Bill's Old Bike Barn

[Rod]

I love to check out vintage motorcycle museums, so on my way down to ride in MD and VA last week I swung wide and checked out Bill's Old Bike Barn in Bloomsberg, PA, near the intersection of I-80 and I-81 in the Poconos. OMG. I can barely describe it, but the website gives a good idea. It's like a theme park. Bill collects everything. I mean everything. And after walking through the ranks of old Harley's, Brit bikes, and many other famous and obscure vintage models, to my amazement I suddenly came to a room full of old Guzzis. He must have the best collection of old Guzzis in the country, if not the world. Not only loops and bacon slicers, there was the mule, the Hercules, an old military Guzzi. There's a reason for this. I got talking to Bill and he was a Guzzi dealer 1970-78. He had some interesting stories about dealing with the Berliners and selling Guzzis back in those days. So if you are in the area, I strongly advise a visit. It will cost you $5.00. There's a special event June 29-30 as you can see on the website. Here's a few pics I took, as well.

https://www.billsbikebarn.com/

[Lannis]

I was working in Berwick PA, just up the road from there, a few years ago.

I can't believe I never took time to stop off and see what was in there.   I saw it while riding by (riding a Cal III at the time), but seemed I was always in a hurry.

Apparently I made a mistake in priorities!

Thanks for the writeup.   Next time I'm in that part of the country, no way I'm missing it ....

Lannis

[jas67]

I've been there, and want to go back, as I only had a few hours and sort of rushed through it.
It is definitely worthwhile.

If anyone from south-central PA is interested in riding up together, let me know.

[mmcwhitehead]

Bill's is a favorite destination for some folks I ride with. We usually stop at the Playa Cacun Mexican Restaurant on Central Rd., just outside of Bloomsburg before heading for home. Makes a great day.

[leafman60]

I've been to Bill's more than once and was given a personal tour by Mr. Bill on one of those occasions. Bill was not a man of excessive words but he was hospitable and accommodating.

He has a large H-D parts business there and then his museum is housed in an adjoining space. He has a lot of bikes of several brands.  Heavy on the H-D's.

I cannot remember the full story but I think he told me that he had been a Guzzi dealer at some point in his history. I remember he had one of the 3-wheel utility Guzzi machines too.

My drawing to Bill's was the extension flyers he used to send out advertising a huge selection of NOS Harley Davidson parts for pre-Evo H-D's.  He had bought trailer loads of Shovelhead bike parts from the factory but he had a very optimistic appraisal of what his items were worth and priced them accordingly.  I haven't been by there in a few years now but it is certainly worth a visit for any motorcycle enthusiast- especially a Guzzi or Harley man.

One quirk I remember about Bill, and I probably should not even mention this, was that he always carried a can of beer in his hand. If the time was 10 o'clock in the morning or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Bill always had an open can of beer.  I don't remember him drinking that much from it but he seemed to always carry it.

(Oh, and he never offered me my own beer.)

.

[Rod]

Bill told me he worked for the local Harley dealer, but wanted to move on and have a dealership of his own. Harley wouldn't do that, so he approached the Berliners. They finally agreed to give him one bike. He said if they had offered two he couldn't have afforded it. But that got him started in 1970 and he had a Guzzi dealership until 1978. The Ambassador in the picture was one he sold and then bought back for his collection.

He did not have a beer in his hand. But he clearly has a collecting issue. I asked him if he had any Guzzi parts and I think he demurred. Said he had sold some parts in the past. The event he has coming up on June 29 includes a "VIP Pickers" option. So it sounds like he's going to open his warehouse. But he's charging $50 to get in!

[hauto]

Went there last summer.I had a great time looking at one of everything that was ever made.Bill said their going to be building additions soon.

[giusto]

Every time we’d drive back to NY for the holidays or the summer we would stop. Always seeing something that we didn’t notice the last time through. The kids and my wife liked it as much as I did!
Just a fun place to visit and bill and wife are more than happy to show you around !

There used to be a bill board along 80... that’s how we first found it ...he complained about paying too much for the board and dropped it.

What a hoot

[not-fishing]

Wow thanks, I haven't gotten to travel the US much because I'm always working.  Well now I'm looking at forced retirement and I hope to go on many long tours.  I love these type of stops.

A couple of years ago when I picked up my Lemans Rosso Corsa from Minneapolis I was able to visit Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington,Ne and it was a great way to spend an hour.

http://heartlandmuseum.com/2-uncategorised/10-museum-photos