Paul Teutul Jr. returns Memorial Bike to 9/11 memorial

Monday November 26, 2012 5:33 PM By Kirthana Ramisetti

Photo credit: Getty Images | NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 05: Paul Teutul Jr. of the television show "American Chopper" sits on a custom made World Trade Center inspired motorcycle in front of the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site on October 5, 2011 in New York City. The motorcycle was designed by Paul Jr. and was built to commemorate the rebuilding of the World Trade Center Site. Another motorcycle, nearly identical to the one unveiled, will also be built by Paul Jr. and raffled to raise money for the 9/11 Memorial. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Paul Teutul Jr., whose custom motorcycle shops in Newburgh and Rock Tavern were filmed for the popular reality series “American Choppers,” is keeping busy despite his show's recent cancellation.

The famous bike builder was on hand Monday at the 9/11 visitors center in lower Manhattan to celebrate the return of the World Trade Center Memorial Chopper, which was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Sandy.

Teutul had been commissioned to build the the custom motorcycle last year, and its design was inspired by the current World Trade Center site. Among the bike's striking features are "a front wheel crafted from hand-poured glass to evoke the form of the 1 World Trade Center [tower]," and "a ribbed gas tank that parallels the white spire of the [WTC's] transportation hub."

Teutul Jr. originally presented the bike to the visitors center in October 2011 for public display. After the chopper had been damaged from flooding during Hurricane Sandy, Teutul Jr. retrieved it to fix the damage. 

“Recovered the @Sept11Memorial bike. What a mess!" he tweeted earlier in November.

On Monday, Teutul returned the motorcycle to the 9/11 visitors center, where he was joined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. At the event, tweeted a photo of himself with Cuomo and Daniel Tishman, co-chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s board of directors, who had commissioned him to build the custom motorcycle.

Both Teutul Jr. and Cuomo spoke at the event,  and according to a communications representative with the National September 11 Memorial & Musuem, Cuomo spoke about how the restored motorcycle represented New York City's ability to bounce back in the face of adversity.

If you want to see the 9/11 Memorial Bike, tonight's episode of "American Choppers" features Teutul Jr. and his crew working on the custom chopper. 

And with “American Choppers” concluding its 10-year run in December, the bike builder is figuring out his next move. After sharing the spotlight with his father on "Choppers," Teutul Jr. is angling for his own series, tweeting his followers to ask for their support:

"PJD is ready for our own show! If you agree, tell @ChristoDoyle@Discovery #nextgeneration."  

Would you like to see Paul Teutul Jr. get his own reality show? Let us know in the comments!

Photo: Paul Teutul Jr. sits on a custom made World Trade Center inspired motorcycle in front of the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site on Oct. 5, 2011 in New York City.

Tags: Newburgh , Rock Tavern , Paul Teutul Jr. , American Chopper , 9/11 Memorial