A weekend at the greatest motorcycling event in America.

This wasn’t my first rodeo. Just my second. The last time I attended Barber Vintage Festival was a few years ago. I can hear some of you gasp in reaction, the sound of eyes rolling as you say, “Well I’ve been to all 20 of them.” Attending this year was a good reminder to not miss it next year. It really is one of the most exciting motorcycle events at one of the best motorcycle facilities in the world. And being only two hours away in Atlanta, I really had no excuses.

The Barber Vintage Festival is an event of epic proportions. The options of activities are seemingly endless; from the museum, to racing, the swaps, camping, and everything in between.

You need it, you name it, someone at Vintage Fest will likely have it.

Thursday

I was here on business, and boy was it pleasurable. What’s more fun than working for motorcycles? This year, Road Dirt had acquired media credentials for me and gave me an assignment- I was to capture events and coverage of the happenings to share live via Instagram throughout the weekend. A lot happens, and I sure did a lot.

I started first at the swap meet, when vendors were still loading in and good deals could still be had. As a writer, I was on the hunt for some magazines. Archives of Cycle, American Motorcyclist, Classic Bike, even issues of Easyriders were to be had, ya know, for research and reference. There were great writers back in the day, witty tales, and even the advertisements from the 1970s were groovy and humble. I packed my shopping basket full and made note of things to come back for, if they were still there.

But I had another mission to begin on- the museum. It’s one of the best motorcycle museums in the world, simple as that. Barber has one of… everything. The design of the space itself is beautiful and minimal. Concrete and windows, natural light displaying the bikes in creative ways. It is a draw for visitors far and wide on a daily basis. It had been a few years since I had walked the floors, so it was fun to revisit familiar bikes and explore history of new things that have since piqued my interest.

Ample reading material, in just my first haul.

I currently had a Honda Fury on loan, and while I couldn’t find that model, to my surprise I did find two Honda Runes. The museum is an expedited masterclass on motorcycles in an afternoon. Simply entering the museum is breathtaking. For a first timer, it is a must. The museum covers every aspect of motorcycling beginning from its inception. After about four hours inside, I escaped for fresh air and to catch vintage race bikes putting in their final practice laps of the evening. The Thursday crowd is an intimate one, a nice calm before the storm.

Throughout the day I had been live-sharing all of my activities- the interesting stories from the museum, some action packed clips of racing, even a few of my finds from the swap meet. Speaking of which, there was just enough daylight left to make another few rounds through the aisles.

Barber Vintage Fest is like a reunion of sorts, a summer camp for some. I bumped into old friends from years past, even made new ones. I saw some dream bikes for cheap and plenty of junk for too much. I picked up a few more goodies, mostly reading material, as I headed back to call it a night.

A beast called Busa.

Friday

The previous day in the Barber Museum, I drooled over a lot of bikes. One of those happened to be a Suzuki Hayabusa. The notorious, fast and furious styled motorcycle. It was the world’s fastest production motorcycle for a long time, eventually setting off the “gentleman’s agreement” and need for a top-speed limit on motorcycles. The bike is ridiculous, in power and styling, a true statement piece. Which apparently I’m into now, I mentioned the Fury right? But yes, I became curious as to what it was like to actually ride a Busa.

One of the draws of the festival is that major manufacturers bring their latest model year fleets and offer test rides. And believe it or not, a Hayabusa was for demo down at the Suzuki tent. My review? Well, first gear gets you to nearly 90mph. And it was the most uncomfortable motorcycle I’ve ever ridden. I’d ride it again. The demo route didn’t give me much of an opportunity to test its true potential, which I’m probably glad for.

I finished up my demo and was on to the next: Cross-Country races. I had a handful of friends racing in the woods, and the best part is how close you can get to the action. I hiked down to a good viewing point and waited. The sights and smells of motorcycles soon filled the woods as riders would scream past, brushing up against trees and kicking up dirt.

“Over the river and through the woods”, but not to grandma’s house.

Each time I’d navigate the Barber complex throughout the day, I’d catch views of racers going around the famed road track. The perimeter road provides ample viewing areas and nice spots to sit and watch for a moment. BMW was the main sponsor this year and did a great job with the “Fan Zone” having nearly every 2025 model bike on display. It was like an open-air dealership, surrounded by festivities. It was family-friendly fun with bands on stage, bounce houses and kid’s courses, and plenty of other vendors slinging leathers, insurance, and then some.

One of the more exciting attractions is the American Motordrome Wall Of Death stunt show. It’s a large draw, and once witnessed, it is easy to see why. It’s unbelievable, it’s thrilling; standing above riders defying gravity, circling an old wooden carnival attraction. How were they doing it so effortlessly? It was hypnotizing.

Death-defying and gravity-bending. Nothing like the Wall of Death show.

Saturday

The weekend days draw some of the largest crowds, the complex fills up and the festival is in full force. I continued to catch more vintage road racing throughout the afternoon as I explored the happenings to my heart’s content. I spent time at the annual Isle of Triumph and all of their festivities, including the VAHNA custom Triumph show, live pin-stripping, screenings of films, more live music, and more motorcycles.

The day was winding down as I made a few more laps around the swap meet. Saturday night is one of the best times to find deals as folks are packing up and don’t want to bring things home. Really, Sunday at the very last minute might be the best time to haggle.

Call me crazy, but I had to have them.

And then out of nowhere, there it was. A gleam of white caught the corner of my eye, nearly 10 feet tall, something leaned up against an RV parked at the swap. How had I missed this before? Was it even for sale? Or recently purchased? My heart started beating a bit faster. I wanted it.

“H O N D A” the sign read. Capital red letters, white backing. Quick backstory: I love all things Honda and have always wanted a classic dealer sign. And while this may not have been the holy-grail “chiclet” sign that lights up, it was indeed an exciting find in the meantime. All I could imagine was where I’d hang it around my garage — it was going to be a tough decision. We agreed on $50 and I quickly ran back to my van to hide the sign back at camp. When I arrived shortly after to pick up, the vendor off-handedly mentioned, “Ya know, I have two more of those if you want ‘em.” My jaw dropped; of course I want them sir! And that is how I scored THREE Honda signs and easily solved having to make a decision of where to put just one.

2-stroke smoke, dirt flying, deafening howls of exhaust, bikes and riders down, pure mayhem. I love it.

Sunday

What would a Sunday be without motorcycles? On any Sunday, as they like to say. The mass exodus began as lines of trailers and RVs filled the perimeter. Traffic was everywhere, but for those still on motorcycles, navigation was easy enough. Sunday still presented a few activities to catch, so between packing up camp, I made a run over to the relatively new motocross addition on the property.

Sunday morning saw AHRMA races throughout the freshly primed course. It was cedar mulch, it smelled amazing and looked the part. The retro style track filled with racers on old bikes and vintage kit, though at times it was hard to tell what year each really was.

Barber Vintage Fest 2025- a weekend well spent.

And with the wave of a checkered flag, I was off back home to Atlanta, another epic Barber Vintage Fest in the books. This one was extra meaningful too, as I got to share the experience with a new-to-motorcycling friend who thoroughly enjoyed it. And that’s what motorcycling is all about- community, fun, and new experiences. This event is a great celebration of that.

All weekend I kept my finger on the pulse, live updating just a fraction of what was happening at Barber, across Road Dirt’s social media. It’s always fun when you get to mix business and pleasure, with some gasoline and adrenaline. Thank you to those who followed along online. If you didn’t, this a friendly reminder to follow our socials for more great coverage of future events.

Drew P.

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