SE Rochelle Ride-In, April 15, 2018

What: SE Rochelle Ride-In

When: Sunday, April 15,2018 1:30pm est

Where: Central Park Tavern

704 Rigsbee Ave., Durham, NC 27701

Join us for the 3rd edition of the SE Rochelle “Ride-In” on April 15, 2018 at Durham’s Central Park Tavern to honor one of NC’s legendary motorcyclists, Sydney Edgar Rochelle.

In 1910, during motorcycling’s infancy, Mr.  Rochelle became North Carolina’s first Harley Davidson dealer. In the early 1900’s, a Durhamite could waltz into Sydney’s Radio and Accessories shop at 405 Mangum Street, plop down $300 in cash and roll out on a brand new Harley for “Health, Life and Sport,” as Rochelle’s newspaper ad read. It was a new dawn in transportation and Sydney was ahead of his time. In addition to selling the dream, he lived it. He started a local motorcycle club that took cross country tours, added motorcycling’s legendary wall of death to the festival at Lakewood Park and organized the local AMA Gypsy tour down Route 10 to Greensboro.

A century later in April 2012, with twenty other vintage motorcyclists, we resurrected the historic reliability ride to Greensboro, NC. On old Route 10, we followed in the tiretracks of our two-wheeled forefathers and-in the end- raised a pint to honor our local hero’s contribution to our southern motorcycle heritage. 

While we are not sponsoring a ride this year, we hope that on April 15 you join us at Central Park Tavern to pay homage to SE Rochelle and the legacy of all motorcyclists that preceded us. We suggest riding the oldest bike you own, but bikes of all ages are welcome and if you’re coming from Greensboro we suggest dipping your wheels in RT 10.

Until then, keep the rubber side down and keep your head in the wind.

Ton Up NC Snow Day: BSA 4x41

2017 Ton Up NC Vintage Motorcycle Event Schedule

FYBO (Durham, NC) January 13-15

Roebling Road (RR) Bloomingdale, GA) February 24-26

Sandblast (Cheraw, SC), March 4

Aonia Pass (MX/XC) Washington, GA March 6

White Lightning Cross Country (XC) (Chester,SC) March 18-19

S.E. Rochelle Ride-In (Sam’s Quik Shop)  March 25

Carolina Motorsports Park (RR) (Kershaw NC)  March 31 – April 2

Raleigh Eurobike Rally (Raleigh, NC) April 8-9

AHRMA SE (Henderson, NC) (VMX) April 9

Meltdown (Hendersonville, NC) April 29

Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show, (Spencer, NC) May TBD

Devil’s Ridge VMX Nationals (VMX) (Sanford, NC) May 1

Lake Sugar Tree (VMX) May 14

AMCA Meet (Denton, NC) May 19-21

Britbike.com Three State Mountain Ride (Blowing Rock, NC) May 19-20

British and Classic European Motorcycle Day (Germantown, MD) May 21

29th British in the Blue Ridge Rally (Hiawassee, GA) June 23-24

Ohio Valley BSA Owner Spring Rally/Reliability Ride, (Toronto, Ohio) June 3

Smokeout (Rockingham, NC) June 16-17

Heavy Rebel Weekender (Winston-Salem, NC) June 30 – July 2

NJ Motorsports Park (Millville, NJ) July 14 -16 

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Mid-Ohio (XC), (Lexington, Ohio) July 7 - 9

McKee Sky Ranch, (XC & VMX) (Terra Alta, WV) July 21-23

Antique Bikes on Main (Chesnee, NC) July 28-30

Ohio Valley BSA Owner Club Fall Rally, (Toronto, Ohio) August 4-6

Ton Up NC 13^th Annual Bull City Rumble, (Durham, NC) September 1 - 2

Talladega GP (RR) (Munford, AL) September 8 - 10

Barber Vintage Festival (XC)(RR) (Birmingham, Ala.) Oct. 5 – 8

Barber Vintage Festival

Ton Up NC at the 1st Annual Barber Vintage Fest

The Barber Vintage Festival is arguably the most famous, largest and best vintage motorcycle event in the world (with the Bull City Rumble coming in at a close 2nd or 3rd ;) The event does a comprehensive job of covering all facets of motorcycling including collecting, restoring, racing and riding vintage motorbikes. The 13th edition of the event will take place on October 6, 7 and 8, 2017 and you can be certain that Ton Up NC will have a strong presence at the event as they have since the first edition of Barber Vintage.

Aside from racing, one of our favorite pastimes at Barber is the swap meet, with its eclectic mix of motorcycles in various states of repair and the interesting people who make or supplement their living selling them. What follows are some photos from the 2016 edition of the Barber Vintage Swap Meet.

See you there next year!

How to Kickstart a Vintage British Motorcycle

There are few things more satisfying than kicking an old motorcycle to life. Whether this follows a total resurrection of a once left for dead machine or after a momentary pause on a country ride when you just stopped to take in the scenery. That moment when the perfect combination of air, fuel, spark collide and explode never ceases to leave one with an ear to ear grin. Its one of those things everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime and completely contrasts the complete lack of emotion and effort involved in modern push-button ignition systems. Without going into great technical detail, what follows is a step-by-step instructions on how to start that old Triumph, Norton, BSA etc.

1. Shift the bike into Neutral (this is located 1/2 click between first and second gears). A good way to make sure your bike is in Neutral is to check and see if the bike rolls or the rear wheel turns freely without the clutch engaged.

2. Bring the bike outdoors or at least open the garage or shed door (Brit bikes are not emissions free machines and do create quite a bit of poisonous gas when running).

3. Make sure you have fresh gas in the tank. It is good practice to drain your tank if you plan on storing your bike for a while or at least add some fuel stabilizer to the gas to prevent it from getting stale. Stale gas typically has a very strong sweet shellac-like odor to it.

4. Turn on the gas. This is done by moving the petcock lever (located on the underside of the gas tank) from the horizontal position (off position) to the vertical position by pushing the lever downward.

5. Enrich your fuel mixture by actuating the choke lever, usually located near the clutch lever on the left side of the handlebar. If your bike has no choke lever there is a "tickle" button located on the outside of the carburator that can be depressed to release some extra fuel into the carburator (do this on both carbs if you have more than one.)  You want to tickle until a little bit of fuel seeps out of the button onto your finger.

6. If your bike has a compression release (not all do), actuate the lever or button. This will make the bike much easier to kick over. If your bike has no compression release, skip to step 7.

7. Flip out your kickstarter (typically located on the right side of the bike) and with a mild amount of pressure push it with your foot until you feel some resistance (you may have to push the kickstarter all the way through once and repeat to achieve this end.) This puts the bike on its compression stroke.

8. Turn on your bike with your key. Make sure your kill-switch is in the "on" position, if you have one.

9. With a moderate amount of pressure, kick the bike all the way through. When you hear the bike beginning to start a small twist of the throttle can help the bike start and begin to idle. Be wary of kickbacks, some bikes are known to bite you in the shin or eject the rider if not careful.

10. Turn off your choke and if the bike keeps on idling you are ready to roll. Turn lights on for safety. Congratulations you just kickstarted your bike.

Bull City Rumble 12: Sept. 2-3, 2016 -North Carolina's Largest Vintage Motorcycle Show & Rally -Downtown Durham, NC (Labor Day Weekend)

September 2-3, 2016

The Bull City Rumble is a world-renowned vintage motorcycle and scooter rally hosted by Ton Up NC annually on Labor Day Weekend in Durham, NC. Thematically, the event has its roots in the traditional rivalry of Mods vs. Rockers, the sensationalized clash of two youth cultures- scooter riding mods and motorcycle riding rockers, in 1960’s England. The event has evolved from its humble beginnings in a parking lot in 2005 to a multi-venue, multi-day rally drawing thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world.

The hosts, Ton Up NC, are a small not for profit group of enthusiasts with a singular goal: to promote the riding, restoration and racing of vintage motorcycles. 2016 marks Ton Up NC’s 13th anniversary as an organization and marks the 11th edition of the Bull City Rumble. When not organizing events, the members of Ton Up NC compete nationally in vintage dirt and road motorcycle racing.

On Labor Day weekend, 2016 (Sept. 2-3), downtown Durham will again be filled with the sights and sounds of vintage scooters, motorcycles and enthusiasts from all four corners of the globe. The historic Lucky Strike Tobacco Warehouses in Durham’s Brightleaf District serves as the backdrop for the annual bike show on Saturday, September 3 where judges are not necessarily looking for the prettiest and cleanest machines but who are looking for well ridden bikes with personality and craftsmanship. Later, festivities move indoors to the Social for some of the finest burlesque dancers in the South, Rock and Roll music and refreshments.

Make plans to come join us for one of the best two-wheeled events in the South: The Bull City Rumble September 4-5, 2015.

Pre-Register Here

BIKE SHOW CATEGORIES INCLUDE:

• Vintage British (up to 1979)
• Vintage European (BMW, Guzzi, Ducatti etc. up to 1979)
• Vintage Japanese (up to 1979)
• Vintage American (up to 1979)
• Post Vintage (1980-2000 classic sport bikes etc. vs. cruisers)
• Retro Modern (Modern Bonnie, Guzzi V7 Classic, Kaw w650 etc.)
• Competition (vintage dirt/road race bikes)
• Vintage Scooter/Moped

All entries must run.

THE SCHEDULE:

Fri. September 2 

7:00pm-?  Rumble Registration Pre-Party

Green Room

1108 Broad Street, Durham, NC

Sat. September 3

11:00am Motorcycle Breakfast

1:00pm Vintage Motorcycle, Scooter and Cafe Racer Show

1007 W. Main Street, Durham, NC

4:30pm Bike Show Awards and AHRMA Charity Raffle

1007 W. Main Street, Durham, NC

5:00pm-? Bull City Rumble After Party at The Social

Featuring: 

Little Lesley and the Bloodshots

Hearts and Daggers

The Low Counts 

plus Burlesque

1007 W. Main Street, Durham, NC

WHERE TO STAY:

Days Inn ($51 and up)
3460 Hillsborough Road Durham, NC 27705 (919) 383-1551

Red Roof Inn ($60 and up)
1915 N Pointe Dr Durham, NC 27705 (919) 471-9882

Hilton Garden Inn ($101 and up)

2102 West Main St, Durham, NC 27705 (closest to the Rumble epicenter)

Hampton Inn Suites ($101 and up)
1542 North Gregson Street, Durham, NC 27701 (919) 688-8880

Marriott City Center ($139 and up)
201 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701 (888) 236-2427

Homewood Suites by Hilton (from $125)

 3600 Mount Moriah Road, Durham, NC 27705 (919) 401-0610

PRE-REGISTER HERE FOR $20 AND SAVE:

http://tonup.bigcartel.com/product/bull-city-rumble-11-pre-registration

Please support this year's sponsors:

Hemo Bioscience

Combustion Cycles

Durham Tire

CITY LIMIT MOTO

Viking Bags

Motorcycle House

James Joyce Irish Pub

Alivia's Durham Bistro

Shh, White Lightnin'

Chad fires up the BSA 441 for the first time in 2014.

...or so the late George Jones lyric goes. Since 2009 the American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association (AHRMA) has held one of the East Coast's best kept secrets: The Carolinas White Lightening Cross Country Classic. The race has been held for the past several years in Chester, SC and is one of the highlights of the AHRMA vintage cross country calendar. The course is a great combination of single track trails, fire roads and grass track as it zig-zags in and out of the woods on the South Carolina farmland. Ton Up NC members have particapted in the event for most of its history and it typically signals the beginning of the racing year for most of us. What follows is a quick glimpse at what you've been missing out on if you've never attended. This year the event is scheduled for March 12 and 13, 2016. More info. here.

Jim and his Triumph T25T

The starting line.

Ton Up NC's Eric P. gets the hole shot on his Honda Elsinore MT250 (unfortunately, the Elsie blew up after a lap)

Camp Ton Up Chester, SC.

Talking shop with Malcom Smith's former mechanic.

The post-race steak dinner.

Chad takes home first place and hold's Scott's "Cool Bike" award for his AJS (pictured above).

Ton Up NC = Riding, Racing and Restoration of Vintage Motorcycles.

If you would like to be a support our mission and the annual Bull City Rumble Vintage Motorcycle show, please visit our webstore and purchase a shirt, poster, patch or sticker.

Ton Up NC webstore: tonup.bigcartel.com