Barber Museum

[wilcom]

I'm working in the South this month and find myself traveling from Knoxville to Tuscaloosa. I'll be damned, I'll go right by the Barber Vintage  Museum!

I got a room right outside the place and will spend all day tomorrow looking at the History.........Tuscaloosa can wait.

[montmil]

Plan for ALL DAY, Joe, for touring the Barber Museum. Recently noted by the Guinness World Records as the largest motorcycle museum in the world.

I have been through the collection four times and will make it numero cico this coming October. Always changing and evolving. Be sure to visit the machine shop and resto area. If an obscure part is no longer available, no problemo.

Every motorcycle in the collection runs.

Have fun. Tuscaloosa, eh? 'Bama and the SEC! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Be aware that the BMW Riders Association will be held at Barber's this year, May 29 - June 1.  May be a few riders coming in early.

[wilcom]

Be aware that the BMW Riders Association will be held at Barber's this yea

Thanks for the tip, Bengt. I went up to the front desk and signed on for another day before the Beemer guys hit town. I had decided to stay here till Friday seeing I had a couple of dead days and this is a nice spot and cheap.

There were all kinds of Beemers showing up at the Museum when I got there.  Most were newer models, oilies and the like. Quite a few GS's with 1/2 of them grossly over loaded to the point of looking like Grapes of Wrath specials. If it won't fit in the saddle bags or the tank bag leave it home!!!

The Museum was gorgeous. The building itself was as beautiful as the bikes that were displayed. I spent about 4 hours there and could of spent more. My likes are focused so I dismissed the Harley's and anything pre-1950 and went straight for the British stuff. My favorite was the Morbidelli(sp) V-8, what a great looking bik

[clonmore1]

Wilcom,

You live in CA and yet say 'working in the South' travelling from Knoxville (TN) to Tuscaloosa. How does that work because as I see it from a map, that East of you, right?

Am I missing something?

The reason I ask is because I will be travelling to Knoxville either later this year or early next to visit one of my suppliers and the name caught my eye.

That museum looks amazing...

[Luca]

I think some of the regions were named before the US has expanded to the Pacific Ocean.

California is part of the west coast.

The southwest is Arizona, New Mexico, etc.

I'd say Texas is between the south and southwest.




Florida isn't really a southern state, at least as far as culture is concerned

[wilcom]

You live in CA and yet say 'working in the South'  

I was referring to an area of the USA that we consider the "South" as opposed to the direction "south". I usually fly to these locations to do about 5 days of work in each location, but with 3 spots located in the "South" I decided to drive. I HATE to fly so I didn't need much effort to put me in control of the transportation.

The Museum is fantastic. I would consider it a vacation destination. It's located on the grounds of the Barber Motorsport Park and you could take in a Indy car race or other major race to complete the deal.

[clonmore1]

Wilcom,

Okay, I get it

That's our plan, to extend the 'work' visit and have a look around, it will be my families first ever visit to the good ol US of A!

One of the employees at the supplier in Knoxville knows Adam Richman of Man vs Food fame, one of my kids fav TV shows, they want to have a go as one of the restaurants he used is in Knoxville.

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Knoxville, TN is also known as the "Gateway to the Smokies".  The Blue Ridge Parkway, commonly called the BRP is close by.  Consider renting a bike for a day or two because there is some great riding in the area.  Knoxville proper has become a huge conurbation but once outside of the area the roads are great.

And for what it's worth most native Texans don't consider Texas to be part of the "South", it's too large and varied with many different regional cultures.  Texas is, well, Texas, or as it's often said "Texas is a whole 'nuther country".  Come on down.

[wilcom]

And for what it's worth most native Texans don't consider Texas to be part of the "South"

I sure wish you were there to explain that to my 6th grade classmates that thought, me being from California, made ma a damn Yankee.

Trust me , in 1956,  6th graders in Tulia, Texas thought they were part of the South!

[k_enn]

Knoxville, TN is also known as the "Gateway to the Smokies".  The Blue Ridge Parkway, commonly called the BRP is close by.  Consider renting a bike for a day or two because there is some great riding in the area.  <snip>

If you do rent a bike, you may also want to check out Deal's Gap, a/k/a the Tail of the Dragon.  It is a very famous (to motorcyclists) stretch of roads just west of the Great Smokies National Park.  I was down that way a couple of time on my bike before I knew of the Tail of the Dragon, and I regret not knowing it and riding it.  (But then again, it can be an excuse to go back down there again in the future).

Also, as I recall, there is a vintage motorcycle museum (Wheels Through Time) in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, not far from the Great Smokies Mountain National Park.  

k_enn

[montmil]

... Trust me , in 1956,  6th graders in Tulia, Texas thought they were part of the South!

There were twin sisters from Tulia within my orbit during college. Sweet gals, we always called 'em The Tulia Twirls. They were much like the Tilt'aWhirl at the Texas State Fair. Whata ride!

[Matt Chapter]

If you do rent a bike, you may also want to check out Deal's Gap, a/k/a the Tail of the Dragon.

I've ridden it a couple times, back when I was in college in Virginia.  Those were the days, when I could just throw a tent on the back of the bike and jet off for days at a time.. once I even forgot to tell my roommate I'd be out of town for the weekend.

These days I'm lucky if the doggone bikes are running well enough to commute on.. should be getting the R65 back today though.

[wilcom]

BMW Riders Association will be held at Barber's this year, May 29 - June 1.

I stuck around til Friday and ogled the crew coming in. Just a sprinkling of Airheads almost no K bikes and about a million Oilhead GS's. Of the airheads( about 7 out of the 100+ bikes there at the museum) the picture below is of the two nicest. There were two average and three rat airheads.

No K bikes! I don't follow them, have they fallen out of favor?

[SCJJR65]

My riding buddy NC Steve and I spent a day gawking at all of the gorgeous bike there at the museum back in 2011, and I went crazy with my Nikon DSLR and put together a rather amatuer-crafted slide show.  If you wish to take a look, the link is below:

http://s596.photobucket.com/user/JJinSC/slideshow/Barber%20Motorsports%20Museum/?albumview=slideshow