Orange County Choppers to unveil first Florida bike this weekend
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CLEARWATER, Fla. (BIKER DAD) –Orange County Choppers, OCC will be unveiling its first Florida bike this weekend. The custom Dream Chopper was built with for one lucky winner. The OCC will also have the grand opening of their new facilities which include a restaurant and museum.
The Dream Chopper unveil is scheduled for June 26 at 5 PM and should take approximately 30 minutes.This will all be taking place at the Bert’s Barracuda Harley Davidson Pavilion located at 10525 49th Street N, Clearwater FL 33762.
OCC announced its move to Florida last year. You can read all about their move below.
Our first interview with Paul Sr.
CLEARWATER, Fla. (BIKER DAD) – “There’s more of a sense of freedom down there,” Paul Teutul Sr. said on a Zoom call from the current Orange County Chopper headquarters in New York state as ice pounded the roof above him. The Biker Dad Blog broke the news last year that the reality show stars are moving their operations down south. Monday we got a chance to speak with Sr. and Jane Kay of Orange County Choppers about the big move.
The most pressing question, for reality show fans even more than bikers, will there be new episodes of the Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper” shot on the Gulf Coast? The answer, yes. OCC is known just as much for its epic family feuds that have spurned internet memes as it is for making outrageous bikes. Paul Sr. and son Paul Jr. spent much of the latest season of the show patching things up. But Sr. says his son won’t be making the move to Florida.
So why Florida? There’s one obvious answer as Sr. points out, “I think I have more of a fan base down there in Florida and the riding season is nine months maybe even ten. In New York you have a short season, maybe only 3 months or so.” But the reasons go deeper. We asked Teutul how much things like politics and taxes play into the decision. “A lot,” he said “there’s more of a sense of freedom down there than in New York that’s for sure.” He also said that he thinks Florida is more prepared and poised to get past the devastating blow the COVID-19 pandemic has caused than New York. “The whole thing makes sense,” he stated.
The OCC guys are also excited that they are moving to a state with a huge veteran population and place where those vets are highly respected. They plan on getting involved in a lot of charity work, especially charities that involve our hero veterans.
The cast and crew of “American Chopper” and the staff from Orange County Choppers plan on opening up in spring of 2021. The complex will be located on property next to Bert’s Barracuda Harley Davidson (in Clearwater) .” Ironically, that’s in Pinellas County, not Orange County which isn’t too far away. There will be a shop, retail, a restaurant and even a concert venue.
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Original story:
UPDATE: We just got this further statement from Paul Sr. It appears that the show will indeed be shot in Florida, “Paul SR and the Orange County Choppers cast and crew are excited about moving their world-class headquarters to the St. Pete/Clearwater area in spring 2021. “
CLEARWATER, Fla. (WKRG/BIKER DAD) — They are known as much for their antics, family feuds, and memes on social media as they are for their wild choppers. There have been a lot of changes at Orange County Choppers over the years but their latest move might be one of the biggest.
Paul Tuetul Sr., the patriarch of the family and motorcycle mogul, made a mysterious post about the move on his Facebook page. So, the Biker Dad blog checked out what it is all about.
The post simply shows a map of Florida, saying, “OCC – The next chapter… The future never looked so bright!” We wanted to know exactly what that means and sent an email to the folks at OCC. They in fact confirmed Sr. and the crew are moving to the Sunshine State. They are currently based in New York State, and with the blistering winter storm slamming the Northeast this week, seems like a smart move for a company that makes and sells motorcycles. Paul Sr. replied to our emailed questions, “we are moving to St Pete/Clearwater area, the property next to Bert’s Barracuda Harley Davidson (in Clearwater) ..the target opening date is Spring 2021.” Ironically, that’s in Pinellas County, not Orange County which isn’t too far away.
Yes, that response does leave a lot of unanswered questions, like will new episodes of the reality show be shot there? The Biker Dad blog has requested an interview with Sr. Hopefully that will happen soon and will get all of our questions answer. Until then, welcome to the south and the sunshine OCC!