Member Contributer keithbob Posted May 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2008 Jalene and I are back from our CA ride last week, and was it ever hot! I'll finish the post I have going over in the PNW section, but first I wanted to pause and tell you all about a very special place we visited - the Motorcycle Museum in Solvang, CA. Solvang is a lovely little town just to the northwest of Santa Barbara, and has a very Danish air built into it. But it hides a secret place where world-class machinery lie waiting for you to see, lie waiting to shatter the peace of that town. This is the kind of history class we can all enjoy! Jalene and I sitting outside, with our trusty VFR burro to the rear. Plenty hot that day. Yes, that's a Britten behind the nice lady at the desk, the last one ever built. Beautiful machine, but what a handful! The first thing I did was walk straight over to Hailwood's #9 and take a photo for my brother. I called him (in Seattle) later that evening just to hear the pain in his voice when I told what I'd seen that day. Anyway, we arrived on a Friday knowing it's normally closed, but hopeful, and they were waiting for a party that never showed. So in we went! Here's what you'll get to see if you go (plus lots more) - Hailwood's bike. I can still hear the sound of this thing in my head. When I was a 10-year-old kid with a Z-50, Honda came out with a commercial of #9 going by at full scream, and it was the first time I ever heard an inline-four racer. I will NEVER forget that image or the sound. A CZ with a hand-hammered aluminum dustbin fairing. Simply amazing to look at and imagine how many times it had been bent up and then hammered back into shape. Dustbin fairings were later outlawed in racing because of major instability problems. The Crocker that was featured in the article in Cycle World a few months back. The auction hammer came down for $250K. Simply stunning in person. I stared at this for a long time. A Honda CR93 125cc twin from 1963. This is one of the bikes that first made the racing world sit up and take notice of Honda. This thing turned very high rpm (for that time) reliably and was an indicator of where things were headed in the future of racing. Note the steering damper and the tiny bell-mouths! This place was extremely interesting to me because, at 49 years old, my awareness of motorcycle racing dawns at about the 1966-67 timeframe. There were many bikes on display from "before my time" memory-wise (flat-tank Nortons!), but I also kept seeing bikes that brought back memories of times such as Hailwod vs. Agostini, Mert Lawill and the XR750, and so on. The emphasis of the museum is on racing iron of the 40's, 50's, and 60's. As such, it was like being taken back into my youth, reviving forgotten memories, and seeing them come to life again. It's very hard to verbalize the feelings that came over me. These were bikes that I had seen in the pages of Cycle or some other magazine decades ago, and suddenly here they were again, right in front of me. You can probably tell from the photos that the bikes are kept in immaculate condition, and the museum is well laid out and comfortable, lots of space to walk around the bikes and view them. I'd guess that there are about 75 bikes on the floor. The cost is a $10 contribution and the doors are open Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment mid-week. Don't miss this one - I intend to make another trip and take my brother John, so that I can share it with him. He's 6 years older than me, and it will be fun to see which bikes he responds to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 It's very hard to verbalize the feelings that came over me. Actually, I think you did quite well in that respect, great write-up :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted May 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2008 A must stop. I liked the MV Agusta GP bikes too. Thanks for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Birdman Posted May 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2008 Excellent writeup, Keith. I've been in Solvang many times (or passing thru along the 101) and never made the stop. Really dumb of me. So next time, methinks. :fing02: Oh, they rotate their exhibits every couple months, pulling various other bikes from another storage facility, so it's entirely possible to see completely different bikes on your next trip. Their site lists a particularly unusual bike for sale... http://www.motosolvang.com/bike_pages/For_...nterceptorr.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer PorradaVFR Posted May 28, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 28, 2008 What, you mean THIS Britten? :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted May 31, 2008 Forum CEO Share Posted May 31, 2008 Same one as this one On loan from the Solvang, the Sandia Classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted May 31, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2008 At the IOMTT Hearing this baby coming down Brae Hill at full thottle made my spine tingle.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted May 31, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2008 Number 6...... http://whoridesavespa.com/2007/01/17/10-gr...ver-motorbikes/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLO97VFR Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Glad you made the trip safe! You forgot the best bike there: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AussieinUSA Posted May 31, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2008 Great post Keith, thanks for sharing..............and thanks to you others also. I had know idea the wooden footed town had such a place, next time there it'll be pastries AND bikes :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Wow, $4500 for a 1985 VF700F with 9700 miles on it... just wait till the world sees my completed, sub-3000 mile 750... :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AussieinUSA Posted May 31, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2008 Excellent writeup, Keith. I've been in Solvang many times (or passing thru along the 101) and never made the stop. Really dumb of me. So next time, methinks. :fing02: Oh, they rotate their exhibits every couple months, pulling various other bikes from another storage facility, so it's entirely possible to see completely different bikes on your next trip. Their site lists a particularly unusual bike for sale... http://www.motosolvang.com/bike_pages/For_...nterceptorr.htm Whats up with the rear wheel?? Looks like its the front off Nicoles Bigwheel :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer keithbob Posted June 2, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2008 Glad you made the trip safe! You forgot the best bike there: Wow - that wasn't on the floor when we were there. In one of my photos I can make out something small and red parked next to the XR, with a yellow front number plate, but I'm not sure what it is. It's way back in the shadows in that picture. It's odd that I didn't take a shot of the XR, because I remember calling Jalene over so she could see the kind of bike Mert rode in On Any Sunday. Our favorite movie (duh). I guess I have a good reason to drop in every time I'm in the area! Thanks for the compliments on the post. It's encouraging to see other history lovers out there. Remember, as wonderful a piece of modern manufacturing as our VFRs are, there really isn't much on them that wasn't done on some racebike long ago. With places like these, we can see where our roots lie, and that's why I get so excited when I see something like that little CR93, or Hailwood's 750. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 That's a cool museum. Also not to miss when in Solvang are some Abelskievers. Take your pick of restaurants for those tasty treats. :pissed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HenryCdn Posted June 2, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2008 Good to find out about this place. My wife and I are planning out our route and will go there if we go far enough south. Makes me think we should have a places-to-see by state or province sticky-post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Nice place to visit. :laugh: Here is a pic and info on one of the bikes I liked when I was there. "Over the counter road racer" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gmtech94 Posted June 2, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2008 I still have and ride one of those little 125's and it still is neat for corner speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I still have and ride one of those little 125's and it still is neat for corner speed Ya gotta post some pics :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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