- THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF MOTORCYCLES IN THE WORLD
Here is a link to the pictures we took. They are best viewed on a computer and as a slideshow.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vPoawmr7vX8qMw8n8
The trip was very special to me, because I met with some of my friends from the Kansas City area that I had not seen since I moved to Virginia seven years ago.
Of course, the highlight of the trip is the museum, but the festival bought many other things to see.
The Barber grounds covers 800 acres and almost all 800 acres had something going on. A "hop on hop off" free tram was everywhere to take you where you wanted to go.
I enjoyed the races. The sidecars were fun and I learned the person on the back who moved from one side to the other to counter balance was affectionately call the "MONKEY". There was no charge to see the races and they could be seen and heard from anywhere in the park. I enjoyed walking around "pit row" and seeing the preparation and visiting with the owners and riders.
Most of the motorcycle manufacturers had demo rides. BMW and Indian were very popular with our group. On Friday there was very little wait. By Saturday there was a long wait, but they provided lots to see while you waited.
The Swap and Shop area was bigger than ever. Maybe up to 200 booths that they charged $200 for. To me it was a lot of rusty junk, but people were buying. If you are paying $200 for a space you gotta be selling something.
The area called Fan Experience had entertainment, food, vendors and BMW. BMW was a major sponsor and all their areas were very impressive. In the Fan area you could sit on every bike BMW makes. They make some beautiful bikes and displayed them beautifully. Their display was complete with a very LOUD band.
If you are a racing fan you know of Kenny Roberts. He is a legend and he rode a parade lap and signed autographs. In a couple of my videos you don't see any motorcycles. I was recording what the PA announcer was saying while Kenny Roberts was doing his parade lap. You can tell the PA announcer was REALLY excited about Kenny being there
The highlight of my trip was the "parade" lap. For an extra free we got to ride on the race course. Something I had always wanted to do. Our leader was a police officer who was riding a Gold Wing, no less.
Unlike all the other parades I have ridden on, we got to ride at FULL SPEED for about 4 laps around the 2.38 mile track My REVER tracked me at 90 mph and I never caught that OFFICER It was a thrill.We arrived on Thursday afternoon and did a recon of the festival. On Friday we did all the festival stuff. On Saturday we went to the museum. This was a good plan, because the crowds got bigger everyday, but you could still get around and find free parking.
We had a great time. The Barber Vintage Festival is something everyone should have on their "bucket" list.
Brian sent me an interview with George Barber which has a lot of information about the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum.
https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/featur ... r-44609572