Building an Empire, Losing it all: The American Chopper Story

[@zerkzy842]

If you’ve seen one episode you’ve seen them all. They have to come up with a theme for a bike. Something goes wrong, they scream at each other. They somehow meet the deadline. They unveil the bike, everybody oohs and aaahs. The bike is put into storage never to be ridden, the end

[@mikethespike7579]

Yep, always the same old same. It's entertaining at first, but gets tiring after a while. But some people like that kind of thing.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Yeah, and the bikes were laughable.

[@requiemagent3014]

You just described every single early 2000's reality TV show. Pimp my ride made this formula popular and everyone followed it

[@Reaper-cm4jr]

@@oldbatwit5102 Right now when they come up for sale you can barely give away an OCC/Jr. bike.

[@MatthewLittle]

@@oldbatwit5102 On TV Tropes's page about American Choppers, they'd built a bike for Jay Leno....Leno, for the record, said the OCC bike they built for him was one of the worst bikes Leno had ever ridden. Why? Two reasons, (1) it was uncomfortable to ride and (2) the electrics were run through the taillight, meaning if that burns out, the bike goes dead.

[@regularguyrunning174]

I have always thought of Paul Sr. as a Seagull type manager. He comes in, makes a lot of noise, shits over everything and then he leaves.

[@mimon-konigdesostens3922]

I always thought he was more of a Walrus type manager.

[@Nicmadis]

There is that meme picture with birds in a tree, birds lower in the tree covered in increasing amounts of shit and the words "People at the top look down and see only shit, people at the bottom look up and see only assholes."

[@pjotrslanina1403]

I have watched Orange County Choppers for some time, but I got more and more irritated by Paul senior. He demanded from Paul junior tight deadlines, and along the series those deadlines became shorter and shorter, and in the end, totally unrealistic. Although Paul junior didn't always had the right work ethic and arrived late at work, I felt sorry for him. When his father fired him, and junior started his own business, I was happy. Finally he could work according to his own rules and ideas. But at the moment that Paul senior was making trouble about all that fuss about money and stuff to junior, I stopped watching. I couldn't see that screaming, raging old man any longer. I hope that everything is going okay with junior. And senior? Well, sorry, but I don't care about him. 18:59

[@MiltJohnson-sw9lc]

@@regularguyrunning174 Best one yet 😁, I always thought that , but you put it in better words, I’m thinking we both has boss’s like him at one point in life , toxic , but jr was lazy

[@Trumplican]

this is epic i love it!

[@longjonwhite]

Brit here. We got the show over here too and sure, I watched several episodes, but I found the bikes ridiculous and the whole family were obnoxious.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

Same for here in Canada.......the show sucked, the people sucked and their biggest sin of all, their bikes sucked shite........mind you the bikes built on Jessie James Jr. show also sucked.......that whole chopper craze back in the day is a massive black spot on the world of motorcycling.

[@CitizenSmith50]

Watched first 2 episodes here in Australia, and realised the "reality" was american arseholes feeding their egos ! I was building choppers back in the 60's and 70's, when the whole point of it was to make the bikes more ride-able and comfortable over long distances, so i don't agree with gumpyoldbugger6944. Not a black hole; I rode many thousands of kilometres on mine, and they served their purpose, with the neck rake and longer wheelbase they virtually steered themselves ! Try doing over a thousand kilometres in a day on a bike with a racing layout or even a sit-upright posture from that era !

[@tjroelsma]

The bikes are ridiculous when you purely look at them as bikes. What OCC produced were works of art and/or bike-styled ads for companies. The bikes were never meant to be ridden, but just meant to be bale to move under their own power. From that perspective the builds make a lot more sense.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

@@tjroelsma They say art is subjective and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....in that case, in my eye those so-called bikes are neither art or beautiful by any stretch of the imagination nor are they bikes..........at best they are two wheeled vanity over indulgences for crass pretentious wannabe's who suffer from terminal tastelessness

[@jamesdeath3477]

@@tjroelsma If they'd looked good, or cool or anything I might agree. I get that they were mostly promo pieces and rideability wasn't the first thing on their minds, but couldn't they have made them slightly attractive looking? Art? Art brut maybe.

[@UnientityYoutube]

I worked for Occ for 3 years. I worked with their Sr VP of Marketing John Sohigian and John was incredible. He was the nicest guy ever but Paul Sr was a jerk. The shop had a tour where you can actually walk around the shop in tunnels and Paul would never go down to the shop unless they were filming. He would ask if we wanted to play hockey when they did the Chicago Blackhawk’s bike and we all said yes but none of us were paid for that at all. Only the talent was paid. Imagine that crap. He felt that it was a privilege to be around him. Now the management was real nice. Steve Mineo who ran the entire show was really cool. Treated me like I was a friend. Nice guy. I would say all the guys that ran the show were nice guys, excluding Paul. He definetly was above everyone else and he made sure everyone knew it.

[@jagc1969]

Interesting to get a vision from inside the business.

[@shadowmod3]

as a foreigner that family really leaves a horrible impression of the country. ppl in my society actually think that every one in America is like that and all families are dysfunctional like that. reality TV really destroys the image of Americans worldwide, that is why the society is looked down upon for those which are mal -informed, which is almost everyone. I blame it on your TV industry.

[@UnientityYoutube]

@ They are 0.001% of the country. Nobody acts like them. Nobody.

[@goldman77700]

@@shadowmod3 A South African youtuber I used to watch made similar sentiments. The biggest cultural shock for him was how kind everyone was to him when he moved to the States.

[@kenbrown5449]

@@shadowmod3 I notice you didn't say what country you are from. The people in "your" society must be very isolated to have such a myopic view of a whole country based on a 1 hour a week television program. Your country should get out more often.

[@SwabianClancy]

As a German, I always had fun watching this with my father. Not so much because we are chopper fans, but because we never had the feeling that ‘real’ quality was being delivered here, but that bikes were being put together that just looked good. The frame came externally, the engine came externally, this was bought together etc. and in the end it was just a matter of putting Lego parts together. But then they kept emphasising how epic they were making something here. I could never take it seriously, other programmes were more ‘honest’, be it from a craftsmanship point of view or the fun factor. They were lucky with the success, but never really seemed to realise what the success was based on: show, not skill.

[@RT-qd8yl]

A very good summary

[@chris69-sf8jr]

I can still remember the episode where they built a motorcycle for Billy Joel. The plan was to work together because Joel wanted to create his own motorcycle series. In the end, nothing came of it because he was not satisfied with the quality of the motorcycle. In summary, you can say that OCC was never a serious motorcycle company, but rather just an advertising vehicle for companies that bought 45 minutes of continuous advertising with a theme motorcycle.

[@thomasagabaonyango7548]

😂🤣😅!

[@TJSaw]

I imagine all Germans would find this show a joke 😂

[@davidlrogers]

exactly, which is why the design had to be so over-the-top; they'd look exactly the same if they didn't tack on a bunch of gaudy bullshit and spray some wild paint design on it.

[@GeneralSeptem]

My dad and I loved this show when I was younger, and we had to stop watching it because we both noticed after watching those two fight so much we started doing it ourselves.

[@fraseyhorse]

😂😂😂😂

[@mankind8088]

Contagion

[@och70]

Did you guys choose sides, one of you was Team Paul Sr and one was Team Paul Jr?

[@almostontimehero5415]

It was infectious in the bad way... but funny.

[@ashscott6068]

They spent all that time arguing over who should get the credit, and they never stopped to realise that there was nothing to take credit for. They used stock frames and engines and just bolted random objects to the side, to make a "theme". Harry Potter bike? Take a stock bike, bolt a broomstick to the side. Job done

[@duniek86]

harry potter bike, broomstick - HILARIOUS

[@regandunn4850]

It's roid rage and personal ego thing that father wouldn't let Vinnie make any money other what his salary was for things like meet n greet photo ops merch he got nothing any other moneys made to Paul snr and he did it to them all

[@Mom99004]

Lol 😂

[@wheressteve]

A lifetime of zero leg days was Sr's downfall.

[@rangerguy196]

I ALWAYS thought the same thing when watching that show. 😂😅

[@Gordies-World]

Hilarious!😂

[@chilibeer3912]

Tell those door frames

[@therealxunil2]

oh shit!

[@somekindaguy100]

​@@rangerguy196haha you will see which muscles fade first when you hit 50s and 60s but yeah good one

[@fumanpoo4725]

I started OCD Choppers, but kept doing the same thing over and over.

[@Zoso-lz8ov]

Lol

[@AYFKMRN]

And focused on a single aspect of the bike so intently, never getting it right, tearing the whole thing apart and starting over, clicking your toes on the concrete *EXACTLY* 16 times, only to get right back to the same troublesome place and having to restart. Never got the first bike finished.

[@TheTramm]

The father & son fighting is what drove me away.

[@ebogar42]

That's what kept me watching. I like to watch people argue and talk shit.

[@Mom99004]

Ya such a waste of life to live like that especially with one of your kids

[@thundercactus]

Kinda rule of thumb of businesses like this, and I've seen it in so many fab shops and machine shops, is that having your best talent start to come in late frequently should NOT be taken as "oh they're just getting lazy and complacent". Your best talent is your best talent because they are the ones who are dedicated to the job, they're making things better, they're making the money for the company. If they start coming in late frequently, management needs to take a step back and evaluate WHY their talent suddenly doesn't want to come to work. And again, I've seen this so many times where companies fire their best guys because they absolutely refuse to consider that they themselves might be the problem.

[@johnd4348]

You just described every place I have ever worked. Including the last one I worked. All the talent slowly left, but management blamed them instead of themselves.

[@dukecraig2402]

And then the business dies a slow horrible death, it's the free enterprise version of Darwin's natural selection and is why free enterprise is the best economic system on the planet.

[@mr.eparish3945]

Brilliant statement! I'm in that situation now. New shop "manager" the last two year price of labor went up 800$ per unit we build and it's all the welders fault but our numbers are the same all the changes said manger has made is costing us 2-4 Xtra hours on each unit but it's our fault...and let not get started with the micro managing sheesh!!

[@dukecraig2402]

@@mr.eparish3945 It wouldn't take the welders so long if the business would hire fitters that don't have to find a set of safety glasses that fit a seein' eye dog. And just so you know it's two barks for cut it shorter NOT ONE BARK. I put that last part in caps so the brail will stick up a little further to make sure you'll catch that.

[@mr.eparish3945]

@@dukecraig2402 huh...

[@cinemabunny]

I saw an interview where Paul Sr. wanted to sue Discovery after seeing the first episode. He did not expect the negative spin on their relationship. It turned out to be the show's formula.

[@CarbonKevin]

"How dare you portray my actions and words exactly as they are!"

[@twosons5290]

The bikes they built were advertising expense write-offs for large corporations. Not for riding

[@paleo704]

Amazing advertising if you think about it

[@Electric-Bob]

I HATED the Drama, the Yelling, the Disrespect...Loved the Bikes!

[@hamo4558]

The only thing I want in life is for my sons to do better than me.

[@johnhizzle22]

That ain’t what SR wanted

[@WesB1972]

@@johnhizzle22 SRs big ego and a burning desire to be a mega wealthy media star killed the business and TV show

[@drpeppaerdrpeppaer5434]

...

[@anonymousanonymous9370]

You got a wife and kids? Nice. I doubt i ever will.

[@drointhewind480]

Specially at a trade. If I'm a blacksmith how dope would it be for my son to become better and take over

[@jerryrichards8172]

There are so many people that own these bikes that are completely unhappy with the junk they spent a large amount of money on.

[@SophiaDavis-rs3zi]

Hi. I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺

[@SIGNALFREQ]

SUCKERS 💸✌🏿

[@samanthab1923]

That’s the shameful part. They’re all unrideable.

[@dannyvestal299]

The majority were JUNK! Looked cool on the outside, but SUPER IMPRACTICAL! Unfortunately some folks gotta spend stupid amounts of money before they figure that out...too late by then though.👎🏼

[@SIGNALFREQ]

@@jerryrichards8172 capitalism 💰

[@11_EVERYTHING_OEFx2]

Hi! Born and raised Floridian here, and frequent bike rider and general motorcycle enthusiast. We call those “chopper” style bikes “Bar Bikes” because they have just enough gas to get to the bar and back home. So yeah, outside of quick trips down the road, these styles of motorcycles aren’t really meant to be used as daily drivers.

[@dsloop3907]

Yeah, and the ride tends to kill backs and asses.

[@thatfishindude239]

Not to mention it will probably break down between home and the bar

[@brucegrossman3531]

Jay Leno gave a super honest review of the bike he got.

[@Mom99004]

And what did he say??

[@brucegrossman3531]

@Mom99004 drove like crap. They are literally made to just show.

[@GrahamOrm]

Brit here. Lifelong biker now 65. I watched many episodes. The bikes for me were non functional art forms. The fascination was the ingenuity and skills of Junior and Vinny. Although it was his baby the obnoxious Senior wrecked the show, he should also stop missing leg day. Love your stuff buddy 😉👍🍻

[@SophiaDavis-rs3zi]

Hi graham. I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺

[@dh1380]

What's a leg day? 😅

[@WildFungus]

they ARE non functional art pieces. the end.

[@mauriciojaralopez2878]

​@@dh1380It's a gym day where you mostly or obly excercise your legs. The missing leg day is a famous joke about dudes who only train their upper body so they look funny because they have large, muscular torsos and arms but thin chicken legs.

[@dadgarage7966]

A living caricature. Sr.'s Hollywood villain mustache and skimpy tank tops rounded out the look.

[@ProductBasement]

The tribute bikes were always weird to me. "To honor the firefighters who died on 9/11, we made this [checks notes] ridiculous motorcycle?"

[@lolatmyage]

Yeah it has the george bush "now watch this drive" energy

[@lunisic]

What did u do to honor them?

[@donaldhysa4836]

xD

[@Dwendele]

Most of those bikes were commissioned.

[@Lord_Victis]

​@@lunisic facepalm

[@Rizzle280]

I worked for dave at goodys popcorn for a while, he had these guys build a bike for the wounded warriors project, sold raffle tickets for the bike, then disappeared with the bike, and the state took the store for non payment of taxes. Thats a crazy story that i wish more people knew about! This video reminded me of all of that drama

[@AYFKMRN]

The entire *_WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT_* around that time was a dumpster fire- hardly any of the money was going towards any injured soldiers and instead was spent on lavish trips, ridiculous salaries and lots and lots of toys. It seems like they’ve done a decent job rebuilding the brand, but there were so many amazing agencies that stepped up to fill the void that I don’t know that WWP will ever be at that height again.

[@apenneukende]

The moment Paul Jr got fired created amongst the best meme templates of all time!

[@linkfan95]

I remember those. I created plenty a memes with that shit lol.

[@Arman-h6u4c]

@@linkfan95I’m going to grab lunch. I thought you brought your lunch. I did and I ate it. So why did you bring lunch?

[@andrewmetzger1862]

I thought my father's VW business was the only one and he was the furher. I think watching the show was good therapy, thank God I ran and joined the Marines.

[@RapiDEraZeR]

There's so many führers on this planet. Not the good kind.

[@Divadtube]

All time favorite show of me and my dad, and we had a very similar relationship to Paul Sr and Pauly except for one key difference, my dad got great joy in seeing my success and accomplishments. Paul Sr could never put his ego aside to see what he and his son created, and that he should have given respect instead of demanding it. As a dad, you dont treat your grown man son like a kid anymore, and you don't get insecure about your children's success, instead you see that being a great dad IS having children who surpass you, and yeah maybe they had something you didn't, YOU, but that what makes you great, you gave them that chance to be better. Love ya Old man, miss ya.

[@vorhese]

You are WAY too kind with the appreciation of these builds and talent.

[@raymondwilliams5661]

They are shit bikes just crap. 😊

[@onazram1]

I agree.

[@TimothyAustfjord]

It takes a lot of talent to build bikes like they did. Doesn't mean they are great bikes. You couldn't do what they do.

[@augusta1994]

its the same thing as the car scene back then, yes its mostly tacky and "tasteless" but its mostly about how much work they put into it and the appeal of individuality

[@cuprashoe]

No I disagree, they were talented metal workers. It's just the bikes we're pointless and they we're obnoxious as people

[@1962egl]

What went wrong? A 50 something year old man decided to get jacked up on steroids.

[@lunisic]

Wtf r u talking about have u ever seen someone on steroids? Was that some kind of dig at someone who isnt obese and likes to wear tank tops?

[@lbowsk]

BAM!

[@somekindaguy100]

Haha nope

[@michaelcrosby6071]

Roid rage allegedly

[@1962egl]

@@michaelcrosby6071 without a doubt. You take enough androgens and you’ll fight your grandma.

[@michaelleoanrd194]

I got sucked in so deep with this show because my roommate was a super-fan. To the point that he bought a motorcycle because he was inspired by the show. I tapped out somewhere in season 6, I think. My favorite bike on the show was Sr's Shunshine Bike and they didnt even build it, they just cleaned it up and got it running.

[@user-fed-yum]

I'm impressed how well this was written. You accurately covered off a few details at the beginning that many others get wrong and I just switch off. Thank you.

[@newforestpixie5297]

in the 1990s we fitted central heating for a custom bike workshop & showroom in the small city of Poole/Bournemouth in SW England called Battastinis . I had completely forgotten about them until watching this ! We then did work for the company owner Ricky at his home & as far as i recall, he & his family were very nice ! 🐢👍

[@tqrules01]

Same here, was on juniors side the whole time, being creative requires vision, doesn't matter what you do, painters take breaks to go back later to see what they couldn't, as a solution architect, I often do the same, I take a step back , let it rest and then the function I need to build and the approach falls into place.

[@bojcio]

as an information solution consultant, I too, often do the same

[@RapiDEraZeR]

As an artist, I agree. You can't force things and just expect them to be as excellent as they could be. Things fall into place when they need to. This needs to be respected.

[@MrHubbmuscle]

As a gym owner, for many years I believed Paul Sr was pinning 💉

[@MiltJohnson-sw9lc]

Can’t be argued

[@alabar9795]

yes he was, it came out publicly some time between jr leaving and 2012ish when the show ended,

[@somekindaguy100]

Mate you don't have to be a gym owner to work that out I assure you . Steve Wonder could see it

[@sitoudien9816]

Was it all roid rage or his natural charming personality.

[@muddobber6863]

It's pretty obvious he still is in the videos with bikes and beards.

[@chrishackett554]

They were never bike builders, they were bike assemblers. About 85% of each bike was other vendors. Paulie Jr had some visionary theme bikes that in actuality could only travel about 20 miles in the real world.

[@alexforce9]

Why so low tho? I dont have knowledge on bikes but if it can drive for 20 miles why not more?

[@muranziel]

​@@alexforce9 They often had to sacrifice tank volume.

[@alexforce9]

@@muranziel I see.

[@despizedicon]

you get it... I've seen a bike from them in person...that sold for 40k in 2003. Very unimpressed, they are all mostly cookie cutter frames, and lame arts and crafts accents welded on thinking it looks cool.

[@Draknfyre]

In their sales contract you agreed that none of their bikes were actually to be ridden but rather sold as display pieces and any injuries obtained from riding them was your own responsibility. This is because they were *highly* unsafe and had already gotten hit by lawsuits over accidents resulting from the bikes failing. Including one where the frame literally broke in half while the customer was riding it. So they put that clause in to CYA themselves.

[@SteffiReitsch]

A bunch of blue collar blokes who hit the jackpot, squandered it all, and now back where they started.

[@TheWonkster]

Ain't that the way

[@bobbillings]

No not really. Paul Sr doin just fine at his new AC restaurant and museum in Florida and Paul Jr still doing some builds at his shop and has also a museum and gift store next to his shop. Both attend many motorcycle conventions and rally's doing autographs and pics and are still regarded by many fans.

[@SteffiReitsch]

@@bobbillings The old man's having to work in his old age with no savings and Jr. with his little shop, both of them just scraping by.

[@dukecraig2402]

​@@SteffiReitsch Don't believe that drama for a second, Paul sr never relied on that motorcycle shop for money and probably never made a dime at it, he'd already made his fortune with his fabrication shop which was very successful, I couldn't stand that show, I never watched it and thought the bikes they built were an offense to the eye, but I will give Paul sr credit for building up his fab shop the way he did. As far as the bike shop goes he didn't make money per say on the shop itself but The Discovery Channel was cutting him big fat checks for each episode especially after the first year or two when it became a hit show for them, guaranteed he had an entertainment agent and an entertainment lawyer to deal with The Discovery Channel and get him the best deal possible, and he wouldn't have put any of that money into his bike shop, already having a successful business he wasn't stupid about his money and wouldn't have dumped it into that abyss. Any work he's doing is because he wants to, not everyone wants to sit around watching reruns of F Troop after they retire, which I myself think is foolish, between liking F Troop and being sick of having people tell me what to do I'm looking forward to retirement here in a couple years and waking up every morning with my biggest concern being what I have to come up with to entertainment myself that day.

[@mr.eparish3945]

​@@SteffiReitschyeah judging by his personality if he had money everyone would know and he wouldn't be selling plates of food in Florida

[@Swnsasy]

The constant fighting and Paul Sr acting as if his shizz don't stink is what pushed me away.. I absolutely loved Vinnie so much!

[@mgratk]

Years ago I met the owner of the Statue of Liberty bike they did. This was on a July 4th in Holly Springs, NC. He trailered it around to different events just so people could see it. Cool guy. Very pretty art piece.

[@MATT-DREWS]

Yall remember junk yard wars?

[@GrigoriZhukov]

Now that was cool.

[@PatrickAguilar]

Best show ever

[@sirsplintfastthepungent1373]

Monster Garage > Junkyard Wars

[@pinkyellowblue007]

That was the british version of Monster Garage

[@kerberos623]

I liked the brittish original scrapheap challange better. There is some talk of a reboot of that one.

[@lookingdown8290]

Did you realize that Senior took Cody's bike back from him? The kid never really had it. It was all for the show. Senior sold it.

[@platty9237]

WAT 🙁

[@platty9237]

I did some quick research. Apparently, Cody never received the bike, which led to a lawsuit that was eventually settled out of court.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

​@@platty9237 senior was the problem

[@dennisminer7436]

That was one of the better episodes. I remember it and I forgot most of them. Taking it back after the show is pretty low.

[@ronblack7870]

i'm not surprised . senior was one super ahole

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

The crew at American Choppers lost all my respect when they came to a presentation run by Buck Strickland over here in Texas and they just stood around yapping instead of bringing even a single bike.

[@Christian762]

I remember that it was some bullshit I tell you what!

[@CrazyBrick30]

Yyyyyep. *sips Alamo*

[@ThomasGorman-r2h]

I tell you what!

[@discoveracity]

Probably spent all their free time playing the vidya games.

[@dannyborunda8049]

Once again I was duped over the title of a video. You said nothing about where they are now in a financial state. After all that's what Losing it all means.

[@marcush4741]

I am GENUINELY happy that the angles of these forks are now the number one way to know you should offer less than half the asking price.

[@montoyamma]

This show changed my life as a kid and I went to a trade school and my entire life revolved around the automotive industry. I truly love cars and motorcycles forever

[@poopy_pants_joe1194]

Really? Most of what OCC did, came out of a box brought in by the UPS man. Terrible work, covered in paint.

[@GamesFromSpace]

As long as you got your sense of professionalism elsewhere :D

[@howdareyouexist]

paul sr is your hero?

[@montoyamma]

​@@GamesFromSpace not that, just the passion for motorcycles!

[@montoyamma]

​@@howdareyouexist not at all, he's like the angry uncle always yelling😂 I love motorcycles

[@EbonAvatar]

This show was like comfort food for me in the early aughts. Every week you knew what you'd get: the Tuttles screaming at each other over absolutely nothing, and a super cool chopper at the end. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the finished Spiderman bike, that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen at the time.

[@ligmasack9038]

That wasn't even a Spider-Man themed Bike; It was called "Black-Widow".

[@dannydaw59]

That's why I stopped watching. The screaming at each other over nothing. Too dramatic.

[@dsloop3907]

Unrideable junk. decorations.

[@WildFungus]

its ignorant calling them bikes, art pieces that look like motorcycles.

[@EbonAvatar]

@WildFungus that's your opinion, I have mine.

[@panzerwolf494]

When I reconnected with my dad after I turned 18 I got that Sr vibe from him. Anything I did he criticized, even when I tried to do things I knew he was into to try and bond he'd criticize and complain. When i watched this show I understood the complications because I had experienced them myself. I eventually distanced myself, and while we communicate from time to time it's never for long or feels very genuine.

[@jeremiahJohnson-u7c]

Me and my father started communicating again after Facebook and the internet made it possible. But in the end thinking he had calmed down a little we only talked better online. My visit back with him turned into a disaster after only 10 min. finding out he was the same short tempered person he was years ago

[@jayumble8390]

I'm a team Jr. person. I always loved the show but never really knew if these guys were for real (performative drama) or not. Now I know! Thanks man. -- oh, yeah man, I never rode but I loved the show. It was just fun. I had friend ride choppers when I was young, so I appreciated the whole idea of it. Just like I loved watching the PBR...never rode one of those beasts either!! I'm just not going to hop on a 2000 lb. bull and have some fun...nah!!!

[@harbard642]

I was a kid when it was broadcasted. I have to admit... I enjoyed it... A lot

[@soowhite7694]

Me too

[@mrpoizun]

Well, you don't know the past tense of broadcast, so.....

[@harbard642]

@@mrpoizun English is not my first language so...

[@TYSuggested]

Same here. To me, Vinnie and Rick were the real stars though.

[@Nancoman]

I worked for my dad, who was an Electrical Contractor, for 28 of his 47 years in business, up until the end. The employees used to make fun of us, being like the Teutel's! Honestly, it was just like it, I like to think it was more about him, his business, than me, or me working half my life there, too. It ended with him running the business into the ground, just like OCC.

[@DatHughJass]

My brother and I worked for our Dad's construction plumbing business and I had difficulty watching American Choppers because it was just like watching ourselves from the outside. Both of us leaving caused the family business to die, but we both don't care nor have sympathy. 15 years of our lives put on hold just to make our Dad look the perfect man.

[@bobbykiriakidis9753]

Fellow Electrician here saying you never work with family for real. I help my big Brother who is also an electrician,but, we would never work for each other for money. Quiet respect. Business and family just don’t mix.

[@samanthab1923]

That makes me sad. My dad was an Ironworker with a book out of NYC. Moved to NJ & out of my 3 brothers I always assumed the middle would have been happy to go to work with him & Vice versa. The other two went right to Wall St after college. One settled in NYC with a doorman & the other had a landscaper & MIL who was handy at his house in NJ. But wasn’t meant to be. He died at 17 in a car accident coming home from the beach 🙏🏻

[@michaelshark5040]

I actually have a lot of fond memories of the show. I grew up watching it with my dad and grandpa. It definitely made me appreciate my own family. My favorite parts were always when rick or vinny would going through how they solved some of the technical problems, and show casing their skills. I ride now, and I still think the choppers are a little insane lol

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Loved this program as a teenager! I thought the bikes looked amazing!

[@tomperkins5657]

Diet Mountain Dew. I would like to say this is one of the best YT videos I have seen - and I have seen a lot!! Ridiculous headlines, fake profile pics, downright false reporting, absurd political click baiting, and AI voices that burp when giving a date. Speaking of that, I love the non-AI voice. The insight and balance of Bart is excellent. It seems that each time I had a "yeah, but what about...?" he would answer in the next breath. His explanation of "art vs function" settled many of my questions. Well worth subscribing to.

[@gervanwilliams1409]

Everything you say about Senior having main character syndrome and being a narcissist are relevant. It was crazy to see how little this man acted like a dad and more of a self-serving overbearing A&@. I’m glad Junior went to find his own separate success. I can relate so well. Some of our fathers fear our success, and instead of supporting and celebrating us, they resent us. Such crap. But, the actual reason for their resentment is simple: They were not contributors to our success and their guilt is eating them alive.

[@otepdotnet]

they are both narcissist..but what I like about Sr is he wanted Jr to go to work on time just like everyone of his employee does

[@gervanwilliams1409]

@ “On time.” Jr. was not an assembly line worker putting jiggers together for a pc. He was high skilled “partner” who delivered high quality work, and the berating about arriving on time was just a mask for more underlying boss problems. Even if he wants to deal with the late issues, there are ways he could talk to Jr. and show him the impact (if any) it’s having on both the work, and the team. Yelling just to yell or show big daddy boss wasn’t the way. Besides, yelling at adults is just so disrespectful, even if you intended to make a valid point. Respect was gone. Losing respect for parents is one of the easiest thing to do, despite how much you love them. This is terribly difficult to regain. Senior deserved loss of respect by Jr. wholly so.

[@otepdotnet]

@@gervanwilliams1409 yeah, what I love about the show are the lessons that you can get from it.. Its full of drama but its authentic

[@dadgarage7966]

Sr. was socially awkward and had zero charisma (unlike his sons, Vinnie, Rick and others). That too must have gnawed away at him.

[@mattm7798]

That was my take too, especially after learning that Sr got into bike building later in life IIRC. He seemed to be super jealous of his son.

[@leward]

You forgot the GEICO bike that Sean from Bikes & Beards just bought, it’s atrocious!

[@bigal3055]

2:06

[@pegcity4eva]

It's hilariously terrible

[@maverick1685]

@@bigal3055 There is a 2nd GEICO bike - "Miss Geico" bike with a supercharger.

[@RyanWehr]

I’ve been following him and his journey to get that bike running. It’s hilarious.. it’s so over the top and complicated and it’s just junk

[@ligmasack9038]

@@maverick1685 That's the one he has.

[@MarlinRando]

I enjoyed watching them make the bikes but couldn't make it past season one. I hate 'reality' shows.

[@cobblerwillorange]

What I remember of that show: "Bike, Bike, Bike, Bike, Bike, black widow bike, ya built the bike too slow, ya built the bike wrong, Bike, Bike bikebikebike" 😂🎉

[@GrannyGreymatter]

awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, bike, bike, rides real nice, awesome, awesome, rides real nice, best I've built

[@marcosmota1094]

2:07 the Geico bike has a turbo on top of the gas tank that is not featured in that pic. In turn, it had a belt right by one's arm. Complete junk and Jay Leno says as much, that his OC bike is junk.

[@recklessted]

Watching a decade of chopper content on Discovery didn't get me nearly as interested in motorcycling as watching a handful of Fortnine videos.

[@alexhorne4189]

The tw200 video changed my life.

[@dontgetmarried]

Exact lmao

[@VashMaverick09]

I liked Paul Jr, I really identified with Mikey, Paul Sr was like my father and I haven't spoken to him in close to 10 years. I watched this show and I loved some of the bikes, the Gears of War 3 bike, the 9/11 bike and I remember the snap on bike episode. It was a show that shaped me and showed me you can be creative with steel and metal.

[@wArRgArBl117]

Not only did I watch it, I had a poster of their black widow bike on my bedroom wall and for several years my childhood dream job was to be a fabricator like Vinny. I didn't do it but it's funny to look back on now.

[@garethjudd5840]

What went wrong? A father who verbally abused the son who worked hard but spoiled his lazy brother who did nothing.

[@RayneOfSalt]

If I remember rightly, Mikey wasn't so much lazy as had a couple of severe mental health issues and was heavily medicated during the tv show days.

[@UnimpressedAussie]

@@RayneOfSalt mikey is my spirit animal

[@TheTibetyak]

Not a biker but I was intrigued by some of the personality conflicts. I had some co-workers who very much mirrored both dynamics: laid back and the other super wound up. Just one particular moment has stuck out for me was a day that the whole crew had been there all day. They had stayed late to get caught up. Paul, Sr. went on a rant to cleanup the shop and put everything away though they were going to be back in 9-10 hours. Paul Jr. with a very specific task and plan wanted to leave his tools right there rather than putting them away and pulling them out again. It was an epic argument. I've seen a few workplace environments collapse over personalities clashing. Spoils it for everyone eventually.

[@BalrogUdun]

A father son project that morphs into a bitter rivalry and an explosive confrontation. Kinda hits home for a lot of kids.

[@Ramblin_DMC]

I met Paul Jr at a car show once. Really nice guy.

[@Voodoo_Robot]

Meet, mat, mote.

[@jeffsecrest8135]

They were a replacement for Jessie James show and the main issue is OCC bikes are junk.

[@dimebagvinnie644]

Ok l aydeeeee

[@dimebagvinnie644]

I'm sure you build the bests bikes 😂

[@tylergaye5457]

​@@dimebagvinnie644Idk why you're getting salty about it, their bikes are famously bad

[@dimebagvinnie644]

@@tylergaye5457 you are a gossip girl

[@PatrickRiendeau-m3v]

Their bikes were tacky and gimmicky. Not on the same level as Indian Larry, Jesse James and Billy Lane to name a few.

[@Glenn_Sweden]

I've previously read that Discovery originally had intended for another nearby bike building outfit as the site of filming the show. But when they showed up there, the owner backed out of the prearranged deal last minute, and hence they needed another smaller bike building manufacturer and landed at OCC mostly due to the time crunch they then were faced with...

[@KeyboardComando]

I give them credit for thinking outside the box and stretching the limits of creativity building Choppers. Can't believe someone would say if you have seen one you have seen them all , WTF! NO 2 Bikes even resembles another. They must be stoned and keep replaying the same episode 😆

[@bytesandbikes]

I've got nothing against choppers, but the OCC show was the worst kind of brainless drivel. I don't get why anyone would want this on their TV when you can go outside and meet jerks anywhere.

[@WeirdBeard617]

It’s because men want soap operas too

[@EnsignGeneric]

Data point of one, but as a little kid with a big creative drive, the realization that somebody could just take a bunch of raw metal stock and make a crazy cartoon machine out of it was a massive draw. The drama, eh, I tuned that out.

[@LuvzToLol21]

It was the bikes for me, lol

[@matturner6890]

That era of TV was aggressively stupid.

[@howdareyouexist]

​@@WeirdBeard617lol

[@jfu5222]

I like going around corners on my motorbike. I've always said every chopper has one or two parts that could be used on a café racer.

[@jfu5222]

@@TUGG75 Good luck with that.

[@noremorse4379]

Just learn to ride properly

[@jfabian1912]

My dad and I would watch this show when I was a teenager. He often cheered Paul Sr. on. My dad was a narcissist as well.

[@bojcio]

they were both huge narcissists.

[@ebogar42]

1% of the population are narcissists, but yet all of you online like throwing around that diagnosis like you're a doctor and know one. Being an asshole or violent doesn't make you a narcissist. Those are traits millions of "normal" people have. Especially in the USA. Americans thrive on violence and why most parents back in the day beat on their kids or will fight at the drop of a hat. Most Americans lie constantly too in their daily lives. Most people are so fake in public and never show you how they really are. How high is that pedestal you all think you sit upon? Judge others while being toxic in your own life.

[@johnmoore9945]

Thank you for your time in putting together a very informative narrative. I watched most episodes, then of course watched PJB will Paul Jr. blazed his own trail. I completely agree with the point of Paul Sr. being the reason for fall of the show. To me it’s very sad, on one hand the family at times seemed to be close, then on the other hand ,how completely manipulative and disrespectful Paul Sr. was to his own blood. To me the biggest talk away is: What’s more important? A business where everyone wins? Or hurting yourself and causing family destruction. At the end of the day our relationships with our loved ones carry on forever.

[@tomswift7666]

I used to build Harley's from scratch back in the early 1970's and late 60's. Watching that show made me want to start again.

[@AYFKMRN]

And have a son to torment and belittle?

[@tomswift7666]

@@AYFKMRN Oh I didn't care about the drama, just the bikes.

[@AYFKMRN]

@@tomswift7666 I was being facetious

[@ethanedwards7557]

The Snap On bike was perfect for what it was. It wasn’t supposed to be a bike you want to ride, it was supposed to be an advertisement on wheels.

[@matturner6890]

What a waste of material

[@ftkinney]

I wonder if it’s sitting at the snap on offices on display in a lobby or collecting dust in storage.

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

All the builds they did were advertisements on wheels. 99% of the comment section is too braindead to understand it. They were never meant to be ridden. They were meant to be art pieces, not bikes. The snap on bike was actually perfect for what it was. Snap-on is actually about excess. Their tools are way overpriced for what they are and there are cheaper brands that are just as good if not better.

[@och70]

@@themonsterunderyourbed9408 So many people seem to overlook that part about the bikes being for promotional purposes. They made it pretty clear every time they did one of those commissioned builds.

[@tylerhopkins7080]

oh, cool. i really liked your video on the bike and the whole time i was thinking about the tv show. i don't even wanna know how many hours of these guys i watched when i was younger. looking forward to this one.

[@johnnydodge]

Man this was a great video and succinct. I appreciate the history of the show. My favorite is when they take the Expedition and ram the office Lol Thank you kind sir

[@SophiaDavis-rs3zi]

Hi. I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful man with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌺🌺🌺

[@bornkool]

American Chopper was a great show, these guys was first and being a pioneer is not easy. This show inspired people across many ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries. I loved the show I felt as an American I could relate to these Americans. Even thought I was not a home owner.

[@cinemabunny]

When Junior was fired, I thought it was unfair to bust his balls over being 45 minutes late yet no mention of them being there until late into the night.

[@stephenwilliams926]

American Chopper they never showed you any Engineering going on 😮

[@zacharykelly7434]

I remember ONE TIME where SR was obsessing over the geometry of a springer front end, but he didn't do any engineering he just yelled about it

[@rockets4kids]

That was never their target audience.

[@GrigoriZhukov]

They did engineering?

[@dimebagvinnie644]

I'm sure you're a genius

[@zacharykelly7434]

@dimebagvinnie644 if engineers were geniuses they wouldn't simplify pi to 3

[@hotdog720]

Idk how anyone could listen to these guys talk for 3 seconds and think they would be real nuanced artists.

[@leandergihr9598]

But they gifted us one of the best memes! And probably the only thing I know about this show.

[@contentsdiffer5958]

No, that's pretty much what artists are like. Generally a lot less muscles, but the endless parade of drama and lack of practicality is spot on.

[@dcaseng]

I'll never forget Jesse James's hilarious description of Paul Jr. sipping a big gulp with his meat hook hands gripping the container. 🤣😂🤣

[@raysalazar965]

As a product of the seventies growing up in the Bay Area of California, I had the great opportunity to see a LOT of Choppers equally as RADICAL and BEAUTIFUL as the OCC bikes. The Hells Angels were prevalent with its HQ in Oakland at the Chapter. I enjoyed the OCC show but the arguing and fighting was a little too much even for an Italian man from an all Catholic, Italian Army ( CIA) family with also YELLING and EMOTION. I still LOVE the Chopper Bikes and miss those and even tried to buy a Chopper bike manufacturing business but lost to a LIQUIDATOR of its assets. I feel there is still a good market CUSTOM CHOPPER bikes today and into the future as SPORT bikes and the younger generations can enjoy in a nostalgic way the ROAR and WILD rides of the late Sixties and Seventies. "Enjoy the Ride!"

[@richiedagger733]

I always thought the fire bike was the most horribly tacky.... but I guess we can't talk about that since it's for the 911 fire fighters..

[@losfogo7149]

There is nothing more Us-ish than making a fire-themed chopper to commemorate the victims of 9/11. Seriously this shit feels like it was pulled from a south park episode

[@bikerbardofohio5076]

Every one of their bikes were tacky as hell

[@dimebagvinnie644]

But here you are , dying to talk about occ 😂

[@richiedagger733]

@@dimebagvinnie644 hardly, I kind of forgot about them until I was reminded by their recent youtube presence.

[@mrpoizun]

@@dimebagvinnie644 Projection, nimrod.

[@chrisdavidson911]

Snr pulling the contract out over Jnr's arrival time, when he was quite happy to overlook Jnr finishing crazy late most nights, and ultimately firing him for it. That's the guy in one perfect snapshot.

[@tjroelsma]

There was a lot more to it though: Jr was a gifted designer, but he didn't really understand how to build a bike. Vinnie and Sr often ran into problems translating Jr's drawings into reality, but when they needed to change something and consulted him about it, Jr immediately threw a tantrum, which then caused Sr to go ballistic. On other occasions Sr simply didn't like Jr's designs and they clashed over that. Vinnie leaving to start his own shop was in my opinion at least partially driven by him wanting to get away from the endless drama. Many other OCC employees followed suit.

[@mrpoizun]

Junior was a spoiled little twit.

[@walmorcarvalho2512]

@@tjroelsma You are right, but I still give Junior more sympathy because he was more willing to help on the daily operations than his father.

[@captainlarrynosleepfishing5350]

How about Mikey living in a tent ⛺️ in the shop’s backyard? 😳

[@EddieJay_1312]

Their bikes looked like hot wheel toys or something out of a cereal box, I only watched out of boredom but the bikes were stupid 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@CascadianExotics]

American Chopper was a favorite of mine. Loved watching them make functional art. As for choppers (and cruisers in general), they're not high in my list of things to ride. But, I still take the time to appreciate the work it takes to do those kinds of custom builds and personalization.

[@thatfishindude239]

They weren’t really that functional for very long

[@ID-8491]

There's a bike built by Indian Larry. I don't remember it's name. It's proportions are pure magic. It's just beautiful. I'd rather own that bike then 10 bikes built by OCC.

[@oceantransistor]

More money more problems. The ego unchecked is detrimental.

[@Fonpol68]

The father ALWAYS had to have the last word, was violent and unreasonable. After around 4 episodes, i stopped watching it.

[@mksolid82]

I'm from NY and it was a really fun show. The drama and the fights were hilarious. I always thought the bikes were ridiculous. But it was entertaining. Life was also easier back then. All things come to an end.

[@mikehinton9079]

Met and spoke with senior a few times in Florida, always happy to have selfies

[@nickchivers9029]

That Snap-On bike is a masterpiece I will not tolerate this slander

[@williamosgood3565]

I've seen it in person and found the workmanship to be incredible. Its not made to be riden, its an advertising prop. Nothing less, nothing more.

[@AYFKMRN]

_THEMS FIGHTIN WORDS! AT MIDNIGHT, WE DUEL, SIR!!_

[@Nacnud92]

The legend Mikey was always the best part of the show for me. Dude was hilarious.

[@gwwayner]

'Choppers' might be eye candy, but hugely impractical and uncomfortable on public roads except for glass-smooth pavement in a straight line. A hard-tail with the pitiful thin seat would quickly pound my lumbar region into submission on the frost-heaved back-roads around here!

[@tylergaye5457]

At least actual choppers CAN be ridden comfortable or not. The bikes they made really can't even be ridden.

[@firstlast1732]

In your opinion

[@greglee1465]

Thanks Bart. Great video. I loved this show and the talented craftmanship. Paul SR, was insufferable. Loved Mikey and Vinny.

[@biggtrux]

All the "bikes" they built were cartoons. Caricatures of motorcycles.

[@iggyzorro2406]

I remember watching the first episodes of A.C. on Discover channel and talking with Senior and Vinnie at the NY Motorcycle Show at the Javits Center. Vinnie seemed cool - SR. was sitting in a folding chair with his arms crossed in his cut-off shirt scowling. I said I saw the special about them and he said they were going to expand it to a regular show. The Spiderman bike was there and when I said it was so beautiful I'd be afraid to ride it (meaning not to get it dirty) Sr. snapped, "All our bikes are for riding." It looked pretty impressive, but I've never liked the chopper with extended fork look. thanks for the vid.

[@georgekisselbrock8937]

“All our bikes are for riding” Senior says. Sure, along with a pair of clown shoes to go with them.

[@GrigoriZhukov]

@iggyzorro2406 oh dang I'd have laughed right at him... house to bar maybe, don't miss the gas station on the way.

[@Acthungbaby]

It's stubid raking out forks is bad idea makes bikes run wide and unstable .bikes for people like driving trucks

[@NigelHearne-yv7en]

​​have you seen any 'Swedish choppers' they love their long extended forks.. their bikes are crazy compared to anything OC ever built

[@davidvanbrunt4233]

Ego and temper was there downfall....imo.

[@deltaskyhawk]

My experience with American management style is that yelling until one gets their way is part of the management style book.

[@rudetoy8264]

Not really, just bunch of lowlife muscle their ways through degraded engineering of otherwise good Harley motorcycles

[@thiaguinhooitodois2211]

My experience with the European management style is that losing WW2 then crying to the U.S. for help is part of their management style book.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

@@thiaguinhooitodois2211 dream on mofo.

[@mikesapp3241]

Also we throw wrenches across shops like it’s an Olympic Sport.

[@guffmam6995]

​@@thiaguinhooitodois2211 USSR is in Europe...

[@checotey]

watched all seasons with a buddy. remember many moments from the show. was part of my life in a way. everything has to come to an end it seems.

[@paleo704]

Amazing amazing bike builders

[@everydaybladesinc]

I agree that the Ferrari bike was bad but the snap on bike with the wrenches holding on the handle bars Was sweet. Also the Lincoln bike was beautiful

[@1978garfield]

Never watched the show but I liked the Cat bike. I found an eBay auction for it and remember the disclaimer. Words to the effect of "Does not have vin number or title. Does not meet safety standards. Not intended to be licensed and or operated operated on public roadway".

[@Six1Nine8Six]

Everything that I have read about the bikes are that they were overpriced, underpowered pieces of junk that depreciated like crazy after purchase.