and selling OCC merchandise than actually selling bikes to the general public
Tax advantage that company's have . no poor people bought them lol 🤣
This was eye-opening. I realize on all these chopper/hot-rod type shows they never emphasize the safety or performance.They emphasize stuff like how the hood ornament is actually the flusher mechanism from a space shuttle toilet, or something like that.
Clever user name
Years back the city I lived in had a motorcycle show. Snap-On tools sponsored it and brought the S-O Tools bike to it. Guys that worked for them told me they'd take my motorcycle over the one OCC built for them to travel around the country to "show-off". They ended up awarding me with a 1st place trophy 🏆 . I was on a motorcycle, I couldn't carry it home. So I handed a 3 ft trophy to a little kid that was there with his mom. Lol
The snap on bike was damn impressive I saw it a couple times
My father hated Paul senior for the way he was always yelling at his sons & employees, but I told him he acts exactly the same way towards me and my brother. We ended up both going our own way.
When I was 8 I was in love with choppers. Now I can see why, I was 8.
Big wheels made all us kids love choppers 🤟🏻🇺🇸😜
😂😂
hahahaha
Ha nerd I was 2 when I broke my dads toe with a wrench from O.C.C
Such a relevant comment - for 90% of guys. Maybe when I've earnt enough I could own one. I seem to remember being super uncomfortable/awkward riding that particular chopper tho, so maybe I'm biased to not owning one. Edit - maybe he should've never met his hero (or ridden it).
I thought every episode of OCC described why not to buy their bikes, In great detail .
This is probably the best and smartest comment yet. 😆 you nailed it
@Mooselightning ! Thanks. Not the most popular opinion , but I stand strongly behind it. There are a few of us that wouldn't be caught dead looking at an OCC bike, nor less owning one.
You ruined it by responding .
@Reckless Genesis this makes absolutely zero sense
The best bike I ever had was a 2001 Indian scout. It was a smooth bike, very fast. 89 hp and a little over 350lbs. Single bar frame. It was so nice when I rode other bikes they felt like I was driving a cinder block.
I'm not a bike guy but even I wondered about the suspension. I thought it was there but unnoticeable. The spikes terrified me though. I was thinking "if someone has a problem on one of those they better hope they are nowhere near that bike when things go wrong". I would prefer to slide across a concreted road surface in shorts and t-shirt than end up wrapped in one of those bikes.
I always thought some of their bikes looked like they had weird geometry that would be weird to ride, then later I heard stories about their bikes handling poorly and wanting to dive when you aren't holding the bars straight. I could never understand why anyone would want a lot of the bikes they built
Presteige. You don't buy one of those to ride it, you buy it to impress other people.
@Steven Powell right... You get to brag that you overpaid for a bike that rides like trash.... But you have one! Lol
Probably just wanna buy em to show people, talk about a waist of money! If I can't ride it, I won't buy it!
@Tim C absolutely. Even if they were great riders, they look absolutely ridiculous most of the time anyway
@theLongPigChef Yeah, pretty much most of the time, that's the bad thing. And most of em didn't handle worth a crap.
This programme inspired me as a child to become a motorbike mechanic. Barely a year into my training and I was questioning every step taken in the series. So much electrical slovenliness, absolutely no ergonomics and the unsprung mass must be immense (probably rides like a family home). Too bad for the beautiful workshop actually
I recently got into building bikes, and I remembered this show so I went back to watch it, just to see what I can learn from it. The answer: basically nothing. Shame, it could have been a great series.
their builds were more for show over performance.
I wouldn't worry about the unsprung mass, more the dynamic loading on the wheel rims and hubs, that appear to have their designs framed by tyre size/bearing size and appearance no thought on the stresses not just from riding but braking and road conditions, pot holes etc
Great video. (love how the headlight lens isn't parallel to the ground) I've had the "pleasure" of getting to work on a couple of these OCC bikes and I can say you are 100% correct about them. They're really not meant to be ridden, just looked at.
They look good to a blind person!
Build me a road vehicle that's not suited fr d road plz. Do that statement make any sense?🤔🤕
@A. Mckenna A lot of supercars are built that way.
I think you mean perpendicular!
@MyRegardsToTheDodo Could you show me a supercar using a bone stock, of the shelf anemic motor producing a whooping 65HP please? I'll wait... If you're about to be impractical, be fun to drive at least. By fun I mean great handling, stoping power, steering precision, power, speed, you name it.
I always loved the show, mainly because my dad and I would go at each other like senior and Jr when I was younger, Full disclosure: it was 90% my fault 😅, and I loved the whole building process of taking raw materials and building a work of art. The only disappointment is to find out that OCC bikes where first off way over priced for a bike with zero suspension, no tachometer's, way underpowered and a belt drive that could rip flesh away from your left calf.
I can only be thankful for that show. Before finishing high school, I didn't know what to do with my life. Long story short, I became a fabricator, making an excellent way of living. I know there's a lot of stories like mine. We found purpose.
Paul Sr. really let it go to his head, buying that huge shop. He actually thought they were building good bikes.
Eh, maybe. But they WERE making money, which is what a business is for.
@mushufasa Well some folks build bikes to make businees. I prefer those who make business to build bikes
@mushufasa Did they make money because of quality, or because of the fame? Are they proud about delivering the product or receiving the dollars?
I never watched the show, but I see those pre-made "customs" often and it is painful to see the riders think they have such a unique machine.
I appreciate your brutal honesty. I use to love American Chopper, and this speaks volumes to how that company did business..... a stock 1340 evo in a 80k chopper?!😲
They weren’t about performance, even a little. They never made a secret of that even in the show.
They didn't want to spend real money on that bike because they were giving it away to a fan who couldn't afford to buy one.
What gets lost in the great debate about OCC is that the moment they penned the TV contract they ceased to be a bike builder and became an entertainment business. Why would you expect a ratings driven TV show to produce practical, let alone safe, custom bikes. OCC bikes are what they are, shiny objects whose sole purpose is to mollify the masses.
Amen! Well said.
True, true!
Their sole purpose was not to "mollify the masses". I would suggest you look up the word "mollify" for reference. The sole purpose of the show was to make money for the producers. The principals of OCC were fabricators who I'm certain enjoyed their work, the fame, and in no small measure: the money. That they made shitty bikes in terms of practicality and quality is without question; mostly hardtails with little engineering involved. They had the opportunity to create much more sophisticated and higher quality bikes, but they chose not to, and that is a shame.
So basically what you are saying is that just because they penned a contract that all their bike engineering expertise went straight out of the window? Oh.......OK m8 whatever you say. Owned a OC chopper have you? Bought one have you?
This video brought back memories of me in the UK all those years ago staying up late on a night to watch OCC. I was obsessed with that show. I even had an OCC flag on my wall (with the logo) and I had plans of passing my motorcycle test and trying to get one imported into the UK. None of that ever happened though. 🤣
There was a company in Indianapolis building safer and better choppers with a warranty for 20K. They used OCC reference as part of the ad campaign. They are still building bikes today.
What's their name so I can look em up
I was doing an engineering project in NY, when their show was a bit past it's peak, and visited their showroom. I was the only person there, apart from a couple of sales people. A lot of the bikes from the show were in the showroom. A thing that occurred to me was, "Shouldn't these be out in the world, and not here in the showroom"? At the end of each episode, they showed bikes being delivered, or displayed at events. But, somehow, they ended up back at OCC. Up close, I can't say I was very impressed by the build quality, and there were none that I have wanted to ride, on a real road. They were interesting pieces of art, but as motor vehicles, I think I wouldn't ever use one. And the idea of a bike made up to look like a stealth fighter, or a firetruck just seems more cartoon-y than I'd want to be seen on, in public. You asked "What should we do with it?" at the end of the video. I think OCCs bikes are at their peak performance as static displays. I'd hang it on a wall, or stick it on a display frame, hovering over one of those glass bead gas fireplace pits, on the back patio. But ride it? Nah.
Back in the day when OCC was a popular TV show & people were having custom bikes built I never understood why some would have one built with no suspension.
Might be an age thing. The original chopper (Captain America from Easy Rider) was an underpowered hard tail with lousy brakes, so that was what people were looking for when they got old enough to be nostalgic and had enough money for custom builds (although it somehow defeats the purpose to pay a lot of money for a supposed symbol of authenticity and a simpler time). The bike in the movie was of course just old and from a time before suspension was really a standard feature. But the attitude persisted for quite some time - I remember that some people actually got angry when HD began mounting their engines on silent blocks, because having some semblance of comfort was apparently treason to the chopper ethos (but then I ride a Honda, so what do I know).
I had the misfortune of seeing another OCC bike up close at my local HD dealer when that show was at its peak. The mechanics were al gathered around it shaking their heads at the extremely poor build quality (leaking gas tank, rats nest electrical, oil leaks, etc.). Let’s face it, none of those bikes were ever meant to be actually ridden and were made to be displayed in the lobbies of their corporate clients. I for one am very glad that show (and others like it) have come and gone.
Visibly poor build quality even defeats their purpose as decorative sculptures. I guess it’s a good thing that they had their heyday in the standard definition TV era.
Haha, and started for just long enough to rev the engine to rev limiter a couple times for the crowd :)
@volvo09 rev limiter set @2800 as to not break welds,,
Agreed.
I never understood why a company should buy and expensive bike to put on display. Thinking about it it is way of pure promotion and the bikes are just not roadworthy. A single owner will use it at some point but not a large organisation.
I was today years old when I learned all of this. To think I actually admired the company's and individuals that were buying these bikes for $80,000 and up back at the shows peak in popularity is now very disturbing. LMFAO at myself!
American Chopper got me through a tough time when I lost my job back in 2010. It got me interested in motorcycles, but I enjoyed the drama and the cool looking bikes. I never had any thoughts on ever wanting to own one, bc I knew they looked like they were just for show and not one you'd ride.
Truth be told I’ve heard horror stories about their bikes. When the show was out and Popular everybody wanted one. But if something went wrong with the bikes, getting service was one of the worst experiences of your life.
When OCC got their tv deal, the choppers were instantly an afterthought. It was all about the fights, the drama, the suspense, whatever it took to sell more commercials and make money off the tv show. No one in the tv company would have cared if they were building bikes or cars or tricycles. Only the ratings and profits mattered.
In hindsight as I remember from my years of watching American Chopper, their focus was building theme bikes and they were just getting into production bikes toward the end of the show. Since they were focusing on building show bikes, I wouldn't expect them to put in a monster of an engine because the bike was built to look good and rarely ridden. It would make sense that they would go a bit cheap and put in a stock engine. If the bike was a production bike and not a theme bike, then it would make sense to put in a more powerful engine if the customer wanted a certain degree of performance out of their bike.
you do understand that at bike shows we arent just looking at paint & chrome right? this thing is a jake & made on a minimal budget & barely looks better than that horrible "factory chop" honda sold years ago..
Yeah i build a wardrobe from ikea im a builder too. Technically speaking probably slightly more advanced for being able to put that flimsy warddrobe together. Quality of the products is very compareable tho.
Agreed 100%.
I love American Chopper and still watch the reruns so I feel a little funny laughing at this, but this video is way more fun than I expected.
I remember my uncle buying a chopper someone had built back in the early 80's way before Jesse James and OCC. I was used to riding Japanese bikes, I had a Kawasaki KZ400. The first time I rode his chopper it felt like someone had cut a International tractor in half and lowered it. Total death trap on the road. 60mph felt like 120mph, and my lower back was sore for 3 days lol
Yes. Enjoy your Vespa. I hear they are super comfortable on your way to the market. Ya know... where you sell your Man Card.
@Heavy Hauler Yes, please tell us more about how tough you are, internet tough guy. The story about when you single handedly took down Bin Laden is my favorite.
@Big Guy . Fat guy on a scooter !! You funny.
I remember OCC, West Coast Choppers and Great Biker Build Off. Choppers had such a resurgence, but I never wanted to own one as a teen. Now that I'm older even less so, but cruisers are growing on me.
The saddest part to me is, the best the original owner could get was 8,000 dollars! Man that's gotta be Hart breaking.
I got caught up in the whole chopper building shows , and OCC were always just cake decorators to me. Indian Larry, Billy Lane, and Jessie James were always the boys to beat
Indian Larry was very very good, Jesse James and Billy Lane bikes didn't even run long enough to make it to the end of the show. Like James bike in motorcycle mania and Lanes bike in biker build off against Indian Larry.
OCC did build the bike the contest winner said he wanted. The results of the request is to be careful what you ask for - you might just get it. The majority of the bikers I know would not ride, and definitely not build, a rigid bike for anything other than garage art.
They were all garbage dude…
When those guys built a motorcycle it was like a real estate agent painting a house for sale
Grow a pair and go ride.
@Stretchh fab Shut it tuff guy. I think we all ride here, and most of us aren't 18 on here iether. So save those type of comments for your old lady.
@Stretchh fab i dont ride but no suspension sounds like you live in a place with nice roads
My first bike was a 250 virago with a rigid set up in the rear and springer seat. Such a fun cruiser. But damn if you weren’t paying 110% attention and hit a pothole or lower sewer cab your backs GONE.
Sean trying to imitate the show gotta be the funniest thing I've seen all day 😂
There’s a lotta day left
@J. Wright 😂😂😂
Yeah he dont quite have the angry man down
LOL i gotta agree these guys are comedy gold
I built my own radical big twin chopper....it was the most uncomfortable thing ever..but looked cool as hell. I sold it very quickly.
When I was 18, I built a hard tail 74 with a magneto and an extended springer front end. Once you got it started, it ran great so long as you didn't have to turn or stop. But it gave me hemerroids, so despite what a pos that bike actually was, I had to sell it. I bought a new Triumph so stopped being so cool, but the roids went away never to return.
Haha great story. I love my triumph
There are plenty of really cool COMFORTABLE bikes with practical features. The fact anyone bought an OCC still amazes me.
"Roid Rage"
You became way cooler with the triumph
For me, ОСС products have always been something like expensive decor or exhibition models. But not intended for everyday use.
I understand that you don't ride a copper all the time, but I absolutely love my AIH Texas Chopper. I have a RevLoc clutch in it so no clutch except for between gears. Plus, that OCC one is a hardtail.
There had been a lot of motorcycle manufacturers making bikes without rear suspension back in the days up into the 1940's,BMW being only the first coming to my mind.
I always suspected Orange County Choppers were crap and here is definitive proof.
I did enough shop welding to know these guys were complete hacks and simply makin stuff up. Zero thought to actually engineering or performance
@Michael Taylors It was always about beauty and it`s not a secret.
@Kay Nest Yep, these 'bikes' were always wall hangers.
@Kay Nestbut most of their Bikes are ugly XD
i clicked thinking this was about buying a helicopter.
I think you should make it into the bike it’s supposed to be. Give it more horsepower, a better suspension and paint that screams chopper
Many years ago, OCC built a chopper for the place I work. It was never featured in the TV series. It did feature a theme of the our product. This motorcycle was mounted to a display frame and moved about the site unceremoniously. I haven't seen the bike since the company changed names this past year. Not sure what it's fate was.
Always wondered why the OCC rollercoaster would have cars shaped like sport bikes instead of choppers
OCC was more about the entertainment than it was about making safe motorcycles. I believe they also stated this multiple times that their bikes are meant for show; not to be daily drivers. They're meant to turn heads (and in this case break backs) and that's pretty much it. That said, the original fan the bike was built for got exactly what he wanted. Proves to show that what you think is your dream bike may be hell in reality. Probably why he sold it as it was likely too painful to ride. A shame about that stock evo engine though. Even the guys at the shop thought 100hp when it only pushed out 65? Guess that's what happens when they offer a free bike; cheaper parts. Personally I would replace that seat with one that has springs. Maybe that would also lift up the back a little so that you can actually sit on it without hanging on for dear life from the handlebars.
II know it's been two years since you posted this video, but I think you should have broken it down and rebuilt it, recorded the whole rebuild and posted it. Made it ridable.
I remember watching those Orange County chopper shows. Those bikes were only made to look at. Some of those bikes were so dangerous. Nothing like having pointy objects sticking off the motorcycle in every direction to kill you.
That's a cool bike, if you remove all the spikes, replace the frame with something that has suspension and put on an exhaust system.
So basically keep the engine and change everything else. :)
They never rode their own bikes to any rally. They rode them on a trailer. Closed the door. They didn’t ride their bikes at the rally. They build deadly trophies. I really love the spiked impalers on the handlebars.
They came out to my home town bike rally in like 2012ish and they rode in the bike parade with their choppers. They had their choppers shipped here, and the parade was only like a mile long bike ride but they at least rode them for that 1 mile lol
I think you can compare choppers to lowriders. It is basically the 'hobby' taken to it's most absurd extreme to the point that it is moving artwork. (and by artwork I mean visually and culturally) Neither of them are practical but they look awesome. As a side note there was a guy in my town that had an OCC and it looked pretty cool but probably not fit for the hype.
At least it isn’t as gaudy as most of the bikes they built. I went to their shop and saw them up close. I was surprised that the craftsmanship wasn’t better on them. The Black Widow bike was cool. They were all pretty cool but definitely not practical and way overpriced. For the bike you now have I’d start by putting springs on the seat frame.
If you ask any serious chopper builder they will tell you OCC was a complete joke, I'm sure most 5 years old thought it was cool (I sure did) but in reality they weren't built to be ridden, only looked at.
If there's a market for it and people are lining up to pay then it is not overpriced. Anyone would be a fool to not cash in as much as they could for as long as they could too.
@Paul Frederick The fact that they went bankrupt and still owned the majority of the theme bikes they built tells me no one was lining up to buy them. They were hype for a tv show.
@Rob Stanton bankruptcy is a financial instrument. It is an effective way to acquire and retain wealth. So many rich people have done it. Often more than once.
@Paul Frederick I’m a successful businessman and I don’t have any respect for a thief who steals from others to get ahead by not paying his/her debts.
I love that Willis called a FXR a chopper 😂😂
I loved watching American Chopper back in the early 2000's, but I could tell back then those bikes were nothing but eye candy. Rich people buy bikes like that so their friends know they're rich.
Agree the fat tire Harley thing went away around 15 yrs ago and HD is on its way out.
so true
The Show was a Wank ,,, Watch one seen them all Australia
Aye! They're showpieces really if anything at all.
in the show they were a style house. They designed the bikes, outsourced the parts and assembled the bikes. Custom exhaust was about as far as they went for the powerplant.
You should see if you can do anything to make it better. 1) Change to a springy seat to cushion the bumps. 2) Turbo or super-charge the motor. 3) Add a speedo somewhere. 4) Change the front wheel and brakes to dual-disk calipers.
I love choppers! One of my favs is the MH-65 Dolphin.. Airwolf was awesome too
There's a OCC chopper in the town where I live. A guy ended up winning it in a lottery and then it got bought and sold a million times. One of my friends had it for a while and he said he couldn't afford to pay for registration on it because it was valued at 80k and in Nebraska you have to pay a huge percent of the value of the vehicle which was over $1000 a year just to ride it.
Let me get this straight, on your vehicle registration you have to pay a percentage on the value of the vehicle, not what you actually paid for it to register it each year ?
@Jason Voorhees it's stupid. Essentially if you drive a pile of crap 30 year old beater it's $20 for registration. I bought a brand new truck though for $43k and every year I had to pay $700 for the state of Nebraska to "allow" me to drive it on their roads. The amount you have to pay goes down over time. I think if the vehicle is 15 years or older it's $20
Georgia had the same thing. i think it was called Valorem tax. They had no vehicle inspection, so older cars would pay less then newer cars. it was a annual tax you had to pay just to drive your vehicle.
$45 in Ohio. Ish. It can vary a few dollars depending on location.
Dang that’s crazy. I live in California its outrageous here to.
Very few "major motorcycle manufacturers" made bikes with rear suspension until the mid/late 1950s.
I think you need to make the OCC bike into what it SHOULD of been. Comfortable, safe and powerful.
Sure safe and motorcycles are synonymous
@rhyolite addict when they are not built well, they are not safe. That's what my comment was about.... Over a year ago.
So.... go buy a Honda Goldwing. Fits all three of your prerequisites. But... if 2 out of 3 ain't bad... I see a Vespa in your future.
This was my take too!!!
Ridden by tough guys who don’t wave and best designed for bar hopping. I always chuckle to myself when encountering this as I roll through another 500-miler on a 20yo used BMW that I bought for $3500. OK man, you won the fashion contest!
Several years ago , a friend of mine bought himself a chopper , custom made for $ 75,000.00 . He rode it for 2 years then ended up with a bad back ? In his 3rd year , he put it up for sale for $ 17,000.00 !
I see them for sale every so often. "80k 'invested.' 15k OBO." Who are these people?
The bike builder achieved his objective. "A fool and his money, etc..."
I remember all sorts of people building these bikes after the OCC mould. They'd then claim their assembly of parts was also worth $80k because that's what OCC was getting. They'd almost never ride their trailer queens. There was always an excuse, normally that they were working on something. Maybe the real reason is that those bikes ride like crap.
I think I'd take a West Coast Chopper over the Orange County ones back in the day. Always liked Jesse James and his work.
Ive ridden both OCC and WCC bikes, the analogy I would use is Wal-Mart VS. Prada. Of the 7-8 OCC bikes Ive ridden 4 had leaks in the tank, not one was reliable as they all had parasitic draws, and fasteners were constantly coming lose. They were pretty to look at though. The 2 WCC bikes Ive rode were comfortable, they fired without hesitation, they were just built to ride and be reliable.
Jesse James could build stuff. Like, actually build stuff, not ordering parts and putting them together while adding some designs plasma cut out of flat-stock for decoration.
@CenterMass762 right
That's because Jesse can actually build. He almost got me into fabrication and wish I would have.
Jesse James is a very good bike builder. He built them from the ground up. He made the frame from scratch. He took his work very seriously.
In the seventies, I worked in a custom bike/repair shop. The owner built a show bike that he also used as a daily rider. That bike had spikes everywhere he could fit them. If it was held on by a nut, it was a spike nut. If he ever got hit and went over the handlebars, he would have been gutted. They were popular in the 60's and 70's. I kind of liked the rounded, acorn style nuts. Riding a bike is dangerous enough with all the idiots on the road.
I used to love the show. I remember one time a customer (don't remember who) wanted a bike that was actually fast. OCC said something along the lines of "we don't usually build fast bikes." They ended up just bolting a super charger on it. That's when I thought to myself "oh these bikes are crap and are only for show."
I remember that episode. If the only idea you have is to slap a blower in it to make it faster, you shouldn't be around engines.
I remember "Who rides that long anyway...." on one episode.
Recently found your channel, love that you are openly Christian and quite verses every episode. Wish you were in South Africa where I am because your bike collection is amazing
I would say do a series and do exactly what the style of the bike is telling you "chop" it up. See what it could have been. Better brakes, engine mods, soft-tail or bags, etc.
I was always amused watching people put together kitset bikes from off the shelf parts, paint them different colours then call it "Custom"
Indian Larry knew what time it was. A proper bike builder, making bikes to be rode. Rest well sir.
Indian Larry should have ridden with the seat is not for the feet approach.
You have the awesome beginnings of an excellent boat anchor. ⚓️ I worked a motorcycle parts and accessories store in the 70’s. The store owner taught us early on that choppers were thee dumbest things on earth. Back then pretty much all choppers were Harley’s. When a Harley chopper guy came in to buy sparkplugs we loved asking if they wanted NGK plugs. It was awesome to hear them go off on Japanese anything. 😂😂😂
No surprises here. Just watching their process of designing and building bikes it was obvious they were driven by style with almost no consideration given to rideability or handling. I watched them build a bike with the tank so high, the rider had to ride it leaning to one side to see the road. Crazy.
Why T.V. and Real Life never and shouldn't really get on.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂
they should install a submarine periscope then..
A lot of people are commenting on the fact that OCC gave a lot of these bikes away for free. Yeah, true. But these bikes should've also been reputation ambassadors. Just because you're giving your product away for free doesn't mean you give away crap. That's your reputation you're puttin' out there. That's gonna come back and bite you in the arse eventually. That's business 101.
It always blew my mind on American Chopper when they’d put spikes right on the handlebars pointing directly at the riders face and I know practically nothing about motorcycles. Funny stuff and so true👍
Basically, the bikes in these shows are props. They don't have to be functional, they just need to look good on camera.
In the show they always talk about a multiple point turns when they test ride. A lot of that was riding down the street through all the gears and then doing a U-turn.
What little I watched of the show seemed to indicate they were much more interested in looks and cheap extras than performance.
I was always impressed how final adjustments on the custom bike required the right tap of a hammer on a shim.
I feel a lot of these bikes were made as show pieces,rather than road worthy bike’s.yet they should of made them ready for both looks and ride
They're notorious for making display bikes. The "choppers" they make are not made to be ridden any significant distance. They're made to ride into and out of a trailer, and sit around and get looked at.
He got exactly what he wanted and they probably made it just the way he wanted it and didn't question him.
Still wondering if there is any nice big chopper without engine vibrations and perfect suspension ever exist? And who ever would build one he will be the hero!
Please keep us updated on the cannibal show. Those bikes are probably great for bar-hopping but not much else. You wouldn’t get a roadworthy in most countries with those spikes and open-primary, with no suspension.
Yep this is what I expected. Looks over any kind of function and looks that only one out of a 1,000 riders could say are great. My sales manager bought a custom from one of the big names. Oil filled frame and all that jazz. Broke down on every ride and I think it caught on fire as well. Paid over 20 grand 15 years ago or so. Felt so bad for him. Good guy.
It would be cool to see how it compares to a west coast chopper.
I love how delightfully dangerous that bike is.
I almost bought a factory custom Victory. It looked cool, but one test ride talked me out of it. Didn't handle well (though it WAS suspended), not very fast, but the styling was unique and simple. Choppers really never attracted me that much. I like naked bikes, but not the ones that look like Transformers.
At the time I was unable to put myself through an episode of OCC because of all the yelling and drama. In all of the restauration shops I worked I'm pretty sure acting that way would have surely led me to the unemployement line especially with the throwing tools part. No boss want damaged customer property nor assault charges from another worker. As for their chopper I always heard they were not meant to be driven...
Thanks for good video. Much better than I could do. The actual motorcycle content/narrative was excellent. Music was a bit intrusive and fought with the narrative. IMHO the machine gun fire random references/images took away from the overall impact. But what do I know? You're the one with the cool bike(s) & shop and 60K subscribers. Congrats on your success. Respectful Regards.
What I like about the show was the building process, the welding, the fabricating, etc. I kinda knew back then that those bikes won't handle well.
Yeah, ya don't see too many of 'em racing at Laguna Seca or Willow Springs.
At the beginning they did show some of the fab process. But that didn't last long.
@Donell Muniz they'll be liable if the rider dies at the corkscrew. Haha
@Big Chuck in the end it became about family relationship dramas
They didn’t fab anything, it was fake
My thought on what to do with the bike in a next episode is set a stack of 80k cash next to it. I kind of think the cash would be more impressive.
I used to watch this show a lot. I don't know much about bikes. The biggest machine that I ever owned was a 650cc. However, I always thought when looking at OCC bikes on the show, that they'd be dogs to ride.
You know someone grew up in the late 90's/early 00's when that's their list of cool stuff.