Houston-area fans of the Discovery-channel series American Chopper were in for a treat today:
With a thunderous rumble, the sleek motorcycle, a two-wheeled replica of NASA’s space shuttle, roared to life Monday, and American Chopper ‘s mustached patriarch Paul Teutul Sr. gingerly wheeled his latest theme bike through a tight circle of surging fans.
The rallying point was Space Center Houston, the official visitors complex for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and possibly one of the last places someone might expect to go for the unveiling of a one-of-a-kind motorcycle.
But the gleaming $100,000 Space Shuttle Tribute Bike is both a work of art and a spirited form of modern transportation. Surrounded by an Apollo lunar lander and replicas of space station modules in Space Center Houston’s large display gallery, the motorcycle seemed as much at home as if it were rolling through the streets of Daytona Beach, Fla., during Bike Week.
“We’ve been space cowboys for a long time,” the gruff-voiced Teutul assured a largely aerospace audience.
More on the Space Shuttle Tribute Bike can be found here.
