The Teutels Vs Jesse James – Bike Builder Cultures Clash

What makes a “custom motorcycle” a Custom Motorcycle?

There are those who say a truly “custom motorcycle” requires that the builder re-imagine and create – from scratch – a machine like none other seen in the world before it, and those who say adding crucial touches and ideas to a bike qualifies as well.

The Discovery Channel, in keeping with their tradition of following bike builders and putting them up against each other in head-to-head competition for the approval of the motorcycle-loving public, has come up with yet another twist on a tried and true formula with their latest effort.

Jesse James makes his return to TV as he takes on a build-off project against the Battling Teutuls, Paul Jr. and Paul Sr., during a pair of special episodes of the Teutuls’ American Chopper. The show will air live on consecutive nights on the Discovery Channel, December 5 and 6, 2011 and both shows start at 9 pm.

If you’re a fan of “American Chopper,” you’ll get to see James and the Teutuls build their respective bikes in front of the cameras, and the build-off will be followed by a viewer vote to select the favorite bike .

The second night of the show features the winning bike being revealed during a live broadcast from Las Vegas, NV.

All three of the contestants were in large part responsible for the explosion of interest in motorcycle building among the teevee watching public.

It was the James’ documentary, Motorcycle Mania, which brought a cable reality motorcycle craze to viewers in 2000, and the Teutuls  followed that pioneering effort with their American Chopper series which brought the genre to a whole new level of popularity and featured the father-and-son team’s brand of family dysfunction and business success.

James then left Discovery and went on to other ventures, including his short-lived Spike TV series Jesse James is a Dead Man and a highly publicized divorce from America’s Sweetheart, Sandra Bullock. James also suffered through a well-publicized breakup with his most recent former squeeze, LA Ink star, Kat Von D.

James opened West Coast Choppers where he built custom, old school bikes for a high-powered clientele. The entrepreneurial James also followed up with his own his own production company, Payupsucker Productions, and became publisher of Garage Magazine.

A horrific stint on Celebrity Apprentice (which saw James looking like a fish out of water) led to a series on Spike TV called Jesse James Is A Dead Man. Throughout the run of the ten episode series James put himself in “life threatening” situations, and two million viewers tuned in to watch James ride a 1,000 horsepower motorcycle.

The face-off airs Dec. 5 and 6 at 9 p.m. both nights. The first night is the regularly scheduled American Chopper. You’ll see Senior, Junior and James building the bikes, and viewers will vote for their favorite.

The second night features a live show from Las Vegas where the winning bike will be revealed.

Time:  Monday, December 5 at 9:00pm – December 6 at 10:00pm
Location:  Discovery Chanel,, Live event from Las Vegas

Custom motorcycles require the correct insurance coverage package to protect what is, after all, a significant investment on your part .

We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance for your custom bike…

Tips for buying motorcycle insurance for your custom:

• Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
• Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
• Towing / Pickup
• Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
• Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.
• Additional coverage to replace or repair accessories specific to your bike.