American Chopper
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Since 2003, the highly successful reality TV show, “American Chopper,” has portrayed the craft and personalities behind the family business of Orange County Choppers. Though American Chopper has since been sold from the Discovery Channel to the Learning Channel (TLC), it remains popular among legions of fans who are just as interested in the uniquely outlandish motorcycle designs as the explosive arguments between the father and owner of the company and his sons.
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Originally starting as an entirely hand-made shop in upstate New York (not California as the company's name might imply), the company has since adopted computer-controlled fabrication equipment and quite a few more employees to keep up with the demand of constantly producing bikes for a surprisingly diverse range of clients, both corporate and private, for American Chopper episodes and the demand it has created.
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That said, there has been some talk among fans that American Chopper has lost its edge since moving to TLC. By the same token, a number of fans who are usually more interested in the bikes themselves find arguments between the father who owns the shop and his eldest son who runs it to be tiresome after a while. Even avid American Chopper fans have openly wondered whether the show may be canceled in the next few years as it has slowly moved away from the basic premise and focusing on trips and projects that are only tenuously connected to motorcycle fabrication. Regardless, there is plenty of American Chopper and Orange County Chopper merchandise available for the legions of remaining fans who can't afford a bike that costs more than a single-family home. Online auction sites such as motoyard.com are great places to look for new and used items such as the recently introduced die-cast models and apparel.
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