Some of my posts are often published in reply to your email requests. And some of you may be surprised by the number of questions I receive about the whereabouts of Paul Teutul Junior. As you know, the scripted TV fights of American Chopper between Paul Teutul Senior and Junior ended up in a real feud with Junior leaving the show to start his own company Paul Jr Designs. After 10 years in the steel business and 10 years building custom motorcycles, Paul Jr.is now applying his experience in his new company, designing new products, his first client being the Coleman company for which he re-designed the Roadtrip Grill. All what you want to know is explained in his website. Paul Jr. Designs.
46 Responses to “Paul Teutul Junior Now.”
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Great….. he took what he learned and applied it to household products, (like the recently released Duo-Glide® lime squeezers and kitchen aids).
The first motorcycle cross-over designer since Brooks Stevens (toasters, washing machines, and the 1949-up Hydra-Glide® front fender).
More of it.
Speaking of motorcycle historic design ….. finally…. who was the unknown artist that created the 1936-1964 OHV fuel tanks. We know Brooks created the Glide® front fender. Brooks son is a designer as well.
It’s all within the “random family genetic dispersion amounts” of each generation isn’t it?
So, if Dr. Marty Rosenblume is still employed at the H-D® factory, could you maybe, find out through your historic archives who was the guy(s) that designed those tank halves?
Imo, the 1936-1964 series of OHV fuel tank designs is one of, if not THE greatest, American designs of all time. What other American design was so complex to create, was used (with only small variations) for at least 28 yrs. but the designer(s) are still unknown to anyone? What a gross oversight in history! I’d like a face and name to attach to the tanks.
Have you ever held a ’36-64 tank half in your hands? It’s severely unbalanced. The tank half wants to jump out of your hands like a fish. That’s sculpture. American steel sculpture. There’s even a (right) tank wiring harness conduit indentation stamped into the inside panel. Talk about engineered art in America….. I’d put the tank halves up against anything Michelangelo ever chipped out of marble.
I wonder if the authors Herbert Wagner or Greg Field have any info on the tank design origins? And where DID all the Harley authors go anyway?
D’ they just write a couple books and quit? 🙂
I saw the episode with the Roadtrip Grill. It was actually very interesting & I did think he brought an extra element to the project that another designer might not have been able to bring. More power to him!
tell mikey i like mine medium rare.
This is a precis of a few personal opinions I have on the shape of early pan head tanks.
Historically European design preferences from the Knights in armor until now are are based on involute curves,I think the original tank was designed and prototyped by craftsman who had been taught to appreciated the purity of this shape and their handmade prototypes were used as plugs for making production tooling.
I think the side of the tank without the gear lever is not only beautiful but if you shut your eyes and feel your hands over it it is almost sexual,but I think the flat for the gate on the other side was a secondary operation and it looks ok when its on the complete bike with everything attached the basic shape has been changed a bit, .
When the original tooling wore out or something I think Harley made new ones , but this time the tooling wasn’t copied from prototypes that were fitted to a bike, the toolmakers used supplied production tanks as samples and they averaged each sides of the tank to make them the same and they seem to have a flattish appearance on the outer sides and have never followed the pure original shape.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involute
I am not sure why some of you insist on bashing the Tuetuls. Sure they have made some bikes that look rediculous but that is what their customers wanted. And what cracks me up is then you same people see some piece of crap that is touted as being art and you come all over yourselves complimenting it. I would bet everything I have that the Tuetuls have done more to bring new people into the industry than all of the Tuetul haters on this site combined. The Tuetuls have been successful and maybe that would explain some of the haters. I personally would never buy a OCC bike but if I am to be honest with myself, I must admit that in the long run they have done more good for this industry in a few short years than most of us will do in a life time of trying. Remember all those little kids that watch that show will grow up and some of them will be bikers. Just as some of you watched the old easyrider show and now you ride. I hope Jr. does well with his new business.
“Historically European design preferences from the Knights in armor until now are are based on involute curves,I think the original tank was designed and prototyped by craftsman who had been taught to appreciated the purity of this shape and their handmade prototypes were used as plugs for making production tooling.”
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“When the original tooling wore out or something I think Harley made new ones , but this time the tooling wasn’t copied from prototypes that were fitted to a bike, the toolmakers used supplied production tanks as samples and they averaged each sides of the tank to make them the same and they seem to have a flattish appearance on the outer sides and have never followed the pure original shape.”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The knuckle tanks were one group. The instrument panel cut-out on each tank, when mounted, made more of a “circle”.
The ’48 was a knuckle/pan crossover tank.
And the ’49-64 (and later) tank cut-outs made more of a “soft rectangle” when mounted to the frame.
The Knuckle (inboard) tank panels were one group (that had their own indentations for the wiring harness conduit). A 13 yr. run using the same stamping (albeit, the stamps did wear out after X amount of stampings).
The ’49-64 Pans used the same style inboard panels with their own conduit indentation, and the factory used the same Panhead panels for 16 yrs. That’s an efficient use of time and materials. The stockholders demanded it. 🙂
An interesting concept John. The only part that’s not correct imo, is “the flattish appearance on the outer sides of the OEM? tanks.
The ’36-64 tanks have a natural curve that your eyes agree with. The bottom tank lip is undulating. It is not an even curve, but dips down as a cantilevered tunnel that hides the top part of the heads, but curves upward to allow room for the 6” round s/s air filter to be tucked in there.
If you look at a Knuckle or Pan from a distance, and it has a set of 1960’s style CCI® Pan/ Shovel tanks – Something just doesn’t LOOK right. The whole machine looks wrong. It looks like someone “stuck” the fuel tank on. (Like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.) 🙂
That’s because the OEM tank designers, designed the tanks to blend perfectly with the rest of the machine and compliment the “locomotive” plumbing of the external oil filter.
All of H-D® history is within the stock 1957 FL. The locomotive railway experience that Arthur Davidson brought to the “shed” was pattern making. I suspect that Art was in charge of the 1936 fuel tanks too. The 1936-64 (pop-up) shut-off reserve and flared fittings are historic plumbing essentials.
The designers had to use some “medium” to create a prototype….perhaps a lump of modeling clay to start with, then male molds (made from hand pounded sand molds) and hardened as dies for “drawing” steel sheets to be fed into.
H. Wager’s book “1931-1940 reports that the stamp operation was 100 ton.
JMO you are totally right – whenever i talk about custom bikes to non-bke people they all use OCC as their only reference point – which is good in some ways but not in others as my style is not at all OCC!
Good luck to Paul Jr
Paul jr….to me he was the brain behing OCC…Occ must be trembling without Jr and vinnie…
Kirk,
What does the company Paul Jr Designs or the Roadtrip Grill have to do with 1936-1964 series of OHV fuel tanks? Do you want Jr to build you a Roadtrip Grill from an original 1936-1964 fuel tank?
Personally OCC never put out anything that I would ride or be seen on, however JMO is right, they changed (to a point) how people look at Motor cycles… that’s cool, .. at least for Paul Jr something good has come out of that show… I wish him luck…
I wish Paul Jr well and was sorry to see him leave the company but believe the company is better of without him as it was apparent that he did not want to be there or thought he was worth more than he was. OCC appears to be stronger and is sure to come through the current economic times.
On another note,I have had the pleasure of riding most of the limited edition production bikes currently offered by OCC and I would put them up against anything out there in terms of parts used,engineering of components,assembly and just plain riding. I don’t get it when I see people write about how unrideable OCC’s bikes are then fall all over themselves about some other bike that is clearly only built for show. I am not talking about the Corporate theme bike builds which are built for an advertising campaign and will probably not get over 50 miles on them. I am talking about the Limited Edition Production bikes which are clearly designed to be ridden and enjoyed.I speak from experience of one who has actually ridden several OCC bikes whereas most of the naysayers have never ridden one and thus would have no idea as to the rideability of an OCC bike. Hope all have a great day.
I think it would be cool if hed do a spiderweb cover for the grill, or a tig torch for a handle, this could be some monumental deeply thought out designs we’re about to see, how about a refrigerator with reindeer antlers!
JMO and Jim C…well put.
Regardless of the silliness of the show, they infused a life and interest into the industry that would have never been there.
Hell, give them credit…their shop was financed by a TV network and sponsors. Most bike shops can’t afford a $200K waterjet machine to play with…can yours? They got to play, and dazzle, at the expense of others.
Yeah, I’ve had a couple OCC bike owners tell me what junk their bikes are, but at the same time, they were charity bikes, that both folks had won in a raffle, so don’t fault them for the cheesy banter and fake fights, when they remember to give back.
You can bet your last dollar that the 8-10 year run we saw would not have flourished, and there would not have been the influx of new builders and riders we’ve seen.
At the same time, people should blame themselves for being mind fu*ked into thinking they were rich and could afford a $50/60K bike from any Joe with a wrench and a tattoo.
The Big Dogs of the world, and certainly HD as well, were fooled into thinking all the growth would last forever, when it was as farcical as most of the loans written on the homes that those folks bought their bikes with. Lesson learned.
I hope everybody becomes smarter from this, and more frugal.
Quit hatin’ and start celebratin’. If you’re still riding, reading, or building, you’re doing better than a lot of folks out there and if Paul Jr wants to do barbecues, let him do barbecues. You pissed on him when they were building, you pissed on him when he went elsewhere.
Maybe spend a little less time forming negative opinions of others, and a bit more time enjoying the ride!
Ditto…both ways.
In my opinion they are a bad exemple of what a bike builder should be.
Paul Jr. don´t drawing, and their employers build the bikes not him.
He is in just for the show,not for god reasons.
They have extremely luck for the TV Sponsors.
Like in the World Music sometimes you don´t need play just fake,and you will be a star.
Others know how to play and never be sucesseful.
Sorry.
whatever anyone thinks of paul jr and occ
i thinj jmo hit the nail on the head
a whole lot of kids watch the show
and if they grow up and want a chop for themselves,how bad can that be.
and yes they built some silly looking bikes
but they were mostly to promote the companys that paid for them
i dont think its fair to say they are not real builders
we have all see them build bikes
they just got a lucky break in tv and went for it
i liked the one they built for will smith
until they stuck on the ugly front mudguard thing.
and no one can say rick’s not talented.
bye now,
Ger,
Regarding TV audience………..
RE:
“…if [kids watching] grow up and want a chop for themselves,how bad can that be…”
Well, how about if those kinds growing up thinking that a 4-letter vocabulary and disfunctional antics is what designing and building is all about….
As i see it, THAT would be real bad.
So, as Marco says, what the OCC has provided is “..a bad example…” of a bike builder.
Now if the kids watching understood it to be a BAD EXAMPLE, there in would be the value.
But i suspect it’s more like the inner city kid who looks at gang-bangers as cool……..
Sorry, No value there, not in the long run.
Not in IMHO anyway.
Don’t think you’d ever get Arlan Ness to act like that on TV, regardless of how much $$
was involved.
I wish Paul Jr well as he moves on.
Whatever he does, i hope he does it with class, not moronic drama.
-nicker-
Vinny,is a very good professional and goes away.wy?guess.
Rick, is very talent, he hurts in one machine, guess? he have to work anyway.
Simple for me,every people deserv more respect, and they don´t have respect for nathing or nobody.
Seems to me OCC, don´t need Jr. they proved.They continue produce Bikes whidout stress.
All the best.
nicker ; Do you really think your kid is not going to hear bad words if OCC was not on TV? Lets get real here even a grandmother will say shit if the need arises. I personally think you are responcable for teaching your children right from wrong. Not the stars on any TV show.
LOL- well, if it’s true that Paul Jr was only getting 5% of the OCC action, then good for him for moving on- being shortchanged only creates resentment over time, explains a lack of productivity.
Wish Jr well, will be interesting to see how a high-line designer does in a weak economy….Historically been a good time for true talent, tho- I believe Kirk Perry was referencing the Art Deco Era, which came about during a lot of pain in the world…. Still the coolest design era to me.
nicker
again i think jmo is on the ball
i would hope that any kids watching would be impressed by the bikes
and not mega mouth paul sr
and if paul jr is realy going it alone
then best of luck with the new business
if its just part of the tv illusion
then well done,ye fooled us all.
ger; if its just part of the tv illusion
then well done,ye fooled us all.
I truely hope that it is for the show. I have never seen a brinks truck following a hearst.
You will never hear a rich man say he wishes he had more money while laying on his death bed.
The one thing we all wish for when it is too late is more time to spend with or loved ones.
Family should be held above anything, above money, above friends, above employees, above anything. And children should honor thy father even if he is an ass at times. We only get one dad I would not waste the time you have fighting over what is petty in the end. If he has done something to hurt you, you should forgive him for his mistakes. it does not mean you have to forget but forgive and move on. And that does go both ways for the father or the sons. I wish this family well I certainly hope that money does not destroy them.
One point in favor of OCC and the TV show is the work they make about charity and good causes.
And Mikey also deserv more respect, it´s a true and honest guy.keep the Blues Mikey.
You know most of You GUYS that are trying to Humiliate the OCC Bikes or the Tetul’s or what Jr. is doing are “Jerkoff’s” 1000%. All of you together don’t have the Funds together to Buy their Underwear Collection. Yes they wear Underoos ! They have done more for Your Industry and Built more Bike in their 7 Years in the Buisness then all of you Moron’s put together.! I think that is very impressive that you Harley Historians talk about Old Bike Designers that left the Industry and Designed something else. I am sure that OCC can Build a Bike as great as Jessie, or Indian Larry or Eddie Trotta and do it for Less. However I don’t think that would be to difficult, according to the prices that those BOYZ charge. Dood’s like Mr. Perry and Just my Opinion can talk and gripe and BS all they want it is what this blog is about. But at the end of the Day they are Building Bikes and Designing Grill’s and you Guys are trying to figure out that there are Bills that are due at the end of the Month and they are ,,,,,,,,,,,Well maybe won’t get paid again. The Tetul’s they are trying to figure out How they can what they are going to buy erveryone for Christmas and How much they are going to give for bonuses this Christmas to their staff and you guys are figuring out if you can Buy the Christmas Tree with your Food Stamp Money!!!!!!!
In one time or another I’ve worked with nearly every member of the OCC knuckleheads from when they were clowning around in a Spiderman costume at the Rats Hole in Daytona, to hosting them at our properties in Sturgis. Before their meteoric rise to celebrity, they had to play buy the industry rules that everyone did as well as be true to their word and exercise good business practices.
But as each season of American Chopper aired, they began to cash in on selling episodes to corporations to build theme bikes and merchandising in the millions and of course, something changed. Duh right? Once the cash flowed in, it didn’t mean much to break your word, or a contact, or in my case not show up to a bike show unless you picked them up in a helicopter 45 minutes before they were scheduled to appear, that was fun.
I don’t know Paul Sr or Paul Jr personally, but the handful of times I have dealt with them, Paul Jr never seemed to take himself too seriously. Quite the opposite with Paul Sr and I could only assume Paul Jr just got sick of it all and left. I think it will be great for Paul Jr to reinvent himself and build his new shop ground up through the motorcycle industry. Good luck to Paul Jr on his new endeavor and it is my hope that both father and son above all the fame and fortune, can be father and son again someday.
Bigalyts; I am not sure why you would include me in your rant when I was the first to say people should back off the Tuetuls. The only thing I said that you may find to be negative is how I said they should work out their differances because family is more important than anything else. I personally think that too was a possitive message but someone like you may not. Maybe if you would read the entire post before connecting the dots you will not place my opinions on the wrong side of the issues. Have a nice Holiday anyway.
Sorry, I was dreaming at the Key Board.! Just my Opinion, for sure.
Just-my–
RE:
“… Do you really think your kid is not going to hear bad words if OCC?…”
No, that’s not what i said.
The point was a Role model issue not a vocabulary issue.
Hell, colorful-vocabulary wise. Sr. is a mere piker.
Ask any Navy Boatswains Mate…… 🙂
-nicker-
nicker; My point was that if you don’t want your kid hearing OCC then it is YOUR job to stop them from watching. OCC is entertainment only it is not their job to babysit your kid or teach them right or wrong. If your kids idolize anyone on TV that you don’t aprove of then you are not doing your job. Step up and be a dad mate.
Just-my–
Dude, your loosing the thread of this argument.
It was Ger who thought it was great for kids to watch OCC because:
“…if [kids watching] grow up and want a chop for themselves,how bad can that be…”
To which i asked if he thought it was OK for
“…those kinds growing up thinking that a 4-letter vocabulary and disfunctional antics is what designing and building is all about….”
Some how you’ve inferred i’m trying to get OCC of TV because i can’t control my kids….????
What are you smoking.
Hell, it should be clear
–Oooops sorry loose fingers—
Hell, it should be clear that i could care less what you or anyone else watches.
Moreover, you should know by now that i could care less about what OCC has done for “the Industry.”
BUT, i do take great exception to the “builder image” Sr. portrays on TV.
With regard to my household,
Don’t think anyone here wants to watch OCC. It’s a waste of time.
Sorry, your logic simply escapes me.
-nicker-
nicker; You are the one that was whining about OCC teaching kids bad words and how to be disfuntional.
Well, how about if those kinds growing up thinking that a 4-letter vocabulary and disfunctional antics is what designing and building is all about….
My point was very simple. It is the parents job to control what their child watches or learns. Sorry it was to complex for you to understand but I don’t know how to state it any simpler.
As far as Sr.’s builder image. Who cares? Do you think he goes to the bank every day and say’s gee I with that Nicker liked me more. I bet he does not even know who you are let alone care.
I think your jealousy is what may be causing this extreme dislike of OCC. I bet you think the people that bolt on parts in the HD factory are builders. Or maybe your one of those that think Jesse is in his shop personally pounding out ever fender he sells. Maybe you can help me understand. What exactly is a builder in your mind? Is it someone that has made and sold 1 bike? Is it someone that has made and sold hundreds of bikes? If it is the last of those two then SR. is a builder.
On this subject you have no logic.
Have a nice day.
in my opinion the teutals have done more damage to our industry than anybody . they burned it out in a few short years . i have been riding for 25 years and have been in the motorcycle business for 16. They whored it out and burnt it out . i wish they would go away .
While I never really LIKED the bikes OCC put out they were designing them for specific customers and thsat came across as VERY successful. I truly think the ARTIST behind most of it was Paul Junior and he came up with what I consider some very unique concepts. They may have success with thier line of bikes they have now but the crew that remains seems to struggle with the CUSTOM side of the house. Just my opinion!
True replica 1954-1959 OHV handlebars:
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They were out of stock for 3 yrs.
Can the 3.5 gallon tanks be far behind?
It’s good news.
The more free-breathing motors we put on the road, the stronger our EPA item G. “USA population”. The AMA is behind 1936-1959 OHV kits in 49 states.
I’ll put my antique ’57 Panhead back on the road if you do. My life is getting freed up to devote to Knuckle & Pan once again. 14 yrs. of writing took a toll on our property maintenance, but we’ve turned to the corner to Free-time Street now. 🙂
Hellraiser: I agree with you 100%. They are just more of the same new age McBikebuilders. There is a reason why anyone creative couldn’t wait to leave OCC; ie Vinnie Di Martino & Cody Connelly. Paul Senior is a first class, ungrateful asshole who should wake-up everyday and thank the heavens that the network stumbled across his shop. That said, Paul Jr is a good kid and put up with a lot of garbage over the years – I wish him well and hope he succeeds in his new venture.
Just-my–
Hmmmmmmm,
Ya missed it again.
Why are these two simple points so hard to get over…??
-1-
Use of strong language has it’s place. It worked well in the Navy (i ran a deck division).
But, IMHO it’s totally inappropriate to use on your family….. For example, continually threatening to “put a size 12 up your ass” ….. i figure is the root of some-o that tribe’s disfunctionality.
Have you got that…???
OK, Based on that logic i ask Ger if that’s what he wanted his kids to watch.
Then you answered.
-2-
The image Sr. portrays on TV reflects badly on any scooter builder.
Think about it.
Damn near any job applicant will be asked what they do for a hobby.
Used to be if ya told-em that ya scratch-built custom motorcycles from the ground up (design, machine work, welding, mechanics, paint) that was a plus.
After OCC’s 3-stooges antics, any reference to such activities was a credibility cruncher.
Having said all that:
For the life-a-me, i can’t figure out why you think i want to know Sr. or him to know me…..???
But i’ve never said i wanted OCC off TV. That’s none of my business.
And (as long as you’re not using my tax money) it’s none of my business how you, Ger, or anyone else raise your kid.
Seems to me……. our dispute is about the value of OCC on TV.
You see-em as a plus.
I see em as a distraction, an embarrassment.
My interest is in the logic you use when you defend them.
It’s that simple.
-nicker-
No talent… boring stuff.
nicker; You keep saying that I am the one that does not get IT. But you are the one that does not understand that OCC is for entertainment only. Everything is exagerated for TV. GET IT FOR TV.
I have said before that I don’t care about OCC or their bikes but I get the fact that they are on TV for entertainment purposes. Their yelling and cursing each other on the show does not make them better builders or worse it is just entertainment. Hell for all we know it is all made up just for added drama. You make no sense at all you whine that someone will look down on you for being a builder or welder or what ever because of OCC. But even if that was true and I don’t think for a minute that it is . There would also be another side of that which would be some people would think more highly of you being a builder or welder or what ever it is you do because of OCC. They OCC have actually made it cool to a large amount of people to do some of those jobs. With everything in life there is always a plus and a minus side. Good and evil or positive and negitive. You are right about one thing it is simple. You see the glass half empty and I see it half full. Who is right?
I say both and neither. I prefer being positive but if you want to be negitive that is your right.
Have a nice day.
Just-my–
Seem we’re getting closer to, at least understanding what the other is saying,
which doesn’t say we agree.
RE:
“…You are right about one thing it is simple. You see the glass half empty and I see it half full…”
Spot on!
Well, ya….. but more to the point, we probably don’t agree on what’s “Cool”…. 🙂
RE:
“…You keep saying that I am the one that does not get IT…”
-No-…. that’s Not what i said…..
I said you don’t get MY point ……(not the point of the OCC TV show).
My point is, it doesn’t matter if the TV moronics are fake or real.
Moreover, OCC’s supposed “industry Impact” is minimal.
Unless you’re talking about the “T-shirt industry,” then i’ll agree with ya.
OCC has sold one hell of a lot-a T-shirts.
But the real question is, how many of those T-shirt buyers actuall step up and buy a $25K scooter…???
Now you may well see it differently, but as i see it, the price of the shirt is about the extent of the “commitment to the Industry” made by the OCC “following.”
(i doubt people who can afford a custom scooter want to waste their time in T-shirt lines)
RE:
“… you whine that someone will look down on you for being a builder or welder or what ever because of OCC……I don’t think for a minute that it is [true]…”
-Yes- Because i recognize that “looking-down” (or trivializing) has an economic impact.
If ya don’t think that’s true look at the American Negro Experience.
After OCC i started to characterize my hobby as “Machining and Manufacturing” (and hope no one askes the “making what” question.
Some years ago BR (before retirement)…. during a brake in an Engineering standards meeting, an Engineer announced with pride that he had just become the owner of a stock Road King. Others who were aware of OCC mornics through their Kids TV watching razzed him about becoming an OCC moron. That my friend was NOT a function of my imagination. It actually happened.
Most of them never found out about my hobby.
(Even though i used their CAD system to design tooling for my transmission, and that tooling model showed up on the cover of their annual Journal)… 🙂
RE:
“…OCC have actually made it cool to a large amount of people to do some of those jobs…”
-Sure- “Cool” to those people standing in the T-shirt lines.
But what possible relevance is that to me…..?
(which begs the question…. what do you consider Cool)
As i see it cool is about what ya can make…. not about how ya act or what ya ware.
See, i don’t “building/create” …to be cool, or make a living…
I create for the sheer joy of doing it.
And if one of my gear-head friends shares my excitement about some part or manufacturing process… well, that just a bonus.
Sorry, i don’t need anyone else’s “validation.”
(i’m my own worst critic….. 🙂
I hope ya have a very merry Christmas.
-nicker-
Nicker; You make some great points and I agree with most of what you are saying but as to the situation with your co worker being harrassed over buying a road king. I think the guys doing the harrassing are the clowns. They obviously are not in the motorcycle world. But there is another side of people that watch OCC that are in the motorcycle world that do love riding and do think anyone that can fab a part is cool and if not for OCC they may not have ever come to know this awesome life of riding and feeling the wind in your hair and smelling the scents of life as they ride their newly acqiured bike. I don’t think OCC is the problem. I think the problem is ignorance of some people that are not into bikes, they are the ones standing in line and buying the T-shirts. They are the ones giving bike builders a bad rap. but they are not bikers so who really cares. But make no mistake there is a whole other side to the OCC drama and that side is people that are buying OCC bikes and those bikes get serviced in real shops and those people buy leathers and helmets and boots and many other things from your local bike shop owner. OCC has sold hundreds if not thousands of bikes. I don’t think anyone that has sold so many bikes should be dismissed as a nobody in this industry. Hell S&S is one of the biggest names in motorcycles and they put OCC in their new book as one of the top builders. I know I know you think it is because they buy so many motors and that is exactly my point they buy enough motors to be one of the top builders. There is one last point I want to make I don’t neccesarily like OCC and I certainly don’t care for their bikes but I do recognize that they have and are making a big contrabution to our industry. Enough said.
Have a great Christmas and I hope we all have a great 2010
Just-my–
RE:
“… other side to the OCC drama and that side is people that are buying OCC bikes and those bikes get serviced in real shops and those people buy…”
Well, ya may have me there.
Does anyone even know what percentage of industry-wide-unit-output OCC delivers…???
There must be some $-multiplier per-unit-sold to predict the amount of after-market sales produced.
A significant percentage would prove that part of my argument wrong.
But with respect to “builder image,” to say because “.. they are not bikers so who really cares…” trivializes the potential damage that image can inflict.
(remember, many of us garage builders are not making a living in the industry)
Much of an institutional career is built on an individual’s “credibility.”
Without it ya don’t even get to demonstrate your potential.
Let-me state is this way:
credibility= job-assignments= ranking= salary= standard-of-living= retirement-income
Many. many years ago, before Paul Sr. even bolted aftermarket handle bars on is first (1975?) shovel-head, i showed my manager my shop and latest custom build. As a Manufacturing Engineer he was interested in some of the tooling and the process of molding a glass tank over a foam-core-die.
Guess it must-a been about 1977 the “T-shirt People” took over. Got me a stock new 78 triumph to for a daily commuter and didn’t mention building M/C again.
Anyway talk to ya in the new year.
-nicker-
Love the reference to the ’78 Triumph! I spent over ten years in the “vintage British” motorcycle world and while there’s usually not a whole lot of custom fabrication, most of the same processes are used that are dramatized by “OCC”.
For example, I would have been fired if I didn’t know how to leave enough time for the chroming, painting, pinstriping, engine building and parts ordering to all coalesce well before the date promised to the customer. That’s Bikebuilding 101. If you know your business, you know how long your sources will take to do a certain task, and you budget the time accordingly; i.e. send the paint out first, order parts second, chrome next, etc. etc. Anyone worth their salt would know this basic stuff.
To me, that was the funniest part of any episode of “OCC”. The “made-up” drama of arbitrary deadlines just to push up the “anxiety factor” was a large part of the show. It’s not unique to “OCC”, either! Many of the car-building shows are done with the same built-in drama.
Like someone previously mentioned, TV is TV. And “OCC” was all about TV.
Well done, Jr. Welcome to the “real” world!
nortonryder
Crap Sandwich
I think its funny as hell, how all the haters come out of the woodwork when someone is a success.
One thing is for sure if the Teutuls never do another show or build another bike, they are wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.
While most all of the rest of you people that are jealous of their success, have to check your checking account balance every day of your life.Instead of expending so much energy, bashing someones success, why don’t you channel your hatred into a path to bettering your life?