Esquire Network Presents New Motorcycle Build Show

A new motorcycle show is coming to cable, courtesy of Esquire Network, in the form of Wrench Against the Machine (trailer above), and will debut November 15. The show appears to revive the classic reality TV format, featuring prominent moto builders as judges and teams of regular Joes battling the clock—three days and $3,000—to come up with an imperfect moto creation that will win the day. Some might say it's a tired old formula, but hey, at least it's not Harleys this time! The judges will be Roland Sands (of namesake fame), Michael Woolaway of Deus Ex Machina, and Alan Stulberg, co-founder of Revival Cycles and the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show.

And seriously, the fact that this is a little different should be noted and applauded. It’s a natural evolution of motorcycle programming, to start with mainstream Harley builders and work through the different rag-tag cultures of motorcycling. The idea of a build show is inherently cool, and the drama of reality TV has wholly taken over the airwaves, so it makes sense that the next thing people would find interesting would be a show built around the surge in popularity of flannel and chain-wallet motorcyclists. It’s hard to imagine that this show will break any new ground, but seeing some old air-cooled Japanese and European bikes get chopped up and brought back to life is the closest thing to a breath of fresh air that cable TV has gotten in recent memory.