S.E. Rochelle Reliability Run -March 30th, 2019, Durham NC

Saturday March 30th 2019

All bikes are welcome but the oldest bike to start and finish wins the prize. 

SCHEDULE:

WHEN: Saturday March 30th, 2019

WHERE: James Joyce Irish Pub

                912 W Main St 

                Durham, NC 27701

Noon - 1PM

Registration (FREE)

1 PM - 2PM

Reliability Run (40 mi) and Duke Campus Photo

3PM - Till 

Award to the Oldest Bike to Complete Run

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/589235178258323/

1913 & 2013 Reliability Run Vintage Motorbikes from all over the world will started and finished in Durham, NC. A low speed round-trip ride through the Carolina countryside. The ultimate two-wheel attrition test of mechanic and machine. Awards were given to the oldest motorbike successfully completing the ride.  RULES and REGULATIONS: 1) Motorbike must start and finish under own power. 2) Motorbike age determined by manufacturer year, month and serial number. 3) Mechanical stops are allowed but tools an supplies must be stowed on motorbike. 4) This is NOT a race and all local, State and Federal laws must be followed.

Inside Rochelle's Durham shop (photo courtesy of Durham Library).

Sidney Edgar Rochelle (1878-1960) was a veteran, a business man and most importantly to us, a motorcycle enthusiast from Durham, NC, the place a handful of us Ton Up NC boys call home. From 1910 to 1954, SE Rochelle owned and operated the local Harley Davidson/Henderson/Indian dealership formerly located on the corner of Parrish and Corcoran St (and later on Mangum St.) in Durham. This was North Carolina's first Harley Davidson Dealership.

Rochelle not only provided the Durham motorcyclists with bikes, he created a motorcycle community in ways ranging from his promotion of motorcycle related attractions at the local amusement park, to the organization of a riding club and many local versions of the AMA sanctioned Gypsy Day Tour rides. Rochelle's Gypsy Day rides consisted of a round trip from Durham to Greensboro and back. Rochelle's club also traveled all over the USA.

Outside the old shop on Parrish Street, SE Rochelle is 2nd from right. (photo courtesy Durham Library).

Chad and I outside the old 208 Parrish Street location of Rochelle's old shop. It is Dos Perros restaurant now.

Whirl of Death motordome at Lakewood Park in Durham (photo courtesy of Durham Library).

Rochelle's Durham Gypsy Day Tour ride circa 1923  at Trinity College now Duke University.
(photo courtesy of Durham Library)

Durham motorcyclists band together (photo courtesy of Durham Library).

SE Rochelle and his motorcycle club circa 1910 (photo courtesy of Durham Library).

For more information on SE Rochelle, visit the Endangered Durham website, to which I am indebted for much of my knowledge about Mr. Rochelle.

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

-Brian/Chad

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

2016 Bull City Rumble Pre-Registration is OPEN

PRE-REGISTER NOW FOR THE 

2016 BULL CITY RUMBLE

(LIMITED NUMBER OF PRE-EGISTRATIONS AVAILABLE)

CLICK HERE TO PRE-REGISTER

$25 PRE-REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDES:

• 1 RUMBLE T-SHIRT OR RALLY PATCH
• 1 MOTORCYCLE ENTRY INTO THE BIKE SHOW 
• 1 ENTRY INTO THE RUMBLE AFTER PARTY
• 1 RAFFLE TICKET

ALL ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE PRE-REGISTRATION DEAL WILL BE AVAILABLE THE DAY OF SHOW À LA CARTE

(we will not have a full registration deal day of show this year)

THE SCHEDULE:

Fri. September 2 
7:00pm-? Rumble Registration 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

For more information on the Bull City Rumble CLICK HERE

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

New Bull City Rumble 10 Products...

BULL CITY RUMBLE 10 T-SHIRT.

Your new favorite back t-shirt.

$20 BUY IT HERE and SUPPORT THE RUMBLE.

BULL CITY RUMBLE 10 SHOW PRINT.

Stunning 4 color print. Limited edition of 200.

Hand-signed and numbered by the artist: 

Martin Cimek 

(Cafe Racer TV, Mods vs. Rockers Comics/Gear etc. etc.)

$25 BUY THEM HERE and SUPPORT THE RUMBLE.

For more information on the Bull City Rumble vintage motorcycle and scooter show go to www.bullcityrumble10.com

NEW Bull City Rumble 10 small posters for sale NOW!

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Be the first kid on your block to have a Bull City Rumble 10 poster in their garage! 11"x17" of Martin Cimek designed (Cafe Racer TV, Triumph Motorcycles etc.) glory.

Only $5.99

CLICK HERE TO BUY

After the Flood... The BSA That Refused to Die.

The Johnstown Flood of 1977

Johnstown, PA has earned the nickname "The Flood City" the hard way. The Conemaugh River has spilled its banks on numerous occasions. Beginning with "The Great Flood" of 1889 (this past May 2014 marked the 125th anniversary) and later in 1894, 1907, 1924 and most recently in July of 1977 (37 years ago next month).

A TV report on the 1977 Flood.

You might be wondering,  "What the hell does this have to do with motorcycles or Ton Up NC?" Well, while on my travels, I came across a bike with an incredible story. Although the 1977 Johnstown Flood claimed many victims (85 people to be exact and $200 million in property damage), one BSA that was left for dead was determined to be a survivor. Many years after the flood, in the mid 1980's, a couple of kids were down on the Conemaugh River bank with their father digging around in the sand and dirt when they hit something solid: a motorcycle tyre, but try as they might, they could not budge the tyre from its resting place. The kids alerted their daddy who helped them dig some more, soon out of the dirt appeared a fork, handlebars, a tank and after hours of digging, they unearthed an entire motorbike: a BSA Lightening. The family wheeled the bike home and there it sat again for many years, until recently. A couple of years ago, the father figured that someone might have some use for this rusty old machine, so he contacted the local British Bike guy and turned it over to him to use as a parts bike. That's when the seemingly impossible happened, with just a few tweaks and a change of the carburetors, the bike fired up. Despite being buried for many years under 8 feet of water in the flood and then left to die under debris, dirt, and sand  in the midst of a flowing river, the inside of the engine and tank had never seen any water. Some things are just too tough to die. What you are seeing in the pictures that follow is the bike in it's original unrestored state: original paint, rust and all...

Here's an audio clip of me talking to the current owner about the bike, enjoy...

-Brian

Ton Up NC = Riding, Racing and Restoring of Vintage Motorcycles

Support our mission and the Bull City Rumble by purchasing something from our webstore here:

Ton Up NC Store

Bull City Rumble 10: $500 Cash for Best Bike in Show

We are upping the ante this year in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Bull City Rumble by offering a $500 cash prize for the bike that is declared Best in Show at the annual vintage motorcycle/cafe racer/scooter show scheduled to take place on August 30, 2014 at 1:00pm in historic downtown Durham. With a decade of history, the Bull City Rumble is one of the longest continuously running Mods vs. Rockers themed events in the world. The annual vintage motorcycle, cafe racer and scooter show draws hundreds of entries from all four corners of the globe ensuring that competition will be stiff. All bikes entered must run and yes, we will ask you to start it to prove this. You can trailer your bike to the show, but make no mistake, we will be looking for mud under the fenders, bikes are born to be ridden no matter how old. 

Categories include:

• Vintage British 1980 and older.
• Vintage European 1980 and older.
• Vintage Japanese 1980 and older.
• Vintage Competition 1980 and older.
• Retro Modern.
• Vintage Scooter 1980 and older.

Click Here to Pre-Register

For more info. go to: www.bullcityrumble10.com

Carolinas White Lightening Cross Country Classic 2014

Ton Up NC: 10 Years of Vintage Speed Demonology 2003-2013

Ton Up NC founding fathers in 2006: Patman and Marcus

Ton Up NC was founded in 2003 by one Marcus Rogers and Patrick “Patman” McGraw after a chance meet-up in Raleigh, NC. The story goes: Patman, then astride his Triumph Triple, was sitting at a local pizza joint (Lilly’s to be exact) enjoying a cold one and a hot slice, meanwhile Marcus rolls by on his angry Norton Commando (sure to cause a commotion wherever it is). Patman, recognizing the sweet tune of the Birmingham twin, chases down the Marcus and wallah, several beers later, Ton Up NC was born. 

Well, that was ten years ago and a lot has changed: unlike in 2003, cafe racers are currently the bike de jour, the Bull City Rumble Vintage Rally has taken on a life of its own and we’re not as young as we used to be. Meanwhile, a lot has stayed the same: Ton Up NC’s mission continues to be the riding, racing and restoration of vintage motorcycles, members continue to compete nationally in the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) series in vintage road, motocross, cross-country and trials, the annual Bull City Rumble continues to be a major focus of the organization and much time and care is spent maintaining and riding our vintage machines. So with this blog post we raise a toast to all Ton Up NC members, supporters, family, friends and you. Here’s to another decade of vintage speed demonology!

Ton Up NC 2013: L-R Chad, Jim, Eric P, Marcus, Brian (Eric G absent)

Ton Up Highlands 2013: L-R Doug, Patman, Daniel

Ton Up N⋆C est. 2003

10 Years of Speed Demonology

You can help support the Bull City Rumble and Ton Up NC by purchasing something at our webstore here.

-Brian

Happy Thanksgiving from Ton Up N⋆C.

Ton Up NC Nortons...

Marcus' Commando (top) w/ Brian's Commando.

The unapproachable, the roadholder, no matter what you call them, Nortons have long been a part of Ton Up NC, in fact you might say that 10 years ago it was a 1974 Norton Commando that started the club. Case in point, in 2003 club co-founder, Patman, heard familiar sound of a Norton roar by the local Pizza shop in Raleigh and had to know who was riding it. He chased down what turned out to be Marcus on his 1974 Commando and the two immediately bonded over their affinity for British motorcycles and made a pact to form a local chapter of the International Ton Up Club. And so it was done.  Since that meeting, other Nortons have joined the Ton Up NC family, here's a list:

Marcus: 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster

Eric G: 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster

Eric P: 1971 Norton Commando 750 Roadster

Brian: 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster

Chad: 1966 Norton Atlas

Eric G on his 74 Commando

Eric P's Commando

Brian's Commando

Chad's Atlas

Ton Up NC

 10 Yrs of Riding, Racing and Restoration 2003-2013

-Brian