Monday, January 16, 2012

Famous Bike Riders on TV

ByCassandra Picard

Motorcycles are gaining popularity in the American culture and they are now being seen on TV. Though motorcycles have been around for a while there has been a certain stigma related to them. People usually thought that they only people that rode them were "bad boys", but now you can catch people riding them every day. One reason for their popularity is the economic value that they offer customers. This article will look at a few TV shows that showcase motorcycles. Whether they are from years ago or are reality shows, these shows all showcase not only the motorcycle itself but also the culture that surrounds them.

One classic show that was a pioneer in showing a motorcycle is Happy Days. The show aired for over a decade finally ending in 1984. This show was not about the 70s or 80s though. It captured American life during the 50s and 60s. The show was based in Wisconsin and followed the Cunningham family. Happy Days portrayed them as your typical all America family. They take in a former high school dropout, biker Arthur Fonzie. More recognizable as "The Fonz", Fonzie was your typical ladies man. Though the show originally focused on Richie Cunningham and his friends, Fonzie was a favorite of audiences and became a central character as the others changes story lines.

In today's TV era we get a more raw depiction of bike riders and their culture on the drama series Sons of Anarchy. The show is about the relationships between everyone involved in the outlaw motorcycle club. The show takes place in California and follows Jackson "Jax" Teller as he handles his duties of being Vice President but also we see what happens when he begins to question the club and himself. We can see the relationship struggles with the characters but also with the motorcycle club and their rivals.

A lot of shows on Tv are now reality series. So why not make one about the life of motorcycle riders. On the discovery channel or TLC you can catch American Choppers. This reality series follows Paul Teutal, Sr. and Paul Teutal Jr. as they manufacture custom motorcycles. The show focuses on the disagreements between the father/son duo and shows how they often butt heads on their designs. The show then became American Choppers: Senior v. Junior. Paul Teutal Jr. has left the show twice now and is in a legal battle with his father over buying out his shares of Orange County Choppers. He currently owns 20% and him and his father cannot agree on the buyout price so it remains an ongoing battle. The show has since inspired two different video games as well as a fantasy bike contest. During the contest four winners won OCC bikes.

All of these shows portray motorcycle life and culture in a different way. We now know that there is no way to truly categorize this group of individuals because they are all so different. Just like our society the motorcycle world consists of people from all walks of life.

Cassandra Picard
Motorcycles

American Chopper

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