Why on earth does Hugh King continue to have these imposters on the show???? I mean seriously... Can we get back to the real builders that actually build their own stuff? It's no surprise that their bikes looked alike, those bikes looked like every other cookie cutter custom bike on the street today. I have an idea... how about some innovation and a little push of the boundaries??? That Stinger crew was about as classy and cool as a prom date to chucky cheese and Scott Thompsteroy is just plain goofy...Candles? Are you kidding... candles??. What in the world is this guys name anyway??? I can sum this episode up in 2 words... BORING and GENERIC !!!!
Hugh,
Please stop this madness! Having new people on the show is great but COME ON! I thought it was a biker "BUILD" off , not a "GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN TOGETHER TO BUILD A BIKE FOR YOU BUILD OFF"?????
Having a girl on the show would be great if there really is a girl that builds. If the Stinger people are famous for their sheet metal work then the world is in serious trouble! That was some of the most cobbled up metal work that I've ever seen!

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To: Dillydallyo

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Dillydallyo ... you have to lighten up a bit.
I understand in general what you're saying, but you have to keep perspective: BBO is not a competition to truly be taken serious. If it were, HUGH KING would regularly have industry insiders and experts judge the competition like what was done in the 2005 big season Finaly instead of the general public.

You can't take it too serious primarily because of public participation. Over the airing years of the show people have voted on virtually every criteria 'but' the quality of a build.

Most BBO home viewers have seen people vote for a bike based on the builder/s being local builders ("homeboys") like in the DETROIT BROS. vs. EXILE match-up; or just who they thought was cool or cute. Many BBO fans have been angered over the years by this. BILLY LANE probably stands out the most in this regard, and unfairly has been demonized by many because of this. Lets be honest, BILLY LANE and other builders have won because of the popularity aspect of the show.
This 'ticks' me off as well as many other BBO fans I assume.
However, BILLY is not the only one who has benefitted from biased judging.
Many people dont like BILLY LANE because of this. People get sick of seeing these biker groupies and rednecks admirers of his voting for who they simply like instead of the best build. This really culminated in a minor scandal during the beginning of the 2006 BBO season. The infamous "BILLY's BURING BIKE" episode, in which BILLY LANE, with a completely non-functioning bike, actually won over RUSS MITCHELL in the popular vote. However most BBO did not know this as we were given a view of a default win for RUSS MITCHELL based on the BBO rule of a bike having to reach it's destination on it's own accord. Due to internet BBO & biker forums we were given the actual view of RUSS MITCHELL doing what most of us would do -- refusing the trophy due to insult. Who wants a trophy from a pathetically fickle crowd that voted for a bike they did not even have to see to vote for.

Many thought that SHINYA KIMURA should have perhaps beaten JOE MARTIN in 2005. I dont even personally think that most who may have felt this way even disliked JOE MARTIN's bike, but may have felt as I did: that being SHINYA's build was more "out-of-the-box", and generally he put more thoughtfulness & care into his build. Similar to what you were saying Dillydallyo, SHINYA KIMURA did not just assemble after-market products & ready-made engines.
This is why I have lost regard for MATT HOTCH, my previous favorite builder for the last couple of years. He's definitely not my favorite anymore, primarliy, because of similar sentiment regarding your criticism of BBO.
MATT HOTCH comes off as an assembler to me now and not a true "groung up" builder.
I think that it's because of BBO. AFter years of watching it most BBO fans have become more sophisticated n regards to "chopping" & biker culture. What worked a couple of years ago does not "pass" anymore.
"BUILDERS HAVE TO BRING MORE TO THE TABLE", but I think the fan participation keeps the show simple & grounded. It keeps it from being too serious.

Even though I am agreeing with your assessment in general, I still think we should always remind ourselves not to take it that seriously.

JUST WATCH & ENJOY...OR WATCH AND GET MAD...thats BIKER BUILD OFF.


-- THANKS --

I think Scott Webster vs Norakas was a great episode.I'm not crazy about Stinger's bike but Leroy Thomson's creation was just great.The level of craftsmanship was amazing.Those guys built their own frame,engine and a lot of cool parts.If you like it or not that's a matter of taste but you have to apreciate the creativity and the work.It's really outrageous to say they are not great custom bike builders.

"THEY" did an okay job of building a custom motorcycle BUT "okay" is not worthy of television.

Let's imagine for a moment that...
Roger Goldammer, Shinya Kimira,Hank Young,Jesse Rooke,Matt Hotch,Roland Sands,Chica,Mike Puglisee,Greg Westbury,Jay Hart,Roger Bourget,Marcus Waltz,Indian Larry,Ron Finch or even Billy Lane
...all have their bikes parked next to each other in Sturgis and these other 2 bikes in question are also in the mix...I would bet that NO ONE would notice the Stinger and Webster bikes. They're just not original enough. They are products of trends that other guys have set. Just because Webster can afford to have a bunch of guys do the work for him doesn't qualify HIM as being a builder. That stuff started on the first show w/ Bourget. It was lame then and it's lame now! At least Bourget had a style of his own and the same could be said for Roland Sands. Even if you don't like the artistic style of Ron Finch or Billy Lanes poor craftsmanship (or that he's responsible for the death of a fellow motorcyclist) These guys were still very entertaining to watch and not just because they had personality, but because they were INNOVATORS.
The show needs a lot more innovation and personality and a lot less trend following and "team effort". Save that garbage for the "production custom" factories like the BigHorse & BearDogs.