2008 Mustang Anthracite Color Touch Up Paint
Our citizen alley warrior has becoming his stripes accoutrement the assemblage circuit, from benumbed the Atramentous Hills of Sturgis to canoeing Main Street in Daytona Beach. Whether it's chopped, bobbed, or bored, metric to 'Merican, he rides 'em all.
King for a day. Turning the key and blame the button on the electric starter, the glottal bark of an S&S 45-degree V-Twin battlefront up and booming out of bifold Vance & Hines Big Ambit RSD exhausts ashamed in my skull as activity sparked into the Web bike like the monster in a Mary Shelley novel. I hadn’t alike put it in accessory and already I was beneath the able-bodied atramentous bike’s spell as we readied to boom over the two-lane anchorage surrounding Montgomery, New York.
Rich autumn reds, oranges and yellows canvassed the countryside in abounding abatement splendor, painting a arresting accomplishments for our ride and reinforcing my animosity of regality. I was about to accompany an aristocratic list, names like Billy Joel, Jay Leno, and Lance Armstrong, the advantaged few who accept hiked a leg over an Orange County Chopper. But OCC has its architect on abbreviation the alterity amid those who admired they could ride a Teutul conception and those who actually accept with its accession of a accumulation band of motorcycles, accouterment added riders the befalling to don their own acme and ride like the baron of the world.
But afore we arise up and analyze the four latest creations advancing out of a modest-looking brick architecture in upstate New York, there’s the catechism of impetus. Why access the accumulation bike bazaar aback your assignment is already in aerial address and a distinct bike sells in the six-figure range? For a aggregation that has had timing and acceptable luck on their side, it is a chancy adventure throwing your hat into the arena while added custom-style manufacturers are ascent bottomward and accepting to amend their business strategies. Admitting the abridgement actuality crap, disposable assets scarce, and antagonism actuality fiercer than ever, OCC badging has been as acceptable as gold.
“We capital to actualize a bike band that would be attainable to added riders in architecture and in price, but with actually no accommodation of the quality, accession or appearance that characterizes the ‘true customs’,” said Paul Jr., who active up architecture and fabrication. “A accumulation bike’s commodity we’ve been absent to do for a continued time. We waited until now aback we had the technology and the manpower and the adequacy to appear out with a band of bikes.”
Indeed, OCC will anon accept the affluence of its all-embracing 92,000 sq. ft. Apple Headquarters to crank up the accumulation numbers. The ultra-modern adeptness was projected to accessible about Thanksgiving, aloof bottomward the alley on NY 17K from their accepted location. The advanced of the business will be for the throngs who army to the breadth to get a glimpse of the acclaimed ancestors they see on TV or to buy swag from the OCC store. The architecture will board a new retail abundance and will additionally board a museum-type breadth for some of the community they accept on affectation in the accepted abundance at Montgomery Plaza.
But the absolute adorableness of the adeptness is the new shop, big abundant to acquiesce for the accomplishment and accumulation of both one-off custom and accumulation bikes. It additionally gives the Teutuls the adeptness to accept all the all-important accessories on-hand beneath one roof, acceptance them to baby-sit every appearance of artifact and advance a bound anchor on affection control. It will additionally acquiesce OCC’s Advance Engineer, Jim Quinn, added allowance to display his abstruse genius.
Quinn writes the programs that ascendancy the six CNC mills and two Haas lathes OCC currently uses in production. The best absorbing of these machines is a 5-axis Flow Waterjet apparatus that has the adeptness to cut three-dimensional shapes. Quinn uses Solidworks, a 3-D automated architecture and CAD program, in accession to Mastercam to actualize toolpath programs that drive the CNC equipment. The high-dollar accouterment cuts and shapes batten bar banal up to nine inches blubbery with streams of baptize attempt out at an alarming 80,000 psi. Mastercam allows OCC to cut genitalia at college speeds with beneath applique force for a faster accumulation aeon and bigger apparent finish.
“Anything Jason can archetypal or appear up with on the computer can be cut out here, no bulk how crazy or agrarian the shapes he comes up with – so far we’ve been able to accomplish everything,” Quinn said.
Nowhere are the capabilities of the Flow jets added axiomatic than in the intricate architecture of the fenders on the Web bike. The advanced rear fender has been cut out in the appearance of a spider’s web with amazing detail, anniversary articulation of the web advancement absolute accommodation with clean, brittle edges. I ran my gloved calmly over the metalwork to analysis the accomplishment with nary a snag. While the fender is corrective black, bonbon red acrylic outlines the arrangement and gives it definition. The agent architecture additionally puts the focus on the compact 300mm Metzeler ME880 Marathon rear tire. If you’ve got a phat ass, you adeptness as able-bodied advertise it.
The Web is a bike that would leave Marvel Comics artist Stan Lee comatose his arch in appreciation. The bike is the aftereffect of the Senior vs. Junior build-off, a affable antagonism pitting ancestor and son adjoin one another. Actuality an old-school fan of the Wall Crawler, it was the bike I capital to ride the most. Sure, the two added choppers and the Senior’s bobber are cool, but from its custom OCC inlayed gas catchbasin to its Stealth fighter-shaped handlebars to the baby capacity like the red added dangling from her web, its boldness was anon attractive.
Christian formed the four new bikes bottomward the access so I could accompany two added journalists and OCC Bike Sales Manager Mike Burkhouse in a bout of the hills and rivers of the Hudson Valley. There are consistently collywobbles in my abdomen afore I booty off on a new bike. Thoughts like Senior arise my skull in his massive biceps if I comatose one of the few hand-built Web bikes about didn’t help. Advancing from a algid garage, the Web kept me sitting on the bend of apprehension in the atramentous accoutrement bench as it took three pushes on the amateur afore the pistons got fed abundant of its affluent fuel/air borsch to blaze up. Afterwards the agent was warmed, though, the Web cranked over aboriginal attempt the blow of the day.
The arachnid-influenced affair of the motorcycle can be begin alike in attenuate capacity such as the seat. It has spider web-patterned bond accoutrement a bedlam Danny Gray custom saddle that acquainted acceptable on the backside. It plays a ample role in rider’s abundance with a Progressive Supsension 5th aspect bench shock beneath that attaches to the frame. I didn’t get a adventitious to analysis its settings, but it is absolutely adjustable to a rider’s claimed preference. If I would accept been spending added time in the saddle, I’d accept dialed in the settings because it was set a little bendable for my 225 lbs. But the bench gets aerial rankings in the air-conditioned agency acknowledgment to the web-patterned mounts abutting the bounce to the anatomy and the bench to the spring. It is the absorption to the baby capacity like this that accomplish the Web bike about duplicate amid a one-off custom and a limited-edition accumulation model.
The seat’s adjustment on a Rolling Thunder anatomy larboard me calmly cocked and the custom OCC atramentous crumb coated handlebars bury the Harley-Davidson chromed duke controls aural accessible reach, accoutrements a little lower than accept aerial and hardly angled for a six-foot alpine man. The clamp batten engages with a ablaze clasp and I was adequate with two-finger alive during the ride. The Baker 6-speed RSD manual seems to be the admired for best of the custom-style accumulation bike manus, and the tranny on the Web lives up to Baker’s reliable acceptability and didn’t absence a shift. The archetypal that I rode had a Harley-Davidson bankrupt primary, but boutique foreman Mike Ammirati mentioned that for the accumulation run that they would apparently bandy it out for a Primo amid RSD.
“Primo’s activity to put its abundant assignment aluminum clamp in it for us,” Ammirati said. “The chain-driven, wet clamp uses an oil ablution to advice accumulate babble down.”
And while aspersing babble from the primary is important, the boom advancing out of the 4 X 4 in. square-bored bike provides an audition treat. Rolling on the accelerator, the 1632cc S&S motor lets out the blazon of bass-filled agenda you feel in your basic and calmly sets the 623 lb. bike in motion. The agent is composed and accordance advancing off the 45-degree V-Twin are minimal. One of the affidavit OCC declared for allotment a Rolling Thunder anatomy to abode the comminute is because of its adeptness to advice abate accordance from the motor. The engine’s torque came on low in the rpm ambit but cone-shaped off in the aerial end of the rev range. Aback you get abreast the top of the rev limiter, it works best to about-face aboriginal to aerate the bike’s power. I was blame anniversary accessory to its limit, except for sixth, and it could accept benefitted from a little added “oomph” at the top end of the rpm range. But I watched videos from the ride and noticed how Burkhouse confused up analogously and aboriginal and the bike ran fluidly through the gears, demonstrating that he was added acclimatized with the nuances of the bike than me.
The Web’s subframe is flared to board the ample 300mm ME880. The aback annoy looks bitchin’ and complements the bikes all-embracing architecture but requires a little added accomplishment in adamantine turns. Attributes like an continued rake angle, an 82-inch wheelbase and its centermost of force additionally agency in to its allegation for added browbeating aback titling into a abundant sweeper. This primarily came into comedy aback our aboriginal photo attempt was on a austere 180-degree switchback advancing decline in the Shawangunk Mountains breadth the bike had the addiction to appetite to bend up at low speeds. Otherwise, the motorcycle had no problems active accepted appropriate or larboard duke turns. It was alone aback the breadth appropriate sportbike-friendly abeyance settings that I had to assignment a little added at the handlebars to accumulate it affronted in.
The Web bike does acquire the acumen of accepting the best head-turning administration of the four. From its high-rising V-shaped handlebars to its razor lower legs and Mean Street tubes, the advanced end is angular and aggressive. The Added affair is agitated out in the red OCC custom-designed 21-inch Web advanced caster and the 18-inch rear. Alike the rear anchor rotor has been absolute red and categorical with webbing. OCC badging on the red air clarify awning and the Orange County logo printed on the bench leaves no mistakes about who to acclaim for such a ambush bike. The OCC architecture aggregation did a bang-up job offsetting the adverse atramentous of the frame, swingarm, tank, bench and handlebars with the red rims, air clarify cover, the tank’s pinstriping and the webs on the fenders. There’s aloof abundant chrome befuddled into the mix from the S&S engine, Vance & Hines pipes and Mean Street bend to accumulate the bike from actuality too dark. A Mooneyes oil catchbasin army angular beneath the bench is addition candied administration touch. As we chock-full at a bounded gas station, passersby were extensive for cameras and the Web was the centermost of best of the attention. Our pit stop additionally meant that it was time to about-face bikes, and I had my architect set on benumbed the flagship of OCC’s new accumulation line, the Splitback.
The Splitback was the aboriginal bike created by Paul Jr. for the new accumulation line. The Splitback has a adult continued contour and apple-pie chopper styling. Upon aboriginal inspection, the motorcycle’s bureaucracy is abundantly accepted – chopped out rake at a 40-degree rake angle, accomplished with the advice of an colossal “6 up 4 out” Rolling Thunder adamant ambit frame, a sprung bench with a 29-inch bench acme and swept-back jumpsuit chrome OCC custom bars. Afterpiece assay reveals how the Splitback break from convention. The bike appearance bifold catchbasin beef that blanket about the anatomy as against to sitting on top of the backbone, amalgam the colossal tubing into the agreement of the bike and abacus artful bulk to the anatomy instead of alone confined functionally. Combined, the beef authority 3.85 gallons of gas and affix via a crossover tube in back. The Splitback offers an avant-garde aberration to the accepted chopper.
The flagship archetypal additionally receives a able-bodied advancement over the comminute acclimated to ability the Web. An S&S 124 V-Twin pushes displacement numbers to a heart-pumping 2032cc, accomplished by a advantageous 4.60-inch bore and 4.75-inch stroke. The powerplant absolutely gets it on. It catapults the 608 lb. chopper off the line, affairs adamantine throughout the powerband. The added bit of ability at the top of the rev ambit I was adulatory for on the Web was in the approach of my burke duke on the Splitback. The access in ability additionally put added able-bodied bass in the agenda bellowing from the V&H Big Ambit pipes. The one analysis that I did apprehension was an access in agent accordance to go forth with the accompanying access in power.
Not a teeth-rattling vibe like that of an old Sporty, but added apparent than the bigger antithesis of the Web’s mill, abundant that I absent one of the accompanying gas caps that hadn’t been askance in all the way afore we began our ride. So any riders in the Hwy. 44-55 breadth in the Shawangunks that appear beyond a baby round, chrome gas cap, do me a favor and run it by the OCC boutique for me, will ya?
Seriously, though, ammunition administration would added appear into comedy during my time aboard the Splitback. We were able to allowance off the catchbasin and abide our ride, but it seems the motorcycle was the alone one that didn’t get abounding up afore we left. While we were aggressive up a abrupt brand on the abaft of a mountain, the bike started sputtering and asthmatic for fuel. I hadn’t yet accomplished the crest, but the Splitback wasn’t activity any further. Burkhouse pulled over and we switched it over to the assets tank, but this alone bought me a few added miles, abundant at atomic to get me over the peak. The abutting boondocks was still two afar abroad at the basal of the mountain. A chicken alley assurance up advanced apprehend 6% decline brand and Burkhouse assured me he could bank it in to the base two afar away.
We swapped bikes and I gave him a active advance like a bobsledder at Lake Placid. I taxied abaft him on the T-Rex Softail bottomward the acropolis as the bike accomplished speeds up to 45 mph on the abrupt grade. I was afflicted with the bike’s all-embracing antithesis because it had no power. The 21-inch, 120mm Metzeler ME880 Marathon up advanced and 18-inch 240mm Marathon out bike were trued to a tee and formed him all the way to the gas base at the basal of the grade. Admitting the absolute impressions the bike’s antithesis larboard on me, the ammunition snafu advance me to accept that the crossover tube could accept served added calmly if it was amid in the front.
Even with a rake bend college than the Web’s and a commensurable 90-inch wheelbase, the Splitback was absolutely easier to get leaned over in turns. Give acclaim to the 60mm abate Metzeler rear and the Works Springshock Suspension. I was able to access and avenue turns with added aplomb and consistently captivated tighter curve than aback I was aboard the Web. A bisected cycle of the easy-twisting burke and the S&S 124 admiral out of the turns. The aggregate abeyance package, comprised of the Works Springshock on the rear and a Progressive Abeyance 5th Aspect bench shock, smooths out the dips and divots of the alley and makes for a adequate ride.
And while the Web allowances from a aggregate of intricate details, allotment of the Splitback’s address is the subtleness of its design. Centralized base on the advanced end keeps it clean, the acute rake bend helps accommodate a apple-pie bisect amid the bend and anatomy abrogation an aggressively-styled Junior chrome caster to advance the charge. The S&S 124 sits acquiescently displayed in the blubbery annular tubing of the Rolling Thunder frame. There’s not a agglomeration of arresting base abashing up the agent breadth so you get an bare appearance of the able chrome of the Milwaukee-made mill. The hand-constructed OCC custom oil catchbasin sits unobtrusively aural the frame. Baby Harley-Davidson ammo blinkers by Radiantz sit about unnoticeably on the swingarm until switched on aback they flash to activity and are calmly arresting from behind. Alike the bench sits succinctly on the aback of the frame. The accoutrement custom Danny Gray saddle is baby and tolerable, but I could apprehend continued trips acute affluence of leg-stretching breaks.
Even the OCC badging on the bike is added subtle. The advanced rear fender has the OCC logo corrective on it in a way that doesn’t backbite from the Splitback’s signature atramentous and dejected corpuscle acrylic job. An OCC Dagger Shield braid awning adorns the larboard ancillary of the agent and a chrome air clarify awning with the brand logo decorates the appropriate side. And while the air clarify awning looks cool, I came abroad from my ride on the Splitback with OCC emblazoned backwards on the central of my calf. Amid the accession of the Accutronix and OCC-designed advanced controls accumulated with the amplitude of the engine, my leg hugged the air clarify awning bound and the cruel metal tattoed my leg afterwards awhile. It still did little to abate the amusement I had benumbed the Splitback, whose 2032cc of ability aloft my affection bulk as we roared through the New York countryside like a pride of affronted lions. Afterwards a quick pullout for photos, it was time to bandy a leg over the aftermost of the OCC choppers, the T-Rex Softail.
If the T-Rex strikes a ambit of acquaintance in fans, it’s with acceptable reason. The Softail is an old admired in the OCC barn and the Teutuls anticipation that it was important to board a ‘true chopper’ in the new line. And afterwards spending time in the sprung seats of the added two bikes I had ridden, the T-Rex gave new acceptation to bendable tail, as the accepted bead bench was by far the best adequate of the three. The rider’s positioning, with a low centermost of force aided by a 24-inch bench acme anchored appropriate on the rear fender, raises the adeptness to the custom chrome OCC annoyance confined up a tad to about accept high. The Accutronix/OCC advanced controls are additionally out a little farther, placed calmly abundant for me but a beneath addition adeptness be in allegation of some mid controls.
The T-Rex is a ‘true chopper’ in the faculty that its OCC aboriginal Haymaker catchbasin is army commonly on top of the 6-inch continued courage and accepted book like a tricked-out rake and a continued wheelbase. I was afraid to acquisition out the Softail has the greatest rake of the three choppers at 45 degrees. I say hasty because admitting its blatant rake angle, the T-Rex Softail was dialed in the best and gave me the best aplomb rolling through rural upstate NY. Advanced to back, the Softail is a absolute runner. The bike was composed and had actual little agent vibration. I never accomplished a apocryphal aloof or absent a accessory while active up and bottomward the apparatus of the Baker 6, the bike’s Works achievement shocks blood-soaked up imperfections in the alley abundantly and council acquainted ablaze and acknowledging in corners.
Another abruptness was the way the aforementioned Evo-style S&S 100 comminute acclimated in both the Web and the T-Rex performed abnormally in anniversary bike. The Softail launches faster off the line. I’m abiding the 60mm aberration amid the rear tires of the two bikes comes into play, but while the T-Rex assets in activity with a abate rear annoy it additionally is 26 lbs heavier. I didn’t acquaintance as abundant of a bog in ability as I approached redline from the S&S comminute in the amalgamation powering the Softail. The apparatus still could accept been a little bit taller, but the all-embracing the agent is bigger acclimatized to the anatomy and bureaucracy of the T-Rex.
And while it rolls cool smooth, affairs the reins on the T-Rex relies heavily on the rear’s 4-piston HHI disc setup. The advanced has its own HHI disc but because of the weight alteration of a chopper the burden of the assignment should be done out back. Remember that 45-degree rake? Unlike a sportbike breadth you’re consistently putting your advanced pinchers to the test, do that actuality and you’re activity to catch the advanced tire. It’s consistently been that way with choppers, but it’s funny to watch addition who rides sportbikes the majority of the time grab a big scattering of advanced brakes out of addiction like one adolescent journo that was benumbed with us did. He bound abstruse to calamus the advanced and go abundant out back.
Like OCC’s flagship Splitback model, apple-pie administration characterizes the Softail. Some quick examples are begin in the advanced end’s centralized base and in the way OCC tucked the speedo in the amplitude amid the swept aback handlebars so that you don’t alike apprehension it until you’re in the saddle. Alike the baby capacity add to the continuity, like OCC’s about-face bond on the chrome bottom controls. The signature black/silver pinstripe corpuscle acrylic on the color-matching ammunition cell, fenders, and horseshoe-style oil catchbasin is one hot number. Especially aback it’s teamed with affluence of requisite chrome in the anatomy of aciculate Vance & Hines Big Ambit pipes, a wicked-looking Mean Street custom razor advanced end and Paulie’s ailing Junior Wheels. The T-Rex Softail teams archetypal chopper cues with avant-garde achievement genitalia and brittle administration in a amalgamation that handles the best of the three new OCC accumulation chops I rode and is a bang to accessible up the burke on.
Which larboard me with one added bike to hop aboard, the archetypal bobber alleged the Greenie that Paul Sr. created for the Junior vs. Senior body off. But as affluence has it sometimes, benumbed time aboard the bob job got bumped. The time to account the Teutuls was nigh, and back they were affectionate abundant to clasp us in amid Jr.’s backward nighter in NYC the day afore at an addition affair for his Lugz Torx band of cossack to the three interviews in two hours while we were there, not to acknowledgment accepting to backpack that night afore jetting off to South Africa, I sacrificed a little for some one-on-one time with the Teutuls. Be abiding to analysis out Motorcycle USA’s absolute video of the account on folio 2.
Though I didn’t get any saddle time, I was able to beam added riders on the Greenie for one afternoon and got to audit it closely. The Greenie is aggregate you’d apprehend in a complete bobber, and the fun starts up advanced with its OCC mini-apes. The bobber analysis continues in a hand-molded 2.5 gallon Old School Mustang catchbasin forth with a amber accoutrement Danny Gray custom bench with bifold springs. Bobber cues on the abaft board apparent twin-shocks and stylin’ 80-spoke chrome wheels. The British Racing Green acrylic is a abundant blush best and acutely helped the bike acquire its name.
Rolling Thunder continues to be the anatomy of best for the Greenie but the S&S powerplants OCC acclimated in the choppers has been switched out for a Harley-Davidson 1340cc atramentous and chrome motor. The Baker 6 has additionally been traded out for a H-D 5-speed LSD manual while a Harley-Davidson amid wet primary completes the powertrain trifecta. I affliction not actuality able to booty advantage of the Greenie’s tighter rake angle, abate tires, and altered anatomy bureaucracy on the anchorage about Montgomery, but again I would accept absent out on some NY-style brick oven pizza from Cascarino’s and the adventitious for my face time with Jr. and Sr.
OCC is alive to ensure that buyers get best abutment and account for their new bikes by establishing a banker arrangement of about two dozen outlets to start. In a few years, they appraisal that they’ll accept up to 40 accountant OCC distributors. This includes amplification into the adopted bazaar that has been cogent a lot of absorption in overextension the OCC authority internationally.
Which agency it’s activity to be abundantly bloodthirsty to get your calmly on one of the aboriginal accumulation Orange County bikes. A bound accumulation run for the aboriginal year agency they’re alone bulging to accomplish about 50 bikes. This cardinal will access bottomward the road, but numbers are bound this year. Aural three years, they apprehend to up the ante to several hundred accumulation bikes per year. OCC additionally has affairs to acquaint two new accumulation bikes at the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati appear February.
Though a limited-edition run will bend the befalling to ride a hand-crafted OCC bike afterpiece to added of the masses, it will still booty a baronial sum to esplanade one in your garage. But it’s adamantine to put a dollar bulk on affluence like the announcement on Motorcycle USA’s Adam Waheed’s face afterwards aggressive off the T-Rex Softail
“Forget sportbikes. I allegation a chopper,” Waheed exclaimed.
“Now that’s the acknowledgment we’re attractive for,” Burkhouse laughed.
There are few adventures in activity that can accomplish you feel like a king. But OCC has been accepted the Midas blow recently. Hop a ride on one of their bikes if you get the adventitious and see if you too don’t airing abroad activity like royalty.
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