It is Thursday. But it is different from most Thursdays in my life since I am standing as close as I can to a racetrack in northern Alabama to get pictures of riders practicing for upcoming races. In this moment, the old — or should I say “vintage” — bikes are running sidecars of various design. The riders are getting ready to participate in races over the next three days.
Barber Motorsports Park sits on a rolling 880-acres with a 2.38-mile road course and is also home to the world-famous Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Each October, vintage motorcycle fans converge on the grounds in Leeds, Alabama, for one of the premier vintage motorcycle events in the United States. The 2025 edition marked the 20th anniversary of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Festival, which draws nearly 85,000 attendees from around the world to the three-day weekend.
A stroll around the track gave me the opportunities to socialize with thousands of people immersed in bike culture. I certainly wasn’t lonely. There were live music, food trucks, beer gardens and kids’ activities galore. I eventually found the motorcycle demo area and enjoyed test rides on three different motorcycles I’ve wanted to ride since they became available.
Several major manufacturers proffering their demo fleets for test rides. BMW, Suzuki, Indian, KTM, Triumph, Royal Enfield and CF Moto were all present with dozens of bikes. I was able to reserve rides with both Suzuki and BMW. When I arrived at 8 a.m. to register for demos there was already a line 30+ deep at the BMW tent. So, I went next door to Suzuki that only had three riders in line at that moment. I was able to ride both the new DR-Z 4s and the V-Strom 800 DE on a surprisingly technical gravel/dirt trail. I genuinely had fun on both Suzuki machines and I’m strongly considering buying the DR-Z to compliment my own BMW GSA.
I also wanted to test the new BMW R1300 GSA, but the line at BMW had become Disneyesque in length, and I was not going to stand in line for over an hour to go on a 20-minute demo. Pro tip about demo rides. I walked over to visit some friends at the BMW U.S. Rider Academy tent and Katie Benson, a young instructor with whom I am acquainted, asked if I was going on a ride with them.
I pointed at the long sign-up queue and said there’s no way am I standing in that line.
“That is for street bikes, there is no line for dirt rides,” she said.
What? Advantage ADV riders. I signed up immediately to demo a new GSA. After riding the redesigned GSA, I am reminded of something my grandpa told me, “If you want something engineered, put a German on it.”
I hate how much I liked that bike. It has fabulous ergos, feels solidly connected to the ground and is utterly confidence inspiring. I own an excellent 2022 1250 GSA, and I must admit the new one feels slightly better.
When they asked me what I thought after the ride, I said, “It’s great, and it ought to be at $30,000.”
Be advised you need to be comfortable with riding off road before you sign up. I personally witnessed four drops on three demo rides. One of the crashes led to a ride in an ambulance. Know your limits. What a fun day.
This was my second trip to the vintage bike races. If you like motorbikes and people that ride them like I do, then this is the place to be. I had conversations with several attendees hailing from coast to coast.
Rachel Thomas, a rider from Salt Lake City, came to help her sister, who is an MSF instructor at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina. Thomas said she owns a Ural with a side car so her elderly mother could continue to get out on a motorbike after she could not ride on her own.
This is her second trip to Barber, and incredulously she has not gone inside the museum.
What? I politely admonish Thomas, and she promised to see the museum on this trip. I hope she finds the time. For the moto-aficionado it is not to be missed.
The Barber Vintage Museum houses nearly 1,800 classic and historical motorcycles, sports cars and related memorabilia. More than 1,000 are on public displays in the stunning multi-story museum.
There’s also a massive swap meet with more than 600 vendors offering parts, project bikes, memorabilia and other rare finds to add to your own collection.
I spent two days at the races, rode some great bikes and caught up with several friends and acquaintances from the BMW Performance Center.
It was a good time, and I left happy.
In my mind going to the Vintage Bike Races is like visiting Manhattan or Las Vegas. If you have never, been, you should go at least once for the experience. Buy the ticket and take the ride. You will be entertained.
As an iconic Austrian action hero once said, “I’ll be back.”
