Review: TV Show: SPEED, Super Bikes!.
Friday, June 30th, 2006 at 7:00 am by gothicbeaST
Ok, so 2 Wheel Tuesday is gone and in the void a new motorcycle lifestyle magazine has been added to the SPEED TV lineup. While it has been said that this new show was not a replacement for 2 Wheel Tuesday, it did start up the week after 2 Wheel Tuesday ended.
Super Bikes!, yes that is with an “!” at the end. Super Bikes! is hosted by Rossi Morreale with Jason Britton. Now in my limited research Mr. Morreale is most noted as being one of the top 50 sexiest men in several supermarket tabloid mags. Its ok, I am glad my wife has some eye candy to look at, and I am sure we will see him in Tank Tops and being all hunky like the Brawny guy (huba huba huba)
Jason Britton is the “special field correspondent” which translates into he goes places and does the riding. I am sure Rossi rides and he has a few shows in the work that mix motorcycling with his good looks. Jason Britton looks to be doing the heavy lifting by going out and riding and being the stunter that his is.
If you don’t know Jason Britton is one of the “Breakout” stars from the world of underground street stunt riding. Along with the Las Vegas Extremes and a few others, Jason has really marketed himself to the extreme sports industry. Jason is the ICON poster child and is a rolling billboard for ICON’s gear. Jason has been in several stunt videos and was one of the first to mount a camera up high on the tail section or handle bars and produce video segments of the footage. I have no doubts on Jason’s skills and I am sure he brings “Street Cred” to the show.
But let’s get to the show review….
Before the show even starts, SPEED made sure to start up the “JACKASS” protection buy having the legal disclaimer to not try these stunts on the street or at home. The just forgot the big skull and cross bones, or a statement that no submissions will be reviewed or opened.
Rossi and Jason start off the show explaining that “Super Bikes!” is a street sportbike lifestyle show. In addition they are going to show as much wild stuff as the SPEED lawyers will allow. Now I am all for good fun and having a good show, but I think we are getting setup.
The next 18minutes of show fails to meet my low expectations I cam with for the show. First off, it’s the commercials, all 12minutres in the 30 minute window. With 5 commercial breaks during the show, it seems at times there are more commercials than show to watch.
Now for the show, we get 4 segments of the street fighter lifestyle in San Francisco. Ok, I am down with SF and I like street fighters. Unfortunately we get less street fighter substance and more street “stunting”. Wheelies, curb side lane splitting (I love splitting traffic myself, but using the gutter is beyond me), Rolling burnouts and a standing Christ for good measure.
For me, the show just did not have enough good quality information.
First you have a company that makes street fighters. Yeah not bad, they slap a GSXR front end on everything and put a hi mount pipe on it.
Next you have a motorcycle/tattoo shop with a bar in it. That’s a great idea, have your bike worked on while you drink getting a tattoo. Plus they will strap on a nitrous bottle and claim they are motorcycle performance store.
Move on to a local motorcycle magazine that is not “Corporate” and mix in some street stunting and a burnout that gets the attention of the local police.
Finally you have an Oakland motorcycle club that rides ratted out street bikes and talks about how the bay area is more of a war zone than anything else.
…. Ok, I am being hard on this show. It’s a sport bike lifestyle show, showing the underground in the “ICON” add sort of way. Lots of crazy people on bikes and we should spend a few shows looking at their lifestyle. I am all good with that, and I can understand it. But give me some more content than bars, bikes and stunts. How about a segment on how to do a 12-oclock? How about how to out fit your front forks to take all the wheelie stress when the front wheel comes back to earth?
I am not all the upset to see them stunting in the street. I have a dozen stunt bike videos in my collection and every one of them is stunting on the street. I also love the JACKASS show, and my wife and I loved the movie. I dig watching people do stupid things and even hurting them selves from time to time.
But compelling content is compelling content. The show has to be interesting to watch, even if it’s a train wreck. I don’t see this compelling content coming out of the show. I see a strong backlash as people feel the “Sport Bike!” lifestyle is just a bunch of crazy motorcycle riders. And in general I am ok with that, because it’s not a change from what I have lived with over the years.
In the end I just don’t see myself getting into the show. Maybe it will get better and the content will improve and I will like it. But right now, it’s just a bunch of thrown together stuff.
The Good: Motorcycles on TV
The Bad: No compelling content
The Ugly: No hot chicks on bikes 
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gothicbeaST,
I agree with your “good/bad/ugly” assessment. I too was underwhelmed by this first episode. But I’ll keep watching as I’m curious to see how the program develops.
Let me add two items:
1. I thought the camera work was done well. With cameras mounted on the bike, several perspectives were shown.
2. There were several clips showing lane-splitting. There’s no need to lane-split here in Binghamton, NY since there’s no traffic here. But I did enjoy watching these clips.
- terrymoto