How Orange County Choppers Chassis Were Built so Quickly, Top Fuel Bike Legend Sam Wills Explains 

How do you lose $60,000 in 10 years? Buying an Orange county chopper 10 years ago

Vinnie DiMartino and Rick Petko seemed to be the only two worth their salt at OCC. Everything else was a TV train wreck.

What's crazy is these frames have probably spent more time aboard an airplane getting shipped, than with the kickstand up.

Im from Orange County. 10 minutes away from their shop. People in the area did not feel the same love for them as most of the people in the country. They cranked out garbage but you wouldnt know because "TV". They bankrupt their steel companyt and sold property to themselves. The most honest person on the show was Vinney. He currently owns a shop a block away from where i currently work. Oh, Mikey. He was a legit guy. JR and Senior played it up for the camera and for money all while ruining their personal relationship. Its really sad what money did to them.

Those bikes were GARAGE ORNAMENTS.

A friend of a friend appeared on that show and got a bike. Fell apart in the first 6 months. He called the old man and was told the bikes were for "promotional purposes." He told him to buy a Harley if he wanted something reliable. He took the bike to a legitimate bike builder here in town and had it completely rebuilt so that he can ride it. I think OCC are a bunch of carnival barkers, not bike builders......

OCC were bolt on bikes.

Here is a video of Sam in action on his Orange Top Fuel Bike - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-81dirudtKgw.html

I think some people forget or never knew the history of OCC. When they started out, they were just one of many shops that were grinding out "custom" choppers. Harley helped them and every other custom builder get started by creating "wait lists" to get a HD. "Wait 18 months to get a HD when I can buy a pre-made chopper? No way!". If my memory is correct, they had 3 specific models they built, and then would do different paint jobs to make each one "unique". I remember they had a billboard just off the NY Thruway or Rt 17 south. ( Keep that billboard in mind, it resulted in their success). The TV guys in NYC decided to hop on the public interest programming train and decided to do a show about motorcycle/chopper builders. And sent some guy up to Connecticut to try and sign up a small shop in that state to be the focal point of that program. Story is a bit unclear, but what I heard was the shop turned the deal down because it would be too disruptive to their business. So, here is this TV guy driving back to NYC to tell his bosses that the shop bailed on him, and he spots the billboard for OCC. What the heck, worth a try, right? So he stops in pitches his deal and gets them to sign on the dotted line. OCC continued to make their street sale bikes, and did the TV show bikes. Some people have said they built junk. Fact is, HD woke up and realized by working on custom built choppers they completed the loop for the clone industry and "discouraged" dealerships working on non-HD bikes. I have spent a ton of time in indy shops and can tell you for a fact the OCC bikes are not something indys want to work on unless they are real hungry and their customers have deep pockets. Oh, motors and trannys are usually fine, but hardware and wiring are a mechanics worst nightmare.

"it can take years to build a frame"? I built my frame in my garage, i built a jig and then built the frame and welded it in one weekend. Not a lot of people just some idiot ignoring his wife tucked away in his garage and did it. I built the fenders and bought a tank but modified it. Painted it and rode that thing until it got written off on the highway. I miss that ole bitch...not the wife but the bike.

That’s why Vinney and Rick left. Owners didn’t know their worth.

occ wasnt about bikes , it was a tv show about family life , for shell suited tv consumers ,, there just happened to be bikes in it.

Man I RU-vid's formula is crazy, I haven't seen anything about OCC in like 5 years but saw my grandfather watching on his TV and this pops up on my homepage not an hour later.

Fun fact: Those guys never built bikes until a producer walked into their machine shop and decided the drama was good, but needed extra interest with a product- so they told them to build bikes. I know because I tattooed the producer. As this video shows, they have experts for frames and wiring and things, and the Teutuls just weld on some ginger and call it their own.

I'm in awe of your skills Sam. I welded a few frames in jigs with 0.6 chrome moly tubes for a buddy. He gave me a couple of them. They were designing low rider frames because the factory frame starts vibrating around 70 mph. He built two with turn down shocks.

Those bikes haven't aged well they were showpieces not really to be ridden. I loved the bit when he said we mainly worked with Vinnie an Rick. Those guys were the ones making stuff happen they had the skills an we all knew it

I never understood why each bike had a hard tail with no suspension cushioning for the rider. I’ll stay on a factory bike that offers all the comforts.

I didnt think it was a secret that someone else was building them since ya know, youd see them cut the plastic off a finished frame and then they'd start the build.

Thanks for showing us the bikes and builders we all want to see.

That’s some fine hardware behind him. You can sow freedom seeds from quite a distance with those optics. Man after my own heart

I recall watching more than one episode of OCC, now I wonder how.

vinnie and rick did most of the work....i knew it!!!

Did not know this….what a hard working man….with lots of talent. Thanks SO much for this video🙂 Super cool👍

2:03 I hear stories of chassis taking years to complete... All I can say is chassis building is not for them.

Watched The American Chopper Soap Opera Drama For Years .... And Every Now & Then A Bike Was Built !! 🤣👍

I would take a skate board built by Jesse James over anything built by OCC.

Neat interview. Learned a lot. Thanks.

No offense but I am glad that fad is over again. This guy is obviously talented though.

Very cool, Sam seems way more humble than I could ever muster.

I'm still amazed by what some of these bikes were selling for. I had a old Amen Savior frame with a shovel on it that I could ride all day (plunger frame). Most of the OCC bikes I seen were not the most practical thing, as pretty as some were.

I went to MMI while they were on. Every week we'd discuss the episode and discuss what they did that you should never do.

Liking that piece on the safe! Bikes and guns!

So he didn't know he wasn't dealing with his guy rick when he wasn't talking to Rick about business?Come on!😂😂

A while back I went to a bike show at the javits center in New York. Orange County choppers took over a whole back wall. There was a big line to go see their gingerbread bikes Even had their truck in there. I thought they sucked. The good part of that was Everybody wanted to see them And I was able to actually go look and touch and Sit on bikes From someone called "Indian Larry". He was not a TV Star he was truly a chopper builder. He has passed. But I remember the look on his face When I told him I could care less about OCC. And was more interested in his old school choppers.

I never watched the TV show since I don't get cable/dish stuff...but I DID watch a youtube where they were transporting that NYFD bike in a closed trailer..the trailer blew a tire, and the 'shock' of dragging on the road caused the bike frame to break apart at the fork area...

Custom choppers are beautiful, they take a lot of skill to make, but they are so yesterday. I have seen guys at cruise nights that spent $70,000 on the machines.. they’re both pieces of art. They even have remote electric lowering of the machine so they don’t even have side stands. Now that that fad is over, both of those machines are for sale, either one could be had for $10,000.last I heard. No takers

OCC....I had a girlfriend who loved that show....I watched it once, all I recall is they were taking a bike to New York for the firefighters...the trailer had a flat tire or 2, they looked inside to check the bike, the frame was broken....then, back at the shop...Oh yeah...lots of yelling and throwing parts around...! She had a 68 Triumph, I have a 46 knucklehead...pretty much stock frames and forks...we rode lotta' miles...little drama...

Jesse’s drama is more in his personal life rather than on his tv shows.

Rode with a couple of OCC bikes heading over to Reno. Funny as all heck. I had full knobbies on the Tiger for playing in the hills and was limited to 80 mph by tire rating. On the freeway, they would blow by me on the straights and I would blow by them in any kind of curve. Forks kicked so far out they were about non steerable. True man cave art but no where near a road able bike.

I loved watching the all the biker build off’s. OCC was entertaining for a while but the drama was painful to watch. Jesse James is without a doubt a true craftsman.

Vinney is a great guy! A real American Craftsman!

OCC was a spinoff show from Days Of Our Lives

I love the rifle just chillin on top of the safe.

Sam Wills, the real McCoy. He gave this kid (the goof ball with the backbone mustache) a chance and an experience that I will forever cherish.

Awesome! I remember those early days of Orange County Choppers, I was living up the road from those guys and always seeing crazy things flying in and out of that place

At first OCC was cool to watch. After awhile all that bickering got really old, really fast. I build/restore bikes for myself and currently own seven, with three of those waiting in the wings. I began to realize that basically OCC was mostly an assembly shop. Yes they certainly did many creative things but much of what they used they bought. Just sayin'.

Interesting Thank You

It's a shame that American Chopper and American Hot Rod (the Boyd Cottington show) turned into a Jerry Springer cuss fest on every episode. There was a lot of interesting work going on, but all the "drama" ruined it. If I wanted to be a witness to a dysfunctional family free for all, I'll go over to my brother-in-laws house. At least there I can swipe a couple of beers out of the fridge....

Not sure how I ended up here but we had a pilot where I was based out of that collected bikes and pretty sure he told me he paid $65000 and wanted to drive it from Cali to SC. A couple states later he had it shipped and flew back. I remember seeing it collect dust and he sold it to a guy in FLA. They couldn't get it running so he had to rent a trailer and they took it down there.

Heck with the bikes, I want to know more about the long guns on top of the safe! Looks like some potentially amazing long range target rifles.

And he's a humble man!

The OCC bikes were just like my Harley. Real pretty to look at but don't expect to get too many miles out of it without a problem.

I like fun and/or practicality in my bikes with the design being an added bonus, which is why I'd never want one of those style over substance choppers.

Wow, they needed a consultant to get an understanding of everyone's input and streamline the process for the market for the show and their own businesses

Lotta Love !

He said he did not know OCC went around Rick to him ! Lmmfao ! 😆 what a freakin buffoon !

These bikes were like Christmas Trees. Just how many Ornaments were they going to throw on to them each week to make the One Hour Commercial Paying Company Happy ? Just a bunch of gawdy, uncomfortable rolling statues. The arguing & yelling on the show along with the "Deadlines" got old really fast. It was always plain as day to see who did all the work on the show, and who were the mouths.

When you have a badass jig you can build anything quick ...take your time and build a very good rigid jig then boom easy money

This opened old wounds, I bought a Venom Chopper new in the box kit from Big Bear Choppers. There was a recall on a bunch of the frames because of some failure in California. I was pissed, no weld inspector on the payroll I guess

Their bikes were nothing but trailer junkies. Made to haul to events, unload, have people stare at them, then reload & haul away. They also just piecemealed their bikes with prefabricated parts from outside vendors, then threw them together & charged 100k for a 30k bike because it was “custom”. That’s why Jesse James compared them to cake decorators.

Funny how much they where selling those bikes for (back in the day). Now you see them for sale online for used Harley prices (and not selling for crap).....hahaaa.

I saw the Miller Welding bike on display at the Street Rod Nationals one year. The overall workmanship was crude. A nice custom paint job can hide a lot of sins. The few times I actually watched the OCC show the mute button on my remote got a workout.

Legend absolute legend

The whole chopper craze imploded because it was a big sugar high (or whatever other substances you want to use as a metaphor). Most of the stretched out choppers built back then ended up collecting dust because most of the customers buying them weren't serious riders; i.e. a stretched chopper is one of the most uncomfortable, bad handling motorcycles money can be squandered on. It's why they're worth 10% of what they originally sold for.

Jesse James, Indian Larry, Billy Lane, and Rodger Bourget were the more famous builders that BUILT there own bikes from the ground up. Frames, fenders, tanks, and seats. OCC couldn’t build their own bikes!!! 🤣🤣🤣

OCC was an assembly line, they would pull stuff off a shelf and assemble it, they weren’t bike builders, they didn’t do any fab work until about the last two years

nice to know

I've never seen a single good looking bike built by OCC.

seems like there's always a craftsman like this cat in the background....you can see the seriousness in his eyes.

Glad Discovery rejected the OCC come back. Jesse James builds his own frames. I heard Sam was mad when he seen the bikes at events and signs about the bikes said frames built by OCC. AMD they was built by Sam and his crew. That's when he stopped building bikes for OCC.

Damn, I caught that same bug, having been a Harley guy, and a studio special effects fabricator with crazy enough ideas, I nearly was funded by Tool-Time Tim's business manager, which my original idea (soon after stolen, and recreated as Harley's softtail version of their Rocker C, but man, I mangled myself a bunch of Dyna's, even creating a downtube from a phalic 14", nut-capped threaded bolt, with two huge nuts at the bottom, as well as a urethra up the shaft, my stuff was that indecent. Lol as a great time for bike builders!

Cool to know

Like pimp my ride of motorcycles, clown bikes!

Vinny and Rick Was Good Rest Was just a Bunch Friggin Goons

I was restoring snowmobiles back then. I remember studding brand new snowmobile tracks on the living room floor while watching OCC.

I grew up in orange county occ is 20 minutes away from me. I grew up in monroe NY not to far from Newburgh.

Talk about that gun. That thing is pretty serious stuff.

Years to build a chasis? Why, was the tubing rolled from scratch, too?!?

Met Billy Lane once and when i mentioned OCC he just smiled and said no comment... that ssys a lot

Cool.

As a guy who rides 12 to 18 thousand miles a year on bikes, I can tell you that choppers suck. They are for 15 minute rides to your local saloon where you show off your latest piece of chrome jewelry you tacked on to impress your drinking buddies. When I was in the Swiss Alps I saw people riding BMWs with stud tires on ice covered roads wearing electric heated riding suits plugged into the bike electrical system. They ride 365 days a year. They are real bikers. Many had odometers with over 150,000 KM or 200,000 KM when I checked them out parked at the curbs. Posers on choppers are a joke to me.

I wasnt a fan of the OCC bikes. They really didnt do anything other than add embellishments to them. This guy actually built the guts. Its like taking a stripped down van and turning it into a conversion van.

Lol, a local chopper shop had two of those disasters with broken frames that they were trying to get warrantied. Don't know if OCC ever honored the warranty.

Sam is a master, OCC built to my mind impractical bikes on those TV shows, more as stated below ornament and Craftsmanship ect. Truth be told Jesse built choppers

Rick and Vinnie were the balls of that company and the Teutles were the dicks. They never really gave the boys the credit they deserved for the success of that show and that shop.

That’s simple they always bought them out from a vendor. They’re cake decorators!🎂

I remember when Jay Leno had them build a bike for him. The blinkers didn't work so Jay had his mechanic fix it. Turned out OCC had run wiring through the gas tank. He had to re wire all the electrical. I thought they made tacky tributes that were more solder than art.

People talk about the "golden age of choppers", but that's an exaggeration. It was the golden age of vanity spending, egged on by dot-come overnight millionaires with nothing to spend their money... not people who wanted to buy anything used, but wanted "cred" among the speed / thrill crowd. It is out of that we got the revival of the Camero Exorcist and the Challenger Demon and various other "semi-custom" pieces of plastic muscle car. But the chopper was an affordable indulgence, and OCC's choppers were marketed on the idea that they were both art and cultural touchstones. Jr. was obviously an artist not a mechanic... in the early shows he looks like he really isn't comfortable with the welder. He, like every artist, liked the celebrity scene, but he was not a real chopper guy. His dad was a chopper guy, but then again his dad was not really an artist. Nor apparently was he a good businessman. Well, let's qualify that -- he was a good businessman when he was investing his own sweat equity. Once he started listening to the investment bankers and taking other people's money, his business judgement became compromised. OCC is not the only ones who fell into this trap. Straddling both ends of OCC's breakout success is the story of Titan Motorcycles, which very few people know of. If you want to understand why the "chopper" market went belly up, consider what happens when you have to insure your bike as a one-of-a-kind work of art, rather than a piece of machinery. When you pay to insure a Picasso, you treat it like a Picasso. The story of Titan's rise and fall is coverred here... moneyinc.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-titan-motorcycle-company/

As good as they looked, there were nothing but Christmas decor..

most people don't know rowe machine in Wallingford Connecticut made the rims I had to keep my mouth shut way back then and not let anybody know that I knew it.

The big boom in bike building was from 2000 to 2010 great years , just like the 90s golden years , I miss them

humble dude

The TV is not reality.

I worked at Bourget's Bike Works at the time......OCC bikes were known industry wide as the biggest pieces of shit built. We had the OCC "Muhammad Ali" tribute bike come into our service shop with zero locktite on anything! Only rubes, would buy and own an OCC bike.

is this a Rolling Thunder Chassis? did they ALSO not build a bunch of frames for OCC?

So when you found out they did an END AROUND what did you DO?

The OCC crew were a bunch of scripted clowns...Loved the old man's meltdowns !

My neighbor owns one of the very first bikes built on the show. If you're responsible for this chassis, then... I don't know where to begin. This frame bends and bounces like crazy going down the road. No joke. Completely unrideable. Honestly though, there's FAR more wrong with the build than you can be responsible for. None of the show bikes should ever be ridden. They're good looking, but absolutely horrible builds as far as a functional motorcycle goes.

Super popular show back then but no one admits to watching it now .

I always thought it would be fun to race one of those Choppers at the Isle of Man