It all started out as a simple phone call. "Hey, do you want to take a road trip?"
My nephew, Bryan Fuller, was on the phone asking if I could help him and my brother-in-law, John Hill, haul a trailer with them from Atlanta to Florida to Connecticut and then back again. Bryan had been selected to be one of the builders on Discovery Channel's television series Biker Build-Off (BBO). Now, I don't know much about motorcycles, but a road trip...count me in!
The show has an interesting premise and I had seen the past several episodes. Basically, two builders from different parts of the country each have roughly two weeks to build a motorcycle from the ground up. Naturally, while the building is going on, the TV crew is there to record all of the triumphs and headaches that come with trying to rush a bike into being in 14 short days. Once the bikes are up and running, the builders get to enjoy their creations in a ride together across parts of the country with the TV guys recording it all. Finally, the bikes are ridden into a motorcycle rally or show and the crowds of onlookers vote for their favorite of two.
Bryan from Atlanta (fullerhotrods.com) had been paired with Greg Westbury of Concord, California (westburyhotrods.com). Both had competed at the 2006 Las Vegas Bike Fest competition "Artistry in Iron," with Greg taking home the first place trophy and Bryan coming in a close second. Hugh King had picked both to be on BBO, which now airs on The Learning Channel (TLC).