Driven to Ride

• Barber Motorsports Museum

  The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum exists at the intersection of the past, present, and future of motorcycling. “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long traveled to the museum for the very first time this past October. His eye-opening experience coincided with the annual Barber Vintage Festival, which attracts tens of thousands of riders from all over North America and beyond to central Alabama.The magnificent five-story building sits in the southeast corner of Barber Motorsports Park, adjacent to the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course, affectionately known as the “Alabama roller coaster.” The museum and park are the legacy of dairy heavyweight and successful Porsche racer George Barber, whose vivid vision for a “motorcycle mecca” began in the late-1980s.Long took full advantage of the three-day weekend, conversing with Executive Director Brian Case, Conservation Manager Ally Domar, Education Programs Manager Dr. Liz Johnson, and legendary designer Pierre Terblanche. He also took in Q&A sessions with champion racers and celebrity authors, while roaming the exquisitely manicured, 880-acre grounds. It’s a don’t-miss episode. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  47:14

  --------

  47:14
• Ultan Guilfoyle, The Art of the Motorcycle

  Ultan Guilfoyle is a filmmaker and an author, who co-curated the landmark 1998 exhibition “The Art of the Motorcycle” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. “Installing motorcycles in the rotunda was a thrill,” he recalls. “It was like taking sculptural, three-dimensional objects and putting them up in the space and allowing people to see them in a way they had never seen before.”On this episode of the “Driven to Ride” podcast, Guilfoyle relates the story behind the exhaustive efforts to gather the astounding 111 motorcycles presented in the exhibition. “If you’re curating an art exhibition, say you’re doing Picasso, you know where all the Picassos are,” he tells host Mark Long. “You make 50 calls, and you’ve got 40 yeses and 10 nos. At least you got an idea. We had no idea.”Co-curator Charles Falco and Guilfoyle had a list of 50 “must-have” motorcycles, without which they had little hope of achieving their lofty exhibition goals. Twenty-one of those machines were ultimately lent to the Guggenheim by the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. That, Guilfoyle says, led to a relationship with founder George Barber, a relationship that continues to this day. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  52:11

  --------

  52:11
• Wendy Schneider, Angels of Dirt

  Wendy Schneider’s recently released film, “Angels of Dirt,” is a true labor of love. The 90-minute picture focuses on Charlotte Kainz, who, as a child, embraced the male-dominated sport of flat-track motorcycle racing. One of the challenges, Schneider tells “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long, was explaining the rich history of this “go fast, turn left” form of two-wheel competition to a new audience.While Schneider interviewed a number of top former racers, both men and women, Kainz is at the heart of the story. “This is somebody, who, at a very early age, was carving out her destiny,” she says. “Watching her emerge as a contender, who said, ‘I want to race a Harley-Davidson XR-750. I want to race it at the Springfield Mile, and I want to win.’ She was her own compass.”Kainz was a force, says Schneider. “All of us who were friends with her over the years loved watching her become who she became. That pairing of this young person on this monstrous motorcycle meant something that was bigger than both of them. It was really quite beautiful to be around. Why not celebrate it?” Why not, indeed. Watch the film at angelsofdirt.com. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  42:51

  --------

  42:51
• Heather Wilson Schiltz, High Gear Success & Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast

  Motorcycling has opened nearly every door imaginable for Heather Wilson Schiltz, both personally and professionally. Schiltz heads up High Gear Success, a communications and marketing firm that caters to motorsports companies, event organizers, and racers. She is also the host of “Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast.” And, borrowing from her childhood dreams, she teaches others to ride.Schiltz was quite literally born into motorcycling. Her father was an avid off-road racer. After high school, he opened a KTM/Husqvarna dealership in central Ohio. “Our lives revolved around going to the races and being in the dealership,” she says. “I don’t think he expected it to be a lifelong thing, but that’s what it turned into.” Heather’s parents recently sold the dealership after 48 years of operation.Schiltz has been riding since she was five, but the actual behind-the-handlebars aspect of the sport takes a backseat to the many relationships she has forged. “I enjoy riding so much,” she admits. “It’s really freeing—a great experience. But I love the community and the family aspects that surround it. When I think about motorcycling, that’s what comes to mind for me.”High Gear SuccessMomentum: A Motorsports Podcast Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  48:36

  --------

  48:36
• Ben Taylor, Beachman Motor Company

  Beachman Motor Company makes one of the coolest-looking electric motorcycles you’ve never heard of. It may legally be considered a moped, but don’t get it twisted, you can actually ride their ‘64 model on the road. It’s the brainchild of Ben Taylor, the co-founder of the Canadian company, who’s got a soft spot for the classic designs of the 60s and 70s, whether its fashion, cars, or motorcycles. He had a dream to combine the cutting-edge technology of the EV world with the timeless styling of classic small-displacement Japanese motorcycles…think a cafe’d Kawasaki KZ200 or a Honda CB250, with a battery and electric hub-mounted motor instead of an internal combustion engine. After meeting his co-founder, Steve, who was already building cafe-racers for fun, Beachman was born.But Ben’s aim is higher than just cramming a battery into a classic-styled bike, he wants folks who would normally never throw a leg over a motorcycle to try a Beachman, introduce a whole new crowd to just how fun two wheels can be, and prove to the world that small electric motorcycles can be a viable form of transportation. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

  --------  

  50:58

  --------

  50:58

More Leisure podcasts

Trending Leisure podcasts

About Driven to Ride