The Barber Vintage Festival is arguably the most famous, largest and best vintage motorcycle event in the world (with the Bull City Rumble coming in at a close 2nd or 3rd ;) The event does a comprehensive job of covering all facets of motorcycling including collecting, restoring, racing and riding vintage motorbikes. The 13th edition of the event will take place on October 6, 7 and 8, 2017 and you can be certain that Ton Up NC will have a strong presence at the event as they have since the first edition of Barber Vintage.
Aside from racing, one of our favorite pastimes at Barber is the swap meet, with its eclectic mix of motorcycles in various states of repair and the interesting people who make or supplement their living selling them. What follows are some photos from the 2016 edition of the Barber Vintage Swap Meet.
There are few things more satisfying than kicking an old motorcycle to life. Whether this follows a total resurrection of a once left for dead machine or after a momentary pause on a country ride when you just stopped to take in the scenery. That moment when the perfect combination of air, fuel, spark collide and explode never ceases to leave one with an ear to ear grin. Its one of those things everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime and completely contrasts the complete lack of emotion and effort involved in modern push-button ignition systems. Without going into great technical detail, what follows is a step-by-step instructions on how to start that old Triumph, Norton, BSA etc.
1. Shift the bike into Neutral (this is located 1/2 click between first and second gears). A good way to make sure your bike is in Neutral is to check and see if the bike rolls or the rear wheel turns freely without the clutch engaged.
2. Bring the bike outdoors or at least open the garage or shed door (Brit bikes are not emissions free machines and do create quite a bit of poisonous gas when running).
3. Make sure you have fresh gas in the tank. It is good practice to drain your tank if you plan on storing your bike for a while or at least add some fuel stabilizer to the gas to prevent it from getting stale. Stale gas typically has a very strong sweet shellac-like odor to it.
4. Turn on the gas. This is done by moving the petcock lever (located on the underside of the gas tank) from the horizontal position (off position) to the vertical position by pushing the lever downward.
5. Enrich your fuel mixture by actuating the choke lever, usually located near the clutch lever on the left side of the handlebar. If your bike has no choke lever there is a "tickle" button located on the outside of the carburator that can be depressed to release some extra fuel into the carburator (do this on both carbs if you have more than one.) You want to tickle until a little bit of fuel seeps out of the button onto your finger.
6. If your bike has a compression release (not all do), actuate the lever or button. This will make the bike much easier to kick over. If your bike has no compression release, skip to step 7.
7. Flip out your kickstarter (typically located on the right side of the bike) and with a mild amount of pressure push it with your foot until you feel some resistance (you may have to push the kickstarter all the way through once and repeat to achieve this end.) This puts the bike on its compression stroke.
8. Turn on your bike with your key. Make sure your kill-switch is in the "on" position, if you have one.
9. With a moderate amount of pressure, kick the bike all the way through. When you hear the bike beginning to start a small twist of the throttle can help the bike start and begin to idle. Be wary of kickbacks, some bikes are known to bite you in the shin or eject the rider if not careful.
10. Turn off your choke and if the bike keeps on idling you are ready to roll. Turn lights on for safety. Congratulations you just kickstarted your bike.
To be considered for membership you MUST: 1- currently own a vintage British motorcycle 2- live in the great north state 3- be willing to participate in the planning and execution of the annual Bull City Rumble every Labor Day weekend 4- have an interest in vintage motorcycle racing.
If you can check ALL of those boxes and would like to be considered for membership in Ton Up NC, please send us an email at TonUpNC@gmail.com
Join us on Saturday, February 22, 2014 for Ray Price Triumph's second vintage bike show. Bring your vintage or modern retro motorcycle or car to Ray Price's in Raleigh, NC. All makes and models are welcome. Entertainment by Beatles tribute act: Rubber Soul. Want to sell parts/accessories at the swap meet? Register here.
To update your attendance status to going on Facebook, click here.
For those of you who missed it or just had questions about the bikes in the display, below is a L-R list of the bikes that we brought (feel free to email us with specific questions at tonupnc@gmail.com):
1951 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
1961 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin "Bathtub Bike"
1964 Triton
1966 Norton Atlas
1962 Triton (not pictured)
1966 Triumph T120 "Big D" TT Special
1973 Bultaco Pursang 350
If you missed this stop in the IMS tour, there are still a several left to check out and likely one that is close to your neck of the woods if you are in the North, Midwest, or Left Coast. Click for a complete International Motorcycle Shows tour listing.
We hope to see you all next year at the races, shows and on the streets of NC and beyond… for a complete schedule of upcoming races and events you might see us at click here. To help support our mission and help us fund upcoming events please purchase something from our online store by clicking here.
Ton Up NC at the Meltdown (L-R Daniel, Patman, Chad)
The Meltdown. The brainchild of Ton Up NC's Mountain Division: Daniel and Patman, a simple concept: establish a spring vintage motorcycle event at thier local brewery in the mountains of NC. In 2012 this mission was accomplished in Hendersonville, NC at Southern Appalachian Brewing Co. The show was an overwhelming success and showcased some of the finest vintage motorcycles not just in Western North Carolina, but in the country. True to the Ton Up NC mission of the promotion of riding and restoring vintage motorcycles, many of the entrants rode their motorcycles from the far reaches of the south including a 1951 Vincent was ridden all the way from Atlanta, GA. Here are some photos from last year's event. Be sure to come out to the 2013 edition on April 27 at 11:00am. For directions go here: DIRECTIONS.
