click above image to view more pics of OC's E85 Chopper
As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." So when the Orange County Chopper crew was asked to come to Iowa and build a custom bike to help out Join the Ride Iowa, the result was understandably corny. The first things you'll notice are the soybean and corn paint job. The edamame paint is unmistakable, but It also has what they refer to as a corn head "scoop" and exhaust pipes that are said to emulate the tubing on an ethanol plant. Built to support the Iowa Farm Bureau Renewable Energy movement and show off Iowa's place as the 4th leading supplier of energy in the nation, this custom bike also incorporates other renewable fuel sources.
The big yellow gas cap clearly shows that the bike is powered by an E85 motor. Apparently that's a first. You'll also find the E85 logo on the air cleaner cover. And if that's not enough, the wheels were designed to resemble the blades of a wind turbine. A nod to Iowa's livestock industry comes via the, surprise, leather seat. Well, it does have embossed animals on it.
A custom chopper built by the Teutels will always draw some attention, especially if Sr., Jr., and Mikey are around to promote it. In this case, the cause seems a bit outside their normal sphere of influence. But if it helps people think green, what the heck. If you happen to like the looks of this bad boy, it will be raffled off to raise money for Join the Ride Iowa. Tickets are $10 and it looks like there's a $50,000 cash option should you have no place in your barn for a corn-fed chopper.
[Source: AutoblogGreen]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mulad @ Jul 19th 2007 2:30PM
I thought the copper "Liberty" chopper from the first season or two was also E85-capable...?
Rich @ Jul 19th 2007 2:32PM
That has to be the dumbest looking bike I've seen in my entire life.
Max @ Jul 19th 2007 2:51PM
All its missing is a John Deere logo. The combine styling cues are totally silly. Give the theme bikes a rest!
JJ @ Jul 19th 2007 3:21PM
Good idea, stop doing the main thing that keeps them in the spotlight.
Stephen @ Jul 19th 2007 2:52PM
I'm starting to wonder if OCC is just an elaborate prank.
mk @ Jul 19th 2007 3:18PM
I am from Iowa.
That sucks.
that has about as much in common with a combine corn head as an oil rig.
The exhaust looks like tubing from an ethanol plant??? how is that different than any other tubing from any other place?
yikes. Don't get me started about Iowa being an energy producing state. We used to be a food producing state. Putting food into your gas tank seems like a moron move, to me.
I am all for responsibility, but this green, yellow, environmental-politics stuff is about as *real* as the "corn head" on the front of that bike.
Paul @ Jul 19th 2007 3:34PM
Maybe you don't understand. It's supposed to be inspired by a combine, not be a functional combine nor look like a functional combine.
Granted, E-85 is not a practical replacement for standard gas due to the amount of corn that would need to be grown to satisfy the country's fuel needs. But the fact that the key ingredient is not only non-toxic, but edible is anything but moronic.
Finally, why would you be offended at the idea of Iowa being considered a fuel state? There is a lot more money in fuel than food.
Edward @ Jul 19th 2007 3:22PM
OCC makes the ugliest bikes I've ever seen!
MCS05 @ Jul 19th 2007 3:40PM
did you know the older paul is the jr? the younger paul is not a junior. saw them on the tonight show last week when they said it.
tom @ Jul 19th 2007 4:03PM
Mikey must of had a hand in this design.
Jaymez @ Jul 19th 2007 4:07PM
OCC doesn't build bikes, they assemble them. Jesse James builds bikes.
Anyone with some fairly deep pockets could build an OCC bike by ordering parts from the back of Easy Rider's Magazine. Everything they put on their bikes can be found in catalogs, minus the occassional custom tank.
tom @ Jul 19th 2007 4:34PM
That's not entirely true, now they make some of their own frames in house.
JoeStalin @ Jul 19th 2007 5:46PM
I get tired of people hating on OCC for their success. Yes they used to build all their own stuff, and they have components that they buy. Yes they have million dollar water jet machines and pipe benders, etc. So what? Just because success allows you to do these things doesn't make you any less of a builder.
Jaymez @ Jul 19th 2007 6:10PM
My comments were based on their not-building everything, but, simply bolting it together. 99% of their theme bikes are essentially kit bikes. Order up a Santee frame from the back of this month's Easy Rider, grab a Custom Chrome parts book, and you too can have a bike like what you see on American Choppers.
West Coast Choppers builds everything. OCC assembles everything.
mk @ Jul 19th 2007 5:55PM
I know what a corn head looks like, two uncles and a grandfather are farmers. This bike's pathetic attempt barely resembles a corn head.
Three pointed sticks barely qualifies, and I've never see a combine that handles only three rows at a time.
A food staple being used as fuel raises the cost of fuel, since corn is more starch-rich than sugar-rich, and not very efficient at creating alcohol.
Using Corn for fuel raises the price of corn. Somewhat good for corn farmers, but bad for livestock farmers, and promotes lack of crop rotation or variation. People grow and sell less wheat, hay, soybeans, or other crops, in favor of getting more money from Corn. Not rotating corn with other crops will also tend to deplete plant nutrients in the soil over time. Pesticides and fertilizers to get every last bushel possible also has effects on the water table, which I also drink from.
food producers, and anyone else who uses crop or livestock products sees their cornmeal and livestock feed prices go up significantly, which drives up the price for meat, milk, and other foodstuffs that are dependent on corn, or the livestock dependent on corn. Even soap, that uses beef tallow in the process of manufacturing, is seeing price increases.
mk @ Jul 19th 2007 5:55PM
Not only that, but Corn is an inefficient source of grain alcohol (ethanol), and ethanol is not as efficient of a fuel as petrochemicals, and has less energy density, causing less fuel efficiency in the vehicles burning it.
Ethanol is also extremely hydroscopic, and cannot be shipped via pipeline. So, it has to be shipped by truck, in smaller quantities. That actually uses more fuel, rather than less. Couple that with the water and electrical energy input (which also comes from petrochemical sources) which nearly equals the energy output of ethanol as a fuel, with very little added energy margin.
Ethanol only makes sense to make politicians feel like they are doing something for the environmentalists, and corn farmers (raising their sale prices, while also increasing costs in other areas of their, and everyone else's lifestyle)
petrochemicals are a much more efficiently obtained and distributed fuel source, if the government would allow it on our domestic land. That, and using petrochemicals doesn't detract their use in other parts of the economy. Other than fuels and plastics, oil is not used for sustenance. Corn (as with most grains) is primarily a food staple. diverting that is having secondary effects all over.
mk @ Jul 19th 2007 6:02PM
sorry, the term is hygroscopic, not hydroscopic, which means to attract and retain water or humidity. Generally something bad for a combustion fuel.
BigDoggyIIII @ Jul 19th 2007 8:30PM
Another E85 "vehicle" and what does it mean? Nothing. The fact is we couldn't grow enough corn if we planted every acre in the U.S.! E85 is nothing more than a way for ADM and company to sell corn!
Bob from ALAMN @ Jul 20th 2007 9:30AM
One important correction to the story: the money raised by raffle tickets is NOT going to the Join The Ride Program. It is being donated to the American Lung Association of Iowa's Clean Air Choice program, which helps reduce outdoor air pollution in the Hawkeye State. Just about every dime raised by the raffle will go to the American Lung Association.
Bob from ALAMN @ Sep 19th 2007 1:44PM
The raffle netted $113,000 for the American Lung Association of Iowa. Thanks, boys, for making a cool ride for a good cause...