After years of hearing about it, reading about it and seeing pictures of it I finally visited the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in person a couple weeks ago. And like the Grand Canyon or L.A. traffic, there's simply no way to capture the spectacle with words or pictures; it has to be experienced in person to fully appreciate.
Barber is the world's largest motorcycle collection on the planet, and it's certainly the most effectively displayed two-wheeled collection you'll ever see. There are over 1200 motorcycles in total, but the multi-story building can display "only" 600 of them at any one time, meaning you'll likely see new bikes every time you visit.
According to the friendly staff it is not uncommon for people to arrive at 10 a.m., spend 8 hours wandering the display area, and still want to stay past the 6 p.m. closing time because they aren't done. I only had about 90 minutes to gaze at the collection, and spent most of it sprinting up and down the sloping ramps between floors trying to make sure I at least glimpsed every bike.
Of course there were a few areas that held my attention despite the time crunch. The British and Japanese bikes of the '50s, '60s and '70s, along with the Ducatis of the '80s and '90s, required more than a glance. I still think this was height of motorcycle design in terms of form following function.
And while my tastes lean more toward production, street-legal machines versus pure race hardward the displays at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum captured the excitement of racing better than any static displays I've seen elsewhere.
If you've got a favorite motorcycle it's almost assuredly here, and according to the staff all the bikes are kept in running order. The cleaning process is akin to the painting of the Golden Gate Bridge. "When we've finished the last bike we immediately start all over again. We're never not cleaning a section of the display." Sounds like demanding (yet rewarding) work.
There are a lot of wealthy people on the planet, but only a small percentage give back to their local community as effectively as Birmingham, Alabama native George Barber has. If you have any interest in motorcycles, or just appreciate rich displays of mechanical accomplishment (there's also a grand collection of vintage Lotus cars here), you must visit this museum.
Oh, and there's a decent race track facility next to the museum, too.
By larkbill
on June 8, 2010
05:26 PM
Glad you finally made it! Now you need to come in for Vintage Festival.