I'm back at last.

[QBS]

Just got home from our 6 week, 4700 mile vacation to the southern Appelation Region of the USA.  Today's drive home was from Leeds AL(just west of Birmingham AL) to Houston TX.  Drive time was 12 hours and distance was 700 miles.  We are pooped.  Ran through a lot of rain in Louisiana.

Yesterday was spent at the Barber Motorsports museum in Leeds AL.  My mind is fried and will be for a very long time.  The place is far beyond first class.  It is at the top of the heap as World Class.  A national treasure.  A bucket list national destination.  For the true motorcyclist, the place is a world destination.

The place was created from scratch with a money is no object policy.  Nothing was spared.  It sits on an 850 acre site that includes an equally world class 2.3 miles race track that will accommodate 44,000 + fans.  An international Formula One race is scheduled for later this year.  The Porsche driving school and Kevin Shwantz riding school are in residence at Barber.  We saw the Porsches' circling the track

750 bikes on display with nothing between you and them but air, no ropes, nothing.  Late 19th century to this years' Daytona 200 winner (complete with Dayton bug splatter!).  400 more in storage awaiting restoration and eventual display.  All this after recently auctioning off 250 others.  All bikes are in pristine condition except for select examples that are left unrestored for historical context purposes.  All restorations are done in house by the 9 man, full time restoration staff.  All machine work and necessary parts creation is done in house.  To give you an idea of the level of quality that is achieved at Barber,  as you enter the front of the building the first bike you see is a rare AJS Porcupine Head road racer.  It has a Blue Ribbon hanging from its' wind shield.  The ribbon is from this years Pebble Beach Concoures de Eligance.  Pebble Beach is the most prestigious concours in the world.  This is the first year that bikes have been invited to participate.

I took many pictures but will never be able to take enough to do the place justice.  Don't have a clue as to how to get them on the net for your viewing pleasure.  Right now I'm too tired to even begin to really describe this place.  More will come out later as this thread develops.

Perhaps the ultimate proof of the level of the museum is that Kathy (my beloved spouse) was with me for the entire day and came away as blown away as I am.  This place is that unbelievable.

[Lucky]

so of course, the big question: do they have a Vision?

[QBS]

They had many Yamahas' on display, but no Visions.  RD 350s, an XJ 1200, many early two stroke road and race bikes, and a 650 Turbo.  The Turbo was in a special grouping that included an example of each of the mid '80s turbo bikes from all the Japanese mfgrs. including the rare Suzuki.  There may have been a Vision in the secret inner sanctum storage area (400 bikes) awaiting restoration.  Nobody I spoke to was aware of the xz550.  A review of their inventory print out would tell the definitive tale.

They also had road cars and race cars on display, but very few in comparison to the number of bikes.  There was an excellent grouping of early Lotus production, including reproductions of the first two cars that Colin Chapman ever built.  This included his first car, built in approx. 1947, from an Austin Seven,  in his home garage with the help of several close friends.  As the car was street legal, Colin and his wife would drive it to the off road racing venues that were popular in England at that time, race the car and then drive it home.  These are the roots of Lotus.

What really blew me away was the operational, portable, Coventry Climax fire pump associated with the grouping.  It was designed and used in early post war England to pump water to combat fires for Civil Defense purposes by the Coventry Climax Fire Pump Co.  Chapman, and apparently others, recognized the potential of its single overhead cam, all aluminum design.  As light weight, race appropriate, engines were non existant during the early post war period, it was adapted it for race car purposes.  This engine, in evolving design configurations, went on to power many of the early race winning and production Lotus cars that established the Lotus brand.  Coventry Climax went on the become one of the preeminent engine builders in Gran Prix and Formula racing.  There were several of their engines in the display, including a 3500 c.c. unit that produces 600 h.p. naturally aspirated.

More to come...including details of a very special guided tour of The Inner Sanctum.    Cheers.