Custom motorcycles land Louisville builders on reality TV show

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Three Louisville builders who once worked in the corporate world are now following their passion and building custom motorcycles. That decision has landed them in the national spotlight on reality TV.

Scott Halbleib and Chad Francis spend their days crafting custom motorcycles at Francis' shop "Retro Wrench." It's a far cry from how the two made their livings just a few years ago.

"We've got kind of similar stories. I was a graphic designer. I went corporate," said Halbleib.

But when the economy took a turn, it gave them the opportunity to leave the corporate world behind and pursue their true love.

"I'd already built a few bikes as a hobby. I had some severance and I just thought I'm going to try and make a go of it," said Halbleib, who launched "H Garage."

A Honda CB450 bobber built in his basement gained him international attention and eventually caught the eye of producers of a new reality TV show. "Wrench Against the Machine" pits the most prestigious bike builders in the country against each other as they put their reputations on the line in the ultimate test of creativity and craftsmanship.

"He told me the perimeters and I was like this sounds pretty crazy," said Halbleib.

Crazy enough that Halbleib knew he wanted to do it and enlisted Francis and Jeff Gill of Air Kooled Inc. to go with him. The trio headed off to LA last May for the build of a lifetime, not sure what to expect.

"We knew we had three guys, we knew we had $3,000 and we knew we had three days," said Francis.

With just 72 hours, that's a fraction of the time it usually takes them to build a bike. "I'm typically three or four weeks just designing something and then my builds are three months to six months," said Halbleib.

That time limit did not include TV magic. Three days meant three days with no breaks. "Jeff worked 48 hours straight, two full days without sleep. He was a mad man. He was a machine," said Francis.

While they're not allowed to say how they did on the show, Halbleib will say he was pleased with what they accomplished.

"I said 'Would you do this again?' And they were like yeah. And I was like 'Would you do it again next week?' And they were like no," said Halbleib.

Now back home in Louisville, the three hope their time in the spotlight translates to success in the garage.

"We're hoping for better things to come and we'll see what happens next," said Francis.

"Wrench Against the Machine" premieres on the Esquire Network on November 15. Viewers who want to catch the episode featuring the Louisville team can see that episode on November 29.