Motorcycle Irene

This is a song title I swiped from a Moby Grape album. It's a pretty cool song too, but as usual, I'm not really writing about music, this time my beef is...American Chopper. The reality show has been on for ten years and they're calling it quits. The last show that has aired was a build-off between Paul Teutel Jr., Paul Teutel Senior, Jesse James and The guy from " Fast & Loud" Aaron Kaufman.
     I started watching the show because I'm a car-nut, and anything about Kustom Vehicles catches my eye.
I was irritated by Paul Junior because he fit the description of a Pompous Ass to a tee! In one epsiode he kept ranting about how he was a designer and he had the creative eye. He drew a sketch of a gas tank he dreamed up and then sent the drawing to some out-of-towner to build. He works in a shop full of ultra cool machines and he's having somebody else build his gas tanks? What the hell kind of designer is he? He left Orange County Choppers and started his own shop. Right off the bat I thought he was a blow-hard because I hated his logo. He has built some nice bikes since then, but he's also built some white-trash monstrosities as well. I am an avid Do It Yourselfer, I like to work on my truck and trick-it-out any way I can, but there's also a matter of taste,  I'm not into the garish rides that scream, " Here I Am, Look At Me"!. That's what he builds. This latest episode, he built a bike that I actually liked. Jesse James is a world reknowned fabricator, but he's also got a big mouth, the difference is that Jesse can back up his talk with his talent. Paul Teutel Senior has a first class shop, but he's the overseer, he doesn't actually build the bikes anymore. He's got a staff that builds them, his build-off bike was no exception. I liked his bike as well, he stepped out of his comfort zone and built a sport bike. Coincidentally, so did Jesse James. I found Paul Senior's bike more esthetically pleasing than Jesse's, but they were equally cool. The newcomers were the Fast and Loud pair, even though Aaron did all the building,  I liked their bike as well. It was a down to earth, roots style home built Harley. Not a cheesey over-the-top style bike like what Paul Junior builds. As fate would have it, Paul Junior won for the second time in a row. Now he's got more to be pompous about. As I said earlier, I actually liked his bike this year better than some of the other things he's created, but I still have a hard time considering him a better builder than Jesse James or his father. The old saying, " There's No Accounting For Taste" comes into play here. Dig up a copy of the old Moby Grape LP and listen to the tune Motorcycle Irene, it's a better experience than the Biker Build Off!