BARBER VINTAGE MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM BIG HIT WITH NOHVCC CONFERENCE FOLKS

Incredible display of machinery at arguably the best motorcycle museum in the country

Begun in 1988 as a private collection, the Barber collection now features more than 800 motorcycles representing 110 manufacturers. The museum itself is quite unique with five floors of displays featuring a large central atrium and winding walkway.

The Museum overlooks the magnificent Barber Motorsports Park 2.38 mile road course which opened in 2003. On any given day there is usually some type of track activity from driving and racing schools to shakedown runs on many of the bikes in the museum, most of which are kept in running condition.

This 1972 Yankee was one of the highlights for the dirt bike crowd. This unique 499cc twin-cylinder engine had both cylinders firing at the same time, giving it the characteristics of a big single. The frame was designed by Dick Mann and the engine was built by Ossa out of Spain, but the political climate at the time eventually killed the project when workers quit building the Ossa.

This old Moto Guzzi with knobbies might be considered to be an early version of a dual-sport bike. Though the museum focuses primarily on sport/street and road racing bikes, there were enough dirt bikes to keep things interesting as well as a lot of ancient turn-of-the-century jobbies.

Now what's a motorcycle museum without a Combat Wombat? This 1973 125cc Hodaka had a top speed of 65 mph and sports all the enduro accessories. The description reads "Reliabilty was high, and price was low, and they sold in the thousands."

This 1961 Parilla Wildcat Scrambler featured a high-cam layout with extremely short push rods that allow for a safe 10,000 rpms. Though this Italian-made 247cc machine was a bit short on low-end torque, it made for a great scrambles and TT racing bike.

A few lucky members of our group got the 'special tour" at the museum which included a trip to the immaculate restoration shop.

The restorers at the Barber museum call bikes like "job security". In fact, there's a whole back room full of machines waiting to be restored to original condition.

Two or three dozen vintage race cars also grace the museums floors. This Formula One entry from the early '90s was incredibly sleek. Truly a work of art.

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