Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival 2013

I've been looking forward to going to Barber for 2 years now. For financial reasons, I was unable to make it last year. So I had made it a point to save money all year in order to get there this year. I bought tickets and booked a hotel in advance, and was all set to go. Three weeks prior to the event, I found myself in the emergency room headed into emergency surgery, followed by a full week lying in a hospital bed. As I laid there, I thought that my trip this year would be spoiled as well. With some amazing medical help from the surgeon and medical staff at the hospital, coupled with my sheer stubbornness, I kept my goal of making it. And while I was worn out and fairly weak, I had a great time.
I won't go into a long winded explanation of the weekend, simply because it's difficult to describe. Anyone that's enthusiastic about vintage motorcycles should make the way to Birmingham, Alabama and experience it for themselves. The following is a group of photos from my perspective:

You aren't going to see many of these. This is the road going version of the Matchless G50. Know as the CSR, and affectionately called the Coffee Shop Racer. Complete with magnesium cases and timing cover. Rare stuff...

The Matchless and AJS club round out their display nicely with original banners.

The Salt Ghost.
I've wanted to see this bike for a while, and I don't even like Triumphs. But this thing is about as cool as it gets. All the grit and all the cool bits, make this bike something special.

How often do you see a Rudge? And then how often do you see 5 of them lined up and ready to race?

Two Norton Internationals tucked back next to an RV in the paddock.

Manx Norton replica racer

Another Norton International

Seeley G50

I watched the guy ride in on this down and dirty Atlas special. Not set up to my liking, but he most definitely didn't care, and that's what made it cool.

On to the museum. I should start by saying that the facility is absolutely impeccable, and spotlessly clean. My hats off to George Barber for amassing such a collection of machines, and then allowing common folk to enjoy them all in one location. And for a very reasonable $15. Best part of all, nothing is roped off, so you can get up close and personal and view each bike from all angles.

Triumph "Slippery Sam"

Rob North Triumphs

Russian made racer which I had never even heard of before.

The John Surtees collection alone is worth the trip.

Detailed shots where you can see everything is drilled for lightness. The sign of a proper race bike.

Front brake with the actuating lever neatly operated between a cut out in the air scoop.

Surtees MV Augusta

I think it's pretty obvious at this point that I'm a Norton nut, so close up shots of a Manx are high priorities for me.

1962 spec 4 leading shoe front brake. cast in magnesium of course.

Anti vibration float bowl mount.

Overhead cam driven tach drive.

John Surtess Matchless G50

The single cylinder Vincent Grey Flash. Far more beautiful than the twin cylinder Vincent, in my opinion.

The Morbidelli collection is on loan to the museum, and is the kind of stuff, that most would never get to see.

All of the foot controls were machined in some sort of plastic, so if the bike goes down, they simply disintegrate, rather than cause damage. Very neat details.

Dresda Triton, which I'm not a fan of, but the historical significance of these bikes, is impressive. Dave Degens started Dresda motors back in the 1960's and is accredited for building more Tritons than anyone on the planet. He also built, raced and won on a Triton at an endurance race in Barcelona.

The G50 Matchless is always gorgeous. A competitor to my beloved Manx Norton.

The AJS Porcupine is insanely rare, insanely cool, and probably priceless.

George Barber, of course has two of them.

Gear shift lever is odd, in that it faces right to left, rather than front to back. I wonder how it felt for the rider making gear-changes.

The CMA brake is rare. The 4 leading shoe version is even more rare. This one was mounted on the right side of the bike rather than the normal / left side.

A nice looking Norton Atlas. I wasn't a fan of the RK Leighton seat, but the rest is quite nice.

John Player Norton. So ugly that it's beautiful.

Strangely, this one had an Avon GP tire on front and rear. I've always known them as a rear tire, so I'm curious how it rides.

A Christmas tree display of small displacement bikes.

Lovely Manx Norton oil tank.

My buddy walked the museum with me, and he's an absolute nut for Italian race bikes. So this Mondial was high on his list.
Very early twin disc brake set up, with cable operated calipers. Made by Campagnolo.

         

  

 

  

  

  
Left and right handed GP carbs on the parallel twin Matchless

  

Bultaco TSS road racer

Paton

The Britten is impressive. In person it's over the top impressive. John Britten and his loyal group of friends built nearly every single piece of these bikes from scratch. Look up the Britten online and watch the documentary. It's inspiring.

DKW

 Cosworth Norton

Riveted monocoque framed Krauser

An incorrectly restored Norton 99, with later model gas tank and strange paint. But who am I to judge...

A wall of Parillas

I'm not sure what brake this is. The hub with the scalloped spoke flange looks like a Robinson, but I don't recognize the brake plates. Either way, I'd love to have one, whatever it might be.

Pre War Nortons

The always hideous, yet extremely rare Gus Kuhn Commando

The newly built Brough Moto 2 bike which they hope to race in 2014 as a wild card slot. I actually don't understand this bike at all. The carbon fiber bodywork is really trick, but the motor is a Honda CBR 600. So how does that make it a Brough?

Dunstall Commando

And lastly, a couple of shots of the amazing race track. It reminds me more of a British circuit like Cadwell Park. The way it doubles back on itself allows you to view most of the track from nearly any vantage point in the park.

All in all a great weekend. A great experience shared with close friends and about 60 thousand complete strangers. I could point out a hundred things about the place that I didn't like. But what would the point of that be? They would all be outweighed by how great the place is.

And to George Barber, my hats off to you sir. Truly amazing, and much appreciated.

Under the Hammer - 1960 Norton ES2

This will be a new feature added to the line up of existing ones that seem to have varying levels of interest. Quite simply, the auction house is where a lot of these old bikes end up when they're rolled out of some old barn, having been in storage for decades. I always thought it funny that they emerge from neglect and right into the open arms of the wealthy. Somehow completely bypassing the lower or middle class of motorcycle enthusiasts. Basically going from worthless scrap metal in the back of a forgotten barn, right to collector status. Seems weird to me that such things happen. It's like this instant over reaction, and pendulum swing to the opposite direction.

While looking for reference photos to a Norton that's completely unrelated, I came across this listing, and I recall seeing it when it was current. So I got to thinking, why not highlight some of these things. Bonhams does a great job with high resolution photography, and sometimes they do a decent job with accurate text descriptions as well. I always wonder what happens to these machines after they're trucked away from the bright lights of the auction. Do they simply fall into some collectors line up somewhere? Is somebody going to go over this thing mechanically and enjoy it for what it is? Does someone want to restore it?

It seems really ironic for everyone to make such a big stink when these things emerge from decades of forgotten storage, only to be swooped up by some wealthy collector and then immediately returned right back into some private unseen and unknown place.

Anyway, this is a really great Norton and represents the very last of the wideline featherbed frame, as the slimline featherbed frame was simultaneously being ushered in for all production models. The only wideline featherbed that went on being produced after this, was for the Manx, which itself ceased being produced 2 years later, and of course was of very different construction than the road going production machines. The ES2 motor was also well on its way out and had lived a long life. It was a 500cc single cylinder machine which always lived in the shadow of the Manx and even the road going International. Of course the ES2 was a pushrod motor and the latter two being over head cam motors, so no real comparison. Basically, it was the mule of the line up, and it served it's purpose quite well, and looked stunning all the while.

Note the bronze tach drive, which would have either been an option from the factory or fitted later. The speed holes drilled in the shift lever indicate that someone had thought of it as a real hot rod racer. Aftermarket "Goldstar" silencer was probably provided by Paul Dunstall. Interesting that the machine is fitted with both tachometer and speedometer.

Beautiful stance and proportions, gorgeous original upholstered seat, and cool painted tank that likely was done in the 1960's as a way to make the Norton look more like a young mans motorcycle. The original tank would have had chrome side panels, and looked more like a "gentleman's bike". Brake lever also has the speed holes drilled in it. 

Here's the original listing over at the Bonham's site. Be sure to enlarge the photos and then zoom in to see all the details: 1960 Norton ES2

I'd love to start hearing about and seeing what happens to bikes like this after they're snatched up at auction. It would be great if we could all enjoy in knowing what will become the future history of these machines. I can only hope that some modest guy has bought this and it's become his pride and joy, and that it gets ridden regularly. They were meant to be ridden and enjoyed. And if done so responsibly, they'll last a lifetime.