This trip was one of those quick turn and burn runs. I only had three days for this one but I definitely made the most out of it. Folks, if you’re a motorcycle enthusiast and have never been to the annual Vintage Bike Festival you have no idea what you’re missing, The festival is held every October at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. It’s an absolute blast and people come from all over the world to attend. The coolest part is that they have vintage bike racing…it’s like taking a time machine back to the 1950’s. The smells, sounds, people….it’s all motorcycles. It’s perfect!!
DAY 1
It was Friday and I wanted to be there when the festival opened on Saturday morning. Birmingham is about 450 miles from my house…and it usually takes about 7hrs on the interstate. It was mid October and the morning was cool…perfect riding weather. The forecast called for clear skies and cool weather all through the weekend. I was excited for this trip and have been wanting to attend one of these festivals for a long time. I took the BMW 1250RT on this trip.
I pulled it out of the garage around 8am and put the hammer down. I zipped through the backroads until I cleared the Charleston area traffic. Then I hopped on I-26 and let the BMW eat some miles at a quick pace. She does this so effortlessly. We just picked off cars and big rigs like they’re slow moving ships. The adaptive cruise control on the RT is a nice touch in heavy traffic too. I can just relax and listen to tunes while the adaptive cruise control keeps me at a safe distance from the person in front of me. Then once it’s clear the RT jumps back up to my set speed. I never have to turn the cruise control off…this bike spoils me.
Once I reached Columbia I jumped on I-20 and hammered down until I got to Augusta. I stopped to fill up the RT and grab some lunch. Then I continued my way towards Atlanta. Unfortunately, there is no “good” time to get through Atlanta…in my experience the traffic is horrible all day every day. I decided to shoot south through Griffin and Carrollton GA to see if I could dodge the Atlanta traffic…it didn’t work. It was still painfully slow. I was far west of Atlanta by the time I hopped on I-20 again. I kept rolling until I reached my hotel in Leeds. It was a long and boring day in the saddle…but tomorrow would be amazing!
There were quite a few folks here for the festival. And as I unloaded the RT I saw an older couple unload their BMW GS Adventure from a trailer. Their BMW was completely decked out and had just about every farkle a bike could have. The truck and trailer had GA plates which made me wonder why they just didn’t ride their bike here. The BMW GS bikes are similar to the RT…they’re made to be ridden. But hey no judgement here…to each their own and life is good anytime you’re on two wheels! I settled into my room…I wanted be up early in the morning to be at the festival when they opened the gates.
DAY 2
I woke up early as planned and went to the lobby for breakfast. There were a lot of other riders there and it was nice to chat with them over breakfast. There were folks from all over the world there, and I sat at a table with a long rider from Mexico City. He was a serious rider on a journey across the entire continent that would take a month or more. He said he was riding with some buddies but they were too cheap to get a hotel room so they camped. He was riding a very nice Honda Africa Twin that was loaded to the gills with gear.
As I loaded the RT, the elderly that trailered their GS to the hotel were getting ready. They were excited and talking about where they were going to ride after the festival. I like to see folks exciting as I am about riding!
I fired up the RT and headed to the Barber Motorsports complex. The line to get in was already a mile or more long but it was moving pretty quickly. The folks at the gate are pros and they kept everyone moving right along…there were bikes everywhere. Every type of bike was there…groups of riders on sport bikes revved their engines while slowly moving towards the gate…big groups of Harleys and Indians rumbled and idled along, and then there were the long riders such as myself…usually alone.
I showed the attendant my ticket and was ushered into the grounds. I followed the road quite a ways until I found a parking spot in a field with a bunch of other bikes.
Parked the RT and went exploring.
In addition to the vintage bike festival, manufacturers such as BMW and Triumph took advantage of the event and hosted their annual rallies as well. BMW celebrated their “Motorrad Days of America” and Triumph had their “Isle of Triumph” event as well. There were a lot of other manufacturers there as well promoting their new models and offering demo rides.
I took full advantage and took a nice 17 mile loop on an Indian Pursuit. It was a really nice bike and very comfortable.
Test rode this Indian Pursuit
After the test ride I walked around and checked out the scene. It’s definitely a worthy exoperience!
I walked around for hours…watched the vintage bike race, and just checked old and new bikes. It was really nice to be in the midst of like-minded folks. There’s something about being on two wheels!
When it was time to leave I hopped on a trailer to hitch a ride back to my bike.
The infamous statue at Barber
It was late afternoon by the time I fired up the RT and headed out. I stopped briefly to snap a pic of the infamous statue of the lady in the pond on my way out.
I hit the road and headed north east towards Chattanooga, TN. I had a reservation at the KOA in Murphy NC and I wanted to be there before dark. It was going to be a push to get there!
I took the interstate all the way to Chattanooga, stopped for dinner, and then headed due east on beautiful Hwy 64. As expected, the sun dipped below the mountain tops before I reached Murphy. Hwy-64 is an amazing riding road with a lot of twists and turns…which also means it can be deadly if riding at night. I cursed myself for not leaving Barber sooner, and slowed down the RT. Another nice thing about the RT are the headlights…they work really well.
I finally pulled in to the KOA around 9pm. The front office was closed and I found my reservation paperwork in the late check-in box. My tent site was near the bathroom, which provided a little light while I set camp up. I took a hot shower and went to bed. I was exhausted and sleep came quickly.
DAY 3
I slept well considering the light from the bathroomshining through my tent all night. I got out of the tent and stretched. Everything was damp even though it didn’t rain. I walked around the campground to get the blood flowing. I was definitely cool and autumn was in the air. I packed up my camping gear and much of it was wet with dew. I would would have to dry it our when I got home.
Once packed I was ready to hit the road. I was excited for today…some of the best roads and scenery in the region are ahead!
Packed up and ready to roll!
I fired up the RT and headed out to explore the area. I was only about 350 miles from home so I could take the back roads and enjoy the autumn colors before heading home.
The autumn colors were beginning to show at higher elevations
There are also a ton of beautiful waterfalls if you’re ever in this area. I stopped at few along the way and hiked the trails to get the best view.
There is so much to see and enjoy if you’re not in a hurry. It’s one of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. If I take my time and just enjoy the ride, then the ride becomes so much more enjoyable!
After getting my fill of curves and waterfalls, I made my way to Greenville, where I stopped for a late lunch. I was only about 3 hrs away from home now and I would be there by dark.
I filled up the RT one last time and hit the interstate for the last stretch. I pulled into my garage just as it was getting dark. The wife and kids put some Halloween decorations in the yard while I was gone…autumn was here. It felt good to be home and I still smile whenever I think about this ride. It was short and sweet but it was an absolute blast!
Sport Touring Cycle Adventures 