‘The dream came true’: Anvil Motorcycle Company goes full throttle in first month
Published 2:30 pm Thursday, May 1, 2025
Anvil Motorcycle Company co-owner Dennis Conner, pictured, opened the business with co-owner Travis Linebaugh on April 1. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
The motorcycle business owners can perform repairs, upgrade engines and more at the shop. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
Anvil Motorcycle Company is located at 1912 United Way in north Medford. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
The business was named after the anvil, referencing the history of mechanic work and metal working while also referencing an anvil owned by Dennis Conner that’s been in his family for 100-plus years. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
Travis Linebaugh, right, co-owner of the shop, works on a chopper Friday morning in Medford. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
Providing for family, mixed with a longtime love of two-wheelers, led to opening of service and repair shop on United Way in north Medford
Two Rogue Valley residents’ shared love for motorcycles, the mechanical side of choppers and putting in the elbow grease to fashion or fix up the two-wheeled vehicles has led them to collaborate and open the Anvil Motorcycle Company.
Dennis Conner and Travis Linebaugh have been working on motorcycles for decades in the Rogue Valley, and the two opened the doors to their new business on April 1.
“I’ve always talked about opening my own shop, and when Travis started talking about it, I figured we both have a good reputation in town and there’s no point in us opening two separate shops,” Conner said.
Both co-owners worked together at a dealership before deciding to work together to create their own business.
“The dream came true to where we finally decided it was time for us to do our own thing,” Linebaugh said.
Travis Linebaugh, right, co-owner of the shop, works on a chopper Friday morning in Medford. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
Anvil Motorcycle Company is located at 1912 United Way in north Medford.
“Right now, it’s service and repair, motor upgrades, performance upgrades, all that kind of stuff; we can do anything,” Linebaugh said of the variety of services they offer.
For Conner and Linebaugh, the love of motorcycles started early in life and continued to grow.
“For me, I started out riding dirt bikes and stuff as a kid … and I got my first street bike when I was 18 years old; my parents wouldn’t co-sign for me so I found somebody else that would and I snuck it home and I’ve been riding ever since,” Conner said.
“My father had Harley-Davidsons when I was a kid, and so I was just always enamored by motorcycles,” Linebaugh said. “I grew up riding dirt bikes, which transformed into Harleys and into working on them for the last 27 years.”
The new business’ name incorporates the past role of blacksmiths and the evolution into modern mechanic work while also utilizing the symbolism of the anvil.
“We were just sitting around eating lunch at the other shop and spitballing names and ideas and logos we could work with,” Conner said of its origin. “The anvil stands for quality and craftsmanship and longevity, so we thought ‘that’s exactly what we’re going for here.’”
The business was named after the anvil, referencing the history of mechanic work and metal working while also referencing an anvil owned by Dennis Conner that’s been in his family for 100-plus years. James Sloan / Rogue Valley Times
The anvil also represents a piece of family history for Conner.
“We have a big anvil on the floor here, and that’s been in my family for probably over 100 years, and I’ve been carting it around with me every time I move. It’s been everywhere,” Conner said, noting the anvil’s been used for anything from making motorcycle parts to being a placeholder in his wife’s garden.
At the end of the day, the biggest motivation for both men is providing for their families.
“Family is No. 1 for both of us,” Conner said. “Both of our spouses have fully supported this and it’s obviously a stressful thing giving up a paycheck to go start a new business, and they’ve been on board for the whole thing.”
The co-owners’ objectives for the first year or so, they said, is to establish a customer base during the busy period of early spring through summertime and have plenty of projects through the winter while also working on long-term goals.
“We want to turn this into the premier shop in the area,” Conner said, adding he wants it to draw in bikers from across the region and out of state. “We want to get real heavy into performance and fabrication,” he said. “A long-term goal is to get a Dyno, so we can do Dyno tuning performance.”
Dyno is one of the most precise measuring machines of engine output, leading to top-end engine tuning for motorcycles.
To learn more about Anvil Motorcycle Company, visit the garage between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or call 541-500-1085.
Reach reporter James Sloan at james.sloan@rv-times.com.
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