Shock horror...Vinnie & Cody leave OCC......

[RayW]

Just to add my $.02 here...back when Indian Larry died I was checking out one of the blogs about him....several posters commented on how friendly he was at the various rallies and bike shows, and then went on to say how UN-friendly the Pauls were. The general consensus was they were real jerks, charged people for an autograph as if they were big sports stars, and were just generally rude people.

As for the bikes....would never ride one myself...but I do like to watch the build process. Although I do get a little dismayed when they "fudge" things on what is supposed to be a $100K+ machine. I remember them forcing a battery into a too tight box. That thing will NEVER come out of there again in one piece!

Ray

 

[Bounce]

or how about when the rear wheel offset was wrong and, instead of finding the right spacer, they started hacking away on the frame.

 

[ngarider]

The two nicest 'famous' people I've ever met: Indian Larry and John Force (who ran into me on his bicycle at the Texas Motorplex)

 

[PapaUtah]

"At Harley-Davidson© we do not sell motorcycles. We sell a lifestyle and an image. The motorcycle is secondary to the purchase transaction."

Harley-Davidson's© trump card, Bleustein adds, is that the brand is as much about lifestyle as it is about the motorcycles.

Riders flock to annual Motor Company©-sponsored rallies by the tens of thousands. Owners and wannabes buy Harley-Davidson© licensed and labeled clothing and other official gear from an 800-page catalog of parts, accessories and merchandise. The most loyal demonstrate their allegiance(or lack of intelligence) by tattooing the brand name on their bodies.

"Harley-Davidson© stands for freedom, adventure, individual expression and being a little on the edge, a little bit naughty. People are drawn to the brand for those reasons," he said. (Really...they look more like a bunch of lemmings to me...but I digress.)

If there is a bump in the road ahead, it is the question of whether Harley-Davidson© will have the same success after the current owners run out of gas.

Harley-Davidson's© median buyer age is 46, which means half are older, in an industry where it's 38. The motorcycle of choice for outlaws and the young and restless has become a fashion statement for graying empty-nesters with money to burn.

Underscoring how Harley-Davidson© has aged and become mainstream, an article in the current July-August issue of the AARP magazine shows a 64-year-old, leather-clad rider perched on an Electra Glide© next to the headline, "They were born to be wild--over 50 years ago."

 

[Ford68xl]

I met the "Pauls" and they were very cordial to me. I have also been to their store and, up close, their bikes are very impressive for what they are, that is rolling pieces of art. I honestly think, just like Vinnie stated on his V-Force web page, that the Pauls had some adjusting to do with their new found fame. It has got to be tough to have a stupid camera in your face all the time. Some of you may not think they are too talented, but they are miles ahead of me and for that alone I admire them. BTW, I did not pay for any autograph that I ever got from them.

 

[C&C]

And just to be fair, they do a lot of charity work and support our Armed Forces to a very high extent.

 

[krashdragon]

You don't have to like them (I don't), but you do have to admire the attention they have gotten and the empire they have built.
Personally, I don't like the bikes, but I am thankful for the general awareness to motorcycling that they, along with other television shows, have brought.

-BD

This is also my take as well. I do watch the shows fairly regularly and admire some of the fabrication. Wouldn't buy one of their bikes even if I could afford one (which I can't), but maybe just maybe, would like to ride one once to see what they consider a good riding bike (as they proclaim).

No you pbly wouldn't like to ride one... most of them are hardtails. One guy I know in Hawaii has one, he brings it to Waikiki for the Japanese tourists to sit on and take pics of each other. They do know about OCC. gets kinda funny sometimes...

He said it's ok to ride from his house to town.. about 3 miles... If he tries to ride it over an hour, says his back hurts for the next 3 days. Says it's basically a moving piece of furniture. The seat is so thin I wouldn't even sit on it. Lots of parts are off the shelf bolt ons.

Compared to many of the local (Hawaii-built) bikes I've seen at shows there. the OCC bike is crap. YMMV

Mary

 

[Skippy]

I doubt there many true bikers or builders that watch that show anywy. I think their target audience are rub's and wanna be's that enjoy the family drama of Paul and his ***** son(s).

True bikers or builders? What's a true biker or builder? Were talking about choppers here.

The drama is/was contrived for the TV audience. They have a product and it sells TONS. They have made a metric butt load of money making an inferior, though custom product through superior marketing.

First time I saw those clowns drilling some fender holes with a unibit I knew that QA was not a phrase they had any knowledge of.

Sounds like Harley Davidson to a tee.

Skippy

 

[Knifemaker]

OCC's fame and fortune is 99.99999% because they are on TV. Any other shop doing simular work would likely have got the same success from all that exposure.

You may have seen some of the "Bike Build-Offs" showcasing two custom builders....think how well one of them would be doing if THEY had a weekly TV show. Some of them are even more obviously talented than the Paul Jr...

If OCC never got put on the air, they'd still be just another local bike shop selling loud American engined choppers to local Harley types...........

KM

 

[DaSpyda]

I was at Daytona Saturday where Vinnie and Cody unveiled their Inaugural Bike. It wasn't anything special that I saw. They were there signing autographs and posing for pics - the line was very short.

But, they had plenty of t-shirts for sale...