Home Field Advantage with Barber Vintage Festival 2009
14. Oct, 2009 
3 Comments
Article and Photos by Bryan Carter
It’s not very often that I get a chance to step away from my desk, but once a year I’m guaranteed my freedom at the Barber Vintage Festival in Leeds, AL.
The festival is held annually at the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum, just outside of Birmingham. The festival is a tribute to all things motorcycle and is a perfect way to celebrate the enthusiasm we all share for motorcycles. While there I had access to legends and champions of motorcycle history that have made the sport what it is today. There was also the parts swap that helped many a rider locate the parts they needed for their latest project. There was more than enough there to peek my interest and start me thinking about what my next project will be. I’m thinking a 1974 Triumph restoration would be fun… anyone want to lend me a hand?
There were several bike shows, an auction or two, AHRMA road and motocross racing, guest speakers, seminars, the wall of death, Aeroshell air show, great food and much more. If you’ve never been to Barbers, the vintage festival is the best time to go.
And don’t forget the museum!
The Museum collection now has over 1000 vintage and modern motorcycles and as well as a substantial collection of Lotus and other racecars. It is considered the largest in North American and possibly the world. There are approximately five hundred motorcycles on display at any given time. These bikes range from 1904 to current-year production. There are bikes from 16 countries that represent over 140 different manufacturers and the museum is in a constant state of improvement, adding new exhibits so that every time you visit Barber’s they’ll be something new to experience.
Interested in Barber?
You can find more information about the Barber Motorsports Park at http://www.barbermotorsports.com. There is also a separate website for the vintage festival http://www.barbervintagefestival.org.
Are you a Facebook user or do you Twitter?
Barber Motorsports Park has both a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barber-Motorsports-Park/61960153581
http://twitter.com/BarberMotorPark
Never been to Barber Museum. Saw the write up you did in the magazine and wanted to visit, but it’s not a weekend ride for me.
Thanks for sharing. Could you put up some more shots for those who can’t make the road trip? I’ve heard the museum is something worth seeing in person. Didn’t even know about the races.
Mike
I was unaware this was the largest bike museum in North America. Are you certain about that?
@Mike – You should go, it’s well worth the ride. However, I will try and post more images tomorrow for those of you who are interested.
@Cruiser – According to my sources, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is the largest Motorcycle Museum in the United States and all of North America. However, this title is based on the collection of motorcycles displayed and not actual museum square footage. I assume it would be possible to advertise based on facility and not the motorcycles themselves—this may be why you have heard different.
Several websites including suite101.com, justacarguy and izoom declare Barber as the largest in the world, but I have not heard that directly from Barber or my sources.