Monster Garage vs. American Chopper

[rockyct]

Originally posted by: Eli
<-- has no idea what you guys are talking about

They are TV shows on the Discovery channel usually on Mon nights.

Monster garage: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/monstergarage/monstergarage.html
American Chopper: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/amchopper/amchopper.html

Anyway, I like Monster Garage better because of the variation of the projects a new team puts out every episode.

 

[Doggiedog]

MG's projects also don't have to last. Just long enough to run on the show and do its thing. If I bought an OCC bike and it only lasted that long, I'd be pissed.

 

[UNCjigga]

American Chopper is more enjoyable to watch...I guess I like their people more (Big Paul r0x0rz?)

MG has cooler challenges though...

 

[Smaulz]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: Smaulz Just for clarification, not a single piece of hardware that goes into either an OCC or WCC bike has anything whatsoever to do with Harley Davidson. At all....

What about influence?

Originally posted by: Sundog

Originally posted by: Smaulz Just for clarification, not a single piece of hardware that goes into either an OCC or WCC bike has anything whatsoever to do with Harley Davidson. At all....

Engine?

nope, and ummm... nope...

 

[MrHappyMonkey]

MONSTER HOUSE Vs ALL

 

[ScottyB]

It's funny because Jessie looks like a pitbull and Paul Sr. looks like a bulldog. So who would win a bulldog or a pitbull?

 

[BoberFett]

American Chopper kicks ass. But I'm a biker, so I'd rather watch a bike show.

 

[Blain]

OCC used to have bikes priced on their web site. But I don't see prices now

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: Sundog

Originally posted by: Smaulz
Just for clarification, not a single piece of hardware that goes into either an OCC or WCC bike has anything whatsoever to do with Harley Davidson. At all....

Engine?

Nope, custom built by some guy in their area. Last weeks was a repeat where they showed the engine being assembled, took like an hour and a half, from parts to running.

WCC has customized harleys, there's at least one on thier website (http://www.westcoastchoppers.com)

 

[OutHouse]

American Copper are chumps, they outsource nearly everything they do.

Monster garage are given raw materials and told build it! more talent i think.

 

[Scarpozzi]

American Chopper is definitely cool, but the people don't interact as well as the Monster Garage guys do. They tend to have more "family" problems and you'll never see that prob with the monster garage since they're pulled from different places.

 

[LikeLinus]

Select the "Jesse" link on the WCC website. Like the 4-5th picture is of Jesse James in 1990 as a Body Guard for Glen Danzig.

Then select a few pictures down and take a look at the MASSIVE $100 Bill surrounded by flames tattoo on Jesse's back.

On that note, i love both shows and don't miss them (got them recording on Ultimate TV every Monday Night )

I think I like Monster Garage better though because of the amazing things they do with different car/truck/whatever. Can't go wrong with either though.

 

[UDT89]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The monster garage guys gotta do so much more work and planning. American chopper just keeps making bikes. They don't even branch to other kinds of bikes, just Harleys.

Monster Garage has to deal with so many new concepts and platforms. I've seen a truck turned into a motorcycle launcher, RX-7 dune buggy, porsche golf ball picker-upper, and a damn portable wedding chapel on Monster Garage.

EDIT: Of course, Monster Garage has a much bigger pool of talent to pull on each time, too.

I didnt know they used harleys. I thought they built the bikes from scratch. Are the engines harley davidson?

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: UDT89

Originally posted by: Kelvrick
The monster garage guys gotta do so much more work and planning. American chopper just keeps making bikes. They don't even branch to other kinds of bikes, just Harleys.

Monster Garage has to deal with so many new concepts and platforms. I've seen a truck turned into a motorcycle launcher, RX-7 dune buggy, porsche golf ball picker-upper, and a damn portable wedding chapel on Monster Garage.

EDIT: Of course, Monster Garage has a much bigger pool of talent to pull on each time, too.

I didnt know they used harleys. I thought they built the bikes from scratch. Are the engines harley davidson?

I'm sure the engines are custom. They are NOT Harleys. On American Chopper they have their engines custom made and i would assume WCC does also. Nothing on these bikes is from a bike manufacture and seller, they are custom fabrications and parts. I mean im sure they buy their seats from a company, but it wouldnt be from someone like Harley, it'd be direct from manufacture/supplier.

 

[BoberFett]

Ummm, not many people use custom engines. An engine isn't something many bike shops are able to setup. That take engineering skill, not just welding sheet metal. OCC and WCC probably use either S&S, Revtech, or Harley engines.

And as far as Monster Garage being more capable? Why do they usually end up with $20,000 worth of parts on their vehicle when they only have $3,000 to spend? Oh right, it's because they call some company and tell them about the advertising benefits of having their product on Monster Garage so they're given expensive things for free. Not to mention the paint job that always happens the night after they're done, which by itself is probably worth more than $3,000. If they stayed in their budget, the show might be more interesting. As it is, they don't do anything THAT spectacular.

 

[Bulk Beef]

OCC and WCC probably use either S&S, Revtech, or Harley engines.

Yup. While I'm sure both places will use some pretty far-out custom motors that only share basic layout with a HD, the majority are going to be HD replacement motors, which may be made up of any number (from 0% to 100%) of non-HD replacement parts. Though anybody who is going to drop that kind of cash on one of these bikes is not going to put a box stock HD engine in there, to say that "not a single piece of hardware that goes into either an OCC or WCC bike has anything whatsoever to do with Harley Davidson" is just silly. And if you think that the gophers at OCC and WCC don't have to run up to the Harley dealer to pick up a wheel seal every now and then, think again.

You can build a small block Chevy without using any GM parts - that doesn't mean it's not a small block Chevy, IMO. Same with a Harley motor. You can build a Harley engine with nothing but aftermarket replacement cases, cylinders, heads, rocker boxes, rods, pistons, bearings, seals, etc. from CCI, Drag Specialties, Tedd's Cycle, etc. that is dimensionally identical in every way to a bone stock factory engine from Milwaukee. Does the origin of the parts make it not a Harley? Technically, yes, but be real. It's a friggin Harley.

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

 

[BoberFett]

sward666

Have you heard about the S&S 145? For the Harley 100 and S&S 45 year anniversary, they brought out a 145ci motor and they're only making 45 of them. 5 builders will get 9 each, then they'll be sold in sets of 1 of each of the 5 bikes for $250,000 a set.

All I can think is: 145ci? Holy crap!

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Ummm, not many people use custom engines. An engine isn't something many bike shops are able to setup. That take engineering skill, not just welding sheet metal. OCC and WCC probably use either S&S, Revtech, or Harley engines.

And as far as Monster Garage being more capable? Why do they usually end up with $20,000 worth of parts on their vehicle when they only have $3,000 to spend? Oh right, it's because they call some company and tell them about the advertising benefits of having their product on Monster Garage so they're given expensive things for free. Not to mention the paint job that always happens the night after they're done, which by itself is probably worth more than $3,000. If they stayed in their budget, the show might be more interesting. As it is, they don't do anything THAT spectacular.

On the American Chopper before last they had a problem with the commanche bike's engine. They stated the engines were custome built by this particular shop. The guy actually flew out on the spot to fix the engine and he said he stand behind all engines he builds 100%. I took this to mean he custom builds engines?

Also as far as Monster Garage, I think it's far more spectatular than what American Chopper does. Basically all you're watching is two people bicker during a normal days work. It also takes them a few weeks of work and their doing something they do every single day with the exact same materials.

On Monster Garage your throwing 6 different people who don't know each other, given a very small amount of time to totally transform into something different. They have to basically strip down a car/truck/van/limo/whatever and then build from the ground up. To achieve what they do in such a short amount of time, is pretty amazing cause the finished product is usually pretty damn cool.

Yes they have an unlimited budget basically, but so does AC? It's whatever the buyer wants to put into the bike. Also they are always building from the ground up, not having to hack up some old bike and make it do something it wasn't meant to do. Thats a big difference.

 

[Bulk Beef]

All I can think is: 145ci? Holy crap!

Honestly, Harleys (or whatever) don't impress me - I mean, c'mon. Pushrods? Fork-and-knife con rods?

However, I don't see how anyone could not be impressed by a 2.4 liter twin. Fvck that's big.

 

[Smaulz]

Originally posted by: sward666

OCC and WCC probably use either S&S, Revtech, or Harley engines.

Yup. While I'm sure both places will use some pretty far-out custom motors that only share basic layout with a HD, the majority are going to be HD replacement motors, which may be made up of any number (from 0% to 100%) of non-HD replacement parts. Though anybody who is going to drop that kind of cash on one of these bikes is not going to put a box stock HD engine in there, to say that "not a single piece of hardware that goes into either an OCC or WCC bike has anything whatsoever to do with Harley Davidson" is just silly. And if you think that the gophers at OCC and WCC don't have to run up to the Harley dealer to pick up a wheel seal every now and then, think again. You can build a small block Chevy without using any GM parts - that doesn't mean it's not a small block Chevy, IMO. Same with a Harley motor. You can build a Harley engine with nothing but aftermarket replacement cases, cylinders, heads, rocker boxes, rods, pistons, bearings, seals, etc. from CCI, Drag Specialties, Tedd's Cycle, etc. that is dimensionally identical in every way to a bone stock factory engine from Milwaukee. Does the origin of the parts make it not a Harley? Technically, yes, but be real. It's a friggin Harley. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...

If you want to split hairs, fine. I'm sure there's probably a Harley part or two in the bikes. They are not, however, merely "customized Harleys". From your own argument, it sounds like you're doing more to bolster my point than yours. Regardless, OCC, (as has been mentioned) gets their engines custom made (see Commanche Bike episode). So explain to me how my statement was "just silly".

 

[BoberFett]

Do you really think that every bike that rolls out of there is like the Comanche? These guys have to make a living. They don't do it by building a half dozen theme bikes every year. They make a lot of bikes, and they don't all have a $10-15K custom motor.

 

[BoberFett]

Just curious Smaulz, what do you ride?

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Do you really think that every bike that rolls out of there is like the Comanche? These guys have to make a living. They don't do it by building a half dozen theme bikes every year. They make a lot of bikes, and they don't all have a $10-15K custom motor.

I'm not saying they do theme bikes all year. But they do a lot of 75-100K+ Bikes a year I bet (especially now the shows a hit). I know their starting price is around 20k just for the intro bike. If you watch the show and see the new trailers they have and their new shop, they're obviously making a pretty good living. I'd be interested to know how many expensive bikes they do a year.

I wasn't really arguing over what engine they use, just what I've seen on the show. Someone just needs to call them and ask

 

[Bulk Beef]

So explain to me how my statement was "just silly".

I already did. At length.

 

[Smaulz]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Just curious Smaulz, what do you ride?

What the hell does that have to do with anything?? Oh, I see... I don't ride, so I'm completely wrong by default, correct? Is that your reasoning? Okay, cool... you're all completely right, I'm completely wrong. It doesn't really matter to me. (Where's that stupid "when you argue on the internet" pic when you need it??)