You probably recognize Rick Petko from American
Chopper. He started working at Orange County Choppers
as a fabricator and builder in July 2003, but he's not part of the operation anymore. So, what's Petko up to these days? He got married in 2012 In 2012, Petko married Brittany Cockeram on
an episode of American Chopper. Even though Senior and Junior were feuding
at the time, they still came out for Petko's wedding. Once Petko was married, his priorities began
to shift. Petko and Cockeram welcomed their first daughter,
Everly Rose, in October 2013. Judging by the countless adorable photos of
Everly hanging out on motorcycles on Petko's Instagram profile, it's clear that he's loving
fatherhood and encouraging his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Everly seems to be taking after her father
and looking up to his example. According to Petko, this girl already understands
the need for speed. Petko told Discovery Channel, "If it's got wheels, she says, 'Go!'" "I feel the need, the need for speed." Jumping networks After American Chopper was cancelled in 2012,
OCC wasn't quite done being featured on reality TV. A spinoff of the popular series, simply titled
Orange County Choppers, aired on CMT from 2013 through 2014, and Petko continued on
as a cast member. Orange County Choppers filled a void for dedicated
fans of American Chopper, but the series was short-lived, running for just one season. It was a similar concept to American Chopper
but just didn't carry the same appeal. It wasn't quite the same without Senior and
Junior's fights keeping things interesting. It was nice for fans who weren't quite ready
to say goodbye to Senior, Petko, and the rest of the crew, but it was missing the exciting
dynamics between cast members that made the original so entertaining. Building Shaq's Bike After Orange County Choppers ended, some of
the American Chopper cast members reunited in 2014 for a Discovery Channel special titled
American Chopper: Shaq Bike. Unfortunately, not everyone was back on board
for it. Petko made an appearance, but there was no
sign of Junior. The special was about the crew building a
custom bike for Shaquille O'Neal, and while it was a challenge, the crew really stepped
up. Shaq's custom made bike, nicknamed the "Man
of Steel," turned out to be the biggest in OCC history. This bike featured a 48-inch handlebar, a
6-inch rake, a 23-inch front wheel, and a 20-inch rear wheel. "He's like a little kid that happens to be
seven foot tall." Until the American Chopper revival started
airing, this was the last time viewers saw the crew at OCC appear together onscreen. In following years, Petko made some pretty
serious changes in his life and career. They would take him down a new path that diverged
from the rest of the cast and crew from American Chopper. A long commute Plenty of people can relate to Petko's frustration
with his long commute, which he put up with for years while working at OCC. Three hours in the car each day took away
from time spent with family, enjoying hobbies, or simply relaxing. Fans of American Chopper were well aware of
Petko's extended traveling times, since he mentioned it plenty of times on the show,
and although he pushed through it for over a decade, it clearly began to wear him down. "You know, Rick's one of those guys, he doesn't
really say a lot. But every day, he drives to OCC about two
hours each way from Pennsylvania." One reason that Petko left OCC was because
he wanted to spend less time in his car and more time closer to home, doing what he really
loved and engaging with his local community. It also made life a lot easier for his family. Once American Chopper ended and Petko became
a dad, he began to think seriously about working closer to home. This was always part of his plan, even though
it took several years for him to jump ship from OCC. His own shop In 2016, Petko opened his own fabrication
shop in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson dealership. It all started in December 2015, when Petko
entered a partnership with the dealership's management. According to Petko, they were super enthusiastic
about working together from the moment that he approached them, which took him by surprise. It's rare for American dealerships to include
fabrication work in their shops. Knowing him personally as a hard worker and
a stand up guy, the dealership managers knew that bringing Petko into the business would
be a huge boost. Now, customers can essentially build their
custom dream bikes through the dealership, and Petko's partnership generated publicity. Petko is clearly happy with his new full-time
gig and the possibilities that it presents. Petko told the Pocono Record: "It has really anything we need to make anything
for anyone's Harley. If they can dream it up, we can build it. That's the main goal." Other business Petko's talents are not limited to working
on bikes. He has plenty of other interests, and now
that he is not working full time for OCC, he has more time to spend on outside pursuits. Petko's shop, RPD & Co., runs out of his home. Through his shop, Petko does metalwork, handforging,
and custom knifework. As Petko explains on his personal website,
he was originally interested in metalwork long before going on TV. Yes, his true passion is building motorcycles,
but that's not all he loves to do. He actually went to welding school. Eventually, he went to work as an industrial
contractor, relining kilns and furnaces for a living. Now, his business specializes in handmade
culinary knives, and he takes custom orders. He often shares recent knifework that he's
proud of on Instagram. "I was actually coming up with a new blade shape. I was going for something like a train, a high-speed train." Custom wedding bands Petko's latest project is creating custom
wedding bands for RPD & Co. customers. Wedding bands are the perfect opportunity
for him to get creative with his metalwork. Petko only takes custom orders for wedding
bands, working with customers to create a band that is a symbol of their love. There's no doubt that it would cost a little
extra to hire Petko for a custom wedding band, but for big fans of American Chopper who like
his artistic style, it might be worth the price. After all, a wedding band is meant to last
for life. "Um actually I did. I was coming up with actually a new blade
shape when this situation came up. I was going for something almost like a train,
like a high-speed train." Second daughter arrives Petko and Cockeram's second child, Lucy, was
born in 2016. Like her older sister Everly, she seems to
love hanging out in the bike shop and spending time with her dad. Petko supports his daughters by encouraging
them in one of their favorite sports, taekwondo. Petko is enthusiastic about fatherhood and
putting his family first. Viewers of American Chopper will remember
that he was always one of the most down-to-earth members of the cast. He kept his head down, focused on his work,
and prioritized what really mattered. It's likely that his new responsibilities
as a father were one of the reasons he keeps a lower profile these days. Spending time with his wife and daughters
is clearly number one on his list, and being a reality TV star isn't always conducive to
being a family man. Shunning the spotlight Petko is a relatively private person. Anyone who watched American Chopper will know
that he was never in it for the fame and fortune. He was just along for the ride, and he was
never too attached to the idea of becoming a bona fide "reality TV star." He does his job for the love of it, as evidenced
by the fact that he has continued in the same line of work even after the cameras stopped
rolling. He shows no signs of stopping. The very qualities that made Petko so endearing
to audiences, like his laid back, low maintenance attitude in comparison to other reality TV
stars, is probably why he's not vying to be in front of the camera anymore. He doesn't crave the attention. He's had a pretty good run on the small screen,
and now, he's happy to turn over a new leaf and seek out different opportunities. Petko told the Pocono Record of his time on
American Chopper: "That was great while it lasted, but it still
wasn't the core of what I was about or what I like to do." Sons of Speed Even so, Petko appeared on the web series
Sons of Speed for the Motor Trend network in 2017. The series followed Billy Lane, who also builds
motorcycles, and his good friend Xavier Murray, in their quest to revive the era of board
track racing. Lane is an avid collector of motorcycle engines
built in the early 20th century, and his goal is to restore them and bring them back to
the race track. In Sons of Speed, Lane and Murray were preparing
for an upcoming race at the New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. It's a limited series of only two episodes,
so fans of American Chopper looking for similar shows can easily finish watching it in one
night. Petko's part in the show involved working
on a specific bike for Lane. He was interested in the project because it
meant that he would get to work with older bikes, which has always been one of his passions. Petko said, "I've always had a thing for older bikes. It's like a resurgence, it seems like, with
a lot of people just wanting to bring back these bikes. To go a hundred miles per hour on a hundred
year old bike is kind of cool." The miniseries was a relatively low key commitment,
which is probably another reason why Petko chose to partake. Sitting out the revival After being off the air for several years,
American Chopper returned to the Discovery Channel with a brand new season in 2018. A full decade after their business partnership
crumbled, Senior and Junior were running their own shops, but they were finally ready to
set aside their differences and work together on camera again. "The biggest issue me and Paulie had was working
together. So working on this Yankee bike is a little
strange. It kinda brings back some bad memories." Longtime fans were definitely excited to see
many of their old favorite cast members, but not everyone returned for the revival. Petko was notably missing from the two most
recent seasons, and while there is always a chance that he could make a surprise appearance,
he hasn't hinted at it, and it seems unlikely. He's got a lot on his plate right now, and
it seems like he would rather just keep the door closed on American Chopper. Petko's fans will always be able to check
in on him and see what he's been working on, but when he said that reality TV was not his
major objective, he meant it. We'll never say never. It's not unthinkable that Petko could pay
a visit to his friends at OCC one day while the cameras are rolling. But for now, it's safe to say that American
Chopper is behind him. Races and bike shows Petko may not be on TV anymore, but fans who
want to see what he's up to can easily catch him on Instagram. He's very open about his latest projects and
updates on his family life. While he is clearly very involved with his
own community in Stroudsburg, he also has plenty of work commitments all around the
country. Petko travels for bike shows and races, and
when possible, he likes to bring his family along with him. For example, in October 2018, he shared that
he was traveling down to the Tennessee Motorcycle Revival to show his Indian racer in the Bling's
Cycles Bike Show and ride the bike in the Flathead race. Petko has also shared that he is looking forward
to participating in the Sons of Speed event again. He's always updating his fans on new bikes
that he's working on and whether or not he'll be getting them out on the track. He knows that although his audience can't
tune in to see him on TV anymore, they are still interested in the bikes that he's constructing
and where he's headed next. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
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