Chattanooga to Tuscaloosa via the Barber Vintage Motorsports museum

Started the day with a trip to Pandora European Motorsports to pick up a power adapter for the socket by my handlebars. They had what I needed and the guys there were great. Talked at length and they solved the riddle of what to do between chattanooga and NOLA. Big thanks to Terry and Ken for pointing me at the Barber Vintage Motorsports museum in Birmingham and it was a perfect stop. The place is massive, five stories of bikes dating back to 1909 with a smattering of cars for those who go in for that sort of thing.

They have a circular motorcyle-only parking lot directly in front of the entrance.

The size of the space is impressive.

There’s a sense of humor as well. This mannequin security guard has what appears to be a puma for backup.

Among the gems are a NorVin (Vincent engine in a Norton frame).

A WWII era Harely Davidson complete with rifle scabbard.

Some absolute classic Triumphs.

A Ducati GS750 original in front of the more recent remake.

And as I said before, even a car or two.

And this Ducati ST4 which Gary Eagan rode across the country from San Francisco to New York City in 36 hours and 57 minutes. My pace is shameful in comparison.

After bike gazing for a while I climbed back on mine and toughed the heat down to Tuscaloosa. I knew this intellectually but the difference between riding early in the morning and riding in the afternoon in the south is staggering. This morning from Chattanooga to Birminghame was bliss with no traffic, a clear blue Alabama sky and you only felt the heat when stopped. Let’s just say that mid-late afternoon riding is completely unlike this. With that in mind, I’ll make the final push to New Orleans in the AM as it will only get hotter and more humid as I approach the big easy.