With the custom and high end motorcycle business hurting because of the economy, OCC is obviously no exception. While the show was entertaining in its early years, we have watched the past few years as quality employees like Vinnie were disrespected and treated like another tool (pardon the pun) in the shop. As of now, all we officially know from Recordonline is that attorney Stephen Markovits said "Negotiations between The Orange County Choppers and The Discovery Channel didn't pan out for season seven of American Chopper". In the last six years, Senior has been named in suits by former cast member Cody and two former employees, and also in a bankruptcy fraud case.


Their new line of motorcycles meant for mass production impressed no one I know and finally Paul Jr. leaving the shop took the only guy off the table who designed the bikes OCC is known for. You can read about the court case at Recordonline. Now we watch as computer geeks draw motorcycles on a computer, automated machines cut the parts and people quickly assemble them with no passion for the outcome, but just to get a project completed.

We continued to watch as they overgrew the company, which I always believed was more of a t-shirt company and a reality show then it ever was a motorcycle company. They have been forced to try to bring Paul Jr. back on set and follow Mikey with his drug problem. I began watching again this season because I smelt blood in the water. Everybody loves a good train wreck.

When I picked up a pair of shop glasses for night riding recently I picked the attractive looking $9.99 pair while I laughed at the "competition" from OCC at $29.99, 3 times the cost of comparable shop glasses. Question is, once they are off the air for a year or two, will anyone still want an OCC shirt or fancy overpriced glasses? Hundreds of motorcycle builders and part manufacturers exist who would love to step in and get a piece of this multi million dollar pie. Personally, I don't own anything OCC, so I never bought any of their clothes. I do honestly wish the boys luck, this is a true American success story, but they will need to continue on a much smaller scale when the cameras leave.

The series finale of American Chopper will air on Thursday @ 9/8c. Keep an eye on http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/american-chopper for more. I expect to see a bit more drama on the way out. We know the shop is building a special bike for Kobalt and Junior will make a "truly life changing announcement. We assume this to mean he is getting married.

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