chopper shows -- have they jumped the shark?
 

Seems like everybody's dog is building a chopper. Have they jumped the shark, or do people still watch the crap?

They jumped after the first season.

In related news, Billy Zane surrendered himself to the Melbourne FL police today to answer charges of Manslaughter.

AFJ

I hope they've jumped. All of the custom building cars/bikes stuff is crap to me. It might be interesting if it was more about the craft and less about people arguing and drama.

I read that Zane had a BAL of .192. Ouch.

Who is Billy Zane?

I like his bikes

http://www.dvdfever.co.uk/reviews/phantom.jpg


ROFL!

OK, I think he means Billy Lane, who was drunk off his ass driving his pickemup. He crossed the double-yellow trying to pass two cars and completely splattered a guy riding his scooter in the other direction.

Manslaughter is all he got booked for, eh? Lane should be shot, hung, castrated, and then shot again. He's already waiting on a DUI trial in NC.

Yes.

I watched for a year or so (OC Choppers, Biker Build Off, etc), but found myself more and more being repulsed by the build quality of the bikes. Not to mention they are all function follows form, and as an engineer/machinist, I can't handle that.

I also get a kick when they show a custom wheel being machined on a CNC mill, and talk about how a set of wheels costs $10,000 or so.

Please, send that work to me. I'll gladly machine those wheels all day long for $10K a set.

I think they have jumped the shark too. Years ago.


Billy's Hubless Chopper is probably the only bike I ever really stopped and took notice of.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1159272116.jpg

Jumped the shark for sure. Can the builds get anymore fugly?

Shark.

I watched a few OCC shows, but quickly lost interest.
Same with Overhauled.

I recognize that Paul Jr. and Foose both have talent in their respective fields, but neither their particular style nor the shows in general hold my interest. I would much rather watch a program that is really a "how to" than a program that is a "look at us".

But even the current shows that profess themselves to be "how to", like CCR, 2Guys, Trucks, etc. are very lacking in detail.

I guess I should just face the fact that TV=entertainment and TV=/=educational.

Yeah, they are more of the same-old same-old. Even choppers by the likes of Big dog, Ironhorse, etc. are fairly commonplace at bike nights.

The 2 builders whom I admire are Matt Hoch and...Izuro??(that isn't right, but he is the japanese guy based in Las Vegas IIRC--his bikesa re all old-school-- true works of art.

Shinya Kimura, formerly of Zero Engineering based in Vegas and Japan, now running an operation in Cali known as Chabott Engineering.

that's him. His bikes are magnificent.

BTW the word on Billy-boy:

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060926/NEWS01/609260328

TANJ - $15k bail my ass!

Jumped. I still like an occasional dose of OCC, mind you, (Shelby bike looks pretty sweet so far) but even that show jumped when it started taking me on "field trips" with the guys to go shoot quail or gramma's birthday or whatever.

American Hot Rod never left the dock, AFAIC.

Most of the rest of 'em didn't interest me much from the beginning. Except maybe the first show on Jesse James.

JP

OCC was a soap opera from day one... if you watch Paul Sr closely he looks like he's on the verge of cracking up (laughing) at any moment (as if he is thinking are these people really buying this crap?). I have noticed they have started doing allot of charity work trying redeem (or draw more attention to?) themselves.

Biker build-off is the only show I can stand to watch.., although most of the bikes they build look uncomfortable and marginally functional. For instance the highly stylized gas tanks and the big bore engine combos look like they have a hundred mile range.

I liked the down south bike builder show, they actually showed more about building bikes than shop drama... most likely that's why the show didn't last. Their bikes were butt ugly however they at least showed you how they built them.

Build of bust is self serving steaming pile of monkey dung. They either bring in some poor guy/gall that is totally clueless and stand around ridiculing them while they try to build a bike. Or if they get someone who is mechanically inclined they piss and moan about "t I though you said you haven't done this before?".
As if any of those dolts build any of their bike BY THEMSELVES! They buy a frame from this guy and pre-built engine from that guy and send everything out to be painted by someone else all while having a shop full of cronies to do their grinding/welding/sheet metal for them.

I don't enjoy those shows to much.

But this term, "jump the shark"?
Does it have anything to do with "the Fonz" water ski jumping over a shark in one of the final episodes of "Happy Days"?

If it is, fine, if not, nevermind. :p

Thanks


KT

Exactly.

http://www.jumptheshark.com/about.htm

Oh, these shows are *IN* the shark tank...

OCC - There was a guy that frequented an RX-7 board that I was on. He used to go to Bible Study group with the Tuttles.

He said he was shocked the first time he saw the show because they do not behave like that in person. Especially at church functions.

He said after the show came out they pretty much disapeared from church.