The 19th Barber Vintage Festival was held October 11-13, 2024 and was much more than a bike show or a rally. It fully deserved the title “festival,” a word derived from festus, the Latin word for feast: a gathering focused on a common interest during which participants celebrate and socialize. It’s the largest vintage motorcycle festival in the U.S., and like the best feasts, it offers multiple courses with the menu getting more extensive and tastier every year.
Grand Marshal Kenny Roberts Sr.
Kenny Roberts Sr. (“King Kenny”), America’s most famous and successful motorcycle racer, was selected to be the Grand Marshal for the 2024 Festival in recognition of his many accomplishments and contributions to motorcycle racing. There’s no one more deserving of the recognition.
After establishing his dominance on U.S. tracks and winning the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Grand National Championship twice (1973 and 1974), Kenny moved to Europe to compete on the Grand Prix road racing circuit. His knee-down, rear wheel-sliding technique made him immediately competitive and eventually led to his winning three consecutive Grand Prix Road Race world championships (1978, 1979, and 1980). Kenny was the first American to win the championship.
He won pretty much everywhere — the Daytona 200 (1978, 1983, and 1984), the Imola 200 (1977, 1983, and 1984), the 1975 Indy Mile, and many other major races. He was also the second rider, after Dick “Bugsy” Mann, to win the AMA Grand Slam (winning all five events of the Grand National Championship).
Kenny’s pioneering efforts led to improved track safety for riders and ensured more equitable pay packages for competitors as well. Following his career as a racer, Kenny became a team manager, initially using Yamahas and then using motorcycles of his own manufacture. Kenny was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998 and named a “Grand Prix Legend” by the FIM in 2000.
Kenny’s son, Kenny Roberts Jr. (“KRJR”), won the 2000 Grand Prix world championship riding a factory Suzuki, making Kenny Sr. and Kenny Jr. the only father and son pair to be world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racers.
The Roberts family legacy finds a new home at the Barber Museum
“King” Kenny Roberts, his son, and their families visited the Barber Museum for the first time during the 2023 Vintage Festival. They were impressed with what they saw. During the ensuing year, the museum successfully campaigned for the Roberts family to allow the museum to curate the family’s collection.
There was an impressive ceremony during the 2024 Festival to unveil a new area on the third floor of the museum entitled “American Champions,” dedicated to the achievements of the father-and-son world champions. The display space was designed by Pierre Terblanche and showcased King Kenny’s 1980 OW48 YZR500 two-stroke Championship Winning GP bike, Kenny Roberts Jr.’s 2000 RGV500 Suzuki World Championship Winning MotoGP bike, and a Team Roberts MotoGP bike. King Kenny’s 1974 Yamaha XS750 Flat-Tracker was also on display elsewhere in the museum. At the inaugural ceremony for the new exhibit, Kenny Sr. said that he felt good knowing that the family legacy would be on display for fans and for his grandchildren’s grandchildren to see.
Multiple events during the festival weekend featured King Kenny. The annual Friday evening “Motorcycles by Moonlight” benefit dinner and auction included the premiere of a 17-minute film made by the museum for the occasion showcasing King Kenny’s career. The film was followed by retrospective comments by racer David Aldana, journalist Sir Alan Cathcart, Cook Neilson, and Kevin Cameron. The four shared anecdotes about Kenny and emphasized his impact on racing. Finally, a large color painting by Makoto Endo of Kenny on his YZR500 was one of many items auctioned off to raise money for the museum’s education programs.
King Kenny did several parade laps on Saturday on his YZR500 1980 championship-winning GP bike. He was in fine form, and the bike sounded wonderful running up through the gears as he accelerated out of the corners and down the straights. There were autograph sessions in the museum and race paddock, which gave fans plenty of opportunity to meet both Kenny Sr. and Kenny Jr.
Interviews with Kenny Sr. were conducted by technical guru and author Kevin Cameron, as well as 1977 Daytona 200 winner and former editor of Cycle Magazine, Cook Neilson. The interviews focused on Kenny’s thoughts on his career, his impact on motorcycle racing, and the current state of motorcycle racing. Kenny Roberts and fellow American racers, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Freddie Spencer, and Kevin Schwantz fundamentally changed road racing when they arrived in Europe.
Between 1978 and 1993, 13 out of the 16 Grand Prix motorcycle championships were won by Americans. In the 30 years since (1994-2024), only two Americans have won the championship (KRJR in 2000 and Nicky Hayden in 2006).
During one of his weekend interviews, Kenny Sr. stated that he feared he might not hear the American National Anthem played again for a MotoGP winner during his lifetime. To address the lack of a robust national development program, Kenny recently announced that he will be a team owner in the MotoAmerica Talent Cup series in 2025 with the goal of preparing young American racers to eventually compete in MotoGP.
Plenty of side dishes offered
During the Festival weekend, tech seminars were held on all three days and were a key aspect of the museum’s educational mission. Neil Spaulding, author of MotoGP Technology, discussed current race bike technology. Kevin Cameron and magazine editor Matthew Miles provided “Editor’s Insights” into journalism. TV personality Wayne Carini (“Chasing Classic Cars”) and Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Restoration Director Lee Clark discussed vehicle restoration.
Pierre Terblanche presented a seminar comparing two iconic motorcycles from the museum’s collection: an early 1950s Vincent Black Shadow and a Britten V1000, one of just 10 made between 1991 and 1998. Custom vehicle designer and fabricator Bryan Fuller and Zeke DeZeeuw gave a presentation entitled “How to do Everything” that described the evolution of Zeke from teenage motorcycle customizer to museum technician at Barber. Note that events held in the museum required a separate fee to enter the museum and were not included in the price of admission to the general Vintage Festival.
New for the 2024 event were vintage motocross races held at the recently constructed motocross track not far from the museum. As in previous years, various Norton Owners Clubs from across the country occupied “Norton Hill” near Turn Six where owners camped and showed off their bikes. The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC) is a regular participant in the festival and once again held a spectacular bike show featuring a wide variety of stock and custom Hondas, Yamahas, Suzukis, Kawasakis, and even a Tohatsu.
Triumph Motorcycles once again hosted the “Isle of Triumph” near Turn Six. Admission was free, and the event included a bike show for Triumphs and Triumph-based specials, live music, various vendor booths, and an evening showing of the 2024 film “One Fast Move,” which featured a Triumph race bike, some actors, and a bit of a plot.
One of the highlights of the festival was the enormous swap meet with more than 500 vendors — it’s one of the largest vintage motorcycle swap meets in the U.S. There was a little bit of everything: restored bikes, fixer-upper projects, parts, posters, clothing, literature/manuals, tools, some vendors offering restoration services, etc. It took a while to see it all.
Returning for 2024 were demo rides from multiple manufacturers including Moto Guzzi, BMW, Moto Morini, Royal Enfield, Indian, Triumph, Suzuki, and others, as well as parade laps allowing festival attendees to ride their own bikes on the track.
A big part of the weekend’s entertainment was the racing put on by AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association). Free admission to the paddock area required signing a liability waiver, and festival attendees could look at the race bikes up close and chat with the competitors. The festival hosted the final ARHMA round of the season, and competition was fierce because championships in many classes were determined during the weekend’s races. In addition to road racing in multiple classes on the 2.38 mile, 16-turn track, there was flat track racing (on pavement), motocross on a newly built track, and trials competitions.
The Henderson Auctions Fan Zone included vendors and two stunt shows: American Motor Drome Co.’s Wall of Death, and the Urias Family Globe of Death. Thankfully, no deaths actually occurred. Food, drink, sunscreen, and first aid were also available.
BMW Motorrad USA was the title sponsor for the 2024 Vintage Festival and had a strong presence in the Fan Zone with new BMW models and custom bikes on display. There was also a biergarten with live music, a Kid Zone with various games, and booths featuring touring companies, owners’ clubs, accessory vendors, and more.
The best keeps getting better
The Barber Vintage Festival has been a regular fixture on the Fall calendar for 19 years. It’s a giant reunion that allows old friendships to be rekindled and new friendships to be forged. It’s like an annual Woodstock for vintage motorcycle lovers, with more than 80,000 people in attendance last year. The festival provides an opportunity for all who are passionate about motorcycles to temporarily escape the often-sobering aspects of everyday life and revel in everything the vintage festival has to offer — bike shows, demo rides, racing, live music, and socializing.
Somehow, the museum’s team manages to make the biggest and best vintage motorcycle event even bigger and better each year. For 2024, building a brand-new track for motocross and bringing the Roberts family collection into the museum were major achievements.
Other gatherings may offer elements of the Barber Festival, but only this event has everything: multiple forms of racing, the world’s largest motorcycle museum, legends of motorsport, a giant swap meet, entertainment, technical seminars, live music, bike shows, demo rides, and more. The biggest challenge is to pace oneself — there’s so much to see and do during the three days.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting weekend,” said Brian Case, executive director of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. “Kenny Roberts’ involvement was a huge highlight, and we had an incredible turnout of fans from 48 states and eight countries. This year’s festival exceeded all expectations. We are even more energized as we head toward the 20th anniversary of this event next year.”
The 2025 event will be held October 3-5, 2025, the first weekend of the month. Check the event website by visiting the Barber Museum website for the latest information on ticket sales and other information. The 2025 Barber Vintage Festival will mark the 20th anniversary of the event, and there’s no doubt that this amazing feast will continue to go above and beyond to satisfy our appetites. MC
The Barber Museum
The museum was originally founded by George Barber in downtown Birmingham and celebrated its 30th year in 2024. It moved to its present location on 880 acres in Leeds, Alabama, and opened to the public in 2003. Dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, exhibition, and history of motorcycles, vintage vehicles, and motorsports, its goals include motorcycle restoration and preservation, education of the public and promotion of motorsports heritage. With AHRMA’s many forms of racing taking place, we also see and hear historic machines and famous riders in action.
The museum is home to the largest collection of motorcycles of all types in the world. There are currently more than 1,800 motorcycles from 200 manufacturers in the collection, housed in a five-story, 230,000 square-foot building. The collection is constantly growing and, at any given time, about 1,000 bikes are on display.
The Barber Museum is set up as a 510(c)(3) nonprofit and is probably the only U.S. motorcycle museum with the resources to do things like acquire the Roberts collection. The museum’s unique commitment to youth STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs helps ensure that enthusiasm for, and appreciation of, motorcycle history, technology, and heritage will be instilled in future generations.
Fresh leadership at the museum is committed to George Barber’s vision and is energized and excited by their mission. Brian Case, designer and co-founder of Motus motorcycles, and previous director of Barber Advanced Design Center (BADC), has been executive director since June 2023. Dr. Liz Johnson joined as educational programs manager in September 2024 and will oversee the museum’s STEM outreach efforts. Pierre Terblanche serves as the BADC design mentor. He was formerly head of design at Ducati and also worked on motorcycles for Royal Enfield, Norton, Confederate (now Curtiss), and Moto Guzzi. While at Ducati, he designed such iconic models as the 888, Supermono, 999, MH900e, Multistrada, Hypermotard, and others. Long-term team members Lee Clark, museum restoration director, and Chuck Huneycutt, master restoration technician, continue to play key roles at the museum. The museum also relies on a small army of local volunteers.
The Barber Advanced Design Center was created a few years ago with the goal of inspiring new generations of creative thinkers, young and old. The center houses state-of-the-art industrial design and fabrication technologies that allow virtual collaboration between designers worldwide. Dedicated to design exploration and education, it introduces young people to the concepts behind product conceptualization, design, prototyping, and manufacturing.
The museum is constantly evolving and looking for ways to enhance the experience for visitors. Thanks to Mr. Barber’s vision and resources, as well as the museum’s outstanding leadership team, we can all look forward to many years of enjoying what vintage motorcycles have to offer.
