The 9th Annual Barber Vintage Festival is Oct. 11-13, 2013, and BMW will be the featured marque at the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Bike Show on Saturday, Oct. 12. And even if you don’t enter your bike in our show we’ll have a special parking corral for all BMW riders where you can park your BMW while you take in the rest of the Barber Vintage Festival.
It’s been 90 years since the first BMW — the R32 494cc boxer twin — rolled out of the BMW factory in 1932, and to celebrate we’re encouraging all BMW owners to bring their Beemers to Barber and join us at the Motorcycle Classics tent. Whether you ride a 1972 R75/5 or a 1991 K100RS, we’d like to see you at the 9th Annual Barber Vintage Festival. We’ll have a special trophy for the Best in Show BMW, along with trophies for best restored and best rider in five other categories including British, European, American, Japanese and Custom.
Last year, Ace Cafe and Dime City Cycles set up the Ace Corner in the infield at Turn 17 for a celebration of all things café. It was an event within the event, and it worked so well it’s returning for 2013. This year’s Ace Corner will again feature Dime City Cycles, along with Café Racer TV and other cool cats from the café scene, plus a biker build-off, an on-site Ace Café and a Saturday night band party.
Also returning is the Century Race for bikes 100 years old or older, and the American Motor Drome Wall of Death also returns, with daredevils on vintage Indians and Harleys riding the wall of a 14-foot tall, 30-foot diameter wooden drum. Amazing stuff. Expect to see the AeroShell Aerobatic Team flying overhead on Saturday, and of course don’t miss the always excellent swap meet.
Friday night is the annual Motorcycles by Moonlight. A fundraiser for the museum, Motorcycles by Moonlight treats donors to an evening of excellent food and even better company. Special guests this year are famed Italian motorcycle designers Miguel Angel Galluzzi and Pierre Terblanche, both formerly with Ducati. International motorcycle journalist, vintage racer and regular Motorcycle Classics contributor Alan Cathcart will interview Galluzi and Terblanche during the dinner. — Richard Backus