Barber Motorsports Museum

The complete collection of the 750cc and 850cc MV Agusta four cylinder road bikes from the mid-1970's illustrate the concept of GT, Sport and Super Sport machines. Just one small example of the thoughtful manner the entire collection is given.

 

A large collection of Lotus sports cars and sports racers awaits visitors upon entry into the museum.

The Koenig 500 GP weapon- see the film Love, Loss and Speed about the late Kim Newcombe and the bike that was outrunning all but the MV-mounted Agostini during that tragic 1973 season of Grand Prix racing. Just prior to his last race, Newcombe had complained about the unprotected barrier in the run off at Silverstone, but was told that there would be no changes made. As a privateer, he had no real choice but to ride anyway.

  MV Agusta, the "Fire Engines of Gallarate" on display at the John Surtees installation.  The British born star was the 500cc Grand Prix Champion  and later Ferrari Formula 1 Champion on four wheels, a unique achievement. 

The highly modified Vincent Comet of the young John Surtees. He also raced Norton Manx before switching to the Italian brand of four cylinder motorcycles.

                                                                         Stunning !

                              Well, where else would you hang your collection of 125cc race bikes?

             Funny, for a motorcycle mecca, they had a better car collection than most car museums.

I've had a Philippe Stark Moto 6.5 Aprilia since 2001. We brought it to Barber as our pit bike and ended up selling it to a friend who also fell in love with its curvy but quirky design.I will miss the old girl, she's been a great backroads companion and a rare site on these shores. It's 650cc Rotax designed engine was just enough to keep you entertained while keeping the weight down. Dirt bike-like ergomonic design provided plenty of leverage for crowed city streets too.

Behind the Iron Curtain, Jawa was doing all it could with its limited resources. It wasn't enough. Sadly, the late, great Bill Ivy met his demise on a Jawa while still at the top of his game.

F.B. Mondial, the Fratelli Boselli brand. Ing. Drusiani created the engine design that would win both the 125cc and 250cc Grand Prix World Championships in 1957. This bike is the type use to win the 1949, 50 and 51 125cc World Championships. 

The Hulk? The Bat Cycle? No, Its the Hesketh V-1000 as built by Lord Hesketh and his crew in the late 1970's. About 250 in total were built before the funds ran out.

One man's vision: The Britten V-Twin racing motorcycle was exceptionally far-sighted in its approach on so many levels. Hand-crafted, but world class and one of the most sought after collector machines in the world.

New Zealander John Britten left us way before his time. His machines will inspire gearheads for generations. 

Honda in America and Honda on the world stage. In less than ten years of their international race debut, Honda went on to win the 125, 250 and 500cc World Championships. Just a few years later, the four stroke stalwarts would unleash the Honda 750 Four and snatch a Daytona victory with veteran rider Dick Mann.

It's the Gary Fisher BMW, mono shock and Rob North frame with Randy Cleek's TZ.

  Fast forward on the banking. Freddie Spencers Honda takes the lead.

Fantasy land for small bore Italian bike lovers are just a sample of the collection that never stops surprising at each turn.

Gimme an Imme. Brilliant engineering and at timelss design.

The Bohmerland and sidecar. just the thing for the stylish family to travel in.

TZ or Tee Zed. Take you pick, something for every size and budget.

British worshop wizard Allen Millyard builds these V-8 Kawasakis and more with simple hand tools. Genius, simply genius.

Well, that's it for a taste of the best motorcycle museum in the world, the Barber Museum. The photos taken here do  not even come close to what you'll experience in person. Plan a weekend to take it all in, it's simply amazing.

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