Orange County Choppers' new Splitback - BMWSuperBikes.com
Orange County Choppers' new Splitback - BMWSuperBikes.com
Orange County Choppers' new Splitback - BMWSuperBikes.com
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IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:58 PM Page 44<br />
IRON HORSE WORLD EXCLUSIVE!<br />
NEW FROM:<br />
ORANGE<br />
COUNTY<br />
CHOPPERS!<br />
THE<br />
SPLIT<br />
BACK<br />
Interview by Shahram Shiva<br />
photos by Dino Petrocelli<br />
44<br />
The magic hour at the world-famous <strong>Orange</strong><br />
<strong>County</strong> Choppers never ends, it's on 24/7.<br />
This highly successful team of father and<br />
sons has produced more hits than a hot rock band.<br />
They have managed to expand their once littleknown<br />
corner of the American choppers industry<br />
into a global marketing force. Every few months<br />
they seem to explore smart <strong>new</strong> ideas to put more<br />
OCC products in people's homes, workplace and<br />
garages. American Choppers, their popular<br />
Discovery Channel series, has been signed for a<br />
<strong>new</strong> term. They just made a deal with the motorcycle<br />
manufacturer, Triumph, to produce an all-<strong>new</strong><br />
“Teutul Triumph” production bike. They are creating<br />
a <strong>new</strong> Saturday morning OCC-based cartoon<br />
series for CBS, and are wrapping up the construc-
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:42 PM Page 45<br />
WOULD YOU BUY A<br />
NEW BIKE FROM<br />
THESE MEN?<br />
ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS<br />
UNVEILS THEIR FIRST<br />
PRODUCTION BIKE:<br />
“THE SPLITBACK!”<br />
45
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:43 PM Page 46<br />
tion on their brand <strong>new</strong>, 100,000 square feet<br />
OCC Pavilion, with its own theme restaurant<br />
and two-and four-wheel museum. If they only<br />
add a motorcycle-style roller coaster, they<br />
might give Universal Studios a run for their<br />
money.<br />
The Wall Street Journal, maybe the last<br />
place you'd expect to read about choppers, has<br />
tapped Paul Teutul Senior as one of the most<br />
popular and successful American entrepreneurs<br />
in the Journal's up<strong>com</strong>ing “Every<br />
Journey Needs a Journal” promotional campaign.<br />
So, with all this expansion, do they<br />
have time to build bikes? It seems that they<br />
are, in fact, planning to double their production<br />
within the next few years. And the reason<br />
for this optimistic <strong>new</strong> projection is that the<br />
Teutul's are about to release a really big gun.<br />
Iron Horse received an exclusive invitation<br />
from OCC to photograph the <strong>Splitback</strong>,<br />
their brand-<strong>new</strong> and quite beautiful production<br />
bike. This is their very first production<br />
motorcycle designed to be sold through a<br />
national dealer network. The Teutuls take their<br />
choppers very seriously and the <strong>Splitback</strong><br />
looks custom out of the box. This is a highend<br />
premium chopper, made entirely by hand<br />
at OCC. I spoke with Paul Sr. and Jr. about the<br />
<strong>new</strong> <strong>Splitback</strong>, and the health of the chopper<br />
industry in general at their factory in <strong>Orange</strong><br />
<strong>County</strong>, NY.<br />
IH: It's good to see you guys again and<br />
congratulations on truly a beautiful<br />
machine. What made you decide to start a<br />
line of production bikes?<br />
Paul Sr.: The thought of building a production<br />
bike has been in the works for a couple<br />
of years now. We just didn't want to step<br />
into it ahead of our time. We felt that now,<br />
with the equipment that we have and the staff<br />
that we have was a good time to start. We are<br />
experienced enough now to create a good<br />
workflow. The other reason is that we are now<br />
ready to build everything in-house. These are<br />
reasons that we decided to create the <strong>Splitback</strong><br />
production bike.<br />
IH: How are you going to make the<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong> available to the public?<br />
Paul Sr.: Through qualified dealers.<br />
Paul Jr.: The Bikes are going to be sold<br />
to dealers who are qualified to carry the <strong>new</strong><br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>, wherever they might be in the<br />
country. They'll go through a process of<br />
screening.<br />
IH: Is the <strong>Splitback</strong> made entirely by<br />
hand at OCC?<br />
Paul Sr.: Absolutely. We are most concerned<br />
about quality control.<br />
46<br />
If looks could kill:<br />
the <strong>Splitback</strong> coiled<br />
and ready to strike<br />
like a rattler.<br />
Paul Jr.: We aren't going to start making<br />
a production bike unless we are able to do<br />
everything in-house. We are at a stage where<br />
we are able to do that. We make everything:<br />
the fenders, frame, rocker box covers, handlebars<br />
all made here.<br />
IH: Are all <strong>Splitback</strong>s going to look<br />
similar?<br />
Paul Jr.: In the sense of the whole style,<br />
yes, but there are variations within the models,<br />
such as paint schemes and other details. This<br />
is our high-end production bike. We also are<br />
going to have production bikes that are less<br />
expensive and more traditional. We are going<br />
to have different levels of bikes available to<br />
our customers.<br />
IH: What makes the <strong>Splitback</strong> special?<br />
Paul Jr.: When we designed the<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong> we tried to outdo every other bike in<br />
this price and style category. I think we offer<br />
a better quality than our <strong>com</strong>petitors. For<br />
example, we came out with a very unique<br />
design--- we haven't done that before. We<br />
came out with the split tank design with an<br />
arched exposed backbone, which is our own<br />
design, also our own custom oil tank. We have<br />
managed to eliminate the rider's height problem.<br />
With the <strong>new</strong> forward controls, no mat-
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:43 PM Page 47<br />
“THE TEUTULS TAKE THEIR<br />
CHOPPERS VERY SERIOUSLY AND<br />
THE SPLITBACK<br />
LOOKS CUSTOM OUT<br />
OF THE BOX.”<br />
The OCC team<br />
assembling a<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>.<br />
Each machine is<br />
handcrafted entirely<br />
at <strong>Orange</strong> <strong>County</strong><br />
Choppers.<br />
47
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:44 PM Page 48<br />
Pick a Pair of Pickled<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>s... no, it’s not a<br />
Biker Nursey Rhyme, just a<br />
couple of the color options<br />
available from OCC.<br />
The tank is<br />
split in two<br />
and all the<br />
wiring is<br />
hidden in<br />
between.<br />
Handlebars<br />
are unique to<br />
the <strong>Splitback</strong>.<br />
Below: An<br />
OCC tech<br />
hard at work.<br />
Nice shirt.<br />
ter what your height you can easily ride the<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>. We took our best and most popular<br />
wheel and put it on the <strong>Splitback</strong>. We have our<br />
own front end on this bike that is a step above<br />
from anything else out there in this price<br />
range. We have a crown-style rocker box cover<br />
that really makes the motor pop. We have a<br />
custom air cleaner. We have a locking system<br />
called Road Lok. It's maintenance-free and it's<br />
built into the bike. With only one key, you can<br />
lock up the whole bike.<br />
Paul Sr.: I think most bikes that start at<br />
$20,000 range will wind up being well into<br />
the 30's by the time you customize it, because<br />
48<br />
very few like those bikes just the way they<br />
<strong>com</strong>e. In our <strong>Splitback</strong>, every piece is<br />
chrome. Inner and outer primaries are<br />
chrome.<br />
Paul Jr.: And everything is built for the<br />
bike and, specifically, the handlebars are a<br />
very unique design, something you won't find<br />
other people doing. And for each individual<br />
bike there is a handmade exhaust. With this<br />
frame geometry we had to <strong>com</strong>e into a situation<br />
where we had to build everything just for<br />
this bike. You couldn't take that exhaust and<br />
put it on another bike.<br />
IH: How would a customer go about<br />
customizing their <strong>Splitback</strong> further?<br />
Paul Sr.: Let's be real, if you look at the<br />
bike carefully, what are you going to change?<br />
The <strong>Splitback</strong> is a <strong>com</strong>plete package, is priced<br />
at about $58,000 and there isn't much you can<br />
upgrade. It's all there. Our wiring, for example,<br />
it is all hidden between the two gas tanks,<br />
almost invisible, you don't see any wires.<br />
Paul Jr.: In matter a fact we made sure<br />
that there was no upgrade you could do on the<br />
bike. Nothing to bolt on! You can show it off<br />
without having to buy a piece from an aftermarket<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany.<br />
Paul Sr.: However if some people want to
IH8_44-51 10/3/06 7:40 PM Page 49<br />
customize even further, ultimately, the sky is<br />
the limit and we can alter them any way that<br />
the customer wants.<br />
Paul Jr.: We are also <strong>com</strong>ing out with the<br />
Web concept bike, which is stylized like the<br />
Black Widow. So the Web concept can be our<br />
second production bike.<br />
Paul Sr.: In the industry we are known<br />
for standing behind what we do. Therefore, we<br />
offer a two-year warranty. We've been in positions<br />
in the past where our bikes may have<br />
exceeded their warranty, but we still stand<br />
behind them. The most important thing is our<br />
reputation and we stand behind our product.<br />
IH: How many colors will you offer for<br />
the <strong>Splitback</strong>?<br />
Paul Sr.: The dealers are going to offer<br />
the bike in 3 different colors, and custom colors<br />
will be available as an option.<br />
IH: Can your shop handle the increase<br />
in production?<br />
Paul Sr.: Absolutely. Right now we are<br />
producing about 120 custom bikes a year. By<br />
2007 we will be in our <strong>new</strong> shop, which is<br />
100,000 square feet.<br />
Above: These beautiful<br />
chrome rims are the most<br />
popular to ever <strong>com</strong>e out<br />
of the OCC shop.<br />
Right: This custom seat is<br />
offered only on the<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>.<br />
Below: Very trick dual taillights<br />
and chrome brake<br />
calipers.<br />
Right: The<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong><br />
features all<br />
chrome parts,<br />
a handmade<br />
unique<br />
exhaust and a<br />
sculpted oil<br />
tank.<br />
49
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:45 PM Page 50<br />
The soul of <strong>Orange</strong> <strong>County</strong>:<br />
the Teufuls and their hard-working crew.<br />
At right is the OCC<br />
service center. They’ll work on anything....<br />
as long as it’s a V-twin!<br />
50<br />
Paul Jr.: Soon, we are going to have<br />
33,000 square feet in our current shop plus<br />
100,000 in our future shop so we would be<br />
able to make as many bikes as the public will<br />
demand.<br />
IH: When will the <strong>Splitback</strong> be available<br />
for sale?<br />
Paul Sr.: We are looking to introduce the<br />
bike in early 2007.<br />
Paul Jr.: We are aiming to be in full production<br />
by late 2007.<br />
IH: What type of dealerships have you<br />
been interviewing?<br />
Paul Sr.: To be frank, some of the most<br />
demands seem to <strong>com</strong>e from high-end auto<br />
dealerships. For example Mercedes dealerships<br />
are very interested. A lot of high-end<br />
car dealerships and also Harley dealerships<br />
are very interested as well.<br />
IH: How are you promoting the<br />
<strong>Splitback</strong>?<br />
Paul Sr.: We sent out information and<br />
flyers to about a thousand dealerships, which<br />
we received tremendous response on. We are<br />
also going to be doing print ads.<br />
IH: Where is the best place for our<br />
readers to find out more about <strong>Splitback</strong><br />
and to locate dealers?<br />
Paul Sr.: They can contact Mike<br />
Burkhouse or Tommy Joyce with serious<br />
inquires at our offices 845-457-1992.<br />
Paul Jr.: It will all be posted to our web<br />
site once we have our dealer network up<br />
(www.orangecountychoppers.<strong>com</strong>).<br />
IH: Paul Sr., last time we talked, which<br />
was about a year ago you said that there is<br />
no way this industry could sustain itself at<br />
this high rate. Now a year later, things<br />
aren't exactly the same.<br />
Paul Sr.: Not only things aren't the same<br />
they are actually, from what I understand, not<br />
good. We don't get a chance to talk to the people<br />
in the industry, because we are in a different<br />
position. To be frank, we can't really go out<br />
in public. But when we do have an opportunity<br />
to talk to people, we hear that things aren't
IH8_44-51 10/2/06 2:45 PM Page 51<br />
good. A lot of people that had high volume<br />
businesses are down to barely anything. I<br />
think even Harley is affected by it. The industry<br />
is funny right now. A lot of people are<br />
afraid and a lot of things are changing. There<br />
was a boom in our industry, but I think it will<br />
make a circle again and the strong will survive.<br />
Sometimes, and I have seen this in other<br />
industries, when things get very popular, people<br />
<strong>com</strong>e out from everywhere and saturate<br />
the market and that actually hurts that industry.<br />
You know, everybody and their brother is<br />
building a bike in their garage. Basically,<br />
everywhere you turn people are doing the<br />
same thing. But I think our industry is going<br />
to make a <strong>com</strong>e back, and the top players will<br />
be the only ones left. Then, you'll notice that<br />
the quality of what you are buying will also<br />
increase, because right now there is a lot of<br />
shabby stuff. But what's interesting is that, we<br />
have received tremendous response for our<br />
<strong>new</strong> <strong>Splitback</strong> production bike. And a lot of<br />
responses that we have are from Harley dealerships<br />
that want to carry this <strong>new</strong> line. They<br />
see our bikes as a motivation to draw people<br />
into their dealerships.<br />
IH: What else is on the horizon?<br />
Paul Sr.: I think this would be a good<br />
time to reveal this. We have formed a partnership<br />
with Triumph, where they are going to<br />
make a production bike called the “Teutul<br />
Triumph.” We are going to design a bike for<br />
them in 2007 and look for it to appear in their<br />
dealerships worldwide later on.<br />
Paul Jr.: We picked Triumph, because we<br />
really do love their bikes.<br />
Paul Sr.: I have a few old Triumphs.<br />
They are making great bikes now.<br />
IH: What else is <strong>new</strong><br />
with OCC?<br />
Paul Sr.: We are launching<br />
a <strong>new</strong> OCC line of clothing.<br />
It debuted in Vegas to huge<br />
response and so look for it in<br />
your favorite clothing store.<br />
Paul Jr.: We are also<br />
launching a <strong>new</strong> OCC<br />
Saturday morning cartoon for<br />
kids on CBS. That's going to be<br />
fun. We also have a <strong>new</strong> service<br />
center at our factory where<br />
we can fix any bike. So bring<br />
your bikes over to our <strong>new</strong><br />
service center.<br />
Paul Sr.: We are constantly evolving and<br />
our biggest asset is our standard of quality that<br />
we aim to maintain as we go through various<br />
enterprises.<br />
IH: It's great to talk with you guys<br />
again. Thanks very much for you time and<br />
best of luck with your <strong>new</strong> adventures and<br />
especially the <strong>Splitback</strong> production bike.