THE TON Goes to Japan

I have been fascinated with Japan since a young age. Perhaps that is my age, as Japan was a powerhouse economically and culturally throughout the late 70s and through the 1980s before the great stagnation.

Year in Review - 2024

THE TON has been traveling in 2024. We look forward to seeing you in 2025. See what we have been up to!

The Frank-ironhead: Part 2. If you squint you can see a motorcycle

The story so far…

From the pages of THE TON issue 13 - Jordan Pearson's Sportster

When Jordan Pearson rode into this past August’s Rally in the Valley, he did not expect to take best in show. In a crowded gathering chock full of freshly built panheads, show bikes, and antique classics, Pearson was glad to be amid such stiff competition.

Timothy GrishamJuly 11, 2024

Viking Bags Sissy Bar Bag Review

TravelTimothy GrishamJuly 9, 2024sissy bar, bag, luggage, harley davidson, viking bags

What to Watch - Ride the Wind (1971)

Ride the Hot Wind is a film that attempts to merge the retuning Vietnam veteran trope with the bike-spoliation boom of the late 60s and early 70s with very mixed results.

The Frank-ironhead: Part 1. Just a Pile of Nuts and Bolts.

There’s always a starting point. Although sometimes you don’t know it until you see it

What to Watch - Chrome and Hot Leather (1971)

Chrome and Hot Leather is an easy film to summarize. It is the Green Berets versus bikers.

FilmsTimothy GrishamMay 21, 2024Film, Biker Film, cult classic

What to Watch - Hollywood Man (1976)

Despite the bleak outlook of the film, fans of the genre will get a lot of great eye-candy in the form of bikes and vans throughout the film. It features some of the most recognizable faces of the genre and offers something much different in terms of tone.

FilmsTimothy GrishamMay 17, 2024Film, Genre Film, Biker Film, Exploitation Film

What to Watch - Born Losers (1967)

Born Losers is the type of film that could on all outward appearances easily be dismissed as a standard late-60s biker film.

FilmsTimothy GrishamApril 1, 2024Biker, Film, Biker Film, Genre Film, Exploitation Film, Born Losers, Tom Laughlin, Billy Jack

T.R.O.G. 2022

This was a milestone year, although it didn’t go as planned, it was still a killer trip. Races or no races, Wildwood knows how to party!

Timothy GrishamDecember 19, 2022

Porky’s Hog City 2

Porky’s rain AND shine chopper show was a hit for the second year in a row. Never in a million years would you expect rain forest weather to be lingering in western New York.

Bike ShowsTimothy GrishamAugust 22, 2022bike show, motorcycle show, motorcycle rally, bike rally, bikers, motorcycles, bikes, harley davidsonComment

Rally in the Valley

Bike ShowsTimothy GrishamAugust 7, 2022motorcycle, Motorcycles, chopper, choppers, biker, bikers, rally, motorcycle rally, bike show, motorcycle show, rally in the valleyComment

Joshua Boggs 2004 Sportster 883

In the winter of 2016 Joshua Boggs began to strip down his 2004 Sportster 883. The bike had been lowered, and painted in his father’s garage with a few hand fabricated parts - but nothing that Boggs would say was special compared to where he wanted to go with the bike.

BuildsTimothy GrishamJuly 13, 2022motorcycle, chopper, custom culture, Harley DavidsonComment

The 1963 Triumph - Part 8. The Big Reveal

The end of the build came fast and furious as Jimmi was setting a pace to finish the bike by The 1Moto Show in Portland at the end of April. But, with the looming deadline, a lot still needed to be completed.

The 1963 Triumph – Part 7. A touch of Color

This update is more about what it looks like coming out of that dark tunnel and seeing color again. As the bike finished its fabrication and all the rust was removed it was time to send the tins out for paint.

The 1963 Triumph - Part 6. On the Brink, and Off to the Races

While we applied to be part of The 1 Moto Show back in October, we had frankly let it fall of the radar in the month or two following the fire. But word came that the bike had been accepted as part of the show. So now the question pivoted to - can we even make it in time.

BuildsTimothy GrishamMarch 9, 2022triumph, Triumph Motorcycles, chopper, choppers, motorcycle, motorcycle builderComment

The 1963 Triumph - Part 5. Things We Lost in the Fire

By early December we were beginning to see the bike take real shape. It felt it was only a matter of weeks before we could send the tins out to paint, paint the frame, and begin working toward a final assembly. But, with every build speed bumps got in the way. Only this time those speed bumps had nothing to do with the build itself.

BuildsTimothy GrishamJanuary 30, 2022Triumph, Triumph Chopper, Triumph MotorcyclesComment

The 1963 Triumph - Part 4. It's All in the Details

The fine details are what makes or breaks a custom build. Each design choice has to work in concert with each other. In this week’s blog we look at some of the obvious, as well as little noticed, details that have gone into the 1963 Triumph build.

The 1963 Triumph - Part 3. From Inspiration to Fabrication

Last week we learned more about Jimmi, and his approach, and this week we take a look at the starting point for discussing the build, and the early frame work in order to get the bike to a starting point to work from.

BuildsTimothy GrishamNovember 16, 2021Motorcycle, Triumph Motorcycles, Chopper, Bobber, Cafe Racer, British Motorcycle, Biker, BikersComment