Hater Hall of Fame: Paul Teutel Sr. Edition

Today the Hater Hall of Fame opens its doors for the most badass bike builder on the planet – and he makes pretty cool motorcycles too.

Paul Teutul Sr,  Born May 1, 1949

Paul Teutul was born and raised in Yonkers, New York.  I couldn’t find out much about his early life after browsing various bio pages on the web; so if you want to learn more about that, go to your local library and pick up The Tale of the Teutuls – books, check ‘em out!  I do know that he was a member of the U.S. Merchant Marines for a period of time, and is also a veteran of the Vietnam War.  Teutul struggled with drug and alcohol addiction in his younger days; he once stated that he “had basically done any drug around”, but is now clean and sober.  In the early 70′s (I believe), Paul Sr. and a friend named Russ Hanna founded a metal fabrication shop and named it Orange County Ironworks.  After years of working with metal, Sr. became interested in building custom motorcycles; he stated that all of the custom choppers he had seen on the streets and in the media led to this new hobby.

In 1999, Teutul decided to leave Orange County Ironworks – which is now owned by his oldest son Daniel - and pursue his new passion, so he founded Orange County Choppers.  His 25-yr son Paul Jr. also left the ironworks business and co-founded the bike shop; he soon became the chief designer/fabricator at OCC, and a big pain in Sr’s ass.  His youngest son Mikey also went to “work” in the new family business, and is often slated as the shop’s secretary/custodian.  Along with Paul Sr., Mikey and Paul Jr. are central to the success of their reality show, which started on the Discovery Channel back in 2003.  The show definitely illustrates the quality work and sick bikes that OCC assembles throughout the year; but the soap opera that is the Sr. and Jr., mixed with the comic relief provided by Mikey, is what puts the asses in the seats each week.  So get you’re popcorn ready, and take a look at some of the best moments our newest hating legend has to offer.