Biker Battleground Phoenix

Last updated
Biker Battleground Phoenix
Narrated byGreg Berger
Theme music composerRide On by Dierks Bentley
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
Production
Executive producers
  • Bryn Freedman
  • Mark Rains
ProducersBen Wood
David Roma
CinematographyPhil Lott
Editors
  • Erik Christensen
  • Jordan Ackerman
  • Corey Becker
  • Ben Daughtrey
  • Tenna Guthrie
  • Mark Town
  • Terry Southern
Running time45 minutes
Production companyAdjacent Productions
Release
Original network History
Original releaseJuly 1 (2014-07-01) 
August 26, 2014 (2014-08-26)
Related
Biker Build-Off

Biker Battleground Phoenix is a scripted reality television series developed for the History Channel. Narrated by Greg Berger, the series pits five rival bike-builders from Phoenix, Arizona, against each other to see who can design and build the best bike to put an end to their rivalry and smack talking. The first episode aired on Thursday, July 1, 2014, at 10:00 pm.

Contents

Premise

After legendary bike-designer Paul Yaffe finds out his competition is stealing his ideas and seeing his designs in magazines and his rivals posting them on social media, he decides to answer them by issuing a custom bike-building challenge. He believes the only way to get out of this situation is to challenge his rivals to a "real build" and end this smack talk once and for all. Yaffe says, "Let's compete in our own an old-school of craftsmanship battle of hands and creativity. Five identical bikes, lock yourself in your garage, your tools, your hands, your crew and create what you can." Yaffe contacts his four business enemies and meets them in person at the world-famous Hideaway Grill in Cave Creek, Arizona to discuss the terms before going head-to-head on his bike-build challenge.

Throughout the series, these Arizona bike-builders go through a series of struggles; from forging friendships to risking rivalries. Either way, viewers will watch their emotions unfold by getting an up-close and personal look at their skills of craftsmanship that go into making some of the best custom Baggers in the world. The Bagger-style motorcycles are cruisers outfitted with saddlebags on their tail which are ideal for touring, hence the name "baggers". The backdrop of Phoenix was chosen because of how well the baggers are represented by the bike shops who produce their own customized cruisers. This signature style of baggers started out there and the local builders set all the latest trends. [1]

Opening Introduction: (narrated by Greg Berger)

Phoenix, Arizona, the biker-building capital of the world. It's the coliseum of custom motorcycles, the biggest battleground there is. Five rivals who fought their way to the top are about to face off: two old enemies, a billionaire outsider, a young gun with everything to prove, and a rebel artist. Blood rivals will battle it out for ego, money and reputation. Five builders pushed to their limits. A season-long battle waged from shops and garages to the giant stages of the biggest bikes shows in the nation, including the epic rally at Sturgis. Now, there's one more battle and this one is personal.

The Bike Builders

Bike Builder's Throwdown

The terms: Five identical stock bikes that each go to a builder's shop with the doors close. The builders can only spend $5,000 on it, and nobody who doesn't work for them can work on the bike. It's whatever they can do to modify that bike as it sits with what they have to work with. And the only one who can fabricate the bike is the owner, however, it's their decision if they want to involve their crews to help. Bottom line - There's a $5,000 limit and the bikes have to be rideable. The timeline is three months.

Yaffe Challenge Rules:

Results

Builders Vote:
  • 1st Place: Len Edmondson
  • 2nd Place: Paul Yaffe
  • 3rd Place: Brian Jenkins
  • 4th Place: Kody McNew
  • Disqualified: Jon Shope (for using outside help)

Overall Award: (Judges and Students Choice)

  • 1st Place: Paul Yaffe
  • 2nd Place: Kody McNew
  • 3rd Place: Len Edmondson
  • 4th Place: Brian Jenkins
  • Disqualified: Jon Shope

Sturgis Bike Building Contests

Full Throttle "Baddest Bagger" Contest:

The 26th Annual Rat Hole Custom Bike Show:

"Best of Show" Award: Brian Jenkins

Buffalo Chip "Supreme Sturgis Showdown":

Rules/Judges: Five motorcycle industry experts evaluate the bikes for "form", "fit" and "finish".

Results

People's Choice Award: John Shope - "Chrome King"

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Real Throwdown"July 1, 2014 (2014-07-01)
In the season premiere, master motorcycle builder Paul Yaffe, who specializes in the bagger-style bike is threatened by four of his younger rivals in the Phoenix-area. After finding out some builders are stealing his ideas and his biggest rival, John Shope redesigns a former customer of Yafee's bagger, (2012 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide) and shows up to his shop to brag, Yafee wants to put an end to all the smack talk, so he issues an all-out bike building throwdown. Also, rebel bike-builder Brian Jenkins turns a 2013 Harley-Davidson Sportster Seventy-Two into a custom sports bagger for his friend's charity for breast cancer and unveils it at the Dirty Dogg Saloon.
2"Race to Daytona"July 8, 2014 (2014-07-08)
Yaffe calls every builder to meet him at Chopper John's to discuss the details of the throwdown. Meanwhile back at the builder's shops, Shope decides to re-design a brand-new 2014 Indian Chieftain, a bike he isn't familiar with, to be the first to mass-produce custom parts. Len Edmondson and Kody McNew both start bike-builds for their debuts at Daytona Bike Week, the second biggest bike-building competition. However, problems arise in each shop with their 2011 Harley-Davidson Road Glides as Len turns his into a 200-horse turbo, while Kody customizes his for a tough customer who demands a deadline. Also, Jenkins turns down a job offer to work as a fabercator in Len's factory.
3"Risky Business"July 15, 2014 (2014-07-15)
Four builders take risks while creating innovative baggers. Yaffe is criticized by his rivals that he's lost his edge and comes up with a new concept called "SRT" or "steam roller tour" (220x20 front tire), and agrees to unveil it at Arizona Bike Week. Jenkins has a radical idea to re-engineer the air intake system on a 2012 Harley Road Glide by hiding it on the inside of the bike. Shope gets his prototype Indian parts back from the manufacturers and he's not pleased. Kody must remain calm as he has a falling out with his airbrush artist, Corey St. Clair, but provides a finished product for his customer. Ron's first American-made bagger wins first place at Daytona Bike Week, honoring his son who has bone cancer.
4"High Stakes"July 22, 2014 (2014-07-22)
After blowing a delivery deadline before Daytona, Kody has an idea to redeem himself to customize a 2009 Harley Road King on site in 72 hours at Arizona Bike Week. As Shope's Indian parts are on hold, he creates a new bagger for his top client; a 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide with a graffiti paint job. Jenkins takes on more than he can handle with a curved seat design on his competition bagger and adding another bike to his workload—a trike for his shop manager who was in a motorcycle accident. Jaffe chooses "Lumilor", an electroluminescent paint for his SRT, but depends on his team when a problem arises with a brake caliper that doesn't fit between the bike's oversized rotor.
5"Respect"July 29, 2014 (2014-07-29)
The craziness begins at Arizona Bike Week when Yaffe, Kody and Jenkins all put their businesses on the line in their home state. A nervous Yaffe makes his first stage appearance with his SRT, which is a hit. Even to Shope, who is impressed and jealous as to why he didn't think of a muscle-style bagger himself. Afraid he won't finish his bike in time, Jenkins pulls an over-nighter and it pays off as he wins the "Baddest Bagger" Contest for the second year in a row with his alien-esque bagger. Even though his customer's bagger didn't win, Kody ends the showcase strong by completing his on-premise bike build in 3 days, and presents it to his shop manager and long-time friend, Ricardo in front of a massive crowd.
6"Big Gamble"August 5, 2014 (2014-08-05)
Wanting to make an even bigger impression than Yaffe's SRT unveiling, Shope's parts on his new Indian "Tomahawk Series" is ready to be revealed to the masses at the local Westgate Bike Night. Still riding high after winning the "Ultimate Bagger" contest at Daytona, Len decides to build a Cadillac bagger for Sturgis; wanting to win as a U.S. company. Also wanting to compete at Sturgis, Kody aims for originality on his custom bagger with his secret weapon--a JFS 100 gas-turbine starter engine from an F-14. Jenkins buys a $2,000 bagger on Craigslist to customize for his entry into the biggest contest of the year. Later, Shope calls his rivals up on stage to check out his work and gets mixed reviews.
7"The Build"August 12, 2014 (2014-08-12)
With the arrival of their donated baggers from Revolution dealerships, Yaffe's Challenge has started. The builders have 6 weeks to complete their bikes for charity. They need to transform stock Harley-Davidson Road Kings from the New Orleans Police Department into customs. Shope is the first to finish in only 3 weeks, creating a "bad-boy" police bike with dual-side exhausts. Kody moves into a bigger shop and designs a "not his style" classic club-bagger. Len moves to a new shop after a lease hike and goes for a Southern California Style, a low-rider bike with smooth sides. Jenkins strips the saddlebags for body side panels. Yaffe stays with his SRT theme, with a rear wheel in the front and an air-ride system.
8"Judgement Day"August 19, 2014 (2014-08-19)
The builders finish their bikes just in the nick of time for the Yaffe Challenge and head to the local Motorcycle Mechanics Institute to be judged by the instructors, students and by each other. Shope is disqualified when he admits that he cheated when he sent his bike's engine to be worked on by an outside shop, leaving the four remaining builders in the competition. One week later, the guys work on the final touches of their custom baggers for Sturgis. Shope decides to customize a brand new Indian Chief bagger for Sturgis, while Kody has a major malfunction with his secret jet bike when the F-14 engine catches on fire, forcing him to consider his choice in finishing it for the big contest.
9"Ultimate Battle: Sturgis"August 26, 2014 (2014-08-26)
The builders arrive at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and get their baggers ready for the "no-rules, no-limits" biggest biker build-off in the country, the "Supreme Sturgis Showdown". It was rough riding for three of them before making the 1,200 mile trip. When a faulty fuel drain line connection is fixed, Kody's jet bike is a go for the Road Iron Bagger Contest, but he bows out after learning Shope is one of the judges. Len fails to get the Cadillac bike done and enters their "Race Star" bike instead. Jenkins is down to the wire with electrical on his red bagger, entering in the "Baddest Bagger" contest. Shope unveils his new Indian bagger while Yaffe reveals his SRT and gets inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chopper (motorcycle)</span> Type of motorcycle

A chopper is a type of custom motorcycle which emerged in the US state of California in the late 1950s. A chopper employs modified steering angles and lengthened forks for a stretched-out appearance. They can be built from an original motorcycle which is modified ("chopped") or built from scratch. Some of the characteristic features of choppers are long front ends with extended forks often coupled with an increased rake angle, hardtail frames, very tall "ape hanger" or very short "drag" handlebars, lengthened or stretched frames, and larger than stock front wheel. To be considered a chopper a motorcycle frame must be cut and welded at some point. I.e. the name chopper. The "sissy bar", a set of tubes that connect the rear fender with the frame, and which are often extended several feet high, is a signature feature on many choppers.

<i>American Chopper</i> American reality television program

American Chopper is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr., and his son Paul Teutul Jr., who manufacture custom chopper-style motorcycles. Orange County Choppers is in Newburgh, New York. The contrasting work and creative styles of the father-and-son team and their resulting verbal arguments were the series' hallmark until 2008 when an explosive argument led to Paul Jr.'s termination and departure to start a competing chopper company, Paul Jr. Designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Larry</span> American stunt performer

Indian Larry was a motorcycle builder and artist, stunt rider, and biker. He first became known as Indian Larry in the 1980s when he was riding the streets of New York City on a chopped Indian motorcycle. Respected as an old school chopper builder, Larry sought greater acceptance of choppers being looked upon as an art form. He became interested in hot rods and motorcycles at an early age and was a fan of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, whom he would later meet in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Mann (artist)</span> American painter

David Mann was a California graphic artist whose paintings celebrated biker culture, and choppers. Called "the biker world's artist-in-residence," his images are ubiquitous in biker clubhouses and garages, on motorcycle gas tanks, tattoos, and on T-shirts and other memorabilia associated with biker culture. Choppers have been built based on the bikes first imagined in a David Mann painting.

William David Lane is an American builder of custom motorcycles, owner of Choppers Inc. in Melbourne, Florida, known for his 2009 conviction and imprisonment in Florida for a drunk-driving incident in 2006, where Lane's driving caused the death of another biker/moped

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha XS Eleven</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha XS Eleven motorcycle, also called XS11 and XS1100, is a Japanese standard produced from 1978 to 1981, powered by an air-cooled 1,101 cc (67.2 cu in) 4-stroke, DOHC inline four-cylinder engine mounted transversely in a duplex cradle frame with swingarm rear suspension, shaft drive, and telescopic forks.

<i>Biker Build-Off</i> Reality television series

Biker Build-Off is a reality television series for the Discovery Channel. Created and narrated by Thom Beers, the series was originally conceived as a single special called The Great Biker Build-Off. The show proved so popular that more episodes were produced in succeeding years, to the point that it was turned into a regular series in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruiser (motorcycle)</span> Type of motorcycle

A cruiser motorcycle is a motorcycle in the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Sands</span>

Roland Sands is an American motorcycle racer and designer of custom high-performance motorcycles. In his career as a professional motorcycle racer, he has won the 1998 AMA 250GP National Champion road racer championship. Sands is a designer of custom performance motorcycles, and owner and founder of Roland Sands Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlen Ness</span> American entrepreneur and motorcycle designer (1939–2019)

Arlen Darryl Ness was an American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur best known for his custom motorcycles. Ness received acclaim for his designs, most of which are noted for their unique body style and paintwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Covington</span>

Jerry Covington is a custom motorcycle builder and owner of Covingtons Customs.

Leonard Leslie Hubert Vale-Onslow MBE was a motorcycle builder. He invented the SOS racing bike in 1926. He repaired and test-rode motorbikes and lived above one of his shops in Birmingham, England, close to his three children, six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. In 1999 he was awarded the MBE for being Britain's oldest worker and in 1999 he also became the oldest subject of This Is Your Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinya Kimura</span> Japanese born custom motorcycle builder

Shinya Kimura is a Japanese born custom motorcycle builder. He founded Zero Engineering in 1992 and Chabott Engineering in 2002. He is the originator of the "zero style" custom bike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Jr. Designs</span> American motorcycle customizer and clothing company in Montgomery, NY

Paul Jr. Designs (PJD) is a lifestyle brand motorcycle customizer and clothing vendor, based in Montgomery, New York, USA. Paul Teutul Jr. founded the design firm in 2009 after waiting out a one-year non-compete clause with his former company, Orange County Choppers (OCC).

Build or Bust is a reality television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Chip Campground</span>

The Buffalo Chip Campground is an event venue in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The campground is a place for motorcycle enthusiasts and music festival visitors each year, and has been since its founding in 1981. Host to a 10-day Concert Series and thousands of motorcyclists each August during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Buffalo Chip provides a music festival, various other forms of entertainment, and full service tent, RV and cabin camping on almost 600 acres in rural Meade County. The motorcycle and music festival also features entertainment including multiple disciplines of racing, exhibits, beauty pageants, dance performances, bike shows, world-record-breaking stunts, midget bowling, and military tributes.

Cleveland CycleWerks is a privately held motorcycle manufacturer that designs and assembles small displacement retro style café racers and bobbers at its headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, relying on offshore manufacturing in China by CPI Motor Company of Taiwan for most components, including frames and the Honda-derived engine used on all models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biker bar</span> Type of bar

A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by motorcyclists (bikers). Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward motorcyclists. Some bars and restaurants advertise that they are "biker friendly" to attract more bikers and motorcycle (bike) enthusiasts. Biker bars are patronized by people from all walks of life, including bikers, non-bikers, and motorcycle club adherents, including outlaw motorcycle clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Ness</span> American motorcycle builder

Zach Ness is a third-generation American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur. He is the grandson of motorcycle customizer Arlen Ness, and son of Cory Ness. In 2013 Zach teamed up with National Geographic Channel for the television series Let It Ride. The series followed Zach as he and the Ness crew built custom bikes for clients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Dozen Motorcycle Club</span> Outlaw motorcycle club

The Dirty Dozen Motorcycle Club (DDMC) was an outlaw motorcycle club in Arizona. Founded in 1964, the Dirty Dozen became the preeminent motorcycle gang in the state, and ultimately merged with the Hells Angels in 1997.

References

  1. "History Channel's Biker Battleground Phoenix Premières July 1 | Phoenix New Times". blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01.