captdave Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 ORANGE COUNTY CHOPPERS FACTORY TOUR. This isn't Shelby's, but most car people like OCC. On August 4, 2013 I took a trip to OCC with the wife to practice some HDR Photography with tripod in hand. I got some nice outside photo's first. Get all the tripod stuff out of the way before I head inside. I was practicing 3 & 5 shot HDR to process in Photoshop CC (with ACR, that's Adobe Camera RAW). Don't worry if you didn't understand that last part. Tripod put away in the trunk and I head into the main entrance at the huge gift shop. As I'm walking past the counter I hear someone say, "five minutes till the factory tour". I've been coming to OCC for about 10 years and they don't have a factory tour? I ask and the factory tours have just started a couple days before. I'm on one of OCC's first factory tours. Lucky for me I always carry my camera with me. I asked and yes, photography is allowed on the OCC Factory Tour! I have never been in back at the OCC's new building, it's huge. The new season hadn't started yet so these would be choppers not yet seen by the public, cool! See the red shirt on the left, factory tour starts all the way in back behind the shirt. You can just make out the factory entrance door. http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/category/gallery/ Here is the front entrance & gift shop. The first part we enter is crowed with OCC heavy equipment. In the center in back are 2 choppers being built. Far right behind the blue colored lights is the spectators area behind the 2 way glass. The girl giving the tour said this bike was part of an OCC Give-A-Way. She didn't have to many details except that they were working hard to get it done in time. This is the Goody's bike from the first show of the new season. This had just been completed. This was Sunday, everything dark and shut down. You can get good feel for their working environment with this shot. This bike had the pretty intense fuel tank, remember? Photography stuff: 5 shot hand held, processed HDR Photoshop CC. To you non photography people, I took the regular shot. Then the camera took two varying light shots and two varying dark shots (this happens very quickly). Photoshop puts its all together to get out the shadows and over brightened areas. Motorcycle stuff: I've had a motorcycle license since the mid 70's, but no motorcycle since the early 80's. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdave Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Only 2 rules, stay between the yellow lines, and don't touch anything. The tour group I was with was a little overwhelmed be the long list of regulations. The tour almost ended early because of the brain surgeons I was on the tour with. Because I followed the tour girls orders to the letter she let me stay after and get a few more photo's. And remember this is one of OCC's very first factory tours. The Dragon Bike looked finished. Looks like a ton of work went into it. Nice seeing the choppers while being worked on. I have been coming to OCC for almost 10 years. I only get to see the finished choppers out in their display area. A lifetime ago back in the early to mid 80's I worked as an auto mechanic for my uncle. We had smaller versions of a lot of the stuff. My uncle was an old-time mechanic. If you couldn't get a broken down car (1960-70's cars) started with a screwdriver you weren't a real mechanic. He was a great instructor of all things mechanical. I am defiantly not a parts changer, type of mechanic after that experience. The Analytical Chemistry classes that I took in the late 70's help more than you could know. When I switched to Aviation in the late 80's all of this was a huge help. When I started watching OCC almost 10 years ago I felt I was transported back in time. Senior was my uncle, I was Junior and my cousin was Mikey. It's like I was watching the 80's all over again. I really loved the early episodes when they were all together in the smaller building's. I live about 1 hour away from OCC, this is a very beautiful drive into lower NY state. It's best if you can do it on the back roads with the top down from spring to fall season. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry T Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Awesome pictures .... thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Grey Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Great photos Thanks for posting them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersnake junkie Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Only 2 rules, stay between the yellow lines, and don't touch anything. The tour group I was with was a little overwhelmed be the long list of regulations. The tour almost ended early because of the brain surgeons I was on the tour with. Because I followed the tour girls orders to the letter she let me stay after and get a few more photo's. And remember this is one of OCC's very first factory tours. The Dragon Bike looked finished. Looks like a ton of work went into it. Nice seeing the choppers while being worked on. I have been coming to OCC for almost 10 years. I only get to see the finished choppers out in their display area. CaptDave Hey CaptDave, here you go again giving us all a photographic journey around the good old US of A!!!! I think your pics are great,yet again!!!! Do you find time to fit in work between your travels!!!! Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hawkins Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I wish they would bring back the Show and with Paul Jr. I do find it weird that they build these Bikes for Companies that plan to take them on Tour around the Country and then Auction them off but yet, they are always seen in the background throughout the season and beyond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Very cool. Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersnake junkie Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 I wish they would bring back the Show and with Paul Jr. I do find it weird that they build these Bikes for Companies that plan to take them on Tour around the Country and then Auction them off but yet, they are always seen in the background throughout the season and beyond. I agree totally! There is too much politics everywhere nowadays. I really enjoyed the show but then it started to get stupid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdave Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 For you guys who don't live local, that's the outside. I actually did this HDR Panorama last August. I know I could do better today, I just didn't have time. OCC: The gift shop is straight ahead thru those doors. To the right is the somewhat new OCC Café. I always park by the café. There is a pool room and bowling alley also. The bikes are all around OCC. They line the outside of the gift shop. Some hang from the ceiling. I really liked visiting OCC when they had the last building. Everyone was still together and they were doing touring. I got to meet Senior, Junior & Mikey and get their autograph many years ago at a summer event. People from Chicago won a trip to OCC for a outdoor picnic. Then a tour of the building with photo's and autographs. I had been to OCC so much that the OCC Store told me to just join the tour of the shop part, it worked. I didn't get kicked out till after autographs. Those were the good old days of OCC. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersnake junkie Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 For you guys who don't live local, that's the outside. I actually did this HDR Panorama last August. I know I could do better today, I just didn't have time. OCC: The gift shop is straight ahead thru those doors. To the right is the somewhat new OCC Café. I always park by the café. There is a pool room and bowling alley also. The bikes are all around OCC. They line the outside of the gift shop. Some hang from the ceiling. I really liked visiting OCC when they had the last building. Everyone was still together and they were doing touring. I got to meet Senior, Junior & Mikey and get their autograph many years ago at a summer event. People from Chicago won a trip to OCC for a outdoor picnic. Then a tour of the building with photo's and autographs. I had been to OCC so much that the OCC Store told me to just join the tour of the shop part, it worked. I didn't get kicked out till after autographs. Those were the good old days of OCC. CaptDave So did you get to see anybody this time? The building sure looks impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdave Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 So did you get to see anybody this time? The building sure looks impressive! It was Sunday, they only do the TV show on weekdays (at least this is what they said on the tour). I had just missed everyone on Friday 2 days before. I like Senior the best. I have seen him thru the 2 way glass in the shop a couple times. Junior is in a new place next to the original Orange County Iron Works/Orange County Choppers ( in the basement). This is where they were season 1 and 2 at least. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersnake junkie Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 It was Sunday, they only do the TV show on weekdays (at least this is what they said on the tour). I had just missed everyone on Friday 2 days before. I like Senior the best. I have seen him thru the 2 way glass in the shop a couple times. Junior is in a new place next to the original Orange County Iron Works/Orange County Choppers ( in the basement). This is where they were season 1 and 2 at least. CaptDave Cool mon capitain!!! I would think it was a really neat trip and tour there. It's just like Pawn Stars in Vegas,everyone I know who has been there either get rushed through the shop,especially if they are wanting to do some filming but also they never seem to see the main characters from the show either!!! Such is life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdave Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 OCC is really getting snowed in tomorrow. I wonder if this storm will make the show? Looks like they just finished up a couple here. It's still messy, and you know how Senior is about messy bays. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch40 Posted February 12, 2014 Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 Don’t miss the stupid fighting stuff but they do build some cool bikes. My brother has a couple. Here’s the Corvette bike. It took him a year to get the old knucklehead running right. OCC kind of slapped it together... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captdave Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 OCC side view. Interstate 87 is just to the left running north/south, we are looking south. New location is just about on the interstate. The customer entrance is to the left and behind me. We are looking at the side where the OCC Café is. CaptDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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