Scavenging for hidden treasures at Barber Vintage Fest

Roaming the seemingly endless aisles at the swap meet during this year’s 20th annual Barber Vintage Fest, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Some decorative old part or tool for my garage, maybe a pair of plastic turn signal covers to replace a couple of old glazing ones on my 1978 KZ650, or some vintage sign to hang in my basement man cave. Each booth was either a feast or a famine- dusty, discarded old parts, or beautiful classic motorcycles in need of a new home. Stacks of old motorcycle magazines no longer in print, dog-eared owner’s manuals for antique bikes, even some black & white signed photos of once famous racers and riders, the swap meet is the place to slow down, take your time, and browse until you find something that strikes your fancy.

I found a Vincent part that I could actually afford.

The Vincent logo alone makes this a cool pick.

Chatting up one vendor, I glanced across one of his tables, and this “Vincent Industrial Power” part caught my eye. It was a reproduction of some element used in machinery that stamped or forged engine casings in the years after WWll. “When Vincent ceased their motorcycle production in the mid-1950s,” he explained, “the company kept manufacturing small displacement engines, for everything from small boats (look up the ahead-of-its-time Amanda Water Scooter) to lawn mowers.” I was surprised no one had snatched it up yet. So I bought the piece, if for no other reason but the authentic Vincent logo, and the factory location stamped into it.

Browsing a little further, I came across a husband and wife who had milk crates full of ancient motorcycle periodicals, and boxes of back issues of “Motorcycle Classics” magazines. They had everything categorized by decade, and even year. I was able to thumb through MC 2016 and find an issue that I had contributed a story in, “Looking Into The Hourglass” about Keith Campbell and his old AMA/AHRMA racing team, Hourglass Racing. He took a buck for it, and $1 for another old mag I thought was pretty cool.

An old Motorcycle Touring magazine, and the issue of Motorcycle Classics with my “Hourglass” story.

It’s addicting, walking among the row upon row of old motorcycle parts and paraphernalia, running and non-running motorcycles. I think it’s the ancient, primal “thrill of the hunt” kind of experience, the anticipation of what gems might be found and bagged among the junk. Many patrons come looking for specific items for bikes that they are working on, some for project bikes, others searching for complete machines in need of a new home. I found a few myself that made me drool- a 1974 Yamaha YZ80 similar to one my brothers and I had as children; an early 70s Honda Mini Trail 50 with a 70cc shoehorned into it (my cousin had one we rode as kids); and a 1945-ish Cushman boxtop scooter like one my father throttled around Okinawa on during his 1961-62 Air Force stint there.

Old Cushman “Boxtop”, similar to the one my father buzzed around Kadena AFB with back in the early 60s.

I was thinking, “I could get in trouble here, make a rash purchase that would require more quid than I meant to spend, and more explaining than I would care to give the wife when I get home.” Clearly others came to the swap meet without my inhibitions. Mike Boyd and I saw some amazing and pricey bikes roll out and onto trailers for new homes, yet we also saw small purchases of trinkets and do-dads, EMGO handlebar grips, old UNI paper and foam 2-stroke air filters, and tables full of AMAL and MIKUNI carbs. You name it, some vendor at the swap meet will have it.

Endless possibilities, table after table, row upon row.

The Barber Vintage Fest Swap Meet is among the largest in the country, we’ve been told, possibly second only to the one that takes place every year at Mid–Ohio Raceway during the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. Across the weekend, an estimated 45-50,000 people attended this 20th annual Vintage Fest, and the swap meet aisles were filled every day, sunup to sundown, with people browsing the vendors. The swap meet is the most frequented venue of the weekend, seeing more patrons than the museum, the AHRMA vintage racing, the brand demo rides, and the family-friendly Fan Zone.

Again, it’s addicting.

A rare and beautiful Rickman.

To me, what is equally as enjoyable is chatting up the various vendors. They all are hard-core motorcycle enthusiasts, with motorcycle shops they operate or private collections they tinker with. I love hearing their stories of favorite old motorcycles, their pet projects, their fondest memories of riding or racing. Like every other aspect of motorcycling culture, the people you meet are always the best part. I found that true again, spending three days roaming the swap meet, talking with both vendors and buyers/browsers. And of course, I found a few nuggets to take home myself, that wouldn’t get me in trouble with the little woman. A good time, indeed.

Rob

*Top photo: a 1974 Yamaha YZ 80, similar to the one my brothers and I rode as kids.

Check out our walkabout at the Swap Meet!