I must say you did a great job covering this amazing place. I don't understand why the RU-vid motorcycling crowd hasn't covered this place more. I was there last year and the guide that walked me around was priceless! He worked with Mr. Barber for years and knew EVERYTHING about the place! I'm 57 yo grown ass man and when you started talking about the million mile challenge, well I got chocked up. There is so much history behind every one of those bikes and I know I'll be back there soon. Thank you for introducing people to this place and looking forward to your next post. BTW... I ride the same Yamaha SVTC that Long Haul Paul put over 100k on. Great bike but don't go off pavement!!!
Doodle you are such a gem. Paint that bike of yours what ever the h e double hockey sticks you want. I have to say that you gals on RU-vid are the best ambassadors for the motorcycle industry that they have ever had in quite a while. Especially for women but also for every body. Beginners and old timers like me are getting excited about riding because of you and your RU-vid buddies.
I love the fully restored bikes. They are so beautiful and awesome in their glory. I suppose there is value in the antique "just as they found them" look but wow, the restored are magnificent. That was a touching store of the MS sufferer who chose to ride his remaining million miles. You go dude. Wow that is so cool they have a 3D design department that produces parts to keep their antique bikes running! Doodle, you did a great job with the tour and found really great bikes to highlight. Thank you so much for this video!
Good morning Ms Carolyn! Love your videos. Push starting is easy. You are replacing the turning over of the motore by the starter, with mechanical effort. So, when your battery is to dead to turn it over, this gets useful. It helps to go down hill, cuz bikes are heavy these days, but its not required. 1) Turn bike on. 2) engage clutch, put bike in 1st or 2nd gear. 3) Push or roll forward, need to get a fair amount of movement, a good 3 or 4 mph. So go as fast as you can. 4) pop the clutch to turn motor over, this should start it - engage clutch again to keep it running without forward movement...
This is some of your best work...... Your smiling face and pleasant voice really makes you being the narrator at this museum definitely makes this enjoyable !!!
Thanks for visiting us in Alabama. We love showing off our museum. I was lucky enough to get the job of painting the wall that blends into the board track. Imagine being given a small black and white picture, 4" by 6" maybe smaller, and being told to paint it on a 16' by 30' wall. Not only did I have to blow it up, I also had to make the wood on the track match up to the track in the picture. To add to the difficulty, the day I was working the National Champion was practicing on the track. I also did the lettering you see next to the Modet T truck. The idea was to make the fire escape look like an early motorcycle shop. Thanks for coming and we will see you at the Vintage Festival this October.
I have been to Barber many times, been to their "Motorcycles by Moonlight" event last September, but I have not been to the bottom floor, one day, glad you had the opportunity to see and share that experience.
Hey Caroline, I loved this video so much. You showcased much more than history, I could see the excitement in your face. Clearly your passion for these iconic machines. More, More. Keep up your great work. Cheers ✌️🏍️💜
Barber is one of my favorite places. Every bike I have ever owned is on display at that place. Amazing and the track and races are a real bonus. They also have the Porches track experience there. If you want a real treat go to the Vintage Sports car or Vintage motorcycle races. Be safe, have fun. I am really enjoying your travels.
Very cool. What a place! John Britten made the Britten bikes in his garage in Christchurch New Zealand. My Dad either rode a motorbike or drove a jeep in North Africa in WW2. He had the choice. The bike was an Indian. Small world!
Thank you Doodle! The story of Long Haul Paul, really inspired me. I have always been super passionate about motorcycles my entire life but have not been able to get one yet. This year is the year! I walk back and forth to work every day and something always seems to get in my way from me getting my Bike. Not going let anything stop me anymore. Thanks Doodle keep doing what you're doing!!!
I visited this museum when it was just recently open to public. For my effort and demonstrative enthusiasm, the Master Mechanic took me into the workshop. Boy, oh boy, did I receive an unforgettable experience. Huge appreciation for Barber and it's staff!
Oh paint that bike whatever colour you want, it belongs to YOU & no one else! You have to ride it, not others, make *you* happy! What a fab place! Loved seeing *all* the bikes! Long haul Paul, bless, such an inspiration as are you! Jet 🧡🎸🎶⚡️🏍 PS 😕 missed Triumph day at the Ace Cafe; but there’s always next time!😃
1600 bikes. Very impressive Doodle, thanks! Toured the Harley plant in Kansas City before it shut down and the Corvette Assembly plant and the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green KY. As you might imagine all were awesome!
Doodle, One of your best ever posts! I've added the Skip Barber museum to my list. As a safety thing, you should know how to "push start" or "roll start" your bike. It is easy. Get on the motorcycle. Put the bike in first or second gear. Hold the clutch in with your left hand. Make sure the key is turned to the "ON" position. Then have someone push you or roll you down hill. When you get to a rolling speed, say ten miles an hour, release the clutch quickly. The engine will start! If the battery is dead or near death, this will get you started to ride to where you can get a new battery! Perhaps you can do a video on this tip for others.
Skip Barber is a different family from George Barber. Skip is a famous racecar driver who runs a school to learn car racing. George Barber comes from a milk production family who did pretty darn good as a racecar driver. George went on to found the Museum Doodle is showing off here.
Hope you enjoyed it. Went to college in Bham and had no idea there was a motorcycle museum. Guess when I go back home to see my folks I’ll be riding down to check it out with my dad
Nice review of Barber. Been there 2 times, once for the Vintage Days and once just for the fun of it. Being a 50+year biker it's like a kid in a candy store experience for me. I have a 73TX650 thats restored and when I'm done riding it I am offering it to the Museum for safe keeping. They said they would love to have it now, but I'm not ready to part with it just yet. Be safe out there.
Just visited again last weekend. The collection just keeps growing and the coolest thing is the bikes are not 10 feet away behind glass, they are right there close enough to smell, haha (do not touch). The whole place is exactly what a motorcyclist would dream of. Full of rolling art, dedicated preservationists and enthusiasts. George Barber and team have created a national treasure. If you ride two wheels you must go. Plus when you get ADHD motorcycle overstimulation after looking at the first 450 bikes, take a break with a stroll in the gardens as track day bikes blast past then soak in the other 450+ bikes AND lotus race cars. A truly magical place.
You absolutely need to put the Barber Vintage Festival on your calendar in October. There will be nearly 100,000 people over the 3 day weekend of racing.
Hey Doodle !!! Loved the video you did a perfect job. Always remember to say a prayer when you get on your bike / or a bike to make a ride. Love you and be safe.
‘Doodle’ - I enjoyed meeting you when you visited Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum! I was the docent that led the museum tour you joined and also talked with you while I was working the museum member check-in desk for the event (all volunteer activities). Great vid of your visit here! I was not familiar with your RU-vid vids - the next day I met some friends at Starbucks - I mentioned meeting you and that you were on my tour, and mentioned your RU-vid vids. One said ‘Oh My Gosh - I’ve been following her for a couple of years!’ I said had I known, I would have texted you. He said ‘and I’d have come immediately to meet her!’ Again, thanks for visiting the awesome BVMM and posting this video.
That military Harley with the boxer engine is a real unicorn. The Americans noticed that the BMWs were performing very well in the war and thus made a copy. Very cool. And nice to see that they have at least two of my bikes at the museum, the Turbo Seca and the XT500. The XT is not shown in the video, but if they don't have one, it wouldn't be a museum worth mentioning 😂😂
Delightful. I immediately recognized and remembered the model name of that "...prettiest motorcycle in the whole..." the '66? Honda 'Dream'! You're such a fun, inspirational and yet serious 'companion' on the trips to these virtual destinations that we've taken. Sweet. Thank you.
Good job Doodle. I enjoy your videos, and I too live in the Atlanta area. The ride of choice for this 63 year old man's eleventh cycle is my 2013 Yamaha FJR1300a. My Japanese mistress and I have been all over America, with few exceptions, and we get along SO well.
*Thanks Doodle* . I saw several bike models that I or my family members have owned while you walked around. Your charm and enthusiasm comes through and is so infectious. Another great video!!
@0.22 seconds is a mint example of my 1975 Kawasaki KT250 trials bike that I used for vintage trials until 2018 when I sold it. That bike wasn't at the museum when I was there last in 2022. Now I need to go back this fall.
Thanks for videos that highlight the range, variety and full enjoyment of the motorcycle lifestyle. This GREAT Intro video is waiting for more on your one-of-a-kind color scheme that reflects who doodle is, let’s see if and how that bike with the jet engine really rides, and more
Doodle, I LOVED this video! I didn’t know this place existed. On my bucket list now thanks to you. You are very fun and entertaining! Also, I’m joining Adam’s caravan tomorrow in NH thanks to your channel. If he’s riding 25000 miles for a good cause I can do the 18 to meet him and make a donation. Keep up the great work!
Doodle a friend of mine had a Honda CBX, and at the time I had a 1986 Yamaha FJ1200. This was around 1992. We both worked for Delta Airlines and went to school together at Lewis University, from 1986-1988. The school is outside of Chicago. A few years after we started as aircraft mechanics with Delta the two of us got together for a ride. The CBX with it's 6 cylinder engine, and particularly his with the aftermarket exhaust sounded like an Indy race car.
Great video, concerning board track racing, 3:50, it's most likely an off shoot of bicycle track racing which started in 1870. The bicycles used on the tracks are fixed gear and NO BRAKES. The current women's 200m flying start TT is 10.154s or 44.06 mph and the 1-hour TT is 30.605 mph.
Thanks for doing such a great video of the best motorcycle museum and facility ever. I’m lucky enough to live 20 minutes away. Come back and it will look totally different. Oh yeah there is a Buccees across the street. 😊
Been to the original location and to the current location twice. Simply awesome. Truly enjoyed making the tour with you-always learning something with every visit. Love your channel, keep up the good work.!! 👍👍🏍🏍🏍🙋♂️
They'd need to send an employee along following me with a forklift loaded with "beware of wet floor" signs there since I'd be drooling so much! I actually think I'd have to get out pretty soon after entering. I would be going out of my mind seeing so many gorgeous bikes, some of which I've owned or ridden in the past. I'm so jealous yet glad somebody preserved so many awesome bikes.
This was a pretty cool video Doodle. Next thing you know, you will have your own TV series... Who knows? It could happen. Take care Caroline, ride safe.
Hey.... I've followed you from the beginning, I think. What I just witnessed was absolute perfection. Your commentary was mesmerizing. I felt as if I was there because of your manor and delivery. Something just happened and it was pleasant. I think you took a giant step, lifewise. Seriously the framing was perfect. Wow!
This was cool. I am a pastor at a Lutheran Church in Connecticut. Planning a blessing of the motorcycles and I learned that someone connected to the church is a direct descendent to Damiler inventor of the Mayback Damiler bike you have in the video.
