Wichita, Kan. – Thousands of Orange County Chopper fans lined the streets of Wichita, Kan. on Feb. 6, to witness the guys from Orange County Choppers unveil their latest creation: the Viega Chopper. The famous Teutul family trio – Paul Sr., Paulie and Mikey, presented the custom-built chopper to Viega CEO Dan Schmierer, following a VIP reception and parade down Main Street in Wichita.

The Viega chopper is a one-of-a-kind motorcycle that reflects Viega’s dedication to the plumbing and heating industry. The bike features Viega’s signature colors of black and yellow, and incorporates copper and stainless steel Viega ProPress® fittings into its design. The Viega Chopper is a unique branding tool that will travel to trade shows across North America throughout 2008. In fact, next week, it will be at the CMX-CIPHEX show in Toronto, Canada.

Tune in next Thursday night, March 20 at 9 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. CST on The Learning Channel (TLC) to see the making of the Viega Orange County Chopper on the hit series “American Chopper.” Check local listings for the channel in your area.

THE VIEGA/OCC PARTNERSHIP:
Before there was a bike, there was a business connection. Orange County Choppers were starting to build their new 92,000 square-foot world headquarters in Newburgh, N.Y., and their contractor on the job chose to use Viega ProPress copper fittings for the plumbing systems in this new building. Installer and owner of Orange County Sheet Metal Larry Krug said, “I am the leading ‘green’ contractor in the northeast. I install the highest quality most progressive systems available, so Viega ProPress made sense on this project.”

The revolutionary ProPress system is a copper press joining method that is fast, easy and safer to use than the traditional, time-consuming method of soldering. Designed for potable water and hydronic heat applications, Krug installed ¾” to 2 ½” Viega fittings in the new OCC World Headquarters. He said, “Soldering all the fittings in this job would have taken too long -– I would estimate the ProPress system saved my crew at least ten days of work.”

From this initial contact, came the idea to partner with the OCC guys to build a Viega Custom Chopper –- creating a motorcycle equal in quality and technology to Viega’s own plumbing and heating products.

About Viega:
For more than 100 years, Viega has been manufacturing and supplying the highest quality plumbing and heating products in the world. Known for innovative offerings such as the ProPress® system, ProRadiant heating, ViegaPEX™ tubing, and the MANABLOC® water distribution manifold, Viega is taking industrial, commercial and residential plumbing and heating to the next level. With an in-house research and development department, and a commitment to listening to our customers, Viega offers the most consumer and installer-friendly systems available.