Thru the Lens: Mayor Bloomberg and Paul Jr. unveil custom-built 9/11 Memorial motorcycle

9/11 Memorial chair and mayor Michael Bloomberg joined 9/11 Memorial president Joe Daniels and Paul Teutul, Jr. of Discovery Channel's "American Chopper" to unveil a custom-built motorcycle commissioned by 9/11 Memorial board member Daniel Tishman, chairman of Tishman Construction and vice chairman of AECOM. The bike was built to commemorate the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and was unveiled at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. In addition to the bike unveiled today, Paul Jr. Designs will build another bike inspired by the World Trade Center bike and donated by Tishman to support the Memorial through a raffle. "This incredible custom-made bike represents one of the proudest moments in our city's history: the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site," Bloomberg said. "There will be a lot of people out there who want the chance to own a work of art like this one - and that will help support the 9/11 Memorial and make sure it continues to welcome people from all over the world who want to honor those we lost. Thanks to Dan Tishman and Paul Jr. for their creativity and hard work." "Everyone remembers the devastation of September 11th, but coming down here now and seeing the triumph of the rebuilding and the magnificent Memorial honoring those who were killed, is truly inspirational," said Paul Jr. "I've built some incredible bikes to commemorate events, but few have the significance and meaning of this one." "As a fan of 'American Chopper' I'd seen the incredible work that Paul Jr. had done and was fortunate enough to see up close and in person some of the amazing bikes he's built," said Tishman, "After showing him around the World Trade Center site, I knew that what he'd do to commemorate the rebuilding would be truly magnificent and he certainly didn't disappoint. I'm so glad that some lucky person out there will have a chance to own and drive a Paul Jr. bike." "Dan Tishman and Paul Jr. have found a truly special way to commemorate the remarkable rebuilding effort at the World Trade Center," 9/11 Memorial president Joe Daniels said. "Since the public opening of the Memorial on September 12th, we've welcomed tens of thousands visitors, and we are grateful for Dan and Paul's generous support, which will help sustain this historic site." Tishman Construction, an AECOM Company, the builder of the original World Trade Center, commissioned the bike unveiled today to commemorate their work building the new World Trade Center towers 1, 3 and 4, transportation hub, vehicle security center, and retail spaces. The bike unveiled today, built by Paul Jr., will be featured on the Discovery Channel's series, "American Chopper" on November 14 and 21. The donated bike raffle begins today and runs through Jan. 20. Raffle tickets are available online at 911memorial.org. The tickets are also available at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. and the 9/11 Memorial Visitor Center at 90 West St. All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.