During the first weekend of any given October, you can lose yourself in motorcycle heaven if you make the pilgrimage to a (not such a) small place that is tucked away in the countryside, just east of Birmingham Alabama. You can be entertained with vintage motorcycle racing, crazy Wall of Death, and Globe of Death motorcycle shows. You can also talk to bike manufacturers, undertake rest rides, and experience vendors of all sorts in the Fan Zone. You can even pick up that specialist part you have been looking for in your restoration project in the Swap Meet Zone. Then for relaxation you can visit the biggest and best motorcycle museum in the world. Plus you can see the worlds largest collection of Lotus racecars. Within the museum there are specialist seminars on all sorts of topics ranging from motorcycle design to carburetor restoration to wire wheel building. You can also view the restoration area where the exhibits are prepared before they go on display. With some 1700 motorcycles on display (and it is still growing), the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a sight to behold. Apart from the usual, there is the very unusual and unique, like the Allan Millyard 1600CC V8 Kawasaki and the New Zealander, John Britten V Twin 1000 of which there were only 10 ever made. This was my first Vintage Festival but my second visit to the Museum. The pictures tell the story, but the experience is ten times better. Whereas I won’t be able to make it every year, a pilgrimage every two to three years is now on the cards!
