Paul Teutel Sr. is the founder of Orange County Choppers, a motorcycle manufacturer and lifestyle brand company that featured on Discovery. The show was a reality television program that centered around Paul Sr. and Jr. The father and son had contrasting work and creative styles, resulting in numerous verbal arguments. Their quarrels were the series' hallmark until an explosive argument led to Jr.'s departure and establishing his company, Paul Jr. Designs.
When the series moved to Discovery's sister channel, TLC, the network announced that it would revive the show, after canceling it, by introducing a spin-off series called Senior vs Junior. Throughout the ten seasons that the show aired, the father and son had numerous heated arguments and produced many motorbikes. Some of the choppers were dream bikes for most riders and other choppers critics panned.
Since Paul Sr. was responsible for establishing Orange County Choppers, we wanted to delve into the history of the bikes that he manufactured. Apart from the choppers that Paul Sr. produced on the show, he had a personal motorbike collection. Our search led us to discover choppers that required more attention from Paul Sr. and choppers that most riders would love to own. Enjoy the article and like always be sure to share it with a friend. Let's get started.
19 Wouldn't Touch - Spiderman Bike
Wyclef Jean was the owner of the Spiderman Bike until Paul Sr. made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. Senior made a deal with the singer to buy back the bike so that it could go on display at OCC headquarters (museum). Senior was glad to see the bike back at OCC, but I wonder how Jean felt about parting with the bike.
It seems that everything has a price. Had Jean not been satisfied with the money that Senior offered him, he wouldn't have parted with the bike. Senior bought the bike from Jean before the first episode of his Chopper show aired.
18 Wouldn't Touch - Smart Chopper
Siemens CEO, Daryl Dulaney, was thrilled when Paul Sr. arrived with the first custom electric US Chopper. OCC had garnered a reputation for building extravagant bikes that make a lot of noise, but the Smart Chopper that Siemens had commissioned was silent.
Siemens claimed that the bike has a 60-mile range and a 100 mph top speed. The rider can plug in an onboard charging unit into any 110-volt socket to recharge the bike in five hours. Siemens claimed that the bike would charge in an hour when plugged into a higher voltage station. A clutch-less transmission delivers the power from a 27 horsepower electric motor.
17 Wouldn't Touch - B-2
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of B-2 Spirit's first flight, Northrop Grumman commissioned Orange County Choppers to design and build a B-2 themed motorcycle. The B-2 Stealth Bike, otherwise known as the Spirit of Innovation, celebrates Northrop Grumman's leadership in innovative air systems and its partnership with the Air Force.
The bike's tail number is 0789, commemorating the date of the first flight. The bike's design emulates many of the details on the B-2 Stealth. The extended gas tank resembles B-2's unique cockpit.
16 Wouldn't Touch - Christmas Bike
Christmas is a time for giving and being jolly. When Christmas rolled around, Senior thought that he would surprise the family with a unique bike. It seemed that Senior wanted to surprise his grandchildren with a motorbike that Santa would ride. He designed a Christmas bike with reindeer horns on the handlebars and snowflakes on the gas tank.
Senior deserves credit for building a unique bike, but it isn't the most alluring bike that has emerged from the OCC warehouse. Riding that bike would make sense only around the festive season.
15 Wouldn't Touch - New York Yankees Bike
The original bike, built for the New York Yankees, was in 2005. The bike featured New York Yankees colors, and dozens of Yankees players had signed the gas tank. Throughout the years, the bike was damaged to the point that nobody could ride it. The OCC team took the bike back and got to work.
They restored it and unveiled the new bike during the shooting of an episode in July 2018. The bike looks much better than the original bike, which was damaged, but lacks the flare that most of the OCC bikes have.
14 Wouldn't Touch - BSA B33
Rumors spread about the foreclosure of Orange County Customs. Paul Sr. claimed that he wasn't in financial trouble and wanted to sell some of the bikes from his collection. One of the bikes that Senior placed on eBay was a 1957 Ariel T-5; the other was a 1946 BSA B33.
According to Asphalt and Rubber, Ariel had a Buy It Now price of $13,200, while the BSA had one bid at $6,200. Considering that Senior loves motorcycles, I'm not surprised that he kept the old bikes in pristine condition. Although the bike isn't terrible, it's different from Senior's latest designs.
13 Wouldn't Touch - Okada Chopper
Not only have numerous celebrities wrapped their luxury cars in pink, but some chopper customizers had decided that a bike would look good in pink. Paul Sr. and his team spent four weeks of working long hours to produce the Okada and Cove chopper.
The Cove Chopper looked amazing, but Senior opted for pink on the Okada chopper. Both of the bikes were raffled off to members of Okada's Reward Circle cardholders. Part of Senior's objective for producing the Okada was to film an episode of his show in the Philippines, according to Top Gear.
12 Wouldn't Touch - Dragon Bike
Jason Pohl is the designer who works for Paul at OCC. During an interview with Fox, Pohl stated that he loved customers who requested over-the-top bikes. He said that most people had seen motorbikes, but they haven't seen choppers such as the Dragon Bike.
According to Business Inside, OCC built the Dragon Bike for a Chinese client by using 3D printing. The design incorporates a 10-foot long golden dragon wrapped around the bike's custom frame. 3D printing technology helped to create the dragon's spikes, head, and tail. Pohl hid the fuel tank in the chopper's rear fender.
11 Wouldn't Touch - Mad Max Bike
Don't be surprised when Paul Sr. pulls out an invention that looks like the machine from the Mad Max franchise. Paul Sr. wanted to design a road machine that warriors would use in a futuristic era, so he came up with a bike that looked like it was intended for the Mad Max movie. Before Senior unveiled the design, he said that the machine was;
"Totally out of the realm of what people are going to expect. We didn't really do a motorcycle. We did a Mad Max type of thing that has the profile of a snowmobile, the tracks of a tank, two electric motors and flame throwers."
10 Wouldn't Touch - E85 Bike
The E85 was part of the Iowa Farm Bureau-led movement called Join the Ride Iowa. According to Top Speed, the bike has a corn paint job, and the wheels resemble the blades of a wind turbine. The seat has embossed animals, and the bike shows that an E85 motor powers it. The E85 was the first renewable energy chopper that was raffled off to raise money for Join the ride Iowa.
One lucky participant won the bike. Although the bike had a unique design, it's not the typical chopper that has come out of the OCC design board.
9 Wouldn't Touch - FBI Bike
The production of the FBI bike was for a good cause. The FBI and OCC partnered to produce a bike with an FBI logo on it as a fundraising effort to support youth anti-violence in Newburgh, New York.
"I think it’s vital that we as OCC get involved with the youth anti-violence campaign in Newburgh. This is the community that we all work and live in, and we are committed through our relationship with InfraGard and the city to ensure that kids in Newburgh know that they’ve got options outside of gang culture," said Paul Sr.
8 Wouldn't Touch - Power Probe
When Power Probe decided that the company wanted a unique bike that represented the company, they teamed up with OCC. Power Probe had garnered a reputation for innovative diagnostic tools. Power Probe III is a diagnostic tester that transformed diagnosing bad circuits from a tedious job to a simple one.
To represent the company's values, Bill DeFer, Power Probe VP Sales and Marketing, met with Jason Pohl to determine the design of the bike. Incorporating many colors can make a bike seem too flashy. Simpler is better.
7 Wouldn't Touch - Schneider Electric
One of the biggest challenges that Senior and the team faced was building a hybrid chopper for Schneider Electric. "Schneider Electric is challenging Orange County Choppers to build a custom motorcycle that will support our company mission of helping people make the most of their energy," said Amelia Huntington, of Electric Schneider U.S.
"The goal is that the Schneider Electric hybrid chopper will be capable of traveling farther, without refueling or recharging, than any other OCC bike in history," said Paul Sr, according to Market Wired.
6 Wouldn't Touch - Trike Bike
Senior has never run out of ideas for new bikes. He has a way of transforming a regular concept into an eccentric design. Most of the bikes that Senior manufactures have a unique design, but most don't have three wheels. One of the biggest appeals for riders is the thrill of riding a two-wheeled machine. By fitting three wheels on a bike, Senior had taken the excitement from riding a chopper.
Although the trike bike has a unique seat and exhausts, Paul Sr. should've have left out the additional wheel. The bike isn't bad but would've been better on two wheels.
5 Would Touch - Bic Flex
People will applaud your hard work. Paul Sr. received a round of applause and cheers when he rode into the Bic Corp. headquarters. The employees had waited for Paul's arrival in the lobby for the unveiling of the new Bic Flex chopper. Paul Sr. made the chopper to resemble the BIC Flex4 men's shaver, a disposable four-blade shaver, according to News-Times.
The company was thrilled with the bike and handed Teutul a check for $20,000 as a donation to the Orange County Choppers Foundation. It seems that one hand washes the other.
4 Would Touch - Liberty Bike
Gold Leaf Corporation commissioned for the manufacturing of the Liberty Bike, plated in copper that was preserved from the centennial restoration of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
The Liberty Bike, like the Statue of Liberty, is a work of art that was made from copper and iron. The bike was on exhibit during the 2011 celebration of Lady Liberty's 125th Anniversary Year at the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Paul Sr. attended the event to help open the exhibit. The Liberty Bike took four and a half weeks to complete.
3 Would Touch - Spartan Chopper
Although Paul Sr. opened Orange County Choppers as a business that generates revenue, he also used the business to build custom choppers for good causes. During the Spartan's Tri-State New York Sprint race, Paul Sr. unveiled a custom Spartan chopper that he built to benefit the OSCAR MIKE Foundation, an organization helping injured veterans.
"Orange County Choppers makes the most badass custom bikes around, and Spartan produces the most badass endurance events, so the partnership is a total fit," said Paul Sr. The bike is worth $150,000, according to Auto Evolution.
2 Would Touch - St. Jude Chopper
The Choppers show has spawned numerous quarrels between Senior and Junior, but the motorbike manufacturers have also done a lot of good deeds for the less fortunate. One of the generous deeds that Paul Sr. did with his skills is to build two bikes to charity organizations.
The first bike was the Window World Chopper, and the second was the St. Jude Chopper. Paul Sr. built the St. Jude Chopper to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Not only is the bike a generous donation, but it is an absolute stunner.
1 Would Touch - Texas Strong
OCC and Paul Sr. seem to be gifts that keep on giving. Besides the Spartan and Liberty bike that Paul Sr. made for a good cause, he also manufactured the Texas Strong themed motorbike. The bike was auctioned, and proceeds went to the Peace of Mind Foundation, an organization dedicated to mental health concerns due to Hurricane Harvey incident.
Interested parties in the bike who couldn't attend the event had the opportunity to place bids online. The six-speed bike has a tricked-out rear fender, syringe exhaust, and a unique gas tank.
Sources - Auto Evolution, News-Times & Top Speed