Vintage Festival WeekendThursday: 8am - 5pm
Friday: 8am - 5pm
Saturday: 8am - 7pm
Sunday: 8am - 6pm
Monday: 9am - 5pm
Tickets for Museum AdmissionAdult 3-Day Pass: $25 +tax
Adult Daily: $15 +tax
Child Daily: $10 +tax
AAA & Military: $12 +tax
07Oct
The Annual Barber Vintage Festival is one of the most highly anticipated motorcycle events in the world. The three-day festival features the fan zone with food and entertainment, a swap meet with hundreds of vendors selling vintage motorcycles and parts, as well as the VJMC gathering.
History lives on here.
Read the Barber Story
Bike restoration extraordinaire, motocross pioneer and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Brian Slark has been named Grand Marshal of the 17th Annual Barber Vintage Festival held at Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama on October 7-9, 2022.
Born in London, England, on February 2, 1938, Slark’s passion for motorcycles began when his father took him to the Speedway Races at London, England’s Crystal Palace shortly after World War II. Slark purchased his first motorcycle (a BSA Bantam) in 1954. In 1957, he began working for Associated Motorcycles (Matchless & AJS) in Woolwich, London, England. Slark worked in the Off-Road Competition Department and as a Production & Experimental Road Tester.
In 1964, Slark traveled to Los Angeles, California to race in the expansive deserts and then chose to make the United States home. While in California, he worked for BSA Motorcycles as a Service Manager, Norton-Villiers Corporation and Norton-Triumph as the National Service Manager. Slark decided to strike out on his own in 1976 by opening a British bike shop in Southern California. Two years later, he became the Volunteer Technical Editor for the International Norton Owners Association—a role he still holds today. Slark has also been employed by Clymer Repair Manuals and Lucas Industries, bringing you the help you need to repair your machine and supplying the guiding light for your British bike. In 1986, Slark sold his bike shop and moved to St. Louis, Missouri to help establish a motorcycle museum. Ten years later, he joined the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.
Competition lives in Slark’s blood. He has ridden in the International Six Days Trials in the Isle of Man, the Moto Cross Expert Class Rider in the United Kingdom and the Vintage Trials with the American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association in the 1990s.
In 2012, Slark’s legacy was solidified when he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Today, Slark is the Technical Consultant at The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Slark has been involved in numerous interesting projects, ranging from The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition organized by The Guggenheim Museum to an instrumental role in the establishment of the Barber Vintage Festival.
Slark will be honored at the Motorcycles by Moonlight event October 7, 2022. This special event begins with a cocktail reception followed by a silent auction, seated dinner, program and a Q&A with the Grand Marshal. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3, 2022 at 8:00am and can be purchased at https://MBM2022.Planningpod.com
Earlybird pricing will be available from Friday, June 3 at 8:00am through Sunday, July 3, 2022 at 11:30pm.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the world’s largest collections of motorcycles, Lotus racecars and the Barber Advanced Design Center. It is dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, exhibition and history of motorcycles, vintage vehicles and motorsports.
Barber Motorsports Park is a campus of entertainment, education and creation in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the home of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, a 2.38-mile, 17-turn professional racetrack, the Barber Proving Grounds and the Porsche Track Experience.
1934 Harley Davidson VLD Special Sport Solo
By 1934, Art Deco had gained widespread popularity. This Harley Davidson features multiple design elements of the period including wide flared fenders with swooping outlines, a large head lamp, and two-tone paint with a geometric print. The paint tones of these motorcycles were a major change from Harley’s well know olive green.
#harleydavidson #harley #artdeco #style #motostyle #1930s #motorcycleoftheday #harleydavidsonvld
1929 Majestic
The Art Deco style is characterized by bold geometric forms, strong curves and rich colors pulled together in a streamlined look.
The style took over art, architecture, and pop culture from the mid 1920s through World War II but, Art Deco also made its mark on the automotive industry.
Known as the physical embodiment of the Art Deco aesthetic, this 1929 Majestic is one of the most unique pieces of the period. The torpedo-style cosmetic shell is streamlined with bold curves and many models featured a variety of bright colors sure to stand out.
Created in France by Georges Roy, this motorcycle features a four-stroke single engine making it a capable and stylish touring motorcycle.
#artdeco #streamline #motodesign #motorcycledesign #frenchmotorcycle #frenchmotorcycles #motorcyclemonday #motorcycleoftheday #worldwar2
Last week, we hosted the first Barber Design Camp. Throughout the week, campers participated in a variety of activities including planting their own garden in the Barber Motorsports Park, constructing tree houses, learning the mechanics of motorcycles and building their own motorsports parks.
For information on our education programs, field trips and resources, visit our website.
#bvmm #barbermotorsportspark #summercamp #birminghamal #education #jeffersoncounty
Today, the Yoshimura name is world-renowned and has numerous staple pieces in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.
This 2005 Jordan Suzuki GSX-R 1000 belonged to basketball legend Michael Jordan’s race team. Jason Pridmore raced this motorcycle in the 2004 AMA Superstock class. It sports a Yoshimura exhaust system.
Team Jordan also raced this Carolina Blue 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 featuring Yoshimura parts.
The white and blue 1992 Suzuki GSX-R Superbike was raced by David Sadowski and placed fourth in the 1997 Daytona 200. Sadowski raced multiple Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Team motorcycles in his career including the GSX-R750 and GSX-R600.
#yoshimura #suzuki #jasonpridmore #davidsadowski #yamaha #suzukigsxr #gsxr #yzfr6 #michaeljordan #jordan20 #daytona200 #daytona
The 1960s-1980s race scene set the stage for Yoshimura’s greatness.
In 1964, a Yoshimura-tuned Honda CB77 won the Suzuka 18 Hours race and in 1971 a Yoshimura Honda CB750 led the Daytona 200 until a camshaft failure took them out of the race. In the late 1970s, Yoshimura began working with Suzuki and in 1978 together, they won the 1978 and 1979 Superbike with a 1978 and 1979 Suzuki GS1000. During this time, nonstop engineering kicked off at Yoshimura. After each race, the Yoshimura team worked on the bikes preparing for the next. In 1983, a 1983 Yoshimura TTF1 won the Suzuka 8 Hours race and in 1989, a Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R won the US Superbike Championship. Other 1989 wins included the All Japan TTF1 and TTF3 with a GSX-R750 and GSX-R400.
#yoshimura #yoshimurapower #suzuka18hours #hondacb750 #daytona200 #suzuki #suzukigs1000 #superbike #suzukigsxr #gsxr
For 25 years, Pop Yoshimura was the best Japanese four-stroke tuner, and his ethic remains with the company to this day.
In the early days of Yoshimura R&D, Pop was known for his “god hands”. He ground camshafts by hand, forged pistons, polished cylinder heads, and more. Pop even made his tools such as porting equipment and drills. He used his engineering skills to bring engine performance and durability to motorcycles that simply weren’t built for that level of performance.
Pop trained his son Fujio in his methods and together they continued to build and advance Yoshimura R&D.
#yoshimura #yoshimurapower #racing #engineering #handbuilt #performance #durability
The story of Yoshimura R&D dates back 77 years ago to a young man in post-WWII Japan, who wanted to become a pilot.
At the beginning of WWII, Hideo “Pop” Yoshimura was drafted by the Japanese military. Pop was training to become a fighter pilot but towards the end of his training, his plane’s engine failed, forcing him to jump for safety. His parachute didn’t deploy until moments before he hit the ground barely saving his life. Due to his injuries, Pops was no longer able to fly but, he was able to become a flight engineer, working on four-stroke gasoline engines.
After the war, Japan was populated with motorcycles—many of which belonged to American servicemen. Pops began utilizing his engineering skills to tune these motorcycles at his first shop near a USAF base and in 1954 he established Yoshimura Motors.
After the explosion of superbikes in the early 1970s, Pops moved to Los Angeles and established Yoshimura Racing (later Yoshimura Racing & Development of America). During this time Pops along with his son Fujio primarily worked on Honda and Kawasaki motorcycles.
In late 1976, Yoshimura R&D discovered the Suzuki GS750 and realized was Suzuki was going to be a serious competitor in the racing world. Pops and Fujio met with Suzuki America and a decades-long partnership was formed.
#yoshimura #yoshimurapower #popyoshimura #wwii #motorcycles #tuning #japan #losangeles #superbikes #suzukigs750 #suzuki
In 2015, the Brittens invaded Barber at the 11th Barber Vintage Festival. John Britten’s family as well as former Britten riders traveled to Birmingham for a weekend honoring the life and work of John Britten. At this once-in-a-lifetime event, nine of the ten Britten motorcycles were at the museum and five were able to hit the track with riders Chuck Huneycutt, Andrew Stroud and Stephen Briggs.
The Britten V1000 revolutionized the motorcycle industry with its futuristic design and engineering. What would you consider today’s Britten? Who's making a similar impact on the motorcycle industry?
#brittenv1000 #barbervintagefestival #cardinal #kiwi #bvmm #motorcyclesofinstagram #daytona
