It all started with Jesse James and his “Motorcycle Mania” made-for-television documentaries. Then came the “Biker Build-Off” series that introduced us to the likes of Billy Lane, Matt Hotch and the late, great Indian Larry. But nobody has milked the boob tube like those Three Stooges of Custom Bike Building, Paul Sr., Paulie and Mikey Teutul of “American Chopper” fame.
Just how famous are these guys? Well, before that powers-that-be at the Discovery Channel grew tired of grease under their fingernails, it was one of the cable network’s top-rated programs. Now Discovery runs seemingly endless marathons on Alaskan crab fisherman (that’s high-brow?) and the Fightin’ Teutuls have been shipped off to sister channel TLC, where their popularity continues unabated. Hey, these guys do Super Bowl commercials, go riding with Russell Crowe, Jeremy Irons and Ewan McGregor, and have licensed their names and likenesses to Kmart, 7-11, Go Daddy and who-knows-who.
One builder show trying to capture some of that enthusiasm and fan following is “Metric Revolution.” The concept here is a series of build-offs featuring some lesser-known shops, the twist being that all bikes must be “metric,” i.e.non-American, i.e.non Harley-based.
Answering the bell were 18 professional bike builders broken up into Pro Cruiser and Pro Sportbike classes. In addition, four amateur builders were allowed in, competing in a Rookies class. The series kicked off this past April and runs through June on ESPN2. For air times and more info, log on towww.metrictv.com. Casting for season two is underway.