5 Of The Worst Custom Motorcycles From American Chopper

Orange County Choppers (OCC) is the sometimes troubled, but always entertaining motorcycle fabricator chronicled on the reality television show "American Chopper" for over a decade. OCC was founded by the patriarch of the Teutul family, Paul Teutul Sr., during the late-1990s in Montgomery, New York. 

Paul Sr. always loved building and riding choppers — long and low customized motorcycles —  but was forced to put his passion on hold in order to build a successful metalworking and steel supply business, as well as raise a family — some of whom would become involved with OCC.

As "American Chopper" viewership exploded, many companies sought out OCC to build them a themed motorcycle. It was a form of advertising for the businesses, and as a bonus, they received a rolling promotional item. Sure, some industries and/or company color schemes might not lend themselves well to the flanks of a bespoke chopper. Still, clients were willing to pay extravagant amounts of money for an OCC creation, and were therefore accommodated. 

Some of the more revered creations that came out of the "American Chopper" show include a Statue of Liberty bike plated with real copper from the actual statue, a Fire Bike commemorating first responders at the September 11 tragedy, and a technology packed bike for Intel which also featured a four-cylinder engine — unusual for a chopper — to accentuate its then-new quad core processor. 

Unfortunately, not all bike builds were as aesthetically pleasing as some of the aforementioned custom bikes.

Australians are known for their love of consuming Vegemite, but instead, they got a large portion of cheese with OCC's Ozbike. As a precursor to being asked to build the bike, the "American Chopper" show tracked the Teutul family's visit to the land down under. 

In a joint venture between the Australian Tourism Board and Discovery Channel, our intrepid heroes visit the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Bondi Beach, learn to surf, and hold a koala bear. Finally, during a motorcycle ride with none other than Russell Crowe, the actor requests Orange County Chopper to build an Australia-themed bike to be auctioned for charity.

The end result is about what you might expect. The wheel spokes are made to look like boomerangs, and there's a miniature replica of the Sydney Harbor Bridge sitting atop the rear fender — yes, seriously. The engine's air filter cover is a kangaroo crossing road sign, and on the opposite side of the engine is an Australian flag. The oil tank has a mural of the Great Barrier Reef, and the primary belt cover is a freakin' surfboard.

Upon completion in 2007, the Australian chopper was sold for $300,000 at a charity event. Approximately five years later, the kangaroo cruiser resold as part of a Barrett-Jackson auction for less than one-tenth of its original price.

In 2007, "American Chopper" documented an outrageous build for Steve Schussler, a Minnesota-based purveyor of theme restaurants. Apparently, Schussler and the Teutuls were at one time in discussions to build a chain of OCC-themed eateries across the country. The Great Recession that followed shortly thereafter probably put an end to the restaurant endeavor, and for that we should be somewhat grateful, but the relationship did spurn an incredibly gaudy motorcycle.

It seems that Schussler owned a 1957 Chevrolet convertible and wanted a two-wheel counterpart. Believe it or not, '57 Chevy inspired motorcycles have been built before, perhaps most famously by customizer Arlen Ness. However, the OCC creation wasn't as well executed, proportional, or integrated into natural flow of the bike's frame.

The finished product looks like a narrow, half-scale '57 Chevy indeed, like one of those coin-operated children's rides that you used to see outside supermarkets. Reportedly, the rear bodywork has a functional trunk, but the deal killer is the replica Chevy's front end just suspended in space high above the front suspension forks.