Motorcycles on Television

October 28 2010 by Jason Fogelson

iStock_000012469312XSmall.jpgMotorcycles and motorcyclists used to have an image problem. A leather-clad biker symbolized danger, lawlessness and anti-social impulses. Television shied away from using motorcycles, except as shorthand for "bad."

There were the rare television characters who rode bike in the '60s and '70s -- I'm thinking of Jim Bronson on his Sportster in Then Came Bronson; Dr. Steven Kiley on his Bonneville in Marcus Welby, M.D.; Fonzie on his Triumph in Happy Days; and Ponch and John on their KZ-900P Police Specials on CHiPs. B.J. Hunnicut rode into the sunset on an Indian Scout in the final episode of MASH. If there's any unifying theme there, it's about characters marching to their own beat, individualists who don't care what others think about them. They were all riding against the tide.

Times have changed. Motorcycles have hit the mainstream, and the shorthand has shifted from "bad" to "free-spirited," and motorcycles are everywhere on television. It's not unusual to spot a motorcycle as a central prop in a fashion spread, or in the middle of a commercial or print ad as a part of the scene.

Perhaps marking a peak for the mainstreaming of motorcycles is the FX television series Sons of Anarchy. The show chronicles the trials and travails of an outlaw biker gang, the Sons of Anarchy, in the fictional hamlet of Charming, California. The show's main characters all ride motorcycles, mostly Harley-Davidsons, as they run guns, traffic drugs and battle with rival gangs for supremacy. The drama is high, as is the body count, and our heroes are villains. It's the kind of show that advertisers would have run away from in droves back in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

Yet Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been the heart and soul of Sons of Anarchy, and Harley has been one of the show's major advertisers this season. Though there has been some grumbling in the press about the wisdom of endorsing a show about the outlaw biker lifestyle, the backlash has been muted. I think it's because the show is just so darned good that it overcomes the negative connotation of its subject matter, and people tune in for a superbly written, well-acted and shot drama. If you haven't seen the show, check it out -- seasons one and two are available on DVD, and season three is airing now. FX has already picked up Sons of Anarchy for a fourth season.

The show is cool, and the bikes are cooler. It's a win-win for the discerning motorcyclist and television viewer.

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