But what about the on-going infatuation with a 40-year-old, single-season TV series amongst today’s riders? Why it still resonates today It’s understandable how social change, teenage angst and a rebellion-without-becoming-an-outlaw-biker eagerness created loyal fans early on. The implied message was, “Don’t ever become the guy in the station wagon.” Fans were drawn to Jim’s loud, red, race-winning, girl-getting Freedom Machine even if they were relegated to a 50cc step-through. The scene shifts to our hero leaving the big city and “Working for the Man” for The Long Lonesome Highway and Freedom. Many TCB fans found a personal defining moment in the opening credits of each episode, as Bronson pulled up beside a weary, beaten-down commuter in a tired station wagon:īronson: “Oh, I don’t know. But it did create a mantra for American youth that struck a chord with the more law abiding Bronson fan. Easy Rider was a tale of two drug dealers’ cross-country trip and death at the hands of a shotgun toting redneck.
TCB is sometimes wrongly accused of mimicking the iconic motorcycle movie Easy Rider, which was actually filmed after the pilot and is the antithesis of TCB. The TV series Route 66 with its Corvette driving heroes provided positive role models, but who could afford a Corvette? And didn’t it have too many wheels, anyway? Some might have uneasily admired Johnny in the 1953 movie classic The Wild One. Motorcyclists were very limited in role models or heroes then. The soundtrack included vocals by Parks, including Long Lonesome Highway, which along with Parks’ signature “Hang in There” tagline has become symbolic of the of the series. The list of guest stars included well-known actors and motorcycle racers and enthusiasts. Jarvis was retained as adviser for the pilot, and the legendary Bud Ekins provided the motorcycle stunts and technical accuracy. Justman of Star Trek fame was executive producer and James Dean look-alike actor Michael Parks played the title character. Jarvis’ good friend, the late Denne Bart Petitclerc, noted American journalist, screenwriter and television producer, wrote the series pilot. It really began many years earlier with the true-life exploits of Birney Jarvis. Since then, it has become a cult-classic among motorcycle enthusiasts and devotees of American television.
The series ran for only the 1969-1970 television season and was then cancelled. The pilot aired in March of 1969, and was released in Europe as a feature film.
The story behind Then Came Bronson ( TCB) is as interesting as it is unlikely. Rather it was about freedom, adventure, the call of the Long, Lonesome Highway and being true to one’s self. That was part of the appeal, although Then Came Bronson was not really about motorcycles, or even riding them. But this lonesome cowboy rode a motorcycle that caught the eye and spirit of a generation raised on Westerns but more interested in bikes. Had the show aired a few years earlier, Bronson might have lived in the Old West. Taken at face value, the travails of a social dropout played by a largely unknown actor riding around on a not-especially-good custom sportster doing improbable things doesn’t seem like much of a storyline.īut American society was undergoing tumultuous change, fueled by angst of a raging war, race riots, political assassinations, hippies and corporate cultures sucking the life out of ourselves or our parents. Propelling Bronson from one episode to the next was his Harley-Davidson Sportster, transporting him through a kaleidoscope of fascinating characters and situations that both challenged and strengthened his gentle spirit. If you’re of a certain age, you’ll never forget Then Came Bronson, a short-lived TV show chronicling the adventures of Jim Bronson, a disillusioned but likeable young newspaper reporter out on a voyage of personal discovery. Suspension: Telescopic forks front, twin shock absorbers with adjustable preload rearīrakes: 8in (203mm) SLS drum front, 8in (203mm) SLS drum rearįuel capacity/MPG: 2.2gal (8.3ltr)/40-50mpg (est.) Transmission: 4-speed, right foot shift, chain final driveĮlectrics: 12v, magneto and breaker pointsįrame/wheelbase: Dual-downtube steel cradle/ 57in (1,448mm) Chrome chain guard, voltage regulator and oil tank Įngine: 900cc OHV air-cooled 45-degree V-twin, 76.2mm x 96.8mm bore and stroke, 9:1 compression ratio, 50hp 6,300rpm.They were not radical customs and used standard engine components, but had a number of visual changes including: 21-inch alloy front wheel with ribbed tire The original Bronson Bikes were modified 1969 XLH Sportsters.