You know the feeling when you’re scrolling through Netflix or Hulu and you see a leather jacket, a dusty road, and a customized chopper? It’s a vibe. It’s an immediate promise of rebellion. But let’s be real—most tv show with motorcycles attempts are actually kinda terrible. They usually fall into one of two traps: either they’re so obsessed with being "badass" that they become a cartoon, or they get the mechanics so wrong that anyone who’s actually turned a wrench wants to put a brick through the screen.
Motorcycles on screen are shorthand. They represent freedom. They represent the outlaw. But they also represent a massive technical challenge for directors who have to figure out how to record dialogue over the roar of a V-twin engine without it sounding like garbage.
The Sons of Anarchy Shadow
It’s impossible to talk about this genre without mentioning Sons of Anarchy. For seven seasons, Kurt Sutter basically defined what a modern tv show with motorcycles looks like. It was Shakespeare on wheels. Or, well, Hamlet with more leather and way more property damage.
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The show did something brilliant. It didn't just focus on the bikes; it focused on the "club." That’s where the drama lives. However, if you talk to actual 1%ers or even just weekend warriors, the gripes are endless. The bikes were often too clean. The riding formations were sometimes a bit staged. And let’s not even get started on how many times Jax Teller crashed his bike in the series finale without his sneakers flying off.
But Sons succeeded because it understood the hierarchy. You had the President, the VP, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Prospects. That structure is a goldmine for storytelling. It creates built-in conflict. When you have a tv show with motorcycles that ignores the social structure of riding, it usually feels hollow.
Why Mayans M.C. Felt Different
When the spin-off Mayans M.C. arrived, the tone shifted. It felt heavier. The bikes were different—lots of "Viclas" with long fishtail exhausts and high ape-hanger bars. This wasn't just a costume change; it reflected a specific subculture within the motorcycle world. It showed that the "biker" identity isn't a monolith.
The show dived into the border politics and the internal struggles of a Latino club, which gave it a grit that the original show sometimes traded for soap opera theatrics. Honestly, the cinematography in the early seasons of Mayans is probably the best visual representation of riding ever put to film. They captured the heat shimmer off the asphalt in a way that felt tactile.
Long Way Round and the Reality Check
If you’re tired of the scripted drama, the best tv show with motorcycles isn't even a drama. It’s a documentary. Long Way Round, featuring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, changed everything.
Before this show aired in 2004, the average person thought of motorcyclists as either "Power Rangers" on sportbikes or "pirates" on Harleys. McGregor and Boorman introduced the world to the "Adventure Bike." They rode BMW R1150GS bikes from London to New York via Central Asia and Alaska.
It was messy. They fell over. A lot.
They got stuck in the mud in Mongolia. They dealt with corrupt officials. It showed that motorcycling isn't always about looking cool; sometimes it's about being wet, tired, and frustrated while trying to fix a broken frame in the middle of nowhere. This series, and its sequels Long Way Down and Long Way Up, arguably did more for motorcycle sales—specifically the adventure segment—than any marketing campaign in history.
The Problem With "Biker" Tropes
Why do so many shows fail? Because they try too hard.
Take a look at something like The Last Champions or some of the shorter-lived Discovery Channel scripted attempts. They rely on the "tough guy" trope so heavily that it becomes a parody. Real riders spend 40% of their time talking about gear, 30% complaining about car drivers not seeing them, and maybe 30% actually looking cool.
In a typical tv show with motorcycles, characters are always riding in a perfect "V" formation without earplugs, chatting effortlessly at 80 mph. It’s fake. If you’ve ever tried to talk to someone while riding, you know you’re basically just screaming "WHAT?" into a Bluetooth comms system while wind noise tries to deafen you.
Scripted vs. Unscripted Authenticity
There was a show called Ride with Norman Reedus on AMC. It worked because Reedus is a genuine enthusiast. He wasn't playing a character. When he went to visit a custom shop in Japan or rode through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the enthusiasm was real.
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Compare that to the 2000s era of "chopper" reality TV. American Chopper was a massive hit, but was it a tv show with motorcycles? Not really. It was a show about a dysfunctional family that occasionally built a bike that couldn't actually turn a corner. The "bikes" were secondary to Paul Sr. screaming at Paul Jr. It created a weird era where people thought motorcycles were just sculptures you sat on, rather than machines you used.
The Technical Evolution of Filming Bikes
Back in the day, filming a motorcycle scene was a nightmare. You either had the actor on a trailer (which looks obvious because the bike doesn't lean) or you had a stunt double do everything, meaning you never saw the actor's face.
Technology changed the game.
Small, stabilized gimbal cameras like the Shotover or even high-end 360 cameras have allowed creators to put the audience on the bike. In modern shows, you see the vibrations. You see the way the front fork dives when the rider hits the brakes. This technical accuracy matters because the audience is getting smarter.
Forgotten Gems and Cult Classics
You ever hear of Then Came Bronson? It’s a relic from 1969, but it’s the blueprint. A guy quits his job, hops on a Harley-Davidson Sportster, and just... goes. It captured the "Easy Rider" spirit but for the small screen.
Then you have Warrior, which isn't technically a "motorcycle show," but it uses the aesthetic of brotherhood and turf wars in a way that mirrors biker culture perfectly. Or Gangland Undercover, which tried to bridge the gap between documentary and drama by telling the story of Charles Falco, an ATF informant who infiltrated several major clubs.
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The problem with many "true story" motorcycle shows is that the real world of outlaw clubs is actually quite repetitive and bureaucratic. It's a lot of meetings and standing around. TV writers have to spice it up with constant shootouts, which is where the "factual accuracy" usually goes out the window.
How to Find a Show Worth Your Time
If you’re looking for your next binge, don’t just look for the bikes. Look for the technical consultants.
When a tv show with motorcycles hires real builders or retired club members to consult, you can tell. The way they kickstart a bike, the way they park, and the way they wear their "cuts" (vests) all feel right. If the leather looks brand new and the bikes are bone-stock from a dealership, the show is probably going to be a dud.
- Check the sound design. If every bike sounds like a generic inline-four sportbike even though they’re riding V-twins, turn it off.
- Look at the gear. Real riders wear gloves. Usually. If they're doing 90 mph in a T-shirt and no eye protection for the whole episode, it’s a fantasy.
- Evaluate the stakes. Is the bike a tool for the story, or just a prop? The best shows use the motorcycle as a character. It breaks down. It runs out of gas. It matters.
The Future of the Genre
What's next? We’re starting to see electric bikes pop up in media. Long Way Up featured Rivian trucks and electric Harley-Davidson LiveWires. It was a huge risk. Purists hated it, but it was honest. It showed the struggle of finding a charge in the middle of South America.
As we move toward 2026, expect to see more shows focusing on the "new" biker—the urban commuter, the motovlogger, and the custom builder. The era of the "outlaw" show might be peaking, but the era of the "motorcycle lifestyle" show is just getting started.
If you want to dive deeper into this world, stop watching the scripted stuff for a minute. Go to YouTube and look up independent travel series like Itchy Boots. That’s a woman riding solo across the world on a Honda CRF300 Rally. It has more tension, better scenery, and more "motorcycle soul" than a $50 million HBO production.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch for Authenticity: Next time you watch a biker show, look at the tires. If they’re perfectly clean after a "long trip," you’re watching a costume drama, not a motorcycle show.
- Explore Documentaries: Start with Long Way Round. It’s the gold standard for a reason.
- Follow Real Builders: If you like the bikes in these shows, follow the actual shops that build them. Companies like Roland Sands Design often provide the machines you see on screen.
- Look Beyond the Chrome: Pay attention to how the characters interact with their machines. A rider who doesn't know how to check their oil isn't a rider; they're an actor with a cool prop.
The best motorcycle content isn't about the destination or even the bike itself. It's about the feeling of the world moving past you without a cage of glass and steel in the way. Whether it's a gritty drama or a travel doc, if it doesn't make you want to go out and buy a helmet, it’s not doing its job.