You know them as the stars of American Chopper — but when did Paul Sr. first work with
motorcycles?
How did OC Choppers start out?
And who is the self-professed weirdo in the Teutul family?
Keep watching to find out.
Before his American Chopper days, Paul Teutul Sr. was in the Merchant Marines.
He joined when he was 18 years old, and this time helped to shape his attitudes in both
work and his personal life.
He has held a love of motorcycles all his life, but work and family obligations sidelined
his passion until he was finally able to start building motorcycles in the 1970s.
He worked at his business, Orange County Ironworks, for nearly two decades before leaving to start
Orange County Choppers in 1999.
In 2020, Teutul moved Orange County Choppers from its original headquarters in New York
to Pinellas Park, Florida.
He also now owns a themed restaurant in the area.
"I don't wanna start crying.
I think everybody remembers Gus.
So I have a lot of pictures of Gus there."
Regarding the change in location, Teutul spoke with WFLA, saying:
"Where I'm at in my life, it's time for change and you feel the freedom in Florida, you don't
feel it so much in New York anymore."
Though he is known for his detailed motorcycle designs and builds, Paul Teutul Jr. wasn't
always into motorcycles.
Because of his father, Teutul was surrounded by motorcycles as he grew up, but he was more
curious about construction in general — as well as playing sports.
When he was 12 years old, he started an apprenticeship at Paul Teutul Sr.'s steel business, OC Ironworks.
His love for motorcycles did not properly begin until his late teenage years, around
the age of 18, when he got his first motorcycle.
Prior to American Chopper, Paul Jr. worked in the steel business for 10 years, but he
didn't design bikes until he began work on the show.
Teutul recalled to Biker Swag:
"[I] then had the opportunity to have creative freedom with building motorcycles.
Only then did I realize my God given creative abilities and started really exploring what
I was capable of."
As of 2022, he manages his own company, Paul Jr.
Designs, which specializes in custom builds of motorcycles.
Mikey Teutul was a self-described "weird kid" growing up, and always felt out of place.
When he was 12, he started working for OC Ironworks, following in his brother's footsteps.
In an interview with Jim Benson of TV Time Machine, Teutul indicated that the kind of
work at OC Ironworks wasn't really for him, saying:
"I just never took to it, I couldn't take it.
[...] I think ironwork is one of those things that's either in your blood or it's not."
He further described himself as a "wimp" and being "far too soft" for the roughness of
the steel business.
Instead, he wanted to get a spot on Saturday Night Live and pursue a career in comedy,
with dreams of doing stand-up and other comedic ventures in his sights.
When Teutul was 20, he moved to Tempe [TEM-pee], Arizona, hoping to enjoy a change in environment
and lifestyle.
This was short-lived, however, and when Teutul moved back to New York, he went straight back
to work at OC Ironworks.
Seeing that he wasn't a particularly good fit at the job, Paul Teutul Sr. offered him
a secretary position, handling paperwork and general office functions at OC Choppers, and
that is the "Mikey" we grew to know on screen.
"I mean I could lean on the guy, but I don't think it's gonna do very much other than get
him to not like me, which would probably hurt my feelings."
As of 2022, Teutul mainly lives out of the spotlight, but does appear on his dad's Instagram
from time to time.
Growing up, Vincent DiMartino was close friends with Paul Teutul Jr., with the two living
in the same town and going to school together.
DiMartino's love for building and all things automotive started when he was nine years
old and was constantly in his dad's auto repair shop.
By his teenage years, he worked at an engine repair shop and continued to pursue his love
for building and repairing motor vehicles.
By that point, according to DiMartino's bio on the Paul Jr.
Designs Facebook page, he "was rebuilding cars and motorcycles and pretty much anything
else he could get his hands on."
DiMartino began working for OC Choppers in 2002, shortly before the reality show took
off, although he ultimately left in 2007 to start his own business, V-Force Customs.
As of 2022, DiMartino is the owner of DiMartino Motorsports and mainly focuses on auto repairs,
rather than custom designs and builds.
As a kid, Rick Petko was always surrounded by pretty much anything with wheels, from
dirt bikes to go-karts.
His love of these vehicles was inspired by his father, who loved choppers and had a hobby
of painting motorcycles.
Petko's interest in building also started young, when he broke too many of his bikes
— rather than buy new ones, he had to figure out a way to fix them.
It was during this time that he bought his first welder.
Upon graduating high school, he worked as a crane and cold saw operator in a steel service
center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He also studied welding during this time.
Petko started working for OC Choppers in 2003, eventually leaving in 2016 to dedicate more
time to his family and nurture his passions of fabrication and custom metalwork.
As of 2022, Petko lives in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, and is the owner of RPD & Co.,
which specializes in custom chef knives and custom wedding bands.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Nick Hansford's career began when he attended the American
Motorcycle Institute.
After graduating from AMI, Hansford stayed in Florida to build his career and skills
at Pompano Fats and Daytona Choppers.
Hansford met Paul Teutul Sr. at Daytona Bike Week in 2000, and quickly became a part of
the OC Choppers company as a bike servicer and southeast distributor.
Just two years after meeting Teutul, Hansford relocated to New York for family reasons and
ended up working at OC Choppers as a mechanic.
As of 2022, Hansford is married and lives in Virginia with his family.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.