Discovery Chopper @ JSC Houston (MAJOR 56K WARNING )

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Discovery Chopper @ JSC Houston (MAJOR 56K WARNING )

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:30:28 AM EDT

While at lunch today we decided to stop in at JSC Houston (the Lyndon Baines Johnson Space Center or NASA) here in South Houston. They have the Discovery Chopper that OCC did for the latest crew/mission. Its on display until tommorow

so if you are in the area and like bikes.....your time is almost up. For the rest of you scumbags I decided to photodocument the trip. The resolution was alot higher but you'd been really pissed if I posted to originals. Lots of details on this bike....the only thing was the barricade was kind of an obstruction.
Enjoy!

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:34:40 AM EDT

[#1]

'bout time they did a custome down tube.

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:36:04 AM EDT

[#2]

how much did that cost the US tax payer?

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:37:49 AM EDT

[#3]

Heard it was along the lines of $100k plus.

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:38:37 AM EDT

[#4]

That's actually pretty cool. More than I can say for some of the uninspired crap that everyone raves about.

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:39:50 AM EDT

[#5]

THAT THING IS STUPID! (and not in the good way)

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:47:06 AM EDT

[#6]

Thats the first chopper i've seen thats kinda cool.

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:54:29 AM EDT

[#7]

Hey A-nus,
If you don't like the thread then find another and stop bashing this one.
BTW, you have visited at least a couple times to not be liking it

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:56:12 AM EDT

[#8]

I love the little wings and the tips on the exhaust. That's cool.

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:57:12 AM EDT

[#9]

how to easily resize a picture to post

Posted: 8/25/2005 10:57:21 AM EDT

[#10]

Mixed response.

The details are simply fantastic but overall kinda leaves me

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:02:38 AM EDT

[#11]

I'm not an OCC fan for reasons like those coming, so this might hurt a little:

The foam handgrips are ugly, and their going to be rock hard after a little time in the weather.
The memorial (or whatever the hell that is) replacement for downtubes is obnoxious looking, and kind of gimmicky.
The NASA rear view is obstrusive.
The fuel tank/cockpit thing is getting old.
The wings on the bottom of the bike will either get scaped to hell, fall off, or highside the bike if the rider decides that cornering is fun.
The gap between the seat and the rear fender is pretty stupid on a rigid.
A regular billet shift linkage would have looked better than it's current configuration as an advertising canvas.
The pipes are going to get scraped.
A strutless rear fender would've looked nicer, as would the lack of a horizontal stabilizer (also getting old)
Either the lighting is bad, or they need to consider the use of double walled pipes.

This is all opinion, not fact - so simma dahn naw!

Their stuff just has to many bolt on gimicks, for my taste. I suppose that's innevitable with "theme" bikes. I'm not impressed.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:09:05 AM EDT

[#12]

Looks like a stormtrooper with wheels.

No my bag of tea but I can appreciate what they were trying to achieve.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:15:39 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Hey A-nus,
If you don't like the thread then find another and stop bashing this one.
BTW, you have visited at least a couple times to not be liking it

Hey quijanos, don't take my distain for a hokey piece of shit, which is a poor tribute to the Discovery crew, by a bunch of HACKS that seek profit and exposure off a tragedy, personal, just cause you like it. It's just my opinion.

And I’ll be checking back every 10min just to piss you off

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:18:12 AM EDT

[#14]

Looks like shit, just random items thrown together.

Isnt to creative in the least.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:20:51 AM EDT

[#15]

looks like a new future episode to watch.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:24:32 AM EDT

[#16]

sweet!

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:28:35 AM EDT

[#17]

The wheels look like a model we had in grade school to show us what orbit was.

All in all, I'd be afraid people would laugh at me if I took it through town.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:30:20 AM EDT

[#18]

I thinkthe down tube is the only item that gets props to me.

I have quit watching OCC once it went to a script.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:33:28 AM EDT

[#19]

I suppose it's kinda cool, but it seems to me that putting your logo on something that is supposed to be a memorial is in bad taste.

ETA: Personally, I odn't care for OCC, but the guys they use for paint always do good work. This bike is no exception. The detail is impressive.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:40:43 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
I'm not an OCC fan for reasons like those coming, so this might hurt a little:

<snip>

Like this thing is ever going to be ridden anywhere. It's a neat concept, and an interesting tribute, but I'm ready to tee the end of the poser chopper fad. Motorcycles should be ridden, not displayed like trophies. You want a trophy, take up bowling. You want a motorcycle? Buy or build one that's meant to ride. I think that OCC bikes, generally speaking, are completely uninspired technically. Sure, they do some sort of neat stuff aesthetically, but mechanically the bikes are absurdly crude, especially considering what they charge for their stuff. Although, anymore, I'm sure OCC/WCC make a hell of a lot more selling stickers t-shirts at Wal*Mart than they ever will selling motorcycles.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:41:20 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Hey A-nus,
If you don't like the thread then find another and stop bashing this one.
BTW, you have visited at least a couple times to not be liking it

Hey quijanos, don't take my distain for a hokey piece of shit, which is a poor tribute to the Discovery crew, by a bunch of HACKS that seek profit and exposure off a tragedy, personal, just cause you like it. It's just my opinion.

And I’ll be checking back every 10min just to piss you off

In case you were wondering......I don't exactly care for the bike myself. But you don't have to be an Anus about it. Normally if I were to make a comment with half the sarcasim that you've deployed then I'd have my account threatened, thread locked and multiple IM's flying so as to correct my posture on the site. But I digress. If your mission is to piss people off then go for it. You'll run up the wrong person one day and we'll read about you in the paper (or here). So infact you are/were wrong all along about me. I haven't taken anything personal about the bike, as I stated it doesn't really do anything for me . . . but I had access to it and sharing it here for the rest. I can't help it if you live in a nothing shit place w/ no future and nothing else to offer except negativity. Bashing posts is for pussies but if thats what gives you wood, then more power to you.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:43:06 AM EDT

[#22]

A few of my friends and I sent OCC a note asking them to do a tribute bike for the shuttle/space program after we lost the 107 crew. We got a canned response. When they first started coming to JSC , we thought that maybe they had actually recieved our letter. Turns out, someone beat us to the punch. I had hoped that they, and NASA, would have found a way to pay respects to the men and women that have given their lives for the program(from the start) and the country. That is what we wanted. I realize that the bike is sort of a tribute, but it falls very short IMO. HO HUM. Normally, the fallen crew members are represented by stars in flight patches or something to that effect. how freaking hard would that have been?

Wanted to add a very big thank you to quijanos for posting the pics though. This was my first time to see it.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:49:18 AM EDT

[#23]

Relax, it's a theme bike, not something meant to be ridden. NASA and the Discovery Channel have a very "cooperative' working relationship. One brings attention to the other and NASA must have wanted to bring attention to the Discovery crew through an outlet that would get more attention from the average Joe Sixpack.

That being said, I don't really care for it overall. Nice bits that come up short as a whole.

I'm not one for choppers anyway. Poser machines. People who are gritty enough to actually ride their bikes for distances over a few hundred miles get kudos for having the gump to take the abuse. Other than that, much ado about nuthin'.

Give me a comfortable long-hauler any time. If I want to suffer for my passions I'll take fewer Ibuprofen. Besides, I rode a klR 650 for the past three years, I know pain man.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:53:31 AM EDT

[#24]

Just my .02 ....

To start with, yes, the OCC crew are a pain to watch at times...

They are not hacks.. they are just what you see, guys who build bikes and make a living.. quite a good living, or so I am told.

All of you "so called bikers" dont like anything unless it is black and chrome etc etc... get a clue folks. THEY ARE BUILDING THEME BIKES.

Dont get it???

It is supposed to reflect a THEME... NOT BE A DAILY RIDER. This is a trailer queen first last and always. And like it or not, people will come to see it and gawk and that generates buzz and interest in THAT SUBJECT.

That is the OBJECT of building this bike. NASA is apparently trying to generate buzz. 100k is a fart in a windstorm to NASA if it generates good PR for them and the space program.

So... just chill out, it is rolling motorized loud billboard for NASA.

NOT something you ride 1200 miles to Sturgis with.

Dram out

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:54:34 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

And I’ll be checking back every 10min just to piss you off

Definition of a

Congrats.

Posted: 8/25/2005 11:58:29 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
how much did that cost the US tax payer?

Nothing

The Houston Chronicle had an article on Tuesday stating a JSC Flight Controller lend a fund raiser to pay for the bike. They are still about $45K short. The total amount is to cover both the cost of the bike along with insurance, upkeep, etc.

Posted: 8/25/2005 12:09:02 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Just my .02 ....

To start with, yes, the OCC crew are a pain to watch at times...

They are not hacks.. they are just what you see, guys who build bikes and make a living.. quite a good living, or so I am told.

All of you "so called bikers" dont like anything unless it is black and chrome etc etc... get a clue folks. THEY ARE BUILDING THEME BIKES.

Dont get it???

It is supposed to reflect a THEME... NOT BE A DAILY RIDER. This is a trailer queen first last and always. And like it or not, people will come to see it and gawk and that generates buzz and interest in THAT SUBJECT.

That is the OBJECT of building this bike. NASA is apparently trying to generate buzz. 100k is a fart in a windstorm to NASA if it generates good PR for them and the space program.

So... just chill out, it is rolling motorized loud billboard for NASA.

NOT something you ride 1200 miles to Sturgis with.

Dram out

well said

Posted: 8/25/2005 12:10:47 PM EDT

[#28]

Looks like a freeze frame of an exploding space shuttle

Posted: 8/25/2005 12:18:38 PM EDT

[#29]

Ok you knuckleheads, The Discovery is the space shuttle they just recently sent up. It was the Challenger that blew up and the Columbia that broke apart up upon re-entry. So the critcism of being a stupid memorial or in bad taste is one of complete ignorance. This is a tribute bike, not a memorial bike.

Having said that, this bike looks kind of cute with the little space shuttles on the wheels and such.

You got to hand to OCC for carving out a niche market making corporate theme art bikes.

Posted: 8/25/2005 12:21:41 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
And I’ll be checking back every 10min just to piss you off

This ^^ is the definition of a troll. You may not wish to do that.

Posted: 8/25/2005 12:33:48 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Just my .02 ....

To start with, yes, the OCC crew are a pain to watch at times...

They are not hacks.. they are just what you see, guys who build bikes and make a living.. quite a good living, or so I am told.

All of you "so called bikers" dont like anything unless it is black and chrome etc etc... get a clue folks. THEY ARE BUILDING THEME BIKES.

Dont get it???

It is supposed to reflect a THEME... NOT BE A DAILY RIDER. This is a trailer queen first last and always. And like it or not, people will come to see it and gawk and that generates buzz and interest in THAT SUBJECT.

That is the OBJECT of building this bike. NASA is apparently trying to generate buzz. 100k is a fart in a windstorm to NASA if it generates good PR for them and the space program.

So... just chill out, it is rolling motorized loud billboard for NASA.

NOT something you ride 1200 miles to Sturgis with.

Dram out

well said

I agree. My 10-year old and I watch the show because we enjoy it (the fighting, the building, etc.) Even he understands that the bike is just for show.
For those that watched the episode where they built the Miller Electric bike (with the trailer-mounted welder), a local welding shop here had the opportunity to display the bike at it's shop. I must say that the bike is really cool to see in person and allows you to see a lot of the details up close.

Posted: 8/25/2005 1:57:33 PM EDT

[#32]

I was wrong about the memorial, but it is still an ugly cheesy bike, even for a theme bike it is hokey and obvious, the only way they could make it worse would be if the cargo doors opened up to reveal a glove box.

It's terrible.

Quijanos, I’m sorry you wear you heart on your sleeve, and my statement that "this bike is stupid" (which it is) ruined your posting experience here at ar15

Posted: 8/25/2005 2:59:13 PM EDT

[#33]

Your reading comprehension sucks

Posted: 8/25/2005 9:01:02 PM EDT

[#34]

... I never watched those chopper build-off or OCC shows until everyone asked me if I did during the build of my chopper last winter.

... After awhile I would put it on while I was wrenching mine together.

... One thing I noticed is that they never covered the tedious, technical or boring parts that are also required to turn a bike from a box of bolts & parts into a running machine.