What to Know About Orange County Chopper

Orange County Chopper is popularly known for the bikes that are built around a theme for specific corporate or celebrity clients. It was founded by Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr in 1999. The company has built custom bikes long before it was featured on American Chopper, a reality television show in The Discovery Channel in 2002. This exposure paved the way for fame and increased sales.

Humble Beginnings. The Teutuls started with a steel-fabrication business known as Orange County Ironworks. Paul Sr. has always been a motorcycle nut and he was inspired by the custom bikes he saw on the streets and in some movies. He began making custom motorcycles in his basement in the 1990s. He hired his son, Paul Jr. to assist him with his “build-your-own” motorcycle business. Orange County Choppers then was born and their first bike, “True Blue”, was introduced at the Daytona Biketoberfest in 1999.

Location. Orange County Choppers is based on the East Coast, in New York, though many believed that OCC is based on California. From the basement of Paul Sr.’s house in Montgomery, the business moved to a larger shop in Rock Tavern. As time went on, the OCC business expanded and was temporarily transferred back to Montgomery while in the search for a bigger facility. They have moved now into an international headquarters and retail location in Newburgh.

OOC Classification. Orange County Chopper bikes are classified as theme bikes or customer bikes. Theme bikes are conceptualized to take priority over everything else, paying more attention to the physical and aesthetic features of the motorcycle. This starts from the frame dimension, paint scheme, combination and the overall “feel” of the bike. One example of an OCC theme bike is the Old School Chopper. It was a replica of a Harley Davidson motorcycle. On the other hand, customer bikes are built for and basically to the preferences of a specific client. The client normally uses a customer bike for advertisement purposes. The Liberty Bike, for instance, was built and commissioned by the Gold Leaf Corporation.

Potential Trendsetter.  The Orange County Chopper signature is to impact uniqueness and individuality on each theme bike or customer bike. The bikes have been featured on numerous magazine covers, television shows and some international movies. They have built custom bikes for some of the reputable names in the international business world like Coca-Cola and Microsoft. Moreover, the OCC care about people and show it through some of the bikes they build. The OCC Fire Bike was built in commemoration of the New York firefighters of the 9/11. The Air Force’s custom bike which was based on the F-22 is also an OCC original. It was created to be used as a public outreach tool.

Orange County Choppers has achieved worldwide praise and recognition for their custom and theme motorcycles.  They are now in line with the other famous custom bike producers like the Big Dog, Harley-Davidson and theme bike manufacturers like the Reid Motorcycles and Moto Laverda. Today, OCC is one of 19 top builders profiled in the book, Haute Motor: The Art of the Chopper.