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2019 Barber Vintage festival

Started by klaviator, October 07, 2019, 06:02:35 AM

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klaviator

The Name of this event is Barber Vintage Festival.  It's about vintage motorcycles.  Actually it's much more than that.  It's about all kinds of motorcycles, scooters, gear, all kinds of riding and it's about the people who ride those two wheeled "death machines!"  When I first attended this event it was way more than I expected.  This year was even better.

In the past I would only go on Saturday.  This year I went Friday and Saturday.  My day on Friday started off great.  My view as I started my ride from Huntsville to Birmingham.



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Friday is not as busy as Saturday and I got there fairly early but there were already a bunch of people and bikes there.



I headed over to the Motorcycle Alabama tent and hung out for a while.  In case you haven't been there, this is where all the cool kids hang out.

klaviator

After hanging out for a while I headed out to check out the sights.  I checked out the vendors section.

This bike looks vintage but is actually new and manufactured in Goshen Indiana.



There are plenty of things to see here.  They put on a show here.



They had a ramp and giant inflatable landing pad set up and a guy was warming up.



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This place had some interesting bikes.



I checked out the Super Cub.



I talked to one of the guys there.  Speed Zone is now the cycle shop in Gadsden.  They bought out the Cycle World shop. 

I know that the Grom is considered a tiny bike but compared to many of the older tiny bikes here its actually pretty big.



There are always some really interesting bikes here.  Well sometimes weird is a better description.



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I took a lap around the park.  I checked out the other swap meet section.  It had bigger lots and wider roads through it but it also seemed to have less people walking around there.



I checked out the demo ride area.  Except for the BMW tent it was pretty dead.  I wandered around and decided that there wasn't anything here that I really wanted to ride.



I stopped and checked out the view of the track.



I hung out with the cool kids some more and then finally got on the road to head home just before 6.  I did get slowed down by traffic on 459 and 59 and then around Trussville.  It was back roads most of the way home, much of it in the dark.  I decided that on Saturday I'd leave earlier so I wouldn't be riding home in the dark.


klaviator

Before I continue with Saturday, I just realized that I forgot to take pics of the cool kids hanging out at the MA tent.  Someday in the future when I look back at this, those are the pics I will wish I had taken.  So if any of you took pics at the tent, or any other pics, feel free to add them into this report.

klaviator

#3
I was up early Saturday morning.  I was just doing to do the same thing i did on Friday.  I didn't have anyything different planned.  Ride 2+ hours down, hang out, check out the sights and ride 2+ hours back home.

So why was I so excited?

I left before 6 and got to watch the sun come up on my left.  Eventually I made it Barber.  As I got near I saw more and more motorcycles!  Despite the heavy traffic going in, my sense of excitement increased.  That always happens when I am around motorcycles! 

An over the shoulder shot entering the park.



I found a spot on the grass, parked my scooter, stashed my riding gear on the bike and headed towards the MA tent.  A nice Vespa caught my eye.  I stopped to check it out and ended up talking to the owner.  We talked scooters for around 10 minutes.  It turned out he was also on ADV.   A bunch of people on ADV have recently bought Vespa GTS scooters and so have a couple of people on this forum.  It's like a virus ;D  Ride one of these and you will be assimilated ???  I haven't ridden one.....yet.  I'm afraid if I do I'll buy one and they are not cheap.



I headed off the the MA tent taking a couple of pics on the way.



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The MA tent.



I hung out with the cool kids for a while before heading out.

klaviator

There is a lot to see at this event.  One of the big attractions of course is the racing.  I went over and watched it a few times.  Now I have no idea who is racing,  I don't recognize most of the bikes and I don't really understand the different classes.  What I know is that the sight and sound of a bunch of motorcycles ripping around the racetrack just fills me with awe and really pumps me up.  Why is that?  I have a theory.  We are all born with an adrenal gland that pumps us full of adrenalin under certain circumstances.  Some of us are born with another gland that I call the motodrenal gland.  Motorcycles cause this gland to secrete a hormone that gets us all pumped up and sometimes do crazy things on two wheels.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it ;D

Back to the racing.



If this pic doesn't excite you, you don't have the motodrenal gland.  Of course being there in person is much better.  The pic doesn't let you here the sound of those bike ripping down the track.  The angry pack of bees sound of the two strokes, the deep distintive sound of the singles and twins and of course the wail of an inline four at high RPM. 

I'm getting pumped just thinking about it.

Of course racing can be a bit dangerous.



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They cleaned it up pretty fast and got back to the racing.


klaviator

#5
Right by where I was watching the racing on the track was another fascinating show. 



These guys were absolutely amazing.  While I could see myself out racing on the track, this is beyond my wildest dreams.  These guys have seem to have found a way to defy the laws of physics.....and they have to be pretty crazy.



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I'm guessing these guys were 40-50 feet in the air.



Is this insane or what?



I've seen this stuff on TV but seeing it in person is a completely different experience.


klaviator

I did a lot of walking while there.  There are all kinds of bikes parked everywhere so there is always something to look at.



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This style of minibike was popular when I was a kid. 



I wanted one so bad when back then.  My parents wouldn't let me get one.  That left me permanently emotionally scarred and I am still overcompensating for my motorcycle deprived childhood ;D

klaviator

I went back to the MA tent for a while until David and Kyle siad they were going to watch the cross country races.

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I didn't even know what that was.  I guess it was time to find out.  It was on the other side of the park so it was time for a ride. 

I normally gear up when I go for a ride but here it was just put on my helmet and go. 



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When I got to the place where this was supposed to be I wandered around a bit before finding it.  I ended up riding downhill on a dirt trail and finding a place to park in the woods.  It was a little sketchy on a big scooter.  I was glad I had some dirt riding experience.

I found Kyle and David and started taking pics.  Some interesting bikes here.



Look at the cooling fins on that motor.



The race would be starting soon.


klaviator

The race was about to begin.  The start on these races is interesting and very important.  They start the bikes one row at a time and the engines must be off.



When the flag waves they kick start the bikes and the race is on.......well that's how it's supposed to work,  The Penton rider in the middle of the first row had been unable to kick start his bike so when the flag waved he just pushed his bike down the hill and tried to bump start it.  he actually got the hole shot.



Well his bike didn't start so it was a bit of a mess as there wasn't a lot of room to pass.  He eventually got it started and it was time for the next row.



Notice David capturing the the action from the left.



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I've seen umbrella girls at races before.  This Gal had it made with her own umbrella guy!






klaviator

We walked down the hill to watch the race from another spot.  Kyle wasted no time making himself comfortable.



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Just after the pic above the racers go around a tight right turn and then up a long steep hill.  It was cool hearing the engines at full throttle going up the hill.



I decided to head back over to the other side.  It was very dusty out here so when i got back to my scooter it was coated with a film of dirt.  I put on my helmet and got ready to go back up the dirt hill.  I think someone was surprised that I road my big scooter down there because I heard someone say "hold my beer and watch this" as i was starting off.  It was actually much easier going up than it was coming down.