Los Angeles, Calif. – July 18th, 2006 – “Biker Build-Off,” the consistently popular series from Original Productions that made custom bike-building a mass culture phenomenon, is back for its fifth season on Discovery. The first of thirteen new episodes will air August 7th at 9 p.m …then on twelve subsequent Mondays, the last: October 30th 2006.
In season five 26 fabricators will square off in 13 head-to-head competitions. By the time the final detail is applied to the last bikes, these trend-setting builders will have once again set the standard for what makes choppers cool.
We jacked up the Chopper King for more shots of the builds to help promote the series, but they only had shots of one segment, between Hardcore, Michael Prugh and Marcus Walz, so Bikernet augmented this feature with some Girls of Bikernet. Just imagine if the series included bikini-clad mechanics and riders. Too hot.
“In the six years since we started spotlighting chopper culture, we’ve seen how these bike legends as well as hot-shot newcomers connect with a huge, diverse audience,” says “Biker Build-Off” creator Thom Beers, CEO and Executive of Original Productions, and the man who first saw the television appeal of biker competitions. “With each series, we boost the excitement and celebrate the phenomenon even more. Season five will continue that tradition.” Actually, if truth was allowed to surface, Thom picked up the notion for the Build-off from an interview with Bandit during an interview at an Easyriders, Columbus bike show.
“Wait a minute,” Bandit said this morning. “I'm innocent. I'm not taking credit for anything.”
Hugh King – known throughout the gearhead community as “The Chopper King,” thanks to his hands-on involvement as co-executive producer of the “Biker Build-Off” series and director-producer of its predecessor, “Motorcycle Mania” – has again assembled the cream of custom bike builders to compete in “Biker Build-Off.”
Builder Michael Prugh high atop Colorado’s Royal George Bridge guns the custom motorcycle he designed and fabricated for Biker Build Off. Michael is headed 900 miles west to the Laughlin, Nevada River Run where thousands will vote for his creation or that of his competitor, Marcus Walz of Hockenheim, Germany.
As with the previous “Biker Build-Offs,” each builder will be given two weeks to create a custom motorcycle, from the ground up. Although aesthetics are crucial to all the builds, the contest also requires the bikes to work; the builders must ride them as far as 1,000 miles to major bike events, where attendees vote for their favorite.
The stakes, and tension, are raised with the fifth season, however. Each builder/designer will be allowed only one packet of tools to use on the road to the competition, and there will be no follow truck packed with extra equipment. If a bike breaks down and the rider can’t fix it with what he’s carrying, he’s out of the competition.
In three of the Build-Offs the trophy will go to the fastest bike, not the most popular. The contestants in those match-ups will build track and motocross bikes, then go head to head for the top prize.
Also “Biker Build-Off” season 5 will feature a woman builder for the first time and the most multi-cultural, multi-national lineup of artisans ever. But, then, the motorcycle subculture is growing at a ferocious pace.
“Biker Build-Off” has made many custom builders, who once worked in obscurity and were only known to just a handful of dedicated riders, into national celebrities. Their shops are destinations for the millions of biker faithful, and their work is in great demand. A-list Hollywood celebrities, white-collar executives and professionals are among the growing audience for high end, one-of-a-kind bikes.
That mass appeal doesn’t surprise The Chopper King. In his years producing motorcycle competitions – first for Original Prods.’ “Motorcycle Mania” series” and then for “Biker Build-Off” – King has seen how these craftsman connect powerfully with viewers.
“They create kinetic art: sculptures that just happen to go 120 MPH,” King says. “These are the last of the great artisans, guys who can work with their hands. They take metal and shape it, take pipe and bend it, take paint and leather and rubber and refashion it, making each bike unique and special. We once knew how to use our hands, how to use tools; now most of us just know how to push computer keys. Not these guys.”
Viewers of the upcoming season of “Biker Build-Off” will see artisans from across the chopper spectrum. The match-ups this season include:
Discovery Channel, Monday, 9 p.m.
August 7th
Billy Lane, Melbourne, Florida vs. Russell Mitchell, North Hollywood, California. One’s all-American, the other’s British (although he’s gone native in North Hollywood), both are looking to be crowned the undisputed stud muffin of bikerdom.
August 14th
Scott Long, Santa Cruz, California vs. Trevelen, Los Angeles, California. Two of the toughest guys in the business face off in a contest to build the ultimate old-school chopper.
August 21st
Marcus Walz, Hockenheim, Germany vs. Michael Prugh, Rapid City, South Dakota. A pair of the leading designers in the world — One’s from Germany (though he works out of Florida), the other is from Rapid City, SD – seek global domination.
August 28th
Ivy Trosclair, New Orleans, Louisiana vs. Kevin Alsop, Big Bear, California. A small prize winning shop owner in Katrina decimated New Orleans and goes up against a major manufacturer and legend from Big Bear, Calif.
September 4th
Roland Sands, Long Beach, California vs. Jesse Rooke, Huntington Beach, California. Builders are young, both are based in Southern California, and both are convinced they can build the fastest bike. They go head to head in three different style races for the trophy.
September 11th
Ell Pitts, Las Vegas, Nevada vs. Harold Pontarelli, Vacaville, California. Both are big names in the chopper world and neither is comfortable with finishing in second place.
September 18th
Mike Metzger, Temecula, California vs. Larry Linkogle, Lake Elsinore, California. Both men build Motocross bikes, and will subject their creations to awesome long-distance flips and jumps for the gold
September 25th
Detroit Brothers, Detroit, Michigan vs. Jason Kangas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Two rough neck young brothers go up against one of the newest kids on the chopper block. But neither does anything that can be mistaken for child’s play.
October 2nd
Kim Suter, Kansas City, Kansas vs. Gypsy Charro, Houston, Texas. An up-and-coming female bike builder from Texas goes against one of the most established and famous male builders in the mid west.
October 9th
Paul Yaffe, Phoenix, Arizona vs. Dave Perewitz, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. A pair of world famous, veteran builders – one from the Southwest, one from the Northeast – goes handle bar to handle bar.
October 16th
Craig Whitford, Terrell, Texas vs. Mike Long, Montreal, Canada. two of the baddest three wheel trike builders go head to head.
October 23rd
Two young guns, Jason Hart, Indianapolis, Indiana and Brian Klock, Mitchell, South Dakota go mano a mano.
October 30th
Matt Hotch, Fullerton, California vs. Roger Goldammer, Vancouver, Canada. The reigning “Biker Build-Off” champion squares off with the reigning world champion. Matt will run his post war Vincent style bike, while Roger Goldammer runs his very unconventional small, high tech displacement engine against the clock on the Bonneville Salt Flats for the gold.
“These guys are all the top of the top, making the coolest, most coveted machines,” King says of his lucky 13 match-ups. “They know that they have to build bikes that have to be beautiful and they have to work.”
King will be showcasing the competitions on the go-to website for gearheads, and gearhead wannabes: www.chopperking.com.
“Biker Build-Off” is just one of the shows from Original Productions that celebrate mavericks doing challenging work in often impossible circumstances. Other Beers-created shows that showcase extraordinary people in demanding situations include: “Monster Garage,” “Monster House,” and Emmy Award nominated, “Deadliest Seasons,”
