Barcelona
My trip to the opening round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship in Spain would see me in Barcelona 24 hours before the event. I needed to find some amusement and after a quick search on ‘What to do in Barcelona’ I found the website: www.museumoto.com. Did you know that Barcelona is one of the European cities with a higher number of motorcycles per inhabitant, and that it has a long tradition in the twowheeled world? Do not miss paying a visit to this little museum in the heart of the Gothic quarter as you will be as surprised as I was. This Barcelona Museum is a place that must be visited as it goes beyond the mere technical perspective of the motorcycles, each one of them on display contains personal stories about the machines. It gives you a different perspective on motorcycles in European cities and lets you to see the evolution of 20th century society, focusing on Catalonia and Spain where this industry had and still has a remarkable history.
With over 70 motorcycles on display the theme can change many times during the year, and when I visited it was based around 100 years of scooters in Spain. Based in the heart of the city the museum was born in 2011 as a permanent exhibition. The very first exhibition is dedicated to the motorcycle industry in Catalonia. These early pioneers set the foundation of what is still in 2017 a very vibrant industry. They planted the seed to create a love and passion for motorcycles which remains internationally recognised, especially in trials with Gas Gas and Montesa/Honda. Not everyone is aware that Catalonia is proud to have had over 190 different motorcycle manufacturers! Small and large factories have emerged, with the majority of them launched by courageous entrepreneurs who in very difficult times with reduced facilities managed to convert their dreams into reality. Where else can you find an original Ossa projector and Montesa Cota 247 belonging to the Repsol Honda trials team manager Miquel Cirera? The Mick Andrews Replica Ossa even has the fuel tank signed by the trials legend Mick Andrews himself! Grab a coffee and have a walk around the museum, I did, and I certainly enjoyed it...