Who rides a Vespa?

If professional wrestling is touted as the soap opera for men, then I say that American Chopper - The Series (check Discovery Channel Asia for airtime sched), is THE reality TV for men. There are no strong female leads in this show; it’s all about Teutul patriarch and his son who runs a business creating custom motorcycles (aka choppers) in their workshop called Orange County Choppers. It’s an interesting watch with all the conflicts, shouting (courtesy of Paul Sr.) and sulking (courtesy of Paul Jr. aka Paulie) as they rush to meet deadlines in creating one-of-a-kind custom choppers. The original idea for the show is to focus on the two Pauls but his youngest son (Mikey) proved to be popular with the show’s fans with his witty comebacks and comic relief. His presence is said to have a calming effect on his dad, who almost never shows the same kind of frustration he feels for Paulie.

Though the family are known for their custom bikes, the two Teutul siblings have also been spotted riding scooters, with Mikey seen a on one more than a couple of times in the show. On the latest TV spot promoting the show’s transfer to TLC this coming January 18 (in the US at least), Mikey appeared on a Vespa while the rest of the family stuck with their own creation. See the clip below (thanks to Steve of thescooterscoop.com for the heads-up on this one).

Cool! No matter how funny or oddly unfamilar it looks, a Teutul riding Vespa just need to be profiled so here goes.

rider: Michael Joseph Teutul
also known as: Mikey
ride: a vintage Vespa
homebase: Orange County, New York
job: TV Celebrity; answer phone calls, pickup parts, pop bubble wrap and take out trash trash (if you want to put labels, he’s secretary and custodian) over at OCC.
But when asked what he does on the show, he replied: “I get you guys ratings.”

more about the rider: People get surprised when they see Mikey on a scooter but when asked why he does, he said he likes riding scooters and only have good things to say about them. Vintage Vespas are never known to be speed demons, so how did he manage to keep up with the two choppers in the video above? Watch the ad again and notice that Mikey was in fact in on his own chopper but shown on a Vespa just before his name was flashed up until his grand TLC entrance up on stage with his scoot.

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Here’s another TV spot to promote the “American Chopper - Europe Special.” The family were portrayed as giants out to conquer and modify popular European landmarks and symbols. The Teutuls actually looked smug when they finished until one noisy, little Wasp halted by Paul. Sr.’s feet causing his familiar moustache to twitch.

Mikey for President!^*

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J0HNRANA

john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com