If you would like your own story placed on this webpage!

  Jim

When my best friend and I saw Then Came Bronson, we did not have the money for Harleys. So we jumped in his car and went down to Arizona to get a job in the copper mines so we could buy some bikes. That was along time ago, but one of the best times in my life.

Steve

Jim, here is my “Bronson” story.

I was 16 years old in 1969 and living at Edwards AFB in the middle of the Mojave Desert in California when I started watching “Then Came Bronson” every Wednesday night on our families first color TV. I had never been very interested in motorcycles before then. However, the moral decency of the Bronson character, the attractive look and sound of the Harley Sportster was an agent of freedom, and the introspective stories set in beautiful western locales, soon had me quickly answering “a motorcycle” every time my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas that year.

My friends in high school grew used to me showing up for class wearing a black watch cap, sunglasses, navy-blue T-shirt, blue jeans, or brown corduroys and leather moccasins. My parents had said “absolutely not” on the motorcycle, but they must have figured out with a million square miles of empty desert to ride in, I might not kill myself. So, was I surprised on Christmas Day in 1969 to find a brand new, white, Honda CB160 parked on the back porch.

I have been motorcycling ever since. I’ve taken dozens of long bike trips cross country and in Europe over the years and owned about 15 different bikes, including a couple of Sportsters, one of which I customized into a Bronson Bike. Today I ride a Buell Ulysses (named for another famous traveler) and speculate that if Jim Bronson needed an American V-twin to do some adventure riding tomorrow, he just might pick a Uly, depending of course, on what bikes any suicidal friends might have left behind. Seriously, the one thing I came to realize as I rode on my trips of discovery is that the bike is just a tool and the destination, a temporary goal. The real meaning of the trip is the journey, itself.

Jim W.

Jim

I am from Morgan Hill, California, just south of San Jose. I found your site because I was lusting after a TCB replica on EBay a few years ago and have really enjoyed the photos.

My dad and uncle rode Harleys together before I was born. I grew up with three older brothers, and my dad had us riding a mini bike in the alley when we were little tykes. My brothers had a range of motorcycles, with everything from scooters to Triumph Bonneville / Tiger, a BMW, and yes, even a chopper. My two oldest brothers walked with an identical limp for a while.

There's another TCB filming location you rode right past, but might not be aware of. I grew up in Pacific Grove California. I recall riding my bicycle home from school one day and finding Forest Avenue closed down between Lighthouse Ave. and Pine Ave. This is one of the busiest streets in town, and I found it peculiar there were only a few cars parked on it. Of course I had to investigate. After watching nothing for a while, I spotted Michael Parks, and was close enough to get his autograph. I sure wish I knew where that autograph was now. I don't recall whether I saw the bike. I was nine years old at the time.

It's a memory that stuck with me, from an impressionable time in my life. The second LP I ever bought with my own paper route money was Long Lonesome Highway and still got it. One of my brothers built a TCB model kit, but it's since disappeared. I suppose that next TCB replica will be on my wish list as well.

Joe

Webmaster Note: Pacific Grove was the town where Episode 22 "Still Waters" was centered around.

"Then Came Bronson" was a one-season series [1969-1970] about a man on a motorcycle. Michael Parks played Bronson, who mumbled and murmured so that you could understand only about 10 percent of the dialogue, who rode off to a different town every week, who had zero lasting relationships in his life, and who had no visible means of support. Next to Saints and Sinners 1962   it was the only television series I ever loved.

Webmaster Note: The above was taken from Mr. Bob Greene, a staff writer for a newspaper (Circa 2001) Read the entire article here, great stuff.

Jim

In 1969, I was 12 years old, my friend, Rod and I were into riding our stingrays all over Watsonville, California. I was into watching TV since there was not much else to do back then if you were a 12 year old. One night, while I was channel surfing the 12 channels available, I saw the opening scene to "Then Came Bronson'. Rod and I would never miss an episode. I would relive the episode the next day.

I could not understand why NBC canceled TCB. But the show and my hero, Jim Bronson had already left a mark on me.

When I was 15 years old, I talked my mom into letting me buy a 1973 Hodaka Ace 100cc motorcycle two stroke. I loved that motorcycle, my first, and while on it I was - Jim Bronson. I did not even mind when I had to mix the oil for it. Every time I kicked the kick start lever, I was -Jim Bronson. In 1974, I worked hard and once again, I talked my mom into letting me buy a AMF Harley 350 Sprint. It was one of those Harleys manufactured in Italy and it was very bad quality. It had the single cylinder 'thumper motor'. I did not care about the problems. It was a Harley after all just like the Sportster that Jim Bronson rode.

Well, I left motorcycling for about 24 years as I went to college and made a life but I always noticed motorcycles and wanted to buy one but did not because of my family's worries and I just did not have the extra cash as a working stiff. Then in 2002, the longing to ride became too strong and I took the basic MSF class. I did my research and I bought a brand new 2002 SV 650 to ride again. I was - Jim Bronson, again. In 2006, I bought a used 2005 Kawasaki ZRX1200R. Now I ride both bikes in my stable.

Now, I have found your website. I would love to have the Then Came Bronson DVDs and when I see them on TV, I will have come full circle. But it ALL started with TCB back in 1969. Despite a 24 year old break from riding, TCB still was in my brain after all these years. Thanks for your website.

Manuel

Jim

I rode from Ohio to California back in 1971 on a Kawasaki Mach IV 750; very, very fast, but not a good road bike.

I then moved to California in 1973 and ended up working opening shift in a gas station in Santa Cruz right where Highway 1 comes down the coast and through Santa Cruz and turns into the freeway headed south. I had just opened up in the early dawn light and this old bathtub Porsche convertible pulls in, and out pops Michael Parks, watch cap, leather jacket and all. He had driven all night up the coast highway from LA. I got to tell him how much it meant to me to ride across the Bixby Creek Bridge and he seemed very much like the character in the show. He told me he had grown up around Big Sur and the bridge scene was his idea.

I would have loved to have had a cruiser back then, but then for me, fast was fun. On my Kawasaki 750 mach IV I was never beaten in a drag race, track or street, by anything, car or bike. (other than a regular pasting by the guy that held the national record in class at the time, on another Mach IV, he would often show up and spoil my fun) the only time I was ever passed on the road on that Kawasaki was coming down from Big Bear Lake into San Bernardino on Highway 18, that loses almost 6000 ft in 28 miles. A guy on a highly modified Honda 4 cylinder blew by me and I almost went off at what is rightly called "the rim of the world" trying to catch him. So many close ones in those days. I really should not be here. (Knock wood) I now have an 1984 Kawasaki kz550.

Thanks for the site and for stirring up all that old stuff.

Jack W.

Jim

On my last Bronson Trip I saw an old guy with white hair, tee-shirt and suspenders holding ups his pants, flying a competition style model glider at a deserted little county airport along the Missouri River. I sat on my bike and watched him for a while then walked over to say hi…he stuck his hand out and introduced himself and I said “Hi, Jim Bronson”…spur of the moment…(Luckily he was too old to know about the show). He said good to meet you Jim and he showed me all about competition-rubber-band powered airplanes. I even retrieved it from a bean field for him and helped here and there. Then said good-by and went on my way. It was a true “Bronson Moment”!

Bill W.

Jim

I had a very interesting conversation last night with a guy who claims to have one of the original TV Bronson Bikes! Here is his story as he related it to me. He told me he was 10 years old when Bronson was on TV, his dad rode and let him stay up to watch it. One day in 1973 he and his dad were in a Harley dealership in York PA, and he saw a bike and said "Dad, there's a bike just like Bronson's." The salesman walked over and said "Sonny that is one of the bikes that that was used in the show."

He and his father made a deal and bought the bike. He says the bike was pretty dinged up with scratches on the mufflers and chips out of the primary cases. He has kept the bike just like it was when he got it. He has spent a lot of time trying to verify that it is indeed a "real" Bronson bike, but can't find any records about what serial numbers the bikes were that were used, so he cannot prove it for sure. But he is pretty confident it is an actual TV bike. He is very knowledgeable about everything Bronson. He works for Harley Davidson, and he also has the band "the Razorbacks" His name is Kenny. He does over a hundred shows a year at different bike meets. He will be at Sturgis this year and he is going the take the bike to Myrtle Beach.

He says he gets frustrated trying to educate the new bikers that have no idea about the significance of Bronson. He says he knew Bud Ekins and knows Michael Parks. He also said that he took his tank to a DuPont paint store and they did the spectra scope analysis and the color came up to be almost a perfect match for Chevy Hugger Orange. He says he has built a couple of replicas and sold them. And he has enough parts to build a couple more I talked to him for over an hour about his memorabilia collection and details about the bike. It was very interesting to say the least.

Billy G.

Jim

I enjoyed your website. It's nice to know there are so many TCB nuts out there in cyberspace.

When I was a kid, (I'm 52 now) and then living in Southern California, my brother-in-law took me to a car show in Anaheim close to Disneyland. Bronson's bike was there. I know it was one of the bikes used in the show because as part of the display, there was a large poster of Michael Parks on the set, standing next to "this bike". There was a dent in the bottom of the lower muffler that was in the picture and on the bike being displayed.

The bike was roped off with a red rope sash and signs saying "don't touch". My brother-in-law had a camera and told me to get on it so he could get my picture. He didn't have to say it twice either. Needless to say we got yelled at but not before he took my picture. I never got to see the picture but I keep a copy in my mind.

I saw Bronson's red Sportster model on the shelf of Toy World in the Buena Park Shopping Center (They weren't called "Malls" back then), I had to have it. I spent so much time painting bolt heads and engine cooling fins that it took forever to finish.

Steve

Jim

Over the years since my original 1975 XLCH I think I became familiar with every exact custom part used on that Bronson Bike. In the late 70's I was going to build my first attempt. I did not have the resources however and eventually sold the parts I collected. Amazing how expensive bike building is!!!

Now, all these years later finding the parts that were readily available even 10 years ago has become frustrating. Fortunately I have everything I need except the speed bars. I keep bidding on EBAY but so far have not won a set. Riding these old machines is not fun on the open road. Back in the 70's it was just normal. Now I fear age is a factor as well. I don't like the leaned over riding position and the way it feels on my back. I look at the project as a work of art. I think of all the vintage HD's I have seen, the Bronson design was the most beautiful in form. I really don't intend to ride mine very much. I'll ride my Vespa around Hot Fort Lauderdale in my flip flops and shorts.

Funny how these projects go. The TV bike was not a show piece. Once you start this project it is easy to start making the bike a lot more perfect than it was on TV. I think Greg’s is fantastic. BTW, I noticed he used a kick start chain guard (long version) on the bike rather than the shorter electric start guard. I have them both myself. They are hard to find but I like the idea of covering more of the chain.

Jim K.

Jim

My name is Jim Bronson and boy did I catch hell in junior high every time the show ran. Just tell me that the characters middle name is not Boyd!

Jim Bronson 1959

Jim

I just thought I would share this with the gang. Attached is a picture of Stu Klitsner , (the guy in the station wagon asking Bronson if he is “Taking a trip?”. This picture is a production still of him in his role as Mr. Bixby in a theatre production called Ragtime, in 2006. More recently he was in Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith, Stu played Dr. Strauk.

Billy G.

Jim

I had a buddy of mine do some scouting around up in Los Padres National Forest. I think we may have found out how Bronson was able to fix the bike with a rock in episode 23. Check out the picture of what he found. I get a lot of people at shows asking me how he did it. Now I can tell them!

Billy G.

Jim

My life parallels, I had a Sears’s mini bike, 4 hp, tore up the alleys in our neighborhood. Then my first bike was a Honda CL 100s, and then a 1974 Sportster 1000 (last year of the right sided shifter). Took a while to learn how not to break with the shifter and shift with the brake lever. My first cross country trip was to see an old friend in El Paso, TX. I was living in San Antonio at the time. Every 90 miles I was sweating out a gas station. This was the only time I didn't mind the 55 MPH interstate speeds. Sold that bike and then got into competing in Enduros around Texas. Bought a Hercules GS250, it had a 7 speed transmission. Then I got a Husquvarna WR390, at that time Dick Burleson was the king of the ISDT (international six day trials) and he road a Husky.

In 1980, I fell in Love, got married, and sold all the bikes! Became a responsible husband and parent. Zoom up to 1999, discovered Jon Foukes TCB web site and decided to do a Bronson tribute bike 30 years later with a Sportster 883 Custom. Sold that and bought a "real" 1969 XLH and built a replica TCB bike, sold it and bought a 2004 Honda VTX 1300 and did some TCB theme mods. and took my real Bronson trip, including visiting some film location sites and of course riding across the Bixby Creek bridge...3 times! I will send out that story later. And now I have a 2007 Honda Shadow 1100 Spirit TCB tribute (theme) bike.

Tom H.

Jim

I have recently begun riding a motorcycle again due to the cost of gas. I have not rode in the past 22 years, so I am rediscovering the joy, and watching TCB is icing on the cake.

JG

Jim

I was 13 years old in 1969 and it was a Wednesday night in San Antonio, TX. I was channel surfing all 4 channels, (ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS) when I came across this guy (Jim Bronson) riding around the country on a motorcycle! From then on I was hooked. Started out on a Sears’s 4hp mini bike, then at 15 I got a Honda CL 100s, then in 1974 when I graduated from high school I bought a 1974 XLH Sportster 1000. The last year of the right sided shifter. It took a while to get used to NOT shifting the brake and braking with the shifter!

I took my first TCB trip to El Paso, TX. I was never so glad for 55 mph speed limits because I was looking for a gas stations every 90 miles or so and sweating it out! Since then I built a 1999 883 Custom TCB theme bike, sold it and then built a real 1969 XLH Bronson bike that Greg P. owns now. I currently ride a Honda Shadow 1100 Spirit that I have Bronsonized. And now I am thinking about a 2009 FXDC Super Glide Custom to Bronsonize! Great website! Keep up the good work and "Hang in there"

Tom

Jim

I am savoring the episodes daily. Just one or two, I don't want to go overboard. I had forgotten how good a show this was. Each one has a message that helps you be a better person.

Don

Jim

It was great looking at your web site. You sound a lot like me. I have loved this show from the first time it came on television. I even used to get in trouble in school because when teachers asked what I wanted to do I told them buy a motorcycle and ride for a year. Well I got part of the plan done. I bought a 1973 Sportster in January of 1974, but then I got a good job and never finished my plan. I still plan to finish what I started some day.

I have wanted to build a replica Sportster myself and have been looking around for one to start with. I must say Greg and the others have done a fantastic job on the ones they have built. I am lucky enough to ride for a living now.

Mark

Jim

I am thrilled to discover that there are so many other people out there that got started in motorcycling with the Then Came Bronson TV series. I learned how to ride on a 1965 Electra Glide, bought a 1969 Dresser in 1973 and totally enjoyed it until I had to sell it in 1974 for financial reasons. I loved the bike and the Bronson series reflected on the image of motorcycling that I have always been comfortable with. Fast forward to 2004. I decided to get back into bikes and I wanted to pick up where I left off so I bought a 1976 Dresser and restored it to look and ride just like my '69. I just bought a 1977 Sportster and it will be restored to be a match to the '76.

I was thrilled to get the seeing eye tank decals. I would like to find a Sportster tank and paint it red and have a little tribute to the Bronson motorcycle style.

Mark

Jim

I must have been all of age 13 when I fell in love with Jim Bronson and his bike. The song Wayfaring Stranger has stuck in my head for the remaining 40 years, thanks for the website. I would love to let Jim Bronson know just how much he influenced a young Christian southern girl, by just giving her a song to sing for years. Whenever I get down and out, I sing it to remember that this world only leads to the next. Thank you again.

Debby

Jim

In 1973 I took a 9,000 mile trip, partially motivated by TCB. I thought I remembered Wayfaring Stranger as one of the TCB songs. I rode a Triumph Trident at that time, later road a HD 883, and now ride a 1988 Honda Shadow which is very comfortable at my current age.

Al

Jim

I was born and raised in southern California in 1955 and "fell-in-love" with Bronson. I had the entire "hang-in-there" commited to memory and would "never" miss it. I used to ride my sting-ray-bicycle and I would dream of being Jim Bronson going "down that long lonesome highway" all the time!!! Take care on this Christmas morning hope Santa was good to you.

Carl