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It was Friday night and I was working on a shock. My fellow engine tuner that I share a building with asked "Do you want to go to Barber?" I had planned to go, but I had family commitments that day. I couldn't leave as planned. I knew that the guys from Chronic Racing would already be down and ready to race. I replied “Let’s take the Bikes". Yes, we wanted to be there for a race tomorrow and it was 750 miles away.
So it was 39 degrees Fahrenheit outside when we left at 2am. On the Scrambler with no heated grips, no heated vest and no windscreen. It was brutal and amazing fun. From Chicago to Birmingham, Alabama. We road non-stop for 12 hours. Only stops were for gas and coffee. With a few extra minutes to try and get feeling back into the fingers and toes.
![Helmet Selfie Vehicle Personal protective equipment Fun]()
As we road through the night surrounded by Monsanto GMO corn fields it was quite peaceful. The moon was a crest and the sky was dominated by Jupiter, Venus and later mars.
We settles on 89 mph cruising speed and the Scrambler wasn’t even breathing heavy. The Pilot 3 tires were gripping well on the cold road. I used my own advice and reached down to loosen up the ride control over the extreme pothole I-65. Having a on the fly adjustable shock was worth all the work. The forks would have to wait until I pulled over and grabbed a 3mm Allen wrench. We approached the windmill fields of central Indiana with no feeling in my toes but the flashing red lights were filling the sky. The little Scrambler rolled on.
As the sun came up the temperature didn’t change. We had just missed the rain and it had left the world cold and damp. It wasn’t until we hit Nashville that I could feel the warmth back in my body.
As we made the last remaining miles to Barber. The fatigue started to set in but we were pilgrims headed to Mecca. The Holy land awaited. Ahrma Vintage Fest at Barber Motorsports Park. With over 100,000 spectators this weekend and 9 out of 10 Britten’s gathered together. It was the event of a lifetime.
![Tourism Tree Recreation Plant Travel]()
I’ve spent well over 100 hundred weekends of my life at Barber, I’ve lived in the hidden double secret overflow lot for weeks in my RV. It’s an amazing place but I’ve never seen it like this! Bikes and riders in every direction. If you wanted to find the rare bike of your dreams this was the place. Norton’s, Indians, Ducati’s. 2 stroke, 4 stroke, Winkle. They were all there! Time to mingle and enjoy.
![Motor vehicle Public space Vehicle Motorcycle Transport]()
But wait! We came for a race. One of our sponsored racers “K3” Chris Onwiler was about to race. We had made it with only minutes to spare. Awesome to watch the race and witness all the 1990’s Ducati Iron out on the track. Chris had built a 90’s Slingshot GSXR just for the event. Retro and classic. The Ahrma way.
![White T-shirt Font Vehicle Jacket]()
Then it came. The sleep monster attacked and I slept where I sat. After a few friends helped me into a bed it was lights out. I was happily awoken from my short but satisfying nap to a picture of the scene on Instagram. That’s what friends are for! It was an amazing night of friends and motorcycles. The thought that I wasn’t working at a track was filled with Joy. Friends, bikes and good conversation. All in the presence of Britten’s standing before me.
![Sky Font Flag Technology Graphic design]()
Sunday morning I awoke to sunshine from my sleeping bag in the back of a trailer. This was roughing it fir fun. Good times were to be had. We made the rounds around the track and checked out the different scenes. Retro Dirt bikes, Café Racers, Swap meets and even a wall of death motorcycle show. Best of all: Britten’s, Britten’s and more Britten’s.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Car Motor vehicle]()
We watched the vintage motorcycle races until it was time for the big bikes to race. What an amazing site to see a Britten about to race on a track. I haven’t seen that since the early 90’s when I was lucky enough to be pit crew on a “Bears” team for a weekend.
As K3 gridded up for the race.(#833 gridded up next to the Britten) All eyes were on the Britten. There were some very expensive 888’s in the field and it was great to watch the Britten toy with them. How do you beat a 60k Ducati? Well with a 1 million dollar Britten!!! The race was amazing to watch and I was happy to be there. Chris ended up 4th and considering the field that was amazing.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Motorcycle racer Road racing]()
Of course I had charged my phone a few to many times on the Scrambler, so I had to borrow a set of rollers to breathe a little life in it and jump start it. To my surprise the rollers belonged to the owner of the Scrambler Flat track bikes being campaigned by Ducati this year. It’s a small world and the conversation was fantastic.
Part 2:
However, it was time to start riding again. The sun was falling and the air was warm. Making it through Alabama was refreshing. Going back we were running a fast pace but with quite a few traffic delays the hours were getting long. After a detour in Nashville we knew that it would be very late getting home. Kentucky was a good pace and the temperature was dropping fast. After another stop for gas and a quick dinner we hit the road. We road hard until Louisville and were careful not to attract the Indiana state troopers as we crossed the river. They like to wolf pack on the north side of the bridge.
It was getting cold and late. About 2 am we kicked it up. We were cruising now at over a 100mph. We kept it up for about an hour until we once again saw the flashing red lights of the windmill farm. Cold and tired I needed a wake up. I wanted to see what the little Scrambler could actually sustain. It pulls nicely until the electronic rev limited kicks in at 118MPH. Then it flashing red lights on the dash. It would hold study at 116 with no problems. The bike held its own as the miles passed and then it became time to slow down. We kept a nice pace of 95 and never did I find myself wanting for more power.
It was a welcome site to see my exit for home finally up on the road sign. It was a great weekend and I did not regret taking the Scrambler. It’s just bad luck that the new seat did not arrive before I left but that’s part of the adventure.
![Helmet Selfie Personal protective equipment Head Photography]()
1500 miles in two days. That’s what I call an Iron Butt weekend. Pictures from Instagram.
So it was 39 degrees Fahrenheit outside when we left at 2am. On the Scrambler with no heated grips, no heated vest and no windscreen. It was brutal and amazing fun. From Chicago to Birmingham, Alabama. We road non-stop for 12 hours. Only stops were for gas and coffee. With a few extra minutes to try and get feeling back into the fingers and toes.
As we road through the night surrounded by Monsanto GMO corn fields it was quite peaceful. The moon was a crest and the sky was dominated by Jupiter, Venus and later mars.
We settles on 89 mph cruising speed and the Scrambler wasn’t even breathing heavy. The Pilot 3 tires were gripping well on the cold road. I used my own advice and reached down to loosen up the ride control over the extreme pothole I-65. Having a on the fly adjustable shock was worth all the work. The forks would have to wait until I pulled over and grabbed a 3mm Allen wrench. We approached the windmill fields of central Indiana with no feeling in my toes but the flashing red lights were filling the sky. The little Scrambler rolled on.
As the sun came up the temperature didn’t change. We had just missed the rain and it had left the world cold and damp. It wasn’t until we hit Nashville that I could feel the warmth back in my body.
As we made the last remaining miles to Barber. The fatigue started to set in but we were pilgrims headed to Mecca. The Holy land awaited. Ahrma Vintage Fest at Barber Motorsports Park. With over 100,000 spectators this weekend and 9 out of 10 Britten’s gathered together. It was the event of a lifetime.
I’ve spent well over 100 hundred weekends of my life at Barber, I’ve lived in the hidden double secret overflow lot for weeks in my RV. It’s an amazing place but I’ve never seen it like this! Bikes and riders in every direction. If you wanted to find the rare bike of your dreams this was the place. Norton’s, Indians, Ducati’s. 2 stroke, 4 stroke, Winkle. They were all there! Time to mingle and enjoy.
But wait! We came for a race. One of our sponsored racers “K3” Chris Onwiler was about to race. We had made it with only minutes to spare. Awesome to watch the race and witness all the 1990’s Ducati Iron out on the track. Chris had built a 90’s Slingshot GSXR just for the event. Retro and classic. The Ahrma way.
Then it came. The sleep monster attacked and I slept where I sat. After a few friends helped me into a bed it was lights out. I was happily awoken from my short but satisfying nap to a picture of the scene on Instagram. That’s what friends are for! It was an amazing night of friends and motorcycles. The thought that I wasn’t working at a track was filled with Joy. Friends, bikes and good conversation. All in the presence of Britten’s standing before me.
Sunday morning I awoke to sunshine from my sleeping bag in the back of a trailer. This was roughing it fir fun. Good times were to be had. We made the rounds around the track and checked out the different scenes. Retro Dirt bikes, Café Racers, Swap meets and even a wall of death motorcycle show. Best of all: Britten’s, Britten’s and more Britten’s.
We watched the vintage motorcycle races until it was time for the big bikes to race. What an amazing site to see a Britten about to race on a track. I haven’t seen that since the early 90’s when I was lucky enough to be pit crew on a “Bears” team for a weekend.
As K3 gridded up for the race.(#833 gridded up next to the Britten) All eyes were on the Britten. There were some very expensive 888’s in the field and it was great to watch the Britten toy with them. How do you beat a 60k Ducati? Well with a 1 million dollar Britten!!! The race was amazing to watch and I was happy to be there. Chris ended up 4th and considering the field that was amazing.
Of course I had charged my phone a few to many times on the Scrambler, so I had to borrow a set of rollers to breathe a little life in it and jump start it. To my surprise the rollers belonged to the owner of the Scrambler Flat track bikes being campaigned by Ducati this year. It’s a small world and the conversation was fantastic.
Part 2:
However, it was time to start riding again. The sun was falling and the air was warm. Making it through Alabama was refreshing. Going back we were running a fast pace but with quite a few traffic delays the hours were getting long. After a detour in Nashville we knew that it would be very late getting home. Kentucky was a good pace and the temperature was dropping fast. After another stop for gas and a quick dinner we hit the road. We road hard until Louisville and were careful not to attract the Indiana state troopers as we crossed the river. They like to wolf pack on the north side of the bridge.
It was getting cold and late. About 2 am we kicked it up. We were cruising now at over a 100mph. We kept it up for about an hour until we once again saw the flashing red lights of the windmill farm. Cold and tired I needed a wake up. I wanted to see what the little Scrambler could actually sustain. It pulls nicely until the electronic rev limited kicks in at 118MPH. Then it flashing red lights on the dash. It would hold study at 116 with no problems. The bike held its own as the miles passed and then it became time to slow down. We kept a nice pace of 95 and never did I find myself wanting for more power.
It was a welcome site to see my exit for home finally up on the road sign. It was a great weekend and I did not regret taking the Scrambler. It’s just bad luck that the new seat did not arrive before I left but that’s part of the adventure.
1500 miles in two days. That’s what I call an Iron Butt weekend. Pictures from Instagram.
thanks for the write up,
