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!

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

Carolinas White Lightening Cross Country Classic 2014

Ton Up NC AHRMA Racing: Mckee Sky Ranch, WV 2012

The first annual AHRMA Cross Country/Vintage Motocross race at McKee Sky Ranch took place in July 2012 and Ton Up NC had all hands on deck at the event. Jim, Chad, Eric, Alex and myself loaded up the pickups and headed northwest on a Friday afternoon for a weekend of dirt bike racin' in God's country, Terra Alta, WV.

Its a 441 sandwich.

No this is not Rio, it is me taking in the glory that is WV on a Saturday pre-race morning.

...had a double burger at Biggie's

Durham, NC bikes.

Eric kicking ass on the Hondapotomus.

Chad taking the 441 through the paces in the wild and wonderful woods of WV.

Jim, getting blurry like bigfoot on his 71 Triumph.

Post-race rehydration.

Chad takes the checkered flag.

Bikes grow like weeds along the fence row at the VMX course.

This picture does no justice to how awesome this Dick Mann designed natural track VMX course was...

 And Dick Mann (white hat) saw every thing that he had made, and, behold it was very good.

Chad and the Mann.

Starting line for Post Vintage Cross Country.

Me (Brian) PVXC.

Ton Up NC and Ton Up Indy.

Chad and ALex on the line for Vintage Cross Country day 2.

Eric is on the hunt (right).

Jim getting some.

Alex takes the checkered flag.

Ton Up NC.

-Brian