Posted on 02/10/2010 12:48:20 PM PST by martin_fierro
TLC's 'American Chopper' reaches end of the road 54 minutes ago
(AP:NEW YORK) "American Chopper" is riding off into the sunset.
The popular TLC series based on the feuding Teutul family and their custom-built motorcycle business is going off the air after six seasons. TLC said Wednesday that the final episode will air Thursday.
The end isn't a surprise. Paul Teutul and his son, Paul Jr., have frequently fought on the air. The son recently left the New York-based Orange County Choppers to start his own business, and the two are in a court dispute over money.
The network said that "the show has always been about building one-of-a-kind bikes and the drama of running a family business. The Teutuls will always be part of the Discovery family and we congratulate them on a tremendously successful series run."
And while we’re at it, let’s look at reliability surveys. The Brits use their bikes harder and more often than we do, statistically, so here’s Ride UK’s survey results from 2004 on reliability by brand. ( http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/2004-09-08101210MWEBMP.htm )
1. BMW (90%)
2. Honda (89.2%)
3. Yamaha (85.5%)
4. Triumph (84%)
5. Suzuki (83.2%)
6. Kawasaki (82.8%)
7. MZ (81.3%)
8. Harley-Davidson (80.1%)
9. Aprilia (77.1%)
10. KTM (74%)
11. Buell (72.2%)
12. Cagiva (70.5%)
13. Ducati (69.1%)
14. Moto Guzzi (68.8%)
15. CCM (63.8%)
What!?! There are homsosexuals on Project Runway? Are you sure? Wow, that changes my whole outlook about that show.
I loved my Sportster...did transfer a lot of vibration to the bars though..(2000 rigid mount 883)....other than that...and never in the shop. Had my Softail Standard since 2003 (both bought new)...it has never had a wrench on it other than oil changes...
I have some (indirect) experience with a similar show. What the producers do is antagonize both parties to build the friction. So they turn mild disputes into major problems, they get all the information they can from everyone and use it to get someone’s goat.
With a lot of money on the line - the show must pay well after 6 seasons but even more so selling T-shirts and bikes - after 6 years of the pressure it is not surprising if one or the other would snap. Now I haven’t seen too many of these episodes, but in any case of any family business the son probably needs to step out from under his father’s shadow after he learns his ‘chops’.
This time, it really is.
[sort of]
:)
I know numerous Harley riders in the city with no problems. I rode down to Mississippi with a guy who has two FXR Superglide IIs that have ungodly miles on them... and never been apart. He has what I call the book ends: A 1982 and a 1991, which are the first and last years made.
Since his '82 is a Shovelhead, I asked him how it was possible that he never had to rebuild it or how he never got stuck on the side of the road... I could see the irritation in his face over that question. He claims that his runs so well because he doesn't touch it, and that Harley got a bad reputation because people who buy them like to tinker with them like they're Indian Larry or something, but they don't know what they are doing.
I have no idea what this Iron Butt crap you speak of is.
My grandparents live in Dallas. (American Airlines made them move from NY) I know Dallas, and it is no NYC.
I’m not a Harley fanatic, but I have owned several of them both AMF and Evo. When I see someone calling them junk I know I am dealing with either a fool or a liar or both. BMW also has a high failure rate with far more catastrophic failures, yet I don’t hear the chorus deriding their overpriced, hub-blowing junk.
“that’s because we don’t have any BMW riders that say their bike is better just ‘cuz its a *BMW* :P “
Really? That’s a new one to me. BMW riders can be even worse than HD guys. LOL! Ever been to one of their rallies? Just as much arrogance as the HD crowd. And all the GSes that never touch pavement? ROTFL. The BMW GS... the Hummer of the motorcycle world.
i meant on FR.. at least i haven’t seen any. :)
Well as far as I’m concerned the best motorcycle in the world is the one I’m riding now. Whatever that is. Frankly I’ve never had a bike that wasn’t a hoot. The infighting is silly which is why I avoid groups.
Hear hear. I have a Kawasaki, Ducati and a Harley (bought in that order) right now. Wish I could clone myself to ride all three. Each one has their good points.
If I had to keep just one, I’d probably keep the Kawi—my model was only brought to the US for 2 years (W650) and I’ve never seen another one on the road. Also it is probably the best all-arounder of the 3.
Since I'm well over 6 foot tall, the position I was forced to sit in was uncomfortable as best, painful at times.
However, after that ride, I can definitely understand why people like to ride them, and sport bikes in general. I'll always be a cruiser kinda guy myself, though.
As long as it has two wheels, though, enjoy what you ride.
I bought one of the original Kwacker W2SS-650s in Japan in 1970 and brought it to the States. It was a copy of the pre-unit BSA 650. I rode the living p*** out of it, at least 60K miles, before it finally backfired through the carbs and burned up. The compression was so bad by then that I could start it by hand. If BSA had built their bikes as reliably they would probably still be around. It is funny that the best retro-60s motorcycle, that truly represented the era, was built by Kawasaki. The new Triumph Bonneville is 100 pounds heavier than the old ones. I’d take the Kwacker over it any day. LOL!
Ugh, yeah the 996 is made for pretzel people. I have a Monster and stubby legs (despite being 6 foot), so it actually fits me pretty well. It handles awesome and definitely doesn’t sound like much else on the road.
Cruisers are fun too, kicking back, eating up the miles in relative comfort.
Cool, would love to have ridden one of those. I always have old-timers coming up to me at gas stations talking about Triumphs or BSAs when I ride it. They are usually shocked it is a 2000 model. And a Kawasaki. LOL, I definitely think they nailed the retro look better than Triumph.
I almost always kick-start it too. Most car drivers seem kind of curious when I do that at the pumps.
When you have to go fumbling through the net to find subjective and anonymous claims from overseas that counter the overwhelming consensus from actual long term owners in the forum you're on, you come off as a bit unhinged.
You stated at the start that you wanted to try out the Harley "experience".
That sounds an awful lot like a guy who's hoping to get laid if he buys a Harley, not someone who's researched the pros and cons of the product, and now you're screaming that you expected it to be as nuance free as a Hyundai.
Next time you get an urge to splurge, call a concrete contractor, and pour yourself a sidewalk.
*Don't forget to apply for a permit*
That’s because nobody on this thread has praised them and it’s not about BMW (last I checked, American Chopper didn’t build BMWs). However, yeah, if we have a BMW thread, I’ll bitch about the hubs, the strange brakes and the clunky transmissions that BMWs come with.
However, fact of the matter is that BMWs, despite their problems, still have a lower failure rate than Harleys.
Nice, but wrong. If I were buying vehicles to get laid, my Jaguars would do that quite nicely - not to mention attracting a much better class of lady - however, that’s not why I have them. I did my research, plunked down my cash, and expected to get a motorcycle. What I got was some BS about a lifestyle and a bike that was in the shop most of the time.
I’d love to post US reliability reports, but there don’t seem to be any (other than J.D. Powers, and since they’re pulling a Climategate these days and refusing peer review of data they are inherently suspect). Ride UK and MCN seem to be the only ones compiling data and polling people (a la Consumer Reports) so that’s what you get if you’re looking for data. Go look for yourself, I’ll wait.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.