The simple answer could be that the 2008 GFC killed it. I don't actually know.

It looks like the TV show Motorcycle Mania started in 2001 and the show American Choppers started around 2002. By the time I left for Australia in late 2007, it seemed like everybody and their brother in SoCal was building a custom chopper.

One of my co-workers from Inglewood even specialized in photographing girls in bikinis on motorcycles.

Anyway, when I came back to the USA in 2020, there didn't seem to be any trace of the custom chopper builders. Obviously Jesse James quit doing West Coast Choppers, moved to Austin and is now making Firearms.

I don't know if the customer demand and disposable income dried up or if there were safety regulations that came into effect.

Judging by the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally in Galveston, it seems that motorcycles are more popular than ever.

I've also seen lots of motorcycle clubs out on the road - Bandidos in Texas (and saw a group from Dallas "Assassination City" in South Dakota a few weeks ago) and I've run into the Mongols several times out in California and Nevada.

Just curious as to what killed off what appeared to be a rapidly growing business in the mid-2000s.

Good question though.

I feel like Orange County Choppers somewhat took over that space, and then imploded.

AgGrad99 said:

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Good question though.

I feel like Orange County Choppers somewhat took over that space, and then imploded.

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I think that imploded due to personality conflicts...

AgGrad99 said:

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Good question though.

I feel like Orange County Choppers somewhat took over that space, and then imploded.

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Bikes and Beards on Youtube has bought a few OCC bikes. Interesting to hear real reviews on the bikes after watching on TV

dodger02 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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One of my co-workers from Inglewood even specialized in photographing girls in bikinis on motorcycles.

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Prove it.

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Well, I found his LinkedIn but it doesn't have any references to his photography work.
And unfortunately there's a Professional photographer from SoCal with the same name so that makes Internet searching more difficult.

But when I worked with him between 2005-2007, he did have "binders of women" that he kept at his desk in our office in El Segundo. He was a big Black guy and had plenty of pix of Black girls in bikinis on motorcycles.

The next generation hasn't gotten any better at driving either, and it isn't much fun having someone using a wire brush to get the gravel out of your face.

HDeathstar said:

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Buck Turgidson said:

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The baby boomers got too old to ride choppers.

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This. Demographics. Boomers were not allowed to have the big Harley Davidsons motorcycles in youth and when they got older and had money, they started buying them. Next generation has not replaced their fondness to motorcycles. kids are getting teslas for fun now.

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That makes sense.

Cool.

Paint looks amazing.

Is that Brand - Rocking Chair?

It's a combination of fad and I don't think people ride as much. Even when things like OCC were big how many choppers did you see on the road? People generally bought those as a status symbol, people who ride bikes a lot I don't think had much interest in them to begin with. I don't ride bikes but choppers always struck me as something like an overly blinged out Jeep or truck. Sometimes you'd see one that was cool but the majority were over the top and also they're so niche that they're close to worthless on the resale market. You can always sell a Harley in good condition, a custom chopper is a lot harder to find a buyer for. I used to work fairly close to Martin Brothers in Dallas and would see bikes they made on occasion.

Whose motorcycle is this?

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Shows what became of the occ facility.

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THEY BUILT A 12 MILLION DOLLAR SHOP.

And they built motorcycles and had one show on tv? I don't know what they made per episode but I do have some contact with a family that had a reality show, and if that's any indicator to what OCC made, then it's not surprising they went bankrupt. Couple that with internal conflicts and reduced demand ….its a recipe for disaster. It doesn't take much to tank a family business if it's not cultivated carefully. It's nearly impossible to separate emotion from good business decisions and if you can't do that, it's a tough row to hoe.

As for demand, agree with the drop in demand from boomers. We see the same thing with 60's and 70's muscle cars. 35,000 bucks for a 1970 Chevelle SS? Yeah that's ok but ….30,000 for a 2002 Pontiac WS-6…YES PLEASE CALL ME.

Made hay while the sun shined though.

Set the stage for all the car build youtube channels we see today. Were ahead of their time in that regard.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Made hay while the sun shined though.

Set the stage for all the car build youtube channels we see today. Were ahead of their time in that regard.

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That's true. And that's a really good point. Sometimes in life that's about all you can do. Come up with a good idea, and ride that pony til the legs fall off and enjoy retirement.

In my mind, the guy that pioneered the modern youtuber was a guy on PBS that would go out and pan for gold.

Show was called Gold Fever.=

It looked like the guy filmed the show with tripod and camcorder. Would have his kids out there sometimes helping do whatever they were doing.

So who was the pioneers of the youtube format we see today?

The Gold Fever guy on PBS, maybe Bill Dance, Deadliest Catch then OCC, American Chopper and the car build shows that followed.

Now you got people like Cletus McFarland that dropped out of law school and now owns 30 cars, a racetrack, and airport, plane and helicopter and has his own live-streamed events.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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In my mind, the guy that pioneered the modern youtuber was a guy on PBS that would go out and pan for gold.

Show was called Gold Fever.=

It looked like the guy filmed the show with tripod and camcorder. Would have his kids out there sometimes helping do whatever they were doing.

So who was the pioneers of the youtube format we see today?

The Gold Fever guy on PBS, maybe Bill Dance, Deadliest Catch then OCC, American Chopper and the car build shows that followed.

Now you got people like Cletus McFarland that dropped out of law school and now owns 30 cars, a racetrack, and airport, plane and helicopter and has his own live-streamed events.

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I can always remember that theme song (the end part). I had a roommate in college that dug that show.

CanyonAg77 said:

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It's been a truism in the auto collecting world for years that the hot cars are the ones about 20-40years old. The popular cars are the one that guys wanted when they were in high school. Once they get old and rich and the kids are out of the house, they buy the one they couldn't afford when they were 16

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Hide your Maroon 1987 Pontiac Trans Am GTAs from me.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Cool.

Paint looks amazing.

Is that Brand - Rocking Chair?

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Yessir ......it's the Rocking Chair