# American Chopper - The Build Off



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Lets put this up for a bit of a vote.


As for me, I think Jr won hands down. Just an incredible looking bike.

Sr didn't even build a bike and while it's pretty cool, it's not a bike.

Jesse's bike just looks like 100's of other bikes you'd see on the street. Nothing really special about it.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Jesse built a *bike*, the other two built (very cool) extravagant theme mobiles. Junior & Senior couldn't build a bike alone if their lives depended on it.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

The only thing that doesn't really make Jr's a bike is the 1 gallon gas tank. 

It's perfectly rideable. 

And while you can ride Jesse's further, you can't see over the handle bars (did you see the shots of him riding it and trying to look under the handle bars to see?). IMO, that's not much of a riding bike either.

So then it comes down to which looks better. Jr's.


I"m pretty sure the contest was about the coolest looking Chopper - not which traveled the furthest on a tank of gas (or battery).


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Results of the show:



Spoiler



1. Junior, 2. Jesse, 3. Senior


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> ...
> 
> I"m pretty sure the contest was about the coolest looking Chopper - not which traveled the furthest on a tank of gas (or battery).


No, it wasn't about the coolest chopper...It was an unfair popularity contest. Unfair because it's on a show that's watched and followed by OCC & Junior fans. Senior has no fans.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

Perhaps, but there's a reason Junior is more popular than Senior - he makes better bikes.

As for Jesse, I would certainly have chosen him if his bike was better than Junior's, but IMO it wasn't. Great craftsmanship, but too plain looking for a contest.


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## djnaldo (May 27, 2005)

sigma1914 said:


> Jesse built a *bike*, the other two built (very cool) extravagant theme mobiles. Junior & Senior couldn't build a bike alone if their lives depended on it.


Jesse didn't build his by himself either. I'm sure he could but I also think Jr. and Sr. could as well. Remember they didn't always have a team behind them.

I don't think any of them are very practical to ride for a long period of time.


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## webby_s (Jan 11, 2008)

My thoughts were the show was fun to watch and entertaining, regarding the bikes, well. Senior's wasn't a bike. More a fun machine run on batteries; Jesse's bike was awesome and a true chopper bike, would it be comfortable to ride for a long time, no. Like someone said up thread, you couldn't see around the handle bars. But the thing was neat. Now Juniors was a great themed bike. Very original very unigue and would probably be awesome to ride. The whole gas tank being the exhaust was awesome, with the smoke maker and all.

Being built, well lets talk about senior's, they had some other racing frame building factory build the frame they had a engineering school install the battery cell and driving apperatise. They pretty much built the track stuff and steering in the rear. Jesse's was built by hand from the ground up and very original with all the blacksmith work, but he had help too. And Junior's was all done by them guys accept for maybe the wheels and the frame. Otherwise they built a wonderful HUGE bike. 

Regarding the whole, 'oh you only have 1 gallon fuel tank' so it's for show and a little riding but it rides, you try the ape hangers that Jesse built. I wouldn't last 20 miles before the feeling in my hands gave out.

My vote was for Junior because of the originality and all around awesome themed bike but a close second was Jesse's with Seniors bike looking like a futuristic snowmobile.

The whole trash talk from Jesse didn't help either, I had a lot more respect for him before these episodes but I guess that is just his style so whatever.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> No, it wasn't about the coolest chopper...It was an unfair popularity contest. Unfair because it's on a show that's watched and followed by OCC & Junior fans. Senior has no fans.


Sigma, my husband agreed with everything you said - in both posts.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Supramom2000 said:


> Sigma, my husband agreed with everything you said - in both posts.


Smart man.


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## yogi (Feb 8, 2006)

You would kill yourself riding Jr. bike. Look at the way it was made, there's no support for the wheels. It's a great bike to look at. and that's what it was built for, to be looked at.(He don't build the rims, frame,engine, and I think the front forks)
Jesse's bike you can ride and look good goin' down the road. 

If it was a a bike build contest in Daytona or Sturgis. I don't think Jr. would win.


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## subeluvr (Jan 14, 2007)

yogi said:


> You would kill yourself riding Jr. bike. Look at the way it was made, *there's no support for the wheels*. It's a great bike to look at. and that's what it was built for, to be looked at.(He don't build the rims, frame,engine, and I think the front forks)
> Jesse's bike you can ride and look good goin' down the road.


Let's not even bother looking at all the monostrut landing gear on decades and decades old airplanes... coincidentally where Jr. got the inspiration for the forks and swingarm on his bike... look at contemporary Ducati and MV Agusta street scooters and their "_no support for the wheels_" single sided swingarms. If you have no engineering knowledge don't challenge it.

The bike Jr. built in eminently more roadworthy than the hardtail Jesse built. You cross the state line on Jesse's bike and you'll be pissin' blood.



yogi said:


> If it was a a bike build contest in Daytona or Sturgis. I don't think Jr. would win.


Those who build will appreciate what Jr. and his team did and those who buy couldn't even see what Jesse really did.


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

subeluvr said:


> Let's not even bother looking at all the monostrut landing gear on decades and decades old airplanes... coincidentally where Jr. got the inspiration for the forks and swingarm on his bike... look at contemporary Ducati and MV Agusta street scooters and their "_no support for the wheels_" single sided swingarms. If you have no engineering knowledge don't challenge it.
> 
> The bike Jr. built in eminently more roadworthy than the hardtail Jesse built. You cross the state line on Jesse's bike and you'll be pissin' blood.
> 
> Those who build will appreciate what Jr. and his team did and those who buy couldn't even see what Jesse really did.


Have to strongly disagree with you. My husband and a group of his friends, who build and paint bikes, as well as ride, liked Jessie's much better. And feel that he has a much stronger grasp on building almost an entire bike himself.


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## subeluvr (Jan 14, 2007)

Supramom2000 said:


> Have to strongly disagree with you. My husband and a group of his friends, who build and paint bikes, as well as ride, liked Jessie's much better. And feel that he has a much stronger grasp on building almost an entire bike himself.


Does your husband or his friends ride *rigid frame* Harleys? If they haven't put in seat time on a rigid frame bike they are hardly in a position to comment on how rideable one is. Rigid frame bikes are truly cruel and unusual punishment even for young strapping riders. I was such a rider many, many decades ago on knuckle and pan rigids and pay dearly for that now. Everyone remembers the America bike Fonda rode and that nice pan Hopper rode. Look good... sure do. Style points out the ying yang. Ride good, no way no how.

I'll agree that Jesse has a stronger grasp... he has always seemed a man who holds his own and after his childish ramblings on the show and in the press it seems he still has a strong grasp.

BTW, Jesse doesn't build engines or transmissions.


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## braven (Apr 9, 2007)

Senior knew deep down inside he couldn't design/build a bike that would compete with his son (see Cadillac bike build off a few months ago) so he built a novelty machine. He kind of made a joke out of the whole competition, at least that's my opinion.

While Jesse did build MOST of the stuff on his bike, where's the innovation? Senior could have rolled out one of OCC's production bikes and it would have been just as nice as what Jesse brought to the table. Oh and he's got to be one of the most arrogant jerks on the planet. I was happy to see him get smoked by Jr. He kept saying he builds a bike you can actually ride. Ha ha ha, I'd like to see someone ride that rigid frame bike across country. Sure ok.

PJD deserved the win. Their bike, while a little gaudy for my tastes was hands down the nicest creation on that stage. I'm happy to see PJD do well.

Just my opinion.


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## subeluvr (Jan 14, 2007)

braven,

More like... _Senior knew deep down inside *JASON* couldn't design/build a bike that would compete_... just like the Jason designed OCC Cadillac bike fell way short of the mark.

The best thing OCC has going for it is Rick. As much as I admire Rick for his technical skill, his even handed politics at work, and he just seems to be a nice guy he's not quite the fabricator that Brendon Thompson is. Brendon and Jr just seem to be on the same page and there's almost a 1+1=4 thing going on between them.

I'd like to see what Rick and Brendon could do together along with Vinnie and Jr.


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## yogi (Feb 8, 2006)

subeluvr said:


> Let's not even bother looking at all the monostrut landing gear on decades and decades old airplanes... coincidentally where Jr. got the inspiration for the forks and swingarm on his bike... look at contemporary Ducati and MV Agusta street scooters and their "_no support for the wheels_" single sided swingarms. If you have no engineering knowledge don't challenge it.
> 
> The bike Jr. built in eminently more roadworthy than the hardtail Jesse built. You cross the state line on Jesse's bike and you'll be pissin' blood.
> 
> Those who build will appreciate what Jr. and his team did and those who buy couldn't even see what Jesse really did.


 First off you don't steer a plane in a corner doing 80mph. 
I was talking about the stress on the hub from 
A) the high radius of the tire
B) the narrow width of the tire
C) the rigidness of the back fork. (it's not a swing arm) 
Even Jr. said it a sketchy around corners. But, If you have no engineering knowledge. You won't been able to figure that out.
I rode rigid bikes, Never piss blood. I surely wouldn't do it know. But after the first 100 miles of pain. Your body's so numb you don't feel a thing after that.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

Jess's bike was just a bit run-of-the-mill for me. Great looking bike, but not anything original about it. Senior's was a.....well, I don't know what it was.

Junior's bike was the winner in my book, by far. Most orignal, collest looking bike of the bunch. The exhaust out of the tank was very cool. And I loved all of the rivets that were not just for show. A lot of time and skill went into that tank.


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## subeluvr (Jan 14, 2007)

yogi said:


> I rode rigid bikes, Never piss blood. I surely wouldn't do it know. But after the first 100 miles of pain. Your body's so numb you don't feel a thing after that.


At about 100 miles the numbness arrives and pissin' blood starts at around 250 miles...


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

I just managed to get through the episode last night - took me several nights to watch it all.

My thoughts:

1) Jesse James is an idiot.
2) Jesse James is an idiot.
3) Jesse James is an idiot.

Jesse's comments about Junior being a "cake decorator" are just stupid. The only thing Jesse build that Junior didn't was the frame. They both built their tanks and tins. They both bought engines & transmissions that they dropped into the frame. 

The one thing I will say is that based purely off of what's been shown on TV, Jesse does appear to be a better fabricator than Junior. I don't agree with Jesse's assertion that Junior is completely incompetent, but I thought when it came right down to the nuts and bolts of it, Jesse probably had more skills. But Junior gets the edge in creativity and coming up with something original and interesting to look at (even if he does tend to go overboard with the "theme bikes").

There are no words to describe Senior's monstrosity other than Jason Pohl is a moron and shouldn't be designing bikes. He should be demoted back to the monkey who draws pictures for someone who knows how to build bikes.

As far as the bikes themselves.... Jesse's bike was nothing special, IMO. I thought his tank was gorgeous. I wasn't a big fan of the overall layout of the bike, with the really tall frame and handlebars that were a quarter of a mile above your head. Overall, I didn't think his bike was any more roadworthy than Juniors, despite Jesse's insistance to the contrary.

I wasn't a huge fan of Junior's, but he came up with an idea and it was interesting to look at. The tank was amazing. The styling, overall, I thought was better than Jesse's, even if it wasn't my favorite thing in the world.

Overall, I think comparing Junior and Jesse is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Jesse is building bikes for a different crowd than Junior. Jesse is really building bikes for bike people, while Junior is building bikes for corporate America. I think it was Jesse who said that he'd win hands down if the voting was at Sturgis rather than online at Discovery.. and I don't know that I agree with the hands down part, but I think it would have been a lot closer voting if it were "bike people" voting rather than joe schmo on the internet.


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## V'ger (Oct 4, 2007)

My take:

Jesse thought he was gonna win no matter what. He wasted time and energy with the porno cake, shooting silouhettes of Jr, giving the Sr doll to this dog to chew up, parodying Jr's video. Typical adolescent-like behavior.

1) Any of the ten or so bikes of his shown on Discovery.com would have done better in the competiton. If you looked at those bikes, there were some innovation in the wheels and paint. The shape of the chrome frame is something he had clearly done many times before - especially the high front end. Jesse just took an existing design and simplified it.

3) He claimed during the build to be building it all by himself, and he said it again during the actual competition. Funny, I saw an assistant for the whole show, and he had to bring in an entire crew to get the bike done (not withstanding the fact that he used a pre-built engine). Jesse basically got on stage and lied to America. He damaged his brand, IMHO.

The fact that he hand built the frame (fenders and tank) is great, but the frame is not an entire bike or concept. Whether a person hand-builds a front end or designs it in a computer and sends it off for someone else to manufacture is insignificant. The latter just shows that they have more tools and have more time for the fit and finish.

4) Jesse and others have claimed that Jr or Sr couldn't build a bike themselves. Again, often the team concept provides more inspiration and ability to get a final vision. Each person can do their part at which they are best. The term 'Jack of all trades, master of none' comes to mind.

5) Senior built an electric powered zero turn horizontal seating snowmobile, not a bike. His team went too far out of the box and someone needed to do a sanity check and rein them in. If Senior had built any of the project bikes shown on the show, Jesse would have come in third.

There are a lot of Jesse supporters out there, but he gave minimal effort on this competition.


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